Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan

Making a Plan

As we begin any new venture, we need to make a plan as to how we are going to achieve the results we want.  With an AVON business it is no different.  The first thing we discuss during an appointment with a new recruit is their goals and dreams.  Everyone has dreams and goals of how they would like their life to be like some day.  However, without a plan, a dream is just a dream.  We have to have a list to things that need to be accomplished in order to get to the desired level we want with our business.  

Suppose your dream is to purchase your first home.  What is your plan to get there?  If you're a millionaire, I suppose you could just go and pay cash for the first one that catches your eye, or all of them for that matter.  I mean, you are a millionaire after all, right?  For those of us who are not millionaires, we could always just walk into the nearest bank and request a new home loan for the house of our dreams and hope we are approved.  But after the first month, you know, when the mortgage PAYMENT comes due, can we afford the home we purchased? Did we do our homework first to make sure the payments would fit into our budget?  Did we take into consideration maintenance and upkeep costs on the new home?  Is that also in our budget? 

You see, that is where making a plan comes into effect.  Before we can purchase the home of our dreams, we first must make a plan and consider all the options and steps we need to take to get there.  How much home can we afford?  What will the payments be?  How much interest will we be paying over the life of the loan?  If we want to pay cash and not go into debt, how much money will we need to save each month? If we need a down payment in order to finance, how much will we need?  How many months must we save to reach our goal for our down payment? These are all steps that need to be considered and a plan devised to be sure we can achieve the end result for which we are hoping. 

The same goes with your Avon business.  Where do you want to be in 6 months?  One year?  Five years?  10?  In order for your business to grow to where you want it to be, you need to have a plan of action to take you to that level.  

I recently signed up a new Representative who shared with me that she wanted to earn $200 per campaign in order to help with her monthly bills.  In order to help her understand how she could achieve this we had to devise a plan of action to get her there.  We discussed how many customers she would need to reach and the amount they would have to order in order to achieve the level of sales needed to reach the $200 profit level she desired.  We also discussed how sharing the income opportunity to help her build her team and really decrease her total workload.  We also devised a plan on how she was going to find the number of customers and potential recruits needed in order to achieve her first goal of $200 in earnings.  Thus, we created her plan of action to make her dreams a reality. 

Working the Plan

Just like a dream is just a dream without the action behind it, a plan is just a plan without the hard work and dedication needed to follow through on the steps needed.  In the example of purchasing a new home, if we write down how much money we will need for the down payment, but never work to create a budget or put money into our savings to cover the deposit, the reality of new home ownership will never be realized.

With my new recruit, when I left her, she had the steps needed to achieve her desired outcome (her plan). But, if she didn't follow through and get her brochures into the hands of potential customers or talk to people about the business opportunity, she would not be able to reach her goal of $200 per campaign.  

Keep in mind, just talking to people and getting brochures into their hands, doesn't mean you will reap the benefits.  Follow up is very important. Representatives need to get contact information on everyone they give brochures to so that they can follow up with them and help these new customers with their orders.  In addition, we always have to have our plan in plain sight.  There will be times when what we had hoped would work to make our goal, doesn't, so we need to have "Plan B, C, D, etc" ready to go in that event.  If a customer you really anticipate will place a $50 order, decides not to order this campaign, that could really put a strain on your potential sales goal.  We have to be prepared and continue to talk to more people than we thought we may have needed in order to get to the benefits we desire.  It is so important to keep focused on your goals and on the results you are receiving, so that you can make changes to your plan when the need arises.  

So, just remember, you can make this beautifully crafted, completely drawn out plan to achieve your goals and dreams in your life.  But, if the plan just sits on your desk and accumulates dust, you will be no better off in 10 years than you are today.  I urge you to pursue your dreams, make your plan to achieve those dreams, and do the hard work needed to achieve those dreams.  You'll be happy you did when you can look back on that beautifully crafted piece of paper with all your plans of action and say to yourself, "I DID IT!"