Before women had the right to vote or had a true means of financial independence, there was one woman from within Avon’s history that defied conventions – the first-ever Representative, Mrs. Persis Foster Eames Albee. This New Hampshire lady, born in 1836, was known for her style and savvy, which attracted the attention of Avon founder David H. McConnell. He asked her to be the company’s first traveling salesperson, and the rest is history.
Whether you’re working to rise through the corporate ranks or are an entrepreneur about to launch the next great idea, we can all learn a thing (or five) from this one-woman powerhouse.
1. Take a Leap of Faith. In 1886, Mrs. P.F.E. Albee took a risk and accepted an offer from David McConnell who was transitioning out of the book business to work as a door-to-door salesperson. He then started the California Perfume Company (CPC). You can call it the original startup. “Mrs. Albee was one of the most successful General Agents I had in the book work, and it was in her hands I placed the first sample case, or outfit, in the perfume business,” McConnell wrote in 1903. Known for her genteel nature and voracious ambition, Albee traveled by horse-drawn wagon, train, or by foot, offering perfumes to those she encountered – talk about some serious hustle.
2. Have a Game Plan. All her hard work and determination paid off. Mrs. Albee was soon hired to take over the daily operations of perfume sales. Of course, she went full throttle with her mission. Capitalizing on the growing popularity of perfume, she expanded her travels beyond her tiny New Hampshire town to the entire Northeast. Albee developed a business plan in which she recruited women to serve as “depot agents,” selling products in their own neighborhoods. “It is, therefore, only befitting that we give her the honorary title of Mother of the California Perfume Company,” McConnell wrote. The strategy was so successful it became one of the key identifiers of the company that’s still used today.
3. Love What You Do. Imagine Mrs. Albee confident and in control – she wraps up one successful sale and then off she goes up the street to greet the next customer to close the next sale. Albee leaned into her new gig and the hard work paid off in all sectors of her life. In a letter to McConnell, she wrote, “I know of no line of work so lucrative, pleasant and satisfactory as this.”
In addition to the current Avon Campaign brochure, I can show you how to order from the previous two campaigns. The products and pricing on these older books are good as long as the product is still available. Avon Outlet products are while supplies last. I can help your organization raise funds with Avon too!
Let me show you how to get your products for free by hosting an Avon party. You can make extra money running your own Avon business and work from your home. You get to set your own hours, days off and vacation time. Best of all, this job does not fire you! Sound like something you want to do? Contact me and I’ll show you how I did it!
LET’S GET SOCIAL AND NETWORK TOGETHER. Like my Facebook page, follow my Twitter profile, follow my boards on Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram.