Week 11: Circle of Excellence!

Dangling carrots in front of employees is an excellent way to motivate the work-force and achieve organizational goals at the same time. At Avon Products, the largest carrot dangled in front of District Sales Managers is the prestigious Circle of Excellence recognition and reward trip. The Circle of Excellence is an elite distinction at Avon, awarded to the top 10 percent of District Sales Managers with the largest sales increase. Additionally, Avon recognizes the Circle achievers at the annual national sales meeting with an elaborate sit-down dinner recognition and award ceremony allowing upper management and the entire sales force to recognize the achievers and celebrate in equal fashion.  The Circle dinner event is a formal black tie affair and evening attire is required to support the magnitude of this achievement. Every achiever is recognized on stage in front of the entire sales force and receives a single long-stemmed red rose and a piece of jewelry marking the year of the achievement.

 First-year achievers receive a beautiful 14K gold pendant with one center diamond and 20 pearls set in a circle reflecting the title of the recognition. Each year of achievement the piece of jewelry changes to reflect the number of times Circle was achieved.  In addition to the elaborate dinner recognition, Avon awards the Circle achievers and a guest with a five-star all expenses paid trip to a chosen destination for one week.

Avon understands what motivates the field sales force beginning with Avon's 72 Division Managers , who oversee nearly 1500 district sales managers in the company's four U.S. regions. "Their purpose is to serve as coaches, advocates and mentors, and to provide recognition, motivation, and assistance," says Jean Ford, Avon's director of events and motivation. "They're a live face and voice who are there to help our reps. Most other direct-sales companies don't have these extensive tiers of management." The Circle of Excellence Award goes to the top district sales managers in the U.S., based on sales increases over the previous year. Avon sends approximately 180 winners on these trips every year. Circle trip destinations have included Australia, China, Ireland, Paris, and last year to Turkey. As an Avon employee, I achieved Circle in 2009 and was awarded an elaborate trip (with a guest)  to Monte Carlo, Monaco to celebrate with the other Avon sales management "stars".

Avon had 1500 District Sales Managers in 2009 when I was named to the Circle of Excellence. To receive this special recognition, I increased my sales plan verses prior year by 12%. Here are the results for my district's 2009 rankings: Sales increased $109,000 over plan, ranked 15th in the nation out of 1500 district managers and 5th in the West Region out of 400+ Districts, and number 1 in my division out of 18 district managers. I know these results because every two weeks a contender list was posted on Avon's Intranet site with the current rankings on the Circle list. My district hit the list in the very beginning of the year and was never taken off the list as a result of my numbers. So, the contender list was especially important because other manager results could knock one off the list at any point in the year. This is extremely competitive among the District Managers.

One of the other managers in my division, Stacy Branson, achieved Circle in 2011. This was a special moment for me because I recruited Stacy into the company and trained her after she was hired. Stacy was hired at the end of 2009, so she was able to watch me receive my Circle recognition at our national sales meeting in 2010 and participate in the Circle dinner. I interviewed Stacy to ask her how she felt as about Avon's recognition program and about achieving Circle of Excellence.

Jacqueline: Did you comprehend the magnitude of the achievement when I circled in 2009?

Stacy: I knew it was a very special achievement, but it was not until I achieved Circle that I understood what it really meant.

Jac: How did you feel when you first realized you had made the unofficial circle list?

Stacy: I was surprised to see my name of the list, but so excited.

Jac: How did your Division Manager (DM) recognize your unofficial ranking?

Stacy: Rosario (DM) made a big deal out of the list every month throughout the year at our division staff meetings.

Jac: How did she do that?

Stacy: She added recognition slides into her meeting presentation to acknowledge it.

Jac: How did that make you feel?

Stacy: At first I felt proud and excited, but month-after-month I started to feel bad because the other District Managers were not doing well in their districts.

Jac: Besides myself, were there other Circle achievers in the division?

Stacy: I think out of the 17 other managers, there were 7 previous Circle achievers.

Jac: Were they supportive of you?

Stacy: For the most part yes. However, it is very competitive.

Jac: Did you run to your computer like I did every time the new Circle list was posted?

Stacy: I did look forward to the posting every two weeks. It was fun to see my ranking and to see of new people joined the list as a result of other falling off.

Jac: How did you feel when the official results were announced?

Stacy: I was so excited!

Jac: How was your achievement celebrated in your division?

Stacy: We had a division staff meeting where my DM gave me a Coach purse with matching passport case to bring on my trip. When I received my gift, I made a very long speech because I wanted to share my ideas with my peers on how they could achieve Circle.

Jac: How did you feel when you received your recognition at the national convention?

Stacy: I felt like a princess. I loved being the center of attention, which made me feel special.

Jac: Before I went on my trip to Monte Carlo, I was told the Circle trip was a trip of a lifetime. I had travelled extensively for work, so I did not believe the other managers when they would elaborate on how special the trip really was. I told you your trip to Turkey would be special. What are your thoughts about the trip?

Stacy: I had no idea what a 5-star trip meant until I travelled with Avon. We stayed in a beautiful hotel and went on special outings every day. Afterward, we were treated to cocktail parties and 7 course dinners. The entire trip was amazing.

Jac: Have you ever worked for an organization that rewarded their employees with elaborate incentives?

Stacy: I was a teacher before this, so I would definitely say no.

Jac: Would you ever consider working for a company that did not have a reward systems in place?

Stacy: After experiencing Avon's recognition program, I would have to be enticed with a large pay increase to consider leaving Avon.

Jac: Thank you for your time. And, here's to another Circle year in the future!

 

 

Reference

Avon products, inc.:avon circle of excellence achievers. (2012). Retrieved from https:www.Avonproducts.com/Circle Achievers