Direct Sales Companies

Direct sales companies like Avon and Mary Kay have a long tradition in our society.  After thousands of years of hawking wares from street stands and traveling wagons, friendly sales reps started knocking on doors in the late 1800’s.  In the 125 years since, hundreds of companies have grown and flourished selling everything from home remedies to vacuum cleaners.  The party plan started in the 1950’s, and most companies have gone online in the last decade.

The direct sales format has created thousands of fortunes.   In fact, long before Eunice Johnson and Fashion Fair and Oprah and her empire, Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker — the daughter of slaves, orphaned at 7, widowed at 20 — became the first black female millionaire in the United States in the early 1900’s by selling her line of Madame CJ Walker hair care and straightening products door-to-door.  She originally tried selling them at her church, but her pastor told her that if God had intended for women of color to have straight hair, he would have made them that way.  She ignored him and launched a beauty empire instead.  It was a market completely ignored by big business, and it gave her and her army of female sales reps an income and lifestyle they would have otherwise never known.

Madame CJ Walker

Mrs. Walker’s Villa in New York

Ad for Walker Products

So why are direct sales companies so popular?

1. Products tend to be good, unique, and not offered in stores.
2. The party format offers a chance to socialize and have fun with others.
3. Customers like the one-on-one attention they get from sales reps.
4. It’s convenient and saves time – no shopping at the mall.
5. You can re-order any time, either through sales rep, or increasingly, through websites

I could go on, but I think you get the point.  Direct sales companies may come and go, but they’re a time-honored format that works.  Here are some of the most popular fashion-related direct sales companies:

Beauty

• Arbonne International

Skin care, aromatherapy, and weight loss products.

• Artistry

Cosmetics and skin care.

• Avon

Cosmetics, skin care, clothing, jewelry

• BeautiControl

Makeup, skin care, spa treatments

• Bellisimma Bath and Body

Bath and skin care products

• Jafra

Skin care, makeup, and fragrance

• Mary Kay

Skin care, makeup, fragrance.  Can do a virtual makeover online.

• Pink Papaya

Body and bath products.

Accessories

• Designed by You

Jewelry you design that others make for you.

• Fifth Avenue Collection

Jewelry

• Guy and Eva

Jewelry

• Jewels by Park Lane

Jewelry

• Laga Handbags

Indonesian handbags made by the victims of the tsunami

• Madison Handbags

Design your own handbags from a variety of styles and fabrics.

• Premiere Designs

Jewelry

• Stella and Dot

Jewelry

Clothing

• Cabi

Casual clothing

• Carlisle Collection

High end career and casual clothing

• Doncaster

High end career and casual clothing and accessories

• EtCetera

Casual clothing by the Carlisle Collection.

• KikaPaprika

Casual Clothing

• Optionelle

Casual and career clothing.

• Worth

High end career and casual wear.

• Worth Wear

Casual clothing by the Worth Company

Please note:  I am not affiliated with nor do I endorse any of these companies.  Please exercise due diligence when buying from or considering becoming a sales rep for any direct sales company.

See any I missed?  Want to get in touch with a rep from one of these companies?  Make a comment on the blog below so everyone can see your input. If you want to know more about the direct sales industry and the type of customer who buys this way, check out this direct sales article. Direct sales can be a fun and informative way to add to your beauty cabinet or clothing wardrobe.  Check one out and see! Already a direct sales rep or thinking about becoming one?  Many of my customers have told me that Wardrobe Magic , Accessory Magic, Ageless Style, and Beauty at Any Age have given them invaluable knowledge to help close sales.  But if you’re having trouble booking parties or recruiting down line, you might want to check out Direct Sales Success.

Related posts:

1. Secrets for Shopping the Seasonal Sales
2. Savvy Seasonal Sales Secrets
3. Fashion Secrets of French Women

Tags: Avon, direct sales, Mary Kay, sales rep