Mentoring and Leading Women to Financial Independence Is Her Life’s Purpose
This natural leader says, “When I help others achieve their goals, mine automatically follow.”
A. C. Nwachuku of Vauxhall, New Jersey, an auditor and certified CPA, has been selling Avon since February 2009, after being downsized from her corporate leadership job. She recalls, “I knew Avon because my mom sold it in the ’80s. In fact, I still wear and get compliments on a Kenneth J. Lane choker Avon sold back then! But I also did my research: Avon is the world’s largest micro-lender to women, and for only $10 you can start your own business. So I contacted a friend who sold, and said, ‘Sign me up!’ ”
A. C., who has achieved Honor Society-level sales, meets potential Customers everywhere she goes. She quotes her friend—”If folks take showers ‘periodically,’ they’re potential Customers!”—and then adds: “You would not believe where I find them. For instance, the gas station. While the attendant was waiting for me to pay, I asked him, ‘Are you married? What do you wear on your skin? What does she wear? Do you follow NASCAR? (I’m trying to sell Turn4XT, the new NASCAR men’s fragrance.) I’d love to get your feedback on this sample. Here’s a brochure. Your number is … oh, that’s not it? Thanks.’ It puts people at ease when you get their opinion. You’re not selling them something; you’re getting their feedback and they’re helping you out. What’s the worst thing they can say? No—to the product. I tell my Representatives, ‘If I offer you a stick of gum and you say no, it’s to the gum, not to me. And maybe you’ll pass it on to someone else.’ ”
She explains why Customers prefer to shop with her: “It’s easier to shop with me than at the drugstore, because I can tell you how the product works. I listen carefully, and I’m not just an order-taker. I’ll ask my Customers if they have kids—I sell so many backpacks! Are they going on vacation? Maybe they need sunblock. I pay attention—it’s relationship-selling, and I have strong relationships with my Customers. They help me with referrals, too, which I encourage with free gifts and volume discounts.”
A. C. became a Unit Leader in just two campaigns, and expects to make Advanced Unit Leader (AUL) soon. She says, “I started off by recruiting my Customers. They already shared the brochure with colleagues and friends, so I offered them not just a discount, but the opportunity to earn a living while mentoring and coaching others. That’s my life’s purpose—mentoring and leading women to financial independence. When I help others achieve their goals, mine automatically follow. By helping my Representatives serve their Customers better, I achieve my own performance goals. Avon is about service, and that’s part of who I am. It’s not about me making AUL; it’s about them—about helping my team members to achieve their dreams, and about our combined Customers.”
A. C. says that both her District Sales Manager and her Upline emphasize showing Downline members how to build Customers. “I typically schedule appointments in cafes or in restaurants,” she says, “and I’ll model finding Customers all the way through to closing the sale, if possible. It may be with the maitre’ d, the server, the valet, whomever. They all take showers, don’t they? As we walk out, my new Representative gets the chance to practice in front of me with other patrons in the parking lot! It’s trial by fire; but I used to be very shy, so I empathize.”
A. C. also goes prospecting with her Downline; stresses the importance of recruiting existing Customers; and strategizes with her team to help them succeed. She says, “We periodically look at our performance—our wins as well as areas we need to focus on. Once team members see how their actions can help them achieve their dreams, they tend to follow through. Avon’s Incentives offer objective, monetary rewards, plus strategies and timeframes to achieve them. We work backwards, beginning with the end in mind. And if a member needs one more Recruit to reach her Fast Start goal, the whole team pitches in to help.”
She adds, “I follow up constantly—by text, e-mail, phone or Facebook. And I use Downline Manager to see who needs training; incurs extra-order fees; has returns that could be sold; or is at a ‘hot point’—where another dollar in sales could up her commission to 50%. I talk with my Downline about watching those.”
A. C. says that the key to her success—time management—is also her biggest challenge. Married with two little girls, ages six and four-and-a-half, she also works as a corporate consultant; is a church vestry member; and mentors several women outside of Avon. She says, “My girls call my business ‘Mommy’s Stickers’ because they help me label the brochures. I give them a quarter, and we go shopping with their Avon money. I’m teaching them financial independence! And my husband helps with deliveries, shares brochures with coworkers and even cooks when I have an Open House. But there’s so much to do in this business: so many tips, great ideas and ways to partner. So I prioritize and communicate boundaries. Instead of multitasking, I compartmentalize and focus on who I’m with. My family time is sacred. When I’m in church, nothing else matters. When I take time for myself, no one encroaches on that. In the end, it all balances out!”
