Sunday Express, Avon Ladies

Katy Impey, 35 is married to Mark, 33, an company director. They have a daughter, Holly, 4 and live near Barnstaple in North Devon.

I've always been quite a girlie girl, and I really love make-up. I don't go out of the house without it on, and even when I was in hospital having my daughter I was re-applying lipstick between contractions because I wanted to look nice in the photos we were planning to take afterwards!

So given that I'm such a cosmetics fan and enjoy meeting people, becoming an Avon Lady seemed the ideal solution when I was looking to make some extra money in a way that would fit around family life. Before my daughter arrived I'd been a part-qualified accountant and run a cleaning business, but that didn't allow the flexibility I was looking for. I already knew what it would involve as my mum had been an Avon Lady and I had fond childhood memories of getting really excited when the sample boxes of make-up arrived and we'd try them out together.

I got started with Avon in 2007, when my daughter was 2. We'd just moved from Wiltshire to North Devon, so I thought it would also be a good way of getting to meet new people. I was given an area to cover and set off knocking on doors, handing out the brochure and letting people know I was their new Avon Lady. When you do that, you'll find that most people are interested whilst others aren't, but we log the latter and don't call there again. Lots of people are really keen though, so you feel welcomed far more times than not and it doesn't feel like a hard-sell job at all. In the time I've done it, I've found my Avon round has come to take me longer and longer because I've made friends among my customers and we don't just talk about Avon, we catch up on each others news as well. It's given me a real sense of being part of our local community. Some of the older customers joke and say 'Ding Dong, Avon Calling' when I arrive – I don't mind at all. It means the original advert has stood the test of time, which is pretty amazing really!

Of course, door-to-door selling isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there are lots of other approaches, such as being an Avon Lady through your workplace, through other mums at playgroups or simply having a local territory and putting brochures through letterboxes. I'm a sales leader and as well as having my own Avon territory, I recruit and train other representatives. And I always say that to be an Avon Lady you don't need to be a saleswoman because the products sell themselves. They're good quality, good value and come with a 90 day no quibble guarantee. All an Avon Lady needs to do is to love make-up, be approachable and have a smiley face!

In terms of making money, you get as much out of Avon as you put in. The basic guidelines are that representatives earn £1 for every £4 worth of goods they sell. My own earnings fluctuate as sometimes I'm able to put more hours in, but other times I want to spend more time with my family. The fact that it's flexible enough for me to do that is one of the real pluses of the job – being an Avon Lady fits perfectly around being a mum.

It's interesting to see how the image of Avon has become much more fashionable in recent years. The products have always been great, but now they're also investing hugely in advertising and getting celebrities such as Bond girl Gemma Arterton, Tess Daley and Reese Witherspoon on board. They're all beautiful, talented women rather than undernourished beanpoles, which I think makes them great role models for our younger customers. It's like the company is entering a new age, and you can be proud to be an Avon Lady!


Lorna Lawlor, 57 is widowed, has two children Mark, 39 and Joanne 38 and four grandchildren. She lives in Newcastle and works as a sales advisor for BT.

When I first became an Avon Lady at 20, I never imagined that I'd be starring in one of their TV recruitment ads 37 years later! I was one of six Avon Ladies to be chosen out of 150,000 representatives in the UK, so it felt a real honour. We all had to go to London to be filmed and it was a really fun experience. I was in two minds about doing it as I'd been widowed five months earlier and was feeling very down. But my family and friends encouraged me, and said it was what my husband Allan would have wanted. Since my husband passed away, my work with Avon has felt a real lifeline, as meeting people and staying busy helps keep my spirits up.

Growing up, I was the youngest of three sisters. We all loved make-up and I first became an Avon customer at 17. Then when the Avon Lady who used to serve us left, I took over her round and started delivering brochures and taking orders. I really enjoyed it, but had to stop as family commitments took over. At 35 I started up again and have now been an Avon Lady for 22 consecutive years! Rather than having a round, I sell to colleagues at BT, where I work as a sales advisor. I've always got a copy of the latest brochure with me in the canteen and find that people approach me when they spot it and are keen to find out more about the products. I take a relaxed approach to selling, but still find it generates a decent amount of pin-money and helps me buy treats and presents for the family which I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

2009 is Avon's 50th anniversary in the UK and it's been really interesting to watch Avon has changed over the decades. When it first went on sale in the UK it there were about 80 products, and now there's over 7,500 including new ranges such as of jewelery, underwear, fitness equipment. And of course we've got products such as moisturisers and skincare aimed especially at men, which wasn't the case when I started selling back in 1972!
Avon used to have a reputation for being old-fashioned, but I think it's often at the forefront of new developments. For example, back in 1989, Avon was the first major cosmetics manufacturer to ban animal testing, which many of my customers were really pleased about. In 1997, it was one of the first beauty companies to start selling over the internet. And it's always developing new products, such as the Clinical eye lift gel, which has a gel for the upper eye and a cream for below the eye, which I think is a really clever idea. But the fact that Avon has been around a long time means that it's part of our tradition now – everyone knows about it, and remembers the old advertising jingle – I have some customers who'll say, 'Oh, it's the ding-dong lady' when they see me.

Using Avon is something which often runs in the family. I've never used any other brand and often get complimented on my skin and make-up. My daughter Joanne is an Avon fan as well and my grand-daughters Lauren 8 and Caitlin, 11, Chloe 12, Laura, 16 all love the products. In fact, the 16 year old wears the same mousse foundation and mascara as I do – we're proof that Avon's appeal really does go across the generations!

Yogeeta Mistry, 33, lives in Birmingham with her partner, Tony, 45 a warehouse manager.

I'm young, drive a fast car, go to fashionable bars with my friends and probably don't conform to what most people's idea of what an Avon Lady is like. But I do the job full-time and feel very committed to being an Avon Lady. One in three women in the UK is an Avon customer and it feels great to be part of such a successful company.

I've always loved their make-up. When I was a teenager the brochure coming through the door felt like a real event – my mum and I would put the kettle on, turn the TV off and settle down together to decide what we were going to treat ourselves to.
I became a part-time Avon Lady in October 2006 and in my first four days I generated £500 worth of orders just through family and friends. Even though it was cold and dark I couldn't wait to get out and deliver my brochures and went round the streets I'd been assigned knocking on doors and introducing myself – the response was fantastic. A lot of new representatives feel daunted at the prospect of cold-calling. They're worried that people are going to be rude or slam the door in their face. But the fact is most people are lovely and if they're not interested they'll just say so politely. Lots are really keen though, especially if they haven't seen a brochure for a while, and will almost snap your hand off to get it!
Some customers are loyal to the same products, whilst others like to experiment. If a customer wants to see samples, then we'll sit down together and go through them. I'll also give beauty tips if I feel a customer is a rut with their make-up. I'm tactful about it and I feel the advice is appreciated.

I think that Avon has an appeal that transcends age. On the one hand, it launches products in vibrant colours in line with what's coming off the catwalks and that appeals to young people and students. They're often at a stage when they don't have much money but want to try out different looks. They know that Avon products cost much less than what they'd pay on the High Street, and enjoy building up a bulging make-up bag that can provide them with a look to go with every possible outfit or occasion. Then there are make-up ranges within Avon which have subtle colours and appeal to more mature customers who know what they like and what suits them.

A month after joining Avon, I became a Sales Leader, recruiting and managing other representatives and in January 2007 I left my other job and went full time as I realised I could build a better career with Avon. At the moment I've got 250 in my team and it's growing all the time. I work hard and I earn a good living from it. I can go to nice restaurants, buy nice clothes and I want my next car to be a BMW or a Mercedes! I've noticed that the current economic climate is creating even greater interest in Avon. Customers who in the past might bought make-up with a prestige brand name are trying out Avon because they're interested in saving money – and then staying loyal to us because they love the products. And there are more professional people interested in becoming Avon representatives as they see it as a fun way of supplementing their income. Last week I even signed up an accountant!

I'm so keen on Avon I've even recruited my partner Tony to become an Avon Man! He works as a warehouse manager during the day, sells to colleagues at work and also has his own round selling to customers locally. 99% of his customers are ladies, who are perfectly happy to order their lipstick and underwear from a well-built, six-foot bloke. Basically, times are changing, and Avon is changing with them!