@chrystaltreewrote:
The products are readily availabe and arrive in a week or so. You wait two weeks for an rep rep to drop your Avon goodies. So, I can only assume that some women what to fly back to the 1960's and have an Avon Lady ring their doorbell and sit at the formica kitchen table and drink coffee with them and gossip while explain their products. That must be the human touch people want. Get over it. That was 50 years ago. That Avon Lady ran off off with the Milk Man in his wood paneled station wagon....lol
I can see you don't understand sales in the least.
Real Avon reps, even in the much hated past some here seem to shun, knew that getting a product in a person's hand, letting them sample it, handle it, smell it etc. makes a sale.
A page on a brochure, a picture on a webiste isn't the same thing, but much of business today just doesn't get that.
I used to work for my friend that was a top Avon rep, and she was't gossiping and drinking coffee. She was getting to know the women who became customers of hers for decades. She knew their likes and dislikes, and could recommend new products based on actually knowing them. She could let them know of upcoming sales and specials, not just assume that they'd notice it in the latest book.
She knew about their families from their purchasing, and made lots of sales by recommending things for the grandkids, the mother in law (who just might also be her customer and had knowledge of her preferences), the husband, etc.
She put products, both beauty and their gift line which became highly collectible and sought after (no, I don't care if they held their value or their grandkids had to throw out boxes of it upon their death, the point is she made a great living selling these women what they wanted) directly into their hands and increased her sales tremendously by doing so.
Selling Avon isn't something one is required to do. One chooses to do it. If one can make the kind of money they wish by providing little to no personal service, then good for them, they are getting what they need.
But many fail at this kind of venture, and one reason just might be they aren't willing to actually put forth the time, effort and personal contact people seek and expect from a company that actually still, in this day and age, touts their reps even on national advertising.
It certainly isn't too much to expect personal service and a rep to be located in your area (most areas, maybe not some very rural or remote places) that will provide some contact and support services. One that has samples and some of the product line for you to see and handle.
If Avon is going to eliminate their sales reps, so be it. But if they are going to continue to market their availability, I see no reason a customer shouldn't expect the company to find them a rep in their area.
If it were me, I'd move on to other product lines. I'm not one to work that hard to spend my money with you. If a company can't or won't give me what I need or want in the way of products and service and quality, I'm gone.
I'm sure this is happening to Avon in many areas, if people are seeking reps and can't find them. Many may order their old standards online, but will fizzle out as a really growing customer over time. It cost significantly less to keep and existing customer than to obtain a new one, but that seems to be forgotten in today's retail.
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