SUPER-BRAND ONE: AVON
McConnell believed strongly in the
potential of people, and that in that potential lay the power of possibility
and, eventually, success:
“If we stop and look over the past
and then into the future, we can see that the possibilities are growing greater
and greater every day; that we have scarcely begun to reach the proper results
from the field we have before us.”
- David H. McConnell, Avon's
Founder
Avon Founder David H. McConnell offered women a rarity in 19th century
America: a chance at financial independence. In 1886, it was practically
unheard of for a woman to run her own business. Only about 5 million women in
the United States were working outside the home, let alone climbing the ranks
of any corporate ladder. That number accounted for just 20% of all
women.
On the heels of the Industrial
Revolution in the United States, women were mainly confined to jobs in
agriculture, domestic service and manufacturing, not exactly glamorous lines of
work; the manufacturing sector, in particular, was notorious for
its dangerous working conditions. On top of that, women’s wages across the
board were a fraction of men’s.
For many women, McConnell would
radically alter that scenario. The man behind the company for women was the
son of Irish immigrants; he grew up on a farm. Yet, it was this young man from
rural New York, a visionary leader decades ahead of his time, who would become
a pioneer in empowering women. A bookseller-turned-perfume entrepreneur would
offer women the opportunity to create and manage their own businesses through
what later became known as direct selling.
Origins of an Idea
In his travels as a book salesman, McConnell made two important
discoveries. First, he quickly noticed that his female customers were far
more interested in the free perfume samples he offered than they were in his
books. He made these fragrances himself to serve as “door openers” when he
traveled from home to home. Second, he saw women struggling to make ends meet
and recognized in many of them natural salespeople who would easily relate
to other women and passionately market the products his
new company would first sell - perfumes.
First Sales Representative
McConnell’s first recruit for Avon, then known as the California
Perfume Company, was Mrs. P.F.E. Albee of New Hampshire. Not only did he
provide Mrs. Albee and other early Representatives with an earnings opportunity
when employment options for women were extremely limited, he fostered a
supportive environment with a familial feel. (The company newsletter was even
called the “Family Album.”)
Power of the Product and the People
To him, the product and the people were everything to the company,
and he dedicated himself to ensuring that both would be successful. In
addition to inspiring the Representatives, McConnell also wanted
to encourage the company's employees with the same positive spirit.
A century before it would become de rigueur for companies to institute employee
incentive programs and hire hordes of consultants to make sure employees were
happy, motivated and productive, McConnell knew just how to rally the troops.
The motivational leader created a set of guiding principles that are still the
heart and spirit of Avon today.
Empowerment and Social Networking … Long Before Facebook
In 1886, direct selling at Avon represented a means for women to
earn their own money at a time when not many women worked outside the home. It
connected women, who were otherwise isolated and immersed in domestic life, in
what the company calls “the original social network.”
Access, Convenience, Advice
With Avon on the scene, many women no longer had to travel miles
on foot to the closest department store or drugstore to purchase beauty
products. A visit from the Avon Lady meant the store would come to them. A
customer could shop, chat with her Representative and receive free beauty
advice addressing her specific concerns – somewhat of a novelty at the time.
Door to Desk
Historically, the whole premise of Avon’s business had been
door-to-door selling. So what happens when no one is home to answer that
door? It’s a question the company had to address in the
1970s, once more women were working outside the home. One answer was the
Advance Call Back brochure, a brochure that could be left on a doorknob and included
samples. A second solution came in 1986: workplace selling. This was a way to
move the Avon “store” to a place which the customer could access more easily.
Earnings Opportunity
Until the early 1990s, there was only one way for an Avon Representative to
earn money: by selling to customers. That changed with the launch of Avon’s
Sales Leadership program. Representatives could earn money, not just by
selling, but also recruiting and training others. This new earnings avenue
could exponentially increase the amount of money her Avon business generated.
It’s the reason some Representatives today are running multimillion-dollar Avon
businesses.
Aligning the Stars: Avon's
Celebrity Partnerships
There are celebrities in a long list of film stars, singers and
designers who have loaned their names, their cache, and sometimes their faces
to the iconic company for women.
Avon Marks 20 Years of Fighting Breast
Cancer
2012 marks the 20th
year of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. For more than 125 years, Avon has been
dedicated to improving the lives of women. Because a woman cannot truly be
empowered if her health or safety is at risk, Avon’s commitment to fighting
breast cancer has been an integral component in empowering millions of women
around the globe for the past two decades.
Fighting Until the Crusade Becomes Obsolete
Beauty trends come and go, but pink will continue to be a critical
color for Avon and the lives of millions of women around the globe. To borrow
the slogan from the company’s U.S. Walk series, Avon and the Avon Foundation
for Women are “in it to end it.” They will fight until there is an end to
breast cancer… and the Crusade becomes truly obsolete.
@teni_beauty2
Editor at www.thebeautyentrepreneur.com
