My AVON Holiday Open House Party + Tips on How to Host

Hey there, beauties! I had my AVON Holiday Open House Party on Saturday November 14th. I had sent out invites to the party 3 weeks prior and created a Facebook event while posting things throughout the days leading up to the party, to get my guests excited. It was a great chance to host my first raffle and I chose to raffle off the newest fragrance set by Fergie: Outspoken Party! When each guest came to the party they got one ticket just for showing up. During the party there were other chances to earn additional tickets such as: winning a game (they also got to pick a "present" from the table. More on that later in the post!) placing a Campaign 25 order before the party ended, making a purchase from my in-stock items, joining my AVON team and starting their own AVON business, etc. Everyone who came to the party wanted to win this set! I even had a tester bottle and lotion off to the side so guests could try it and once they did they just wanted the set even more.

I held the party starting at 4pm. I anticipated guests showing up hungry and even stated on the invite that food and drinks would be served. I made buffalo chicken dip in my crock pot (its always a favorite at any kind of party I have), sliced up some italian hoagies, had chips/pretzels, and baked chocolate chip cookies and cherry strussel pie. Yum! For drinks I put out bottled water, sweet tea, peach tea, and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. We all had a bite to eat and made small talk and then I went into my introduction.

When I was planning and then setting things up for the party, I thought about what I would want to do/see if I were the guest at this AVON party. I know I would want a wide variety of samples and inexpensive gifts I could purchase on the spot. So, I had purchased 2 green baskets from the dollar store and in one placed all sorts of Anew Skincare samples (including a print out of the Anew Skincare Fall 2015 Guide) and in the other, just about every fragrance sample I could get my hands on for Her and Him. I also got about 4 packs (all different shades and various lines) of AVON lipstick bullet samples so that guests could meet their lippy match. Having those lipstick samples really made the guests excited and I think they all had fun "hunting" for a few shades they had been eager to try. I also set out some print outs of Alternative Uses for AVON Bubble Bath as well as Skin So Soft Bath Oil.

After we ate, I started into the games. I had planned to do two games during my party and the first one was The Purse Game. This game is a standby for direct sales parties as its fun, creates laughs, and also brings awareness to the products you are selling. I started the game with saying: "First of all, if your purse is from AVON, give yourself 10 points!" This brought attention to the fact that AVON sells handbags and fashionable ones at that. I held up the new Market Fringe Tote and a few jaws dropped as they didn't realize what all AVON had to offer. Some of the items listed were practical: keys, drivers license, lip balm, mascara, hand sanitizer, etc. Any item that was listed that could be found in an AVON brochure would get you an extra point if you had gotten it from AVON. Other items listed on the game sheet were a little less practical and more comical: fruit snacks, paperclip, box tops, sewing kit (which AVON has by the way!!), etc. Once everyone totaled their points, the guest with the most points got to pick a present (aka prize) from the table. The winner also got another ticket for the raffle!

As you can see from the picture above, I also had plenty of current brochures, pens, and business cards. You can also kind of see the handbag I had showed off during the purse game, even though the picture gets a bit dark in the corner there. There was even a guest who wanted to buy the tote bag on the spot she loved it so! 

After the first game, I took orders from anyone who was ready and also sold some items from the in-stock table. I knew I had a lot of product available on the spot, but again, I thought about what I would want from a party like this. Variety. Choices. Lots to look through and see first hand, even if I was not making the purchase at that time. I recently got the PayPal Here Credit/Debit Card Reader, so that was another payment option for my guests and I displayed the "sticker" that came in the box with the device. Guests were happy that they did not have to get any cash out or fuss with checks. 

The other game we played was the AVON Word Search that I had made up. There was a five minute time limit and whomever found the most words got to pick a prize! The winner also got another raffle ticket. The best part about the games was the fun that we all had. Everyone laughed and I could really tell that all were enjoying themselves. 

When the games were finished, I still had prizes left over so I gave them out to guests who had not won anything yet in the evening. I don't know of anyone that doesn't enjoy a free gift and I was happy to be able to gift everyone with a little something. By this time, more guests were ready with their orders and I took those while some had more coffee and some sweets. The party was nearing its end and I was about to do the raffle drawing. I had my daughter reach into the raffle box (after a good shake up!) and pick the winning ticket. The winner was surprised and gave a huge smile which warmed my heart!

I hoped you all enjoyed reading about my first ever AVON Holiday Open House Party! It was a fun experience for me, as my first - and I cannot wait to do more parties and growing my AVON business!!

IF YOU ARE NOT AN AVON SALES REP BUT WANT TO SIGN UP ONLINE TO BECOME ONE, CLICK HERE. AS AN AVON REP, HOME PARTIES ARE NOT A REQUIREMENT BUT THEY ARE FUN TO DO AND CAN LEAD TO MUCH SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS!

Tips for Gaining New AVON Customers

Good evening, beauties. I know one of the toughest things when starting any business is finding (and expanding) your customer base. Yes, there are millions of AVON Reps out there who are working their businesses and have their customer list and are making some serious bank. How did they get there? Did they complain that there were too many Reps out there? Did they wait around for people to automatically know that they sold AVON and could purchase from them? Doubtful. I don't mean to sound rude but if you want your business to work, YOU have to work!

First, your AVON brochures are your store. Every brochure you leave somewhere plants a seed in what takes time to grow into your beautiful AVON garden. Where have you left brochures? With family members? That's a great start! With friends? Well done! Now that you have done that, ask your family and friends to leave a book at their place of work (if it is permitted. Some places of employment do not allow this. If not, move on to the next idea!)

Places to leave your AVON brochures:

- The doctors office. Next time you have an appointment, or even just stop by if you won't be seen for some time, ask the receptionist if it would be permitted for you to leave an AVON brochure in the waiting room. She/He may even want a brochure for themselves, so make sure you take a few along with you. It is always best to have "too many" brochures on your person than to have run out when someone is really excited about looking at one. 

- The gas pump. I have heard many Reps say they leave brochures at the gas pumps. I honestly don't think that I would have thought to do this had I not heard it from someone else, but apparently it works! So, pump some gas and plant another seed to your AVON garden. 

- Your local bakery shop. Do you have a bakery or cakery in town? You should stop in, buy some yummy sweets and ask the owner if you could leave a brochure there. The answer may be no, but unless you ask it always will be. This stop won't be a wasted chance since you'll be treating yourself to a chocolate chip cookie or donut. 

- Your significant other's place of work. Again, if this is allowed in your SO's place of employment, send some brochures into the office with your sweetie to leave around. My husband works in an office building that he does IT work for and the secretary's just love their AVON! You might be surprised to find out someone may order AVON online, through no Rep, and they would be glad to shop with you so you could get  the credit.

- The laundromat. This one is great! While people wait for their clothes to finish the rinse cycle, they can flip through your AVON brochure. They are sure to find something that peeks their interest and they will have all of your info right there on the back of the book!

- The hair salon. Is there a certain place in your town that you always go to to get your hair/nails done? If so, stop in and see if you can leave some books. Chances are, the owner will say yes, especially if you are a frequent customer at their establishment. It would also be a good idea to ask if you could leave a basket of AVON samples on their counter. Doing this could really increase your customer base!

- Retirement homes. You could even check with the manager/caretaker and see about setting up a monthly event for the residents. Bring in some samples, some on-hand items, plenty of brochures, and set up a table. Again, with permission to do so!

- On the restaurant table with your tip. I've heard a lot of Reps do this one, too! When they pay for their meal at a sit-down restaurant, they will leave a brochure along with the tip for their waiter/waitress. I think it's also a professional idea to leave a business card, too. Which, by the way, is another great tip for a New AVON Rep! I have found Vista Print and AVON's Printing Company: Town & Country to be good companies to order business cards from. 

- At daycare/schools. If your drop your kiddos off at daycare or school, don't forget to leave some AVON brochures. Even though drop off is usually a busy time, Moms/Dads would be happy to grab a book real quick to look at later when things slow down. 

- Neighbors doorknobs. Ah, yes. The old AVON standby! In the Business Tools section when placing your AVON order, make sure to purchase some "Clear Literature Bags". These bags are designed for all the brochures for a Campaign to fit inside and hang on doorknobs with a pre-cut hanger hole. I believe the quantity is a pack of 50 for 80 cents! Another inexpensive yet effective tool for your AVON business.

- Apartment complex. (Checking with the manager/superintendent first, of course!) An apartment building is an ideal place to leave AVON brochures. There are tons of occupants, varying in age, and interests. Since AVON offers way more than "just makeup" the products could benefit anyone. You'll find that people are surprised when they look through the brochures. You are sure to hear "Wow, AVON has this!?" a time or two. 

- Dressing rooms. Why not? The point of this post is to show you that you can leave your AVON brochure aka your AVON store just about anywhere. The possibilities are endless and once you get past any nerves and leave that first brochure somewhere, you'll just want to go to another place to plant another seed to your beautiful AVON garden!!

Bonus Tip: When filling out the labels or backs of your AVON brochures, make sure you include the link to your AVON eStore so that your customers know they can shop online AND have their order shipped to their home address! People love the convenience of shopping from home. Be sure to include that there are products/sales that can only be bought when shopping online (for that extra incentive to check out your eStore!)



NOT AN AVON REP? WANT TO BE? JOIN OUR AVON TEAM, TEAM BEAUTY ETC, AND SIGNUP ONLINE HERE.