NEW YORK (www.makeup4sisters.com) - If you're a big fan Patti LaBelle, chances are you'll be delighted to find her products online. Makeup4Sisters (https://www.makeup4sisters.com) is a major retailer of her products and is enjoying a boom in what they call 'LaBelle sales'. The good news is that you can now receive service in English, French and Spanish.
According to Ivett Ramos, company spokesperson, Patti LaBelle is loved the world over. "We get calls from all over. Even during the Hurricane, we received a call from Jamaica inquiring about Patti LaBelle Signature, one of our best sellers."
Makeup4Sisters is a major retailer of makeup, cosmetics and fragrances primarily for women of color. "Diversity is the mantra," said Ramos, "because the dollar is green and happy customers are defined by the same two things: smiles and repeat business."
Pati Lynn, a board member of The MarieLynn Group, Inc., parent company of Makeup4Sisters added, "We're proud to be able to serve our diverse sisterhood; after all, we believe all women are sisters! Of course, not all women of color are Black or African-American. Not surprisingly, many women of color from around the world need cosmetics and fragrances that compliment their hue and their lifestyle. We serve French-speaking US residents who've immigrated from Canada and Haiti, as well as Cameroon and other African countries via our bilingual French-speaking personnel on duty from 7:45 a.m. CST until 1:45 p.m. CST, Monday-Friday."
"Additionally," Lynn continued, "many of our customers--especially in California and New York--are Latinas! In California, our customers are of Mexican descent and in New York they are of Puerto Rican or Dominican descent. There are 19 countries that claim Spanish as a national language--and then there's Brazil, whose national language is Portuguese. In these countries we have "sisters" of every hue who need and prefer products designed for women of color."
Diversity - Not Just a Sales Tool
"Our slogan, "Adding Color to Your Life," is symbolic of diversity, and it's not just a sales tool. In fact, it's what provides the unexpected, the spice, and the variety in life.
She continued, "Diversity is very important to us and that's why we have many customers who are Caucasian or, as we say in the business, we also serve general market customers, too. We've also noted that even though women have taken on many different roles in society, such as fighting in the Iraq War, they still want to look good and they spouses sometimes take an active role in that. For active military personnel, we've often given discounts or free gifts to accommodate them for what they're sacrificing for us.
In fact, in August we had a customer, Mr. Kerry, who called to order cosmetics for his wife, who was stationed in North Carolina, but getting ready to go to Iraq. Now that exemplifies the word diversity in my book!"
Double Duty: Promoting Patti's Perfumes
There's more than one reason to look for staff. The boom in Patti LaBelle perfume sales prompted Angelique DuBossier - a company advocate - to recommend the company get a toll-free number touting the name "PATTI." Thus, they now have two 866 toll-free numbers for the company - 1.866.34.PATTI for faxes and 1.866.44.PATTI for sales - in addition to their main sales number, 1.866.404.6800. Planning obviously paid off!
LaBelle presented Pati Lynn and a small group of other resellers with a certificate and photo at the recent Color Me Beautiful convention in Chantilly, Virginia, in recognition of "outstanding individual cosmetic and fragrance resellers and retailers." LaBelle also put in a plug for her new clothing line.
Patti LaBelle, the soulful entertaining diva, had come in from her vacation retreat in the Caribbean Islands, the last weekend in July, to address the women and men who sell her perfumes nationwide and stated, "There were only two groups for which I would leave my vacation and you're one of them! The other group, of course, was the National Democratic Convention. But, how could I say no to those of you who had sold so many of my products nationwide?"
Growing Pains
According to Lynn, "The demand for Patti LaBelle fragrances--especially the Patti LaBelle Signature and the Girlfriend fragrances--is so great, that we are looking for independent local affiliates and salons to sell them."
"Additionally," said Lynn, "those who affiliate would with Makeup4Sisters and become active will be able to sell the Flori Roberts, IMAN and Interface cosmetic lines, for which Color Me Beautiful is the supplier. Further, they'll be listed on our website, as a courtesy to them and to customers in their trading area." Lynn was quick to add that there are other retailers scattered across the country, but that there is more than enough business for everyone.
Stepping Up to Growth
Lynn announced at a recent board meeting, that the company's August sales were up 250% over April. "Ninety-three percent of our customers received their products within 4-5 days after order placement - something we re constantly striving to improve. And, during this period, as we reached customer #1400, we had 2 major customer complaints caused by a programming error. These stats are since April. Unfortunately, prior to that time I'm sorry to say, that we suffered from the lack of proper staffing and new business blues--we just had a hard time getting it together - and we had a 78% on-time delivery rate. So, any customer who had a slow delivery from January - March, but comes back again will receive a free delivery and a gift-with-purchase, if they let us know.
Makeup4Sisters recently began a year-long venture with Urban Beauty
Online,(https://www.urbanbeautyonline.com/), Danielle Godson, Editor. Lynn complimented Godson's initiative and stated, "We're looking to work with and support quality 'sister-owned' sites, such as UBO, that offer a mutually beneficial relationship. We've also done advertising with EurWeb.com and we were fortune enough to have a nice mention on Tom Joyner's Black America Web.
Makeup4Sisters is instituting a gift registry and a skin care product "2-for-1" sale--just in time for the Holiday Season. Holiday products already are in and the staff is getting ready for a model search which begins in October and ends January 31, as well as anniversary events in November.
Sandra Foster is a free lance writer from Plano, Texas. E-mail her at [email protected]
Company Info Provided:
Makeup4Sisters is a major retailer of Color Me Beautiful Brands, which include Flori Roberts, IMAN, Interface, Adrien Arpel, Color Me Beautiful and Gayle Hayman--Beverly Hills. The company also retails other products for major national suppliers in select markets.
