This past Tuesday, I recruited the first member of my downline. She learned about me through one of the forums that I advertise my Avon business and she had gotten in contact with me over the summer. Initially, she just called me over the phone and we discussed some of the benefits of becoming an independent sales rep that I had experienced personally. Of course, she was initially apprehensive and unsure, however, over the course of a couple of weeks, she really warmed up to the idea.
Finally, she called me up this past week and told me that she was ready to sign up and eager to be in business for herself. This was very exciting, not only because she would become the first member in my downline, but also because I knew that this would be a great opportunity for her since she is a single mother trying to make ends meet with three teenage children.
We arranged to meet at the District Office in order to conduct her initial interview and to provide her with her start-up materials. I have to admit that I was a little nervous because I wanted to make sure that everything was explained to her thoroughly and that she left the interview with a sense that she would be supported throughout her venture.
As I reflect on the recruiting process, here are some tips that I have learned along this journey that I would like to share with other Avon Reps who are trying to recruit their downline:

1. Market your Avon business on as many free and social forums as possible. Let others know that you sell Avon and that you can share this business opportunity with them.

2. Make yourself available to speak to potential customers and recruits. Be professional and return phone calls and maintain an open communication.

3. Be honest with prospective recruits. Do not promise them that they will become rich tomorrow and let them know that their Avon business will only grow as much as they want it to grow based on the effort that they put into it.

4. Follow up with your downline and support them as they begin to grow their business. Their success is your success.

5. Always maintain professional relationships and do not mix business with anything else.

Today I received a message from a woman who expressed interest to me a couple of weeks ago in becoming an Avon Representative. We spent quite a bit of time recently discussing all aspects of the business and she definitely seemed interested in going into business for herself. This was very exciting for me because I know how my life has changed since I started selling Avon and I would love to share that with someone else. Of course, signing new representatives also increases my business but it is so much bigger than that.
I have always been a very confident person and try to look my best when I venture out of my home to go to work or in general. Since I started selling Avon, I am even more confident for a number of reasons...First of all, I feel empowered by the fact that I am running my own business. I understand that it is still in the early stages and is obviously not making enough profit to allow me to quit my day job. However, it is wonderful to be able to make my own business decisions and to use my creativity to market the product that I am selling. Secondly, I use the products and they are excellent. Believe me, if you know me personally, you know that I never say anything that I don't really mean. At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I would still be purchasing Avon products for my personal use even if I wasn't selling Avon.
My new recruit will probably be meeting with me this week to receive her starter kit and I will be taking her under my wing to share with her some of the tools that I have developed to market my product and to let others know that I am an Avon Rep. It does take a lot of work but it is work that you are doing to better yourself and maybe give you some level of financial independence. That is definitely something that we would all like.
No, I am definitely not a millionaire from this but I am definitely a changed person. It is very important that we, as individuals, take risks in our lives to better ourselves and to improve our situation in life. Through advertising my business, I have had the opportunity to meet many people that I might not have otherwise. That, in itself, is something extremely positive. At the end of the day, I am having a really good time selling Avon, making some money, and meeting great people. As far as I'm concerned, what more could I ask for?