IT IS a common misconception that life as a top seller in a direct selling company is totally blissful.
While many think that it must be heavenly for those in the top tier to live like an epicurean from the labour of their down-liners as they rake in the cash without lifting a finger, that is an urban myth.
Even though these top-sellers or best performers can kick up their feet once in a while, that doesn’t mean the hard work is over.
These top sellers started off at the bottom and persevered through each level to now live comfortably with healthy monthly income. And even after all that they still need to be diligent as it could all disappear instantly.
“Despite being at the top, they still have to work hard, but in a different way. Instead of focusing on selling and promoting the products, they pay more attention to honing their leadership skills in order to develop their team (down-liners) to constantly motivate them to perform.
“This is to maintain the life-line of the whole selling process that will benefit everyone at all levels of the business,” explains Avon Malaysia managing director Carolyn Nur Amira Lee.
Thus, recognition and empowerment through team-building is crucial in the direct selling and multi-level marketing (MLM) industry, and that sometimes takes more effort than merely selling the brand.
In fact, Avon is one of the only direct selling companies that specialises in team-building and leadership development on a large scale, says Lee, who was appointed a year ago as the company’s first female managing director in Malaysia. The former managing director of Nutrimetics Malaysia, another MLM company, Lee has 24 years of consumer goods and direct selling experience as well as significant training and development skills under her belt.
The power of a woman
Not to be mistaken for just another transient direct selling firm, Avon Products Inc, with its motto “The company for women”, started as a small perfume enterprise 126 years ago and is now a venerable Fortune 500 company with over six million members in 100 countries, generating more than US$11bil (RM33.4bil) in annual revenue.
The company was founded by bookseller David McConnell. McConnell decided to offer free perfume that he made himself as enticements to buy books. He soon discovered that women were more interested in the perfumes. He then appointed 50-year-old Persis Foster Eames Albee as the first Avon sales representative (then referred to as a general agent). Today, Albee is recognised by Avon representatives as being the woman who created the company’s system for distributing products that range from fragrances, beauty products, kitchenware and supplements.
In Malaysia, Lee says the firm, which celebrates its 36th year in the country, is riding high on its success with 500,000 representatives or “Avon ladies” .
The very top sellers, who are saluted as “Avon Puteri”, earn RM1mil or more a year.
The rest of the Avon ladies strive to get there while at the same time, enjoying what they do, whether it’s to make a living or to do it on a part-time basis.
“Being a rep isn’t easy but it’s simple. The secret to this industry is to be absolutely passionate about what you do and this attitude will become contagious. The business is about growing and developing your network by sharing this passion with others so that they’ll do the same. Some have made it to the top level in a year, others take three to five years, but the sky is the limit,” says Lee.
Besides the representatives, there are also 200 Avon franchisor boutiques, each also called Avon Puteri in Malaysia.
Through franchising, the company aims to promote opportunities for women to become fully fledged entrepreneurs in a thriving market. Right now Avon is seeking for more franchisors in 10 locations in a few areas of Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Shah Alam.
“It’s not all about money as it gives one a sense of self-fulfilment through building relationships with others and experiencing a positive change in life — this is something money can’t buy,” explains Lee.
Representatives do what they do best in representing and even personifying the brand as they believe in the quality of its products that are value for money.
“Avon is like a big family and we have forged very close relationships with our reps,” says Lee.
As more people turn to direct selling as their main income, they are also doing their part for the economy as there are now about 4.3 million direct sellers in the country, around 16% of the total population.
The Government has recognised that the industry is a major contributor to the economy and hopes that it will reach RM10bil in sales by 2015.
What also attracts members to Avon is the guidance and incentives they receive upon signing up.
“You never walk alone when you join because we provide training and a mentor to give you the confidence to influence others to do the same thing. But to be realistic, you won’t be successful overnight. Just like any other business, you have to put in the hard work and believe in yourself.
“We constantly motivate our members to achieve their best results and to also be involved with our social events that aim to empower women with various activities that range from annual trips, to beautiful holidays around the world,” Lee says.
Such events are emblematic of Avon as the firm is built on the foundation of enriching and educating women in matters that are close to the heart such as breast cancer prevention, speaking out against domestic violence and donating to worldwide charitable causes.
Besides this, Lee has implemented the “Put a car in every home” monthly programme for some of the best performers. A representative can choose any car and. once she’s earned the deposit for it, will receive RM1,000 every month for her car loan.
Lee says members and buyers can be 100% confident in Avon products as each is backed by scientific research.
“No product will be sold if it’s not approved by the company’s own qualified scientists who are based in the New York labs. Every claim we make is backed by research, unlike some other companies who source their products from third parties,” explains Lee.
As such, product development, from incubation to marketing, takes about a year. For a brand that comes up with several new products every month, that’s quite a feat for everyone involved.
“Aside from high quality, our products are also innovative and offer good value for money being cheaper than most other branded goods,” says Lee.
With great power, come greater responsibilities
Lee has a big job in her hands to ensure that the products stay fresh and maintaining the brand’s strong competitive advantage.
“We need to consistently refresh and rejuvenate ourselves by thinking out of the box and generating new ideas.
“This applies to everything revolving around the product such as merchandising, packaging and marketing, thus we’re always giving feedback to the R&D team,” says the mother of three.
“We have to do the same for our incentive programmes, and now that we see younger reps joining us, we have to ask if our programmes are relevant and whether they will generate excitement.
“If we want to appeal to the younger generation and new market segments, we can’t just do the same thing all the time. We need to scrub through every aspect of the business to see improvement and progress as a whole,” explains Lee.
Evolving in this manner, she stresses, does not change or alter the brand’s image as it still maintains its mission and vision of empowering women.
She openly admits that there is a scarcity of talent in the industry and, like many senior leaders, is afraid that it may hinder business development.
“Like most industries, we find it a challenge to find talent, especially now that we see a generational shift of Generation Y and X becoming successors of the baby-boomers. But that’s why we need to keep up to date and be aware of the needs of each generation to promote the positivity and enthusiasm that will attract and retain the talent we need for success,” Lee says.
Read more http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2012%2f10%2f10%2fnorth%2f12149402&sec=north
While many think that it must be heavenly for those in the top tier to live like an epicurean from the labour of their down-liners as they rake in the cash without lifting a finger, that is an urban myth.
Even though these top-sellers or best performers can kick up their feet once in a while, that doesn’t mean the hard work is over.
These top sellers started off at the bottom and persevered through each level to now live comfortably with healthy monthly income. And even after all that they still need to be diligent as it could all disappear instantly.
“Despite being at the top, they still have to work hard, but in a different way. Instead of focusing on selling and promoting the products, they pay more attention to honing their leadership skills in order to develop their team (down-liners) to constantly motivate them to perform.
“This is to maintain the life-line of the whole selling process that will benefit everyone at all levels of the business,” explains Avon Malaysia managing director Carolyn Nur Amira Lee.
Thus, recognition and empowerment through team-building is crucial in the direct selling and multi-level marketing (MLM) industry, and that sometimes takes more effort than merely selling the brand.
In fact, Avon is one of the only direct selling companies that specialises in team-building and leadership development on a large scale, says Lee, who was appointed a year ago as the company’s first female managing director in Malaysia. The former managing director of Nutrimetics Malaysia, another MLM company, Lee has 24 years of consumer goods and direct selling experience as well as significant training and development skills under her belt.
The power of a woman
Not to be mistaken for just another transient direct selling firm, Avon Products Inc, with its motto “The company for women”, started as a small perfume enterprise 126 years ago and is now a venerable Fortune 500 company with over six million members in 100 countries, generating more than US$11bil (RM33.4bil) in annual revenue.
The company was founded by bookseller David McConnell. McConnell decided to offer free perfume that he made himself as enticements to buy books. He soon discovered that women were more interested in the perfumes. He then appointed 50-year-old Persis Foster Eames Albee as the first Avon sales representative (then referred to as a general agent). Today, Albee is recognised by Avon representatives as being the woman who created the company’s system for distributing products that range from fragrances, beauty products, kitchenware and supplements.
In Malaysia, Lee says the firm, which celebrates its 36th year in the country, is riding high on its success with 500,000 representatives or “Avon ladies” .
The very top sellers, who are saluted as “Avon Puteri”, earn RM1mil or more a year.
The rest of the Avon ladies strive to get there while at the same time, enjoying what they do, whether it’s to make a living or to do it on a part-time basis.
“Being a rep isn’t easy but it’s simple. The secret to this industry is to be absolutely passionate about what you do and this attitude will become contagious. The business is about growing and developing your network by sharing this passion with others so that they’ll do the same. Some have made it to the top level in a year, others take three to five years, but the sky is the limit,” says Lee.
Besides the representatives, there are also 200 Avon franchisor boutiques, each also called Avon Puteri in Malaysia.
Through franchising, the company aims to promote opportunities for women to become fully fledged entrepreneurs in a thriving market. Right now Avon is seeking for more franchisors in 10 locations in a few areas of Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Shah Alam.
“It’s not all about money as it gives one a sense of self-fulfilment through building relationships with others and experiencing a positive change in life — this is something money can’t buy,” explains Lee.
Representatives do what they do best in representing and even personifying the brand as they believe in the quality of its products that are value for money.
“Avon is like a big family and we have forged very close relationships with our reps,” says Lee.
As more people turn to direct selling as their main income, they are also doing their part for the economy as there are now about 4.3 million direct sellers in the country, around 16% of the total population.
The Government has recognised that the industry is a major contributor to the economy and hopes that it will reach RM10bil in sales by 2015.
What also attracts members to Avon is the guidance and incentives they receive upon signing up.
“You never walk alone when you join because we provide training and a mentor to give you the confidence to influence others to do the same thing. But to be realistic, you won’t be successful overnight. Just like any other business, you have to put in the hard work and believe in yourself.
“We constantly motivate our members to achieve their best results and to also be involved with our social events that aim to empower women with various activities that range from annual trips, to beautiful holidays around the world,” Lee says.
Such events are emblematic of Avon as the firm is built on the foundation of enriching and educating women in matters that are close to the heart such as breast cancer prevention, speaking out against domestic violence and donating to worldwide charitable causes.
Besides this, Lee has implemented the “Put a car in every home” monthly programme for some of the best performers. A representative can choose any car and. once she’s earned the deposit for it, will receive RM1,000 every month for her car loan.
Lee says members and buyers can be 100% confident in Avon products as each is backed by scientific research.
“No product will be sold if it’s not approved by the company’s own qualified scientists who are based in the New York labs. Every claim we make is backed by research, unlike some other companies who source their products from third parties,” explains Lee.
As such, product development, from incubation to marketing, takes about a year. For a brand that comes up with several new products every month, that’s quite a feat for everyone involved.
“Aside from high quality, our products are also innovative and offer good value for money being cheaper than most other branded goods,” says Lee.
With great power, come greater responsibilities
Lee has a big job in her hands to ensure that the products stay fresh and maintaining the brand’s strong competitive advantage.
“We need to consistently refresh and rejuvenate ourselves by thinking out of the box and generating new ideas.
“This applies to everything revolving around the product such as merchandising, packaging and marketing, thus we’re always giving feedback to the R&D team,” says the mother of three.
“We have to do the same for our incentive programmes, and now that we see younger reps joining us, we have to ask if our programmes are relevant and whether they will generate excitement.
“If we want to appeal to the younger generation and new market segments, we can’t just do the same thing all the time. We need to scrub through every aspect of the business to see improvement and progress as a whole,” explains Lee.
Evolving in this manner, she stresses, does not change or alter the brand’s image as it still maintains its mission and vision of empowering women.
She openly admits that there is a scarcity of talent in the industry and, like many senior leaders, is afraid that it may hinder business development.
“Like most industries, we find it a challenge to find talent, especially now that we see a generational shift of Generation Y and X becoming successors of the baby-boomers. But that’s why we need to keep up to date and be aware of the needs of each generation to promote the positivity and enthusiasm that will attract and retain the talent we need for success,” Lee says.
Read more http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2012%2f10%2f10%2fnorth%2f12149402&sec=north
