Hey there Online Beauty Bosses,
So, this happened to me recently which led me to this “How To”. I received a call from a new customer, that was out of my area and had previously shopped with another rep. But, lately whenever she contacted the other Avon representative, the rep would just text her the online store. She really wanted to place an order but she just wasn’t comfortable ordering online.
I could hear the frustration in her voice. So, when I talked to her, I asked if she would like assistance placing her order and I would be more than happy to help. I mentioned the order would be placed over at my online store and shipped directly to her and we could do it all over the phone.
Watch This Video for complete details on:
"How To Help Avon Customers Get Started Online"
This video has been edited from a previous Facebook Live over at the OnlineBeautyBosses facebook Group.
So she immediately attached to me as a customer, I got her order in and she happily went on her way. Now, I might not be able to do that for all my 10k+ online customers but I’m never too busy to offer help to encourage a customer to get online and establish a new customer relationship.
After I hung up with her, it got me to thinking . . . “How many other Avon Reps have lost customers due to sending their Avon link without offering personal help?”
Whenever I offer my online store I always make it a point to include an invitation to contact me for personal service. After all when it comes down to it, Avon customers still want that personal Avon Rep Attention and if we are not providing it then they’ll look to another Rep to find it.
That's why I decided to do this “How-To” on How To Help Avon Customers Get Started Online.
Now some of you may already be helping your customers place orders online and that’s great, but for those who are still getting familiar with their online store we’ll do a quick overview. Then we'll get into more detailed information for issues you may come across, that in my own experience I've had to figure out after I lost the customer! So we'll go over a few of those tips as well.
Now before we get into the actual steps on How To Help Your Avon Customers Get Started Online, there's a few things for you to keep in mind.
1) Using a laptop or a desktop computer is a lot easier when taking phone orders.
If all you have is a mobile device then you’ll obviously have to work with what you have but working on a larger screen is a lot easier especially when you’re trying to multi-task, talking, creating an account and adding products to your customers Avon shopping cart.
2) Make sure you have the latest browser.
Whether it be Chrome, Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc. your online store will run much better on an updated browser. Avon’s website may have a tendency to run slower on an out of date browser and when you have someone on the phone, time is everything. So you want to make sure that your website is running as fast as possible when you're trying to place that order for your customer.
3) Write down all your Customer's info in case you need to re-enter it.
This is important as this will help you get through the process faster especially if there’s an error and you need to re-enter your customer’s information.
In the beginning, when I first started helping my customers get online, I used to just type in the info as we went but I learned quickly that writing it down was much more efficient and I don’t have to ask for that info all over again if the info doesn’t go thru when creating their account.
4) Words make a difference: Say “Billing Info” rather than “Credit Card Number”
I don't know what it is, but it’s been my experience, saying “Credit Card” sends up a red flag, especially if it's a first time customer and they haven’t shopped with me before. So saying “Billing Info” or “Billing Information” is just a softer, friendlier way to ask for that sensitive information.
Since I started saying this instead I haven’t had anyone say they weren’t comfortable giving me that info, whereas before it was an issue at times.
Now A Quick Overview On How To Personally Place A Customer Order Online
For a complete detailed step by step info make sure to watch the above video!
1) Head on over to your personal online store. Double check to make sure you’re at your store.
2) Enter your customer’s products using either the online brochure, product #, or search box.
3) Click “Check Out” and create your customer’s Avon account or login with their account info
4) Enter your customers shipping address and billing information
5) Review customer shipping & billing info and products before submitting order
6) Click Submit and give customer their order number starting with AVRAs mentioned, for detailed steps on how to do this just watch the video above.
Road Blocks & Issues
What happens If Your Customer Forgets Their Password?
This is a simple solution, all you need to do is send them a password reset email. Watch the video for detailed steps on who to do this.What Happens If Your Customer Doesn’t Have Access To The Email Account & Can’t Remember The Email Address They Used?
Create a brand new account for them using a different email address.What If My Customer Doesn’t Have An Alternative Email Address To Use?
Easy, just create a free email account using Yahoo, Gmail or Outlook. This new email account will only be used to create their new Avon account and you’ll be managing it.Again, you’ll find step by step details on how to do this in the video.How To Safely Store Your Customers Personal Information
This is an important step as it has to do with sensitive customer information you've written down. You’re going to want to save your customer's name, email, credit card information, passwords for the email address and passwords for the Avon Account in a safe place but still easily accessible for possible future use.
I recommend using your AvonNow Customer Address book (See video for details). In your Avon Address book under your customer’s name you’ll find a Notes area where you can put this sensitive information. This is a good place to put it as our Avon Dashboard is a secure place.
I also recommend for added “Double Security”, that you separate some of the billing info like the security code and expiration date and enter that info in a seperate place like your own personal address book. By keeping this sensitive information separate it will add an extra layer of security.
Lastly, before we wrap it up, I have some additional bonus tips for you. They didn't quite fit in with the other info but I think you’ll find these tips helpful in the event your customer falls into either of these scenarios.
The first two tips came directly from Avon and the third is just my own personal suggestion.
A Few Bonus Tips
Bonus Tip #1:
If a customer orders more than 15 of the same item, Avon will review the order, which could delay process times.
This has happened a few times with my customers, they either wanted to take advantage of a sale or were purchasing for a special occasion like a women's retreat, a missionary trip or a bridal shower. These are legit orders but because of the quantity it triggers a flag and Avon will put it into manual review. This can delay shipping by 2 days.Bonus Tip # 2:
If the order is $500 or more Avon may cancel it.
This also triggers a flag and per Avon they will just cancel the order with no review whatsoever.Bonus Tip #3:
For those customers who aren’t connected by email make sure to send them a Thank You note by regular mail.
In that note you’ll want to write something like, “Thank you for your order, please keep my information handy for future help.” You’ll also want to insert your business card or if you don’t have one, just write it in the note itself. A refrigerator magnet could be useful in this case. This is important, because if they're offline this is the only way they’ll be able to have your contact info handy other than the order invoice.
Well that’s it Online Beauty Bosses, I know we covered a lot of info but I wanted to give as much info as I could so when you get that customer call you’ll be ready and feel confident when assisting your future online customers.
If you found these tips helpful feel free to Comment, Like, and Share with other Avon Reps who might find this helpful.
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