The Avon Lady: 17 Cool Facts

If you have ever bought and used Avon products, you surely are familiar with the Avon lady.

The Avon lady may be a co-worker, a neighbor, or just someone who decided to ring your doorbell one day to allow you to look through their extensive catalog of items in skin care, household items, and personal care items.

The Avon lady is a business owner. She is not working for someone else when showing off the products; it is marketing her own business. The Avon lady has become a worldwide icon.

Avon Lady: 17 Cool Facts

In today’s post, I have decided to provide you with 17 cool facts about the Avon lady. I hope you learn something new. Keep in mind that I am not affiliated with Avon. If you can think of some other cool Avon lady facts, feel free to share them with us in the comments area at the and of this post.

# 1: 4 Lipsticks Per Second

On average, Avon ladies sell 4 lipsticks every second. When you consider those numbers, you realize that Avon is the top seller for worldwide lipstick. Avon carries many various types and colors of lipsticks to help women feel and look their best.

Today, Avon sells more than 400 shades of lipstick.
Source: Avon

# 2: The Avon Lady Was Illegal In China

While Avon was allowed to sell their products in China starting in 1990, the Avon lady was illegal in the oriental country up until 1998.

No one could use the direct selling format. Avon opened stores to be able to sell the products in China.

By following all Chinese regulations, in 1998, Avon ladies were allowed to start using the direct sales format. Avon has since grown to huge proportions in China.

When direct selling was outlawed in China Avon was forced to sell only through physical stores called Beauty Boutiques.
Source: Wikipedia

# 3: Avon Empowered Women Early

Avon gave women the opportunity to own their own business and make money 34-years before females had the right to vote. Chew on that!

More than likely, we can thank Avon for giving women the fortitude to stand their ground and claim their right to have a say in who is elected in the government.

After all, these women were running successful businesses and would have to pay taxes on the income they made, so they deserved the right to have a say in who sat in government seats.

# 4: Avon Lady Gail Reynolds

Working just 20-hours per week in her home country of Great Britain, Avon lady Gail Reynolds amassed a small fortune in just 1 year.

She made the equivalent of $200,000 in a year. Gail and her husband have built a huge Avon business. There are many other British Avon ladies who have built large, successful home-based Avon businesses.

Gail is a beauty lover herself and her favourite Avon products are the bestselling Glimmersticks Lip Liners and the iconic Skin So Soft Body Oil.
Source: Avon

# 5: Avon Ladies Are Huge In Women’s Causes

Avon ladies and the Avon company have the Avon Foundation which has donated more than $800,000,000 to women’s causes. These causes are from breast cancer to battered women’s centers.

# 6: Avon Ladies Could Start Their Own Country

Worldwide, there are over 3,000,000 Avon ladies. That is nearly the population of the country I live in, Puerto Rico. If you are searching for an Avon lady, just look within blocks of where you live, there is surely an Avon lady nearby.

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# 7: The Charge To Start Being An Avon Lady

While it would cost thousands of dollars to start your own business, you can control your financial future as an Avon lady for a small charge of only $15.

Where else can you start a successful business for such a low-cost? Now there may be added costs in tools and things you need, but to sign up as an Avon lady, it is only $15 per year. That price does change from time-to-time. Please visit the company’s official website to see the current price.

# 8: Worldwide Avon Subsidiaries

Countries all over the world have Avon ladies. These subsidiaries are full of the Avon ladies:

Argentina – Cosmeticos Avon S.A.C.I.
Germany – Avon Cosmetics GmbH
Australia – Avon Products Pty. Limited
Venezuela – Avon Cosmetics de Venezuela, C.A
Brazil – Avon Cosmeticos, Ltda.
Netherlands – Avon International Finance N.V.
Hong Kong – Avon Cosmetics (FEBO) Limited
And many more.

# 9: The First Avon Lady Was A Man

Yes, believe it or not, the first Avon lady was a man. David McConnell was the founder of Avon and was the first person to knock on people’s doors offering perfumes and creams.

David had started selling books, but discovered that perfumes sold much easier. And, many men are quite successful at selling Avon products today, but we still refer to Avon ladies.

# 10: Avon Ladies Were The Primary Weapons Against Takeover

While many MLM Companies have been taken over by larger firms, Avon defeated takeover attempts.

When organizations would try to purchase the majority of Avon stocks to take control of the company, Avon ladies began to draft letters saying they would not work for the new management.

These Avon raiders backed away when they realized they would lose a high percentage of the sales force.

# 11: Avon Everywhere

There are Avon ladies in over 100 countries around the world. So essentially, no matter where you live, you should be able to find an Avon lady.

Avon has 6 million representatives globally and 50% of new representatives are under the age of 35.
Source: Avon Worldwide

# 12: Ding Dong, Avon Calling

The Avon slogan: Ding Dong, Avon calling was first used in 1954.

People everywhere began using it as their own slogan when visiting friends and family. When it first hit the old black and white televisions, the Avon slogan grabbed hold quickly.

# 13: The First Female Avon Lady

The first female Avon lady was the widow of a Senator. P.F.E. Albee from New Hampshire began her Avon home-based business selling the Little Dot Perfume Set.

Mrs. Albee also recruited many other women into the ranks of Avon ladies helping Avon grow substantially.

The first woman McConnell hired was then-50-year-old Mrs. P.F.E. Albee from New Hampshire. Considered the first ‘Avon Lady,’ or ‘Rep’ as we know them today, Mrs. Albee travelled by horse and buggy and train to deliver the perfumes and wore a long dress, hat and boots to work. She helped create one of the company’s first fragrances, the Little Dot Perfume Set, and developed a women-only network to sell directly to other women—now known at Avon as direct selling. In her 12 years working with the California Perfume Company, Mrs. Albee trained more than 5,000 representatives to sell cosmetics.
Source: Avon

# 14: America Supports The Avon Lady

It is a fact that surprised me, but Americans spend more money annually on beauty than they do on education. Avon ladies use this statistic to sell beauty, but they do so by educating.

# 15: Avon Ladies Loved Fergie

Avon released the scent of Fergie with Outspoken. The moment of release found Avon ladies worldwide selling an average of 55 bottles per hour of Outspoken. Outspoken is still a popular Avon fragrance.

# 16: Andrea Jung

Sales were dismal for Avon in the mid to late 1990’s. In 1999, Andrea Jung became the CEO of Avon and she made a move that many business leaders can learn from; Andrea began to take on a roll of the Avon lady to find what changes could be made to help revenues by dealing directly with customers.

Instead of sitting in her office, Andrea began ringing door bells to offer Avon products and to speak with potential customers to discover how Avon could help them in better ways.

By doing so, Andrea was able to turn revenues back into black figures. Ms. Jung still plays an important role in the management of Avon.

# 17: Brazilian Avon Ladies

Hopefully no countries attempt to attack Brazil. They may find their forces getting attacked by mobs of Avon ladies.

In Brazil, there are more Avon ladies then there are members of the Brazilian armed forces.

Avon already has 2.2 million direct marketing consultants in Brazil.
Source: BBC News

Skowhegan, Maine Avon Lady: Anna Holmes

By Chuck Holmes

My grandmother was an Avon lady for many, many years. Her name was Anna Holmes. She lived in Skowhegan, Maine. As a child, I visited my grandmother a lot. I lived right down the road from her.

On several occasions she took me with her as she visited her different prospects and clients to make sales calls and deliveries. She’d bring me in the house, sit me down at the table, and told me to be quiet, watch, and listen.

The one thing I remember the most was how happy her clients were to see her. It was more than just makeup and cosmetics to them. It was about being personally serviced by someone who actually cared about them.

Many of these older ladies were widows and spent a lot of time alone, so they were thrilled to spend a few minutes with one of their friends.

My grandmother also educated them, gave them facials and makeovers, and helped them put on their makeup and look pretty. She was their trusted friend and makeup advisor. She was their Avon lady.

My grandmother built up a large customer base (several hundred people) over the years and she really enjoyed the social aspect, extra money, and having something to keep her busy (after my grandpa died). She met tons of new friends because of Avon.

I credit my grandmother for introducing me to direct sales and network marketing. I’m proud to continue her legacy.

Final Thoughts

In review, Avon and the Avon lady have an amazing history.

While many other MLM Companies seem to have a period when they even off and prospects are apprehensive to join, Avon has always had Avon ladies jumping in. It seems the world cannot have enough Avon ladies. I predict that Avon will continue to be a major force in the MLM world.

They have always been a company willing to try new and different ventures to help Avon ladies have even more ways to make money. What do you think? Are you an Avon lady? Are you an Avon customer? What do you like about Avon? What do you think Avon could do better?

When you really consider everything, Avon has been a company that has helped America and the world grow by helping to empower women allowing them to own their own business and help provide for their families.

Avon set the precedent for direct sales and they have also had some great slogans, statements, and wisdom.

I want to share some:

Avon is the company that stands for beauty, innovation, optimism, and above all for women.
Give a woman the right lipstick and she can conquer the world.
Your #1 Beauty Secret – Avon.

If you would like to purchase Avon products or become an Avon lady (or man), I suggest you find someone in your local area. If you have any comments or questions, you can post them in the comment area below. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com