California representatives indicate that their profits have fallen by up to 80%
The precautions, of staying at home and closing nonessential businesses, taken by the California government to contain the spread of COVID-19 are already making themselves felt in the homes of those who earn their income from sales by catologist.
Among this group are the independent salespeople of the beauty products company Avon of Southern California, who indicate having seen their income decrease by up to 80%.
This occurred after the closure of the product distribution center, located in the state of Ohio, for a week and the Los Angeles headquarters ceased to operate indefinitely.
“It has affected me a lot, I cannot go out to deliver products, much less go out to give books [catalogs]. We can promote the website, but many people prefer that you take your product home, "says María Elena Morán, who has been part of the company for 23 years, when she found in Avon the opportunity to bring income to her home later that her husband lost his job.
María Elena, who turned her business into a family business – since her partner is her right hand – is an outstanding salesperson and leader in Southern California, which has a team of 380 active representatives, with whom she reports sales a year exceed one million dollars.
"It has affected us a lot with my husband, because Avon is the only support we have to pay for food, rent, receipts … Everything. We have been greatly affected by the coronavirus, ”says the 62-year-old woman.
This Guatemalan woman explains that her situation is even more complicated, because she and her husband are in the risk group because they are diabetic and have high blood pressure.
María Elena has also had to suspend her sales on weekends, which she does on a well-known street in Los Angeles.
"It is frustrating not to be able to do my job, because we cannot go outside … On the street we grab a lot of sales, we sell $ 300 to $ 400 every day but we work five or six hours every weekend," he explains.
On earnings, he assures that the check they receive has gone down a lot.
“Never in my 23 years at Avon did I see my unit [team] sell $ 5,000 in a campaign [which lasts two weeks]. Still in the last campaign almost $ 30,000 were sold. The next check, I don't even want to think about it, it is something never seen by this coronavirus situation ”.
Within everything, María Elena finds motivation when talking about her business and hopes that soon everything will return to normal.
“Thank God Avon is giving us support [with online market strategies] so that the impact is not strong. I have faith in God that we are going to get ahead, ”he says.
For Yecenia Calderón, from Santa Ana and one of the best sellers nationwide, the outlook is not pleasant either.
Its sales exceeded $ 65,000 annually; Today, this Mexican American hopes that the crisis will pass soon so that she can resume her activities.
"My income has dropped by half, but I thank God that we are in good health and we have to take advantage of the time to talk to your clients and your group about what is happening and create strategies to continue with the business", explains Yecenia , who has been an independent representative for 15 years.
The pandemic has not completely stopped these women, who continue to prepare for the future.
“It is [a situation] difficult, but if we focus on how it affects us we will get depressed. Right now I am focusing on analyzing my life and my business, I make calls with the leaders to encourage them [and tell them] that this moment is going to happen, "says Eva Hernández, an Avon representative and founder of Líderes Latinas Brillando, whose group meets each month to share sales strategies.
Eva, who has been with the company for 20 years, says she tries to keep her community together and calm to deal with the situation.
Other businesses also lose
Another group affected by the pandemic are the representatives of Amway, a company focused on the sale of health, beauty and home products.
Today workers also suffer the ravages of the crisis, as explained by Dagoberto Cáceres, a Salvadoran who has been with the company for 11 years.
"The way this is affecting us is because we do the business, we do it with direct contact with people," explains the 62-year-old man.
"So, right now it affects us because we cannot make visits to the houses or make appointments in restaurants as we are used to."
On his earnings, he says that the losses have been considerable.
"In terms of income, they are down 90%, it is a very hard impact," he confesses.
However, he adds that Amway is prepared to face the crisis due to the training they receive from the company.
"Amway prepares us in managing finances for these types of situations," he says.
