The woman you simply couldn’t say no to - Estée Lauder
A gracious lady who knew her tricks. One time she used such trick “to break the prestigious Galleries Lafayette account in Paris. When the manager refused to stock her products, Lauder "accidentally" spilled her Youth Dew on the floor during a demonstration in the middle of a crowd. As the appealing scent wafted through the air, it quickly aroused the interest of customers, who began asking where they could purchase the product. Seeing this, the manager capitulated and gave Lauder her initial order.” That was Estée Lauder.
She was born in Corona, Queens, but her unique given name Esty, but pronounced Estée, and a bit adjusted surname Lauder (originally Lauter) caused rumors that Lauder is indeed a descendant of European aristocracy, a rumor she did not stop from spreading, instead she supported it. She only told the truth when her biography titled Estee: A Success Story was published.
Lauder learned how to strive in the business world when she was young. She helped her father at his hardware store, but it was her uncle who inspired her to emerge in the world of cosmetics. He was a chemist and Lauder was amazed by his world - the world of New Way Laboratories that sold beauty products such as creams, lotions, rouge, and fragrances. She would take his creams to her hairdressers and sell them to the customers there.
She was a firm believer in the word of mouth. “One of her favorite quotes was "Tell-A-Phone, Tell-A-Graph, Tell-A-Woman," based on her conviction that once a woman tried the product, she would like it and then share it with her friends.” This theory was proven to be true, her first ever line was launched at Saks Fifth Avenue - her line sold out in 2 days.
Lauder was not afraid to take risks, she and her husband (whom she married twice) invested their entire $50,000 advertising budget in samples to be offered through direct mail, charity giveaways and as gifts with purchases. (Lauder's "free gift with purchase" technique later became not only a company trademark but a standard industry practice.) Result? Thousands of new customers. But the biggest success was yet to come. Estée Lauder became a permanent part of the cosmetics world with the launch of Youth Dew, a bath oil that doubled as a perfume (In the first year, it sold 50,000 bottles, and by 1984, the figure had jumped to 150 million).
Lauder believed that every woman could be beautiful. She also believed that once you tried her product you would never go back. It seems she was right. There are lessons we still can learn from this remarkable “beauty queen” today. Note that some of these rules can be applied to various areas of our lives: personal, business, beauty, you name it! Before you read them, don’t forget to honor Estée Lauder on her Memlook Profile!
Find the proper location.
When you're angry, never put it in writing.
You get more bees with honey.
Keep your own image straight in your mind.
Keep an eye on the competition.
Acknowledge your mistakes
Give credit where credit is due.
Train the best sales force.
Sources: http://bit.ly/1gG856n, http://estee.cm/1hJdSsA, http://bit.ly/1iZJTsx
