Tweet

Lesson #5: Have a Message

Article Overview: Estee Lauder Inc. was not just about beauty products. Lauder wasn’t just creating skin creams to help get rid of wrinkles or perfumes to make you smell good; there was a deeper message to her products. And, it was a message that helped her successfully sell her products.

Lesson #5: Have a Message

Estee Lauder Inc. was not just about beauty products. Lauder wasn’t just creating skin creams to help get rid of wrinkles or perfumes to make you smell good; there was a deeper message to her products. And, it was a message that helped her successfully sell her products.

“In a perfect world, we’d all be judged on the sweetness of our souls,” said Lauder. “But in our less than perfect world, the woman who looks pretty has a distinct advantage and, usually, the last word.” Lauder’s beauty products were intended to make a woman feel beautiful, but it didn’t stop there. She wanted to empower woman, to give them a sense of inner beauty and self worth as well as improving the levels of respect they received from the outside world.

“People are more apt to believe you and like you when you know you look fine,” she said. “And when the world approves, self-respect is just a little easier.” Lauder’s products, much to the contrary of what many feminists believed, were in fact an extension of feminism. She wanted to help make women feel good about themselves so that they could go out in the world and achieve their goals. She believed that beauty is an attitude, and when you look after yourself properly – and use her products, of course – it would be a winning attitude. If you looked beautiful on the outside, Lauder believed you would feel beautiful on the inside, and from there, the possibilities are endless.

“You get more bees with honey,” she said. “You may have great inner resources, but they don’t show up as confidence when you don’t feel pretty.” It was this message that Lauder tried to convey through her product lines; buy from Estee Lauder, be beautiful and have the self-assurance to live the life of your dreams. On the surface, her products were about beauty, but there was a deeper message of the importance of having and cultivating self-esteem.

Thus, despite the secrecy surrounding her products and their ingredients, Lauder in fact claimed on numerous occasions that there was no secret to beauty. “Why are all brides beautiful?” she asked. “Because on their wedding day they care about how they look. There are no ugly women – only women who don’t care or who don’t believe they’re attractive.” Beauty was a state of mind and Lauder’s products, she believed, could help anyone achieve that state of mind.

In another display of marketing genius, Lauder understood that customers wanted to buy more than just creams and oils; they wanted a life-changing experience that would endure. The last drop of perfume might have been sprayed and the last ounce of cream used up, but the effects that Lauder was promising would be life-long. It was that message that people wanted to buy; they wanted the experience of true beauty that Lauder was selling. She took her products off the shelves and gave them a message, a life and a success that went farther.

Related Articles
  A Confused Prospect Does Not Buy
  Who Is Your Proud Family?
  Leadership Lessons Heard
  Consistency
  Three Marketing Lessons from Realtors

Article Tags: beauty products, bees, contrary, distinct advantage, estee lauder, feminism, feminists, inner beauty, inner resources, last word, perfect world, perfumes, secrecy, self assurance, self esteem, self respect, self worth, skin creams, sweetness, wrinkles



Related Forum Posts
Re: Those Annoying Telemarketers - When I was making phone calls I received 2 different messages that really stood out... Message 1: "We can't come to the phone right now. If you're a telemarketer please remove this number from your records. All other calls...." I never bothered to hear the rest because I wasn't allowed leaving messages anyway. I had to actually talk to the person. Message 2: "This phone number is protected by Embarq Privacy Services (something like that). Please leave your name, phone number and reason for call, and the party you're trying to reach will determine if the call is important to them." I summarized, but you get the point. Embarq is a local phone company. I don't know if it's available nationwide or not. That's a new one on me, though. I utilize caller ID on my cell. Unless it's a local number, I don't bother to answer. If it's important enough they'll leave a message. I use my cell for online and offline business since it has these capabilities as well as voicemail. Gotta love technology.
Re: The Storm Brace a new invention - Hi Breck, I sent you a Private Message - please check your "new messages link"!
Re: Two hats - startup sales mentor and Message Slinger - 1st of all, thank you for the links, I will review them all and get a pic up ASAP. 2nd, to answer your question, I have always seen working for others as a means to an end result of running my own ventures. With my consultancy at full swing, and Message Slinger in beta, I am realizing the first part of these dreams. There is more to follow, and as it comes, sharing will be a joy.
Re: Watch What you Read - I agree. i believe more video's should be like Jeffery Gitomers video's under his Sales rant. They are typically not more than 3 minutes. His model seems to be; 1. Main Message (or Point) 2. Example 3. Next steps to put it into Action take away the extra "blabber" and you've got viewers that will come back.
Two hats - startup sales mentor and Message Slinger - Hello all, As a consultant, my focus is on helping companies in emerging companies jump start their revenue generation. As the CEO of Message Slinger, I try and aid in developing and offering the world's best online and e-mail marketing system, Please feel free to reach out and contact me about anything and everything, my third venture is helping anyone I can. All the best, Karl


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The Biggest Domain Name Myth

Are You Fulfilled

Using Social Media Marketing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.