Case Study: Training and Development - Avon Cosmetics

95% of Avon Cosmetics’ 170,000 representatives are women, attracted by the opportunity to work flexibly on a self-employed basis

All Avon Sales Leaders (SLs) are self-employed and operate under the strapline ‘in business for yourself not by yourself’. Various support structures are set in place for Sales Leaders as part of Avon’s Sales Leader initiative. From the start, all SLs are given an Area Sales Manager (ASM), employed by Avon, who will support them in their new business venture. The ASM will be the point of contact for each SL underneath them. ASMs run welcome meetings and ‘hot spots’ where SLs can get help on a regular basis. Each SL will also receive a welcome pack with a training manual to help with any queries they may have.

To support and drive forward the Sales Leadership Initiative, Avon recruited a Sales Leadership Development Manager and introduced a Sales Leader Council. A cross-functioned Sales Leader Project team was subsequently created, consisting of distinct Workstreams drawn from employees from across the Avon business, who work together to provide specialist support and strategy in the following areas: Communications, Business Tools, Policies and Procedure, Incentives and Events

The Business Tools Workstream has also introduced a Marketing Toolkit which is available exclusively to Sales Leaders on a special area of the website where posters, literature and top tips booklets can be downloaded and access granted to news articles from the Sales Leader Council and video stream presentations, which the Sales Leaders can use with their own teams to help recruit and develop Through the website, Sales Leaders are also introduced to Avon’s business strategies and marketing initiatives to feel part of the future of the business

The Sales Leadership Council is made up of 12 of the top exemplary Sales Leaders, all of whom are recommended by peers to join. Any new initiatives that are suggested by members of Head Office are put to the group to debate, guiding the company to the best business decisions on behalf of the 2000+ Sales Leaders across the country. The Council meets throughout the year, supported by quarterly conference calls with Avon’s Head Office Management.

There are now 2424 Sales Leaders in the UK since 2004 and, as with Representatives, around 95% of these are women.