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 2.0
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.
Harnessing Technology
Nothing in recent history has changed the way people interact and shop more than the Internet; the creation of a digital, virtual world has altered fundamental behavior.
Avon’s challenge was to find a way to adapt to this sea change while preserving the core personal-attention component of its direct-selling model. The company needed to marry high tech with high touch. And it did.
Always the innovator, Avon created a collection of digital tools so Representatives could use the technology - which had become so integral to their daily lives - in their businesses. Online ordering; "intelligent ordering" with prompts about special promotions; an “eBrochure;” and customized online communities all help Avon Representatives run their businesses as never before.
The Staying Power of Direct Selling
The Little Dot Perfume Set is long gone, save for a special 2011 anniversary limited edition. Change is at the core of any beauty business – shifting trends and tastes, seasonal color palettes and forever-improving technology.
But a critical constant of Avon’s global beauty business - in addition to the empowerment of women – is something that can never be replaced by the dot-com world. “The relevance of direct selling has to do with what the consumer expects from service,” says Angie Rossi, Group Vice President, North America Sales. “There will always be a space for relationship-based service to the consumer.”