For those who joined us at the Elite Forum in Orlando this past weekend, I let everyone know that today I would be launching a new blog series called BeautiControl 101. In reality, this will be a weekly course over the period of the next 7 to 8 weeks to include a "crash course" in BeautiControl, if you will. As we start the new year, it is clear that we have very cleaer strategic objectives in mind when it comes to achieving our vision of putting BeautiControl on the lips of every woman, making BeautiControl a house hold name.
We spent all of 2011 studying the busines, finding areas to simplify, re-establishing business standards, setting expectations for growth and putting strategic objectives and training around each of those areas to ensure that your business is healhy, strong, and more importantly, GROWING in 2012 and beyond.
Over the years, much of the BeautiControl history has been lost. As a 20 year veteran of the company, I can re-count the progression of events that have evolved our business, improved our business and in some cases compromised our business, preventing us from being as successful as we can be. This crash course will serve to help us learn the guiding principles of our business, our business model, our competition as well as give you the skills and formulas to grow your business.
As a caviat, I do want to add this...this is not my "opinion", my "point of view" or my "bias"...this is a clear outline of who we are, who were were established to be and who we are going to become.
I will be posting each Monday, and encourage you to invite your fellow Consultants and team members to check in each week so they can learn more about this great company that has a 30 year history of changing lives. This is great for existing Consultants and will be an invaluable tool for you to use with your new Consultants as they join the business.
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BeautiControl 101: Who is BeautiControl?
Who is BeautiControl? To fully understand who we are and what we do is to understand our Mission, our Vision and our competitive advantage in the marketplace:
- Mission: Who we are and what we do.
- Vision: Who do we want to be.
- Competitive Advantage: What we do better than anyone else.
There are 3 types of companies:
- Those that MAKE things happen
- Those that WATCH things happen
- Those that WONDERED what happened
Knowing that we are going to be a company that MAKES things happen, I can tell you that I, personally and professionally, have never had a more clear vision of who we are and where we are going.
BEAUTICONTROL'S MISSION:
- BeautiControl provides personalized services and unforgettable experiences that change women's lives. We inspire every woman to control and celebrate her life with style.
BEAUTICONTROL'S VISION:
BEAUTICONTROL'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE:
- BeautiControl is the #1 premium Spa brand. Our Personal Consultants are professionally trained in skin care treatments, beauty and style.
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The BeautiControl Evolution
BeautiControl has a very rich, a very colorful and a very successful company history. BeautiControl was not founded because the world needed another cosmetic company…much less another party plan direct seller in Dallas, Texas in the shadow of the pink giant. Beauticontrol was founded to create an opportunity for women to earn an unparalleled income, be a professional business owner and have the flexibility to manage her time with her family.
When you think about it, Mary Kay was founded in 1963, a time in our history where women’s career options were very limited. At that time, women had to choose between a career and a family and it was not socially acceptable for a woman to work outside the home. Mary Kay, like Tupperware, gave women the opportunity to have a home-based business that allowed them to earn money without compromising time with her family.
In 1981, times had changed. Women had entered the workforce and choosing to pursue a career, many times at the expense of her family. In addition to juggling her time, women were not earning what men were earning for comparable professional positions. BeautiControl represented an opportunity for women in 1981 what Mary Kay offered women in 1963 by giving a professional woman an opportunity to break through the glass ceiling of corporate America, earn an income that was worthy of her efforts and have the ability to be at home with her family.
Simply put, in 1963, Mary Kay created the first cosmetics Direct Sales party plan company that offered the housewife an opportunity to have a career outside of the home and have the ability to earn an unlimited income. In 1963, did women need another cosmetic company? NO! Women needed the ability to have a career and earn money without compromising her responsibilities as a wife and mother.
In 1981, Beauticontrol was established as a contemporary and sophisticated opportunity that would allow career women to return home and have the opportunity to take control of their schedule and balance the demands of raising a family and earning an income. In 1981, did women need another cosmetic company? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Women needed the ability to leave the stress, long hours and travel associated with having a career and return home where she could have be a contemporary, professional business owner, in a high fashion industry, with contemporary, high fashion products and services without compromising her responsibilities as a wife and mother.
Both landmark companies were created NOT to be a product company, but very clearly an exclusive opportunity for wormen.
By the 80’s, women had become savvier. Skin care and cosmetic companies were readily available at shopping malls. Fashion was big and so was spending. The problem was, unlike in the 60’s, there were TOO many choices. Women wanted to look their best, but the big image of the 80s could be intimidating and that is where BeautiControl carved its niche in the market. BeautiControl was founded on the principles of personalization and customization, offering women diagnostic tools that helped them discover products that were a perfect “fit”. Whether it was Color Analysis, Personal Image Profile or Skin Condition Analysis, BeautiControl had a head-to-toe solution for women. By investing heavily in technology and product development, BeautiControl has been able to lead the Direct Sales industry by combining the best, most advanced products with un-paralleled service. As the only company in our industry with professional classroom training, we have the ability to certify our Consultants, giving us the most highly trained sales Consultants in the industry. With this level of training, along with our relationship sales model and state-of-the-art diagnostic tools, we have the ability to have more advanced products that offer results that our competitors simply can’t touch.
By the mid to late 90’s, consumer attitudes changed again. With modern technology quickly invading our lives, society (and women in particular), became over-stimulated. Computers, cell phones, Internet…all of these things started to change the way that we communicate and relate with each other. Personal contact became anything but personal. Because we were constantly accessible to anyone and everyone, the need to escape became a common theme among women. BeautiControl, always being on the leading edge of consumer trends was there with the Spa…the ultimate luxury that allowed women to escape reality, shut out the outside world for a couple of hours and spend time relaxing, being pampered and enjoying some much needed personal contact time with friends. The BeautiControl Spa Escape, was developed in concept to be a compelling venue where our Consultants could create a pampering, relaxing environment while demonstrating our incredible line-up of Spa quality skin care solutions…products such as Microdermabrasion, Chemical Peels and Spa quality facials in addition to manicure, pedicure and a host of body treatments.
This new trend in selling marked a pivotal turning point in our company’s history. Where we once offered a customized and personalized solution for women’s skin care and image needs, we now offered pampering, in-home Spa experiences that in many cases only introduced the clients to bath and body products. While we have amazing bath and body, and personal pampering products, these are not the products that build loyal re-order clients. Instead of building clients with each Spa by demonstrating personalized skin care and color cosmetics (all the products that have been proven to build loyal re-order clients), we began to create one time pampering events, and rather than selling our sets of products, we began to sell the “deal” by encouraging each guest to join to get the discount. We were functioning very much in the fashion of a network marketing company by creating a “buyers club”, and turning potential clients into wholes sale Consumers. While the network marketing model is a viable business model, BeautiControl’s business model was not structured to support this type of channel. With the payout of commissions as high as they are, in addition to having one our 50% discount opportunity, additional product discounting and one of the highest promotional payouts (Mustang Program, Trips, etc) in the industry, it became increasingly difficult to be as profitable as we needed to be to grow, support and develop the business
In the past few years, there has been a deliberate return to the original disciplines of our business. Understanding that BeautiControl was not founded to be a “product company” or a “discount club”, our focus has been to return to the business standards that we know build a profitable business, and a profitable Consultant. While the Spa continues to be the most compelling and dynamic selling venue, our introduction of one-of-a-kind skin care and image diagnostic tools, along with cutting edge skin care formulations has given our Consultants a renewed competitive advantage. BeautiControl is postured for extreme growth, not as a product company, and not only an opportunity company, but by going back to our roots and offering today’s woman an opportunity to be more than she thought she could be. We offer women the opportunity to discover the greatness that lies within them. Not only can they control their time and income as a business owners, but they can offer life changing experiences to every woman they meet.
Exercise: Now that we know who we are, what we stand for and what our guiding principles are, then we can outline a path for positioning ourselves in the industry.
This week, my challenge to you is to answering these 3 questions:
- What were your key take away from this blog?
- How will this affect or change the way you think of your business?
- What is your Vision, Mission and Competitive advantage as a business owner?
Have a great week. Next Monday’s blog will outline the BeautiControl business model…where we fit in the industry.
I’ll be back on Friday, so check back in.
Ciao.
