ESTEE LAUDER knew how to make a sale.
Once when she was refused a counter at the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, she accidentally spilt one of her fragrances in the crowded store. the scent wafted through the crowd of shoppers who immediately demanded to know what the lovely fragrance was and where they could buy it. Very soon after, ESTEE LAUDER got her counter and her products went on sale in the Galleries Lafayette.
a culture of quality,style and unsurpassed customer service.
ESTEE LAUDER attributed her success to her sales technique. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard, she said. She was a brilliant saleswomen and she personally visited the staff on her counter to offer them sales tips. Her approach was very hands-on. She always believed that in order to make a sale, you must touch the customer. Even today the company's motto is Bringing the best to everyone we touch.
ESTEE knew about the importance of image. She wanted to give her products sophisticated look and personally chosethe blue colour of the bottles which she belived would look stylish in every bathroom. She believed in secrecy and didn't reveal much about her life or the ingredients used in her products. She wanted her customers to believe that they were buying not only beauty in a jar but also the solution to looking and feeling eternally young. She said that In order to sell a cream, you sold a dream. She put a lot of time and effort into building up that dream image.
When she began her business, she didn't have a marketing budget, but she believed that if you put the product into the customer's hands, its quality would speak for it self. She started by giving free demonstrations and make overs using her own products anywhere she could: in hotels, beauty salons, subway stations and even on the street. Most importantly, she pioneered the idea of a gift with purchase. No one had ever heard of this before, free creams, free lipsticks! She began by giving away free samples and then moved on to giving away extra products with a purchase. These days many companies use this marketing technique, but fifty years ago the idea was revolutionary.
With the combination of hard work, dedication, ambition, and belief in herself and her products, ESTée created a culture of quality, style and unsurpassed customer service. This turned her company into the global cosmetics leader it is today. As she famously said, I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.