Avon Calling - Postie gives the ladies a run for their money

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Ding, Dong! Avon Man gives the ladies a run for their money

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As door-to-door beauty company Avon celebrates its 50 anniversary this year, the credit crunch means more people than ever from all walks of life are signing up to become Avon Ladies...and Gentlemen. Colette Warbrook finds out why

BEING an Avon Lady hasn’t always been viewed as the most glamorous of occupations.

It’s often been seen as a job reserved for housewives with a few hours to spare.

But the catalogue firm has seen a 15 per cent increase in new recruits, and today’s Avon reps are said to include former City bankers, estate agents, shop executives – and even men.

Thanks to the credit crunch, many people who have been made redundant are signing up to become reps.

This means that Avon and other direct-selling businesses are seeing a rise in recruits from sectors hit hard by the downturn, as well as an increase in male representatives.

One man who has never looked back since becoming an Avon rep four years ago is postie Des Hulme, of Lightfoot Road, Uttoxeter.

The 44-year-old, who juggles his work with the catalogue firm with a full-time job as a postman, is now a sales leader with responsibility for about 24 other reps.

“I’ve been a postman for 25 years,” says Des, who is single, “and I deliver around Denstone, Rocester and also at the main JCB factory in Rocester.

“But I wanted to add to my wages, so I started doing work for Betterware, and soon after that I got involved with Avon, which I do instead of Betterware now.”

Des found that being an Avon rep gave him the chance to earn good money and build his own team up as a sales leader.

“I’m earning an average of about £150 a week through Avon,” he says, “and that’s on top of my full-time wage as a postman. I’ve even managed to pay my mortgage off.”

“You can make 25 per cent on what your individual sales are, and because I’ve also got a team of people who sell Avon for me, I can make between three and five per cent of what they sell.

“So the more people you get into your team, the more money you can make.”

When he started, Des was amazed by how much women spent on cosmetics and lingerie.

“It’s a side of life that blokes don’t really take much interest in,” he says, “and it opened my eyes to the fact that women do spend a lot of money on cosmetics.”

But what do his mates think of his new money-making venture?

“I get the mickey taken out of me,” he admits, “but at the end of the day I’m earning extra money. My friends would ask me if I wore the make-up, but I just laugh it off. It’s just general banter, and I’m one of the worst mickey-takers myself, so I expect to take it as well.”

And Des, who says his customers don’t seem to mind that he isn’t a typical ‘Avon Lady’, was named as the top seller for the area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Derby.

“It’s just a case of being reliable and friendly, so your customers build up,” he says.

“I spend about 15 to 20 hours a week involved with Avon,” he says. “I finish my post round at around 2pm, and after that I’ll either deliver the Avon brochures or pick them up with people’s orders in.

“The cosmetics seem to be the most popular products with my customers, but I’m finding a lot more people are starting to buy Avon bras and knickers too.

He sold about £25,000 worth of products in that year, while his team collectively secured orders in the region of £160,000.

And every year he donates some of his commission to a charity of his choice, and this year two care homes for the elderly are set to benefit from his generosity.

He adds: “I enjoy being an Avon rep because I like getting to know people, which is something I was already used to through being a postman, being a postman.

“I believe Avon has completely changed. It’s a very modern company now.”

To find out more about Avon, contact Des Hulme at by emailing deshulme@hotmail.com or by calling 07956 036590.

Video available at link.

[norbert]

Mike Tyson's the Avon Lady where I live - "The Watchtower" comes through your window wrapped round a brick

[Captain Scarlet]

DING DONG....AVON CALLING...... AND THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

[dvbuk55]

I applied to be an Ann Summers rep but they said they only took women

[k979aaa]

I applied to be an Ann Summers rep but they said they only took women

Depends how hard up they are for staff!.

[DGP1]

I applied to be an Ann Summers rep but they said they only took women

Depends how hard up they are for staff!.

DV has a hard time with hardness

[k979aaa]

I applied to be an Ann Summers rep but they said they only took women

Depends how hard up they are for staff!.

DV has a hard time with hardness

Maybe they do Viagra and as such he could be entitled to a freebie it's better than the pack of seeds that did not grow from royalmail many years ago!.

[dvbuk55]

The wife says she is willing to wait until I die, apparently there is a a physical reaction when men snuff it - she says it will be the next thing after ringing the insurance company and I won't feel a thing - I said "no change there then"