Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/70637
your niche The Corporate Ladder Ashley Davis is drawn to cosmetics like a bee to clover. A self-described product junkie, it was hardly surprising that she went to esthetics school. But after a brief stint working in a salon, she realized she was much happier talking to customers than actually doing facials. Caprice Johnson was a part- time massage therapist and full-time salesperson before she became an esthetician. She went back to school to study esthetics because she yearned to do something "girly" after years in a male- dominated sales fi eld. After graduating and working six months in two spas, she found she didn't really enjoy the hands-on work. "It just wasn't my cup of tea," says Johnson. "I had to get back into sales." Today, both women have found a way to combine their esthetics training with their natural gregariousness and fondness for customer service. Davis is an account manager for Organic Salon Systems in Palm Harbor, Florida, where she oversees relations with approximately 1,000 salons who carry her company's product. Johnson is an account executive for Innovative Skin Care, and her territory is San Diego, Orange County, and Riverside County in California. While not every esthetician aspires to a corporate job, for those with a bent for sales, the career path can be lucrative. Company sales reps can earn a base salary of $40,000 to $100,000, plus commissions and benefi ts. Both Davis and Johnson began their corporate ascent by landing jobs as independent sales representatives for cosmetic lines. Such positions are typically part-time and commission-based. From there, they moved up the ladder to full- time corporate sales jobs. "It's decent money," Johnson says. "The jobs are competitive, and you have to network like crazy. But if there's an esthetician out there who has the personality for sales, it's something good to aim for." Johnson's offi ce is in her home, but often she's driving around Southern California. "A lot of my day is prospecting for new accounts," she says. "There have been days I've put 350 miles on my car." Her week is a minimum of 40 hours, and 11-hour days are not uncommon. She spends her day selling high-end skin care products to doctors, estheticians, physicians' assistants, and spa or salon managers. "Being an esthetician myself gives me a rapport with the women I talk to, whether they're dermatologists or estheticians," Johnson says. "If I was just a business person, I might be able to talk to the offi ce manager and no one else. Being more well- rounded, I can be more effective." Like Johnson, Davis says her esthetics training opened doors for her. But she acknowledges that she never would have landed her current job if she hadn't pounded the pavement early on. Simply What it's like to work as a product rep by Rebecca Jones Caprice Johnson, formerly an esthetician and massage therapist, now works full time in sales for a skin care company. Ashley Davis says her esthetics training opened doors for her in the sales world. graduating from esthetics school usually isn't enough to land a sales job. "You have to have knowledge of what products are out there," Davis says. "Secondly, having sales experience helps. If you don't already have experience, you might try to get a job in a store for a while." Davis acknowledges that it's hard to earn a good living as an independent rep unless you're willing to carry four or fi ve product lines, and reps must pay their own expenses up front. But those who can stick with it may fi nd such a position a good stepping-stone to a full-time job. "Don't limit yourself," Johnson advises. "Just give it a shot. Stretch yourself. You might like it, and it will pay off in the end." Rebecca Jones is a longtime newspaper reporter and freelance writer based in Denver, Colorado. Contact her at killarneyrose@comcast.net. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com 11