What Will They See?

Some of my most treasured moments are the times when I watch my daughter pretend play. Of course she has dolls and talking games, but it’s those times that she picks the simplest things and turn them into something magical.  As I sat at my computer to work, she found a bag of orphaned crayons and spread them onto the table. I turned to get her some paper to color on and it’s at that moment that she starts talking to the crayons. Apparently, in her mind, the red crayon was the knight and the pink crayon was the princess and they were riding off to the palace to get married, just like in the fairy tales. Then, the evil blue crayon came up to steal the princess pink. But, the brave knightly red saved her, just before she rolled off the table to her death. So I sat fascinated at her five-year old mind and how she had turned what others my view as just pigment and wax into a magical kingdom where dreams came true.

Wow, if we could catch that magic in a bottle, we’d have a top seller on our hands.  In my mind, if we can take a little bit of that captured light and shine it into our businesses, perhaps, we too, can have a fairy tale ending. That’s where marketing, advertising, branding, all of that … that’s where that comes into play.  When you start your business, what do you want people to say about you?  What ideas will come to mind when they hear your business name, see your website, see you?

In addition to what I do here, I’ve also been an Avon Independent Sales eRepresentative for over four years now. From the very beginning, I knew that I had to create an image that would set me apart from not only the hundreds of other representatives in the surrounding areas but also build an image that would motivate prospects to buy from me rather than purchase their favorite brand from the store. So, I made a committment to be a student of Avon, learning as much as I could. I also use and wear my products so that I can truly guide my clients on their purchases. Over time, I’ve created my own personal brand that not only makes Avon look good, but makes me look and feel good and pass that feeling on to my clients. 

When I first started with Avon, I could have taken my little black bag, ten free books, and apologetically asked ten people if I could give them a book or a sample. I could have been the basic crayon, just going through the motions. Instead, I asked myself, what else can I do? How can I be something other than what it says on the paper, an Avon rep? Well, just as my daughter traveled to her favorite palace for inspiration and crowned her pink crayon a princess and knighted her red one, I saw myself as the beauty expert that I am and haven’t turned back.

**Support Local Businesses:  Susan Peck Photography. Owner: Susan W. Peck, MFA