HOW TO MARKET YOUR AVON BUSINESS WITH SAMPLES

In my last tips blog post I shared tips & ideas on how to utilize the Avon catalog to market your Avon business. After the Avon catalog, samples, I believe are the second best way for you to market your business. Just like with your catalog, samples can help you grow your customer base & grow your campaign sales.

Benefits of Using Samples

With growing your business, of course you will need to create a plan on how you are going to market or promote it. As an Avon Independent Sales Representative, product sampling is an inexpensive but effective way to promote, grow & maintain your business. Here are some of the benefits of using product sampling in your Avon business

• Gives an opportunity for anyone who has not had any experience with Avon or the designated product a chance to try it before buying the full size product.
• Eliminates any doubt the consumer may have about the product, especially if it is something they have to apply to their skin. Many people have skin sensitivities.
• A way for you to receive honest feedback on a product like a new product before it is even released in the brochure or online.
• A way to show appreciation to your loyal customers.
• Help you increase immediate sales and/or leads.
• A great way to increase awareness of your Avon business.
• Shows consumers that you are confident with the product & Avon.

As you can see, you can use samples for many different reasons. However, it is important when you do choose to use samples in your business that you are using them for a specific purpose. Yes, samples are an affordable avenue to help you grow your business, but it still costs money. Just like with any aspect of your business, you want to make sure you are investing money & time for a purpose.

How to Order Avon Samples

As an Avon representative, you are able to see what samples in each campaign’s What’s New. Many times when Avon releases a new beauty product, representatives can enjoy receiving FREE samples with their qualifying purchase or enjoy a sample bundle. You can order them through AvonNow with your campaign order.

1. Sign on to AvonNow account.
2. Click on “Browse Products” drop down & choose the “Samples” link.
3. Scroll down & click on sample or sample bundles you’d like to order.
4. Make sure your name is shown in “Customer Name” box & type in quantity you’d like if more than 1.
5. Click “Add to Order”
6. Continue steps 3-5 until you have ordered all the samples you want to purchase
7. To check out or to check your cart, click on the shopping cart image found on top right corner.

Learn more about Avon What’s New by clicking here.

Marketing Tips with Samples

Whether you use samples that you order from Avon or create your own, there is a variety of ways you can use product samples to not only gain new customers but also keep your existing customers happy.

Show Your Appreciation

One way representatives use samples is by giving them to customers who have placed an order from you. This is a great way to just let your customers know that you appreciate their business & strengthening your bond with them. I mean, who doesn’t like free stuff?

Each campaign, my customers enjoy a FREE sample in their Avon brochure. Also, my local customers will receive a deluxe sample or a sampler with their latest campaign order. It’s a way I can have them feel special plus it gives them a chance to try something new. Once they have tried it, I am able to see what the general census will be of the new product.

Provides Confidence in a Product

When you are willing to provide samples of a product, it shows the consumer you are confident in your products. Someone that isn’t confident is not going to like a consumer trying a product for FREE. So when a customer is expressing doubt about a product, offer them a sample. This can be especially true when it comes to skincare products because many have sensitivities or are picky on what they apply to their skin. Another is fragrance… I know for me, I can envision what a fragrance smells like by description. I have to literally smell it & wear it to see if it matches with my natural body scent.

Sample Packs

Creating sample packs are a great to have when you are out & about in your daily life. If you are shy like me, I know approaching or speaking to strangers about my business is a bit out of my comfort zone. So I use sample packs because I “think of it as giving a gift. Love your server at a restaurant? Give her a gift. Great service from the checker at the supermarket? Say thanks with a free sample pack.” (Million Dollar Party Girl, 2015). I know for me, it opened the door for me to ask their contact info for follow up & made people feel more comfortable in handing it to you because they can see you are serious about your business.

To catch people’s eye, I use treat bags you can get at the dollar store for each of the holidays or seasons. “By switching up regular product packaging to something brighter, trendy or creative will wow over consumers and make them interested in the sample, and ultimately the product” (How to Promote Your Product with Product Sampling Marketing, 2016).

Do a Social Media Special

If you are looking for a unique way to get people’s attention to your Avon business, having a sample special is one way to do it. You can do a weekly offer by sharing a product & asking for people to comment on the post if they would like to receive FREE samples or you can create a special bundle of your favorite Avon beauty products, like you see in the image above. This is a great way to grow your customer base & it may in the future lead to sales!

With something like this, you may have to create your own samples for some products. What you can do is purchase empty travel size containers. You can find little kits at your local dollar store, Walmart or Target. I’ve even used emptied & cleaned out baby food jars when my youngest was a baby.

Have a Display at Local Businesses or Use at Events

I understand when you are first starting off or you may be looking for more affordable ways to market your business at local businesses or events. I love this tip for exactly that. This is a cheaper & honestly, in a lot of ways, more effective way to market your business without brochures.

Working with other local businesses are a great way to grow your customer base & it can be a great way to have a number of sales at one location. You can talk to local businesses & ask if you can leave sampler display for their customers to enjoy and for their help you can offer them a discount on their next order or do another special offer. This is a great way to still work on getting your name out there if you are not able to afford a lot of brochures. I’ve even come across some businesses who prefer to have a sample box over a brochure box.

At events, having a FREE sampler display box is a great way to introduce new customers to your business & to Avon products. You can have a flyer in your sampler letting customers know how to contact you for a current brochure and/or coupon they can use if they purchase one of the products in the sampler. At an event, you can use the way you hand out your samples as a way to have you stand out from the rest of the vendors. “The key here is to give out something that really catches people’s attention… You want recipients of your gift to brag to others at the event about it” (Business 2 Community, 2012). For example, at one event I did, I used Easter eggs to put a sample in it with my information on the back with a little candy inside. The kids loved opening it to find the candy & then when they handed the egg to mom, she would find a sample in there for her to use. So they each got a treat.

Click Here to learn how to create the sample box above 

Display at Events & Parties for Guests to Try On the Spot

When you are doing an event or home party, it is very important to have a wide variety of samples for people to try. This will help increase your on the spot sales. “The unexpected generosity, the pleasure of discovering a new product, and the law of reciprocity increases the chances that [they] may buy it” (Practical E-Commerce, 2015).

You can create a nice display for guests to try as they go or even better is to create a fun experience with it. Do a “Spa Day” where customers can let you know their skincare concerns & you can apply samples of products that will help with them. You can create a game where customers will have to smell a variety of fragrances & figure out what fragrance it is. Make it fun, entertaining & your guests will have fun testing out products & you can guarantee they will never forget to call you for their next Avon order!

Create a Sample Club

Creating a sample club is a great way to introduce Avon products to new customers. I would ensure though that you do get something in return because this does cost money. Even if you have members write a short review or complete a survey about the product(s). This information can help you learn more about the chosen product. Knowing what consumers like & dislike regarding products can help you recommend to other customers & you will have something to say when someone asks “What do people like about this product?”.

To learn more about creating your very own Sample Club, check out Lisa Scola’s YouTube video:

What ideas do you have with using samples in your Avon or direct sales business?

Comment below any additional ideas you may have to share with myself & others.

References

Business 2 Community How to Effectively Use Free Samples to Promote Your Products by Stan Rasen (July 25, 2012)

Million Dollar Party Girl How to Use Samples to Grow Your Direct Sales Business by Lynn Bardowski (July 24, 2015)

OnCampus Advertising How to Promote Your Product with Product Sample Marketing (February 26, 2016)

Practical Commerce The Benefits of Free Product Samples by Elizabeth Hollingsworth (January 22, 2015)