Published: July 25, 2008 09:26 am            

Avon calling

Former tracker trailor driver finds success in a traditionally woman's business

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A woman walked into the Avon store at London’s Flea Land Flea Market and saw a pretty young lady at the cash register to the left and a burly looking mountain man with a nine-inch beard and shoulder-length hair stocking shelves to the right. She needed advice on whether her skin tone was more suitable for liquid or mineral foundation. She chose to wait for the girl to finish at the cash register.

Wrong choice.

Michael Freeman, 52, of Corbin, has not always been in charge of the London Flea Land Flea Market Avon store. Its original owner, Mike’s wife, Betty, chose the location for her store from the original Flea Land blueprints back in the early 1990s, and the store has been located in the same place ever since.

As a veteran Avon sales representative herself, Betty won numerous sales awards over the years, along with luxury trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Alaska and Orlando, just to name a few. The couple met in 1996 in her store at the Flea Land Flea Market. Later that year, Mike Freeman moved to Corbin and shortly after the two were married.

Over the next several years, Mike assisted his wife at the store and even accompanied her to her monthly Avon training sessions, where he sat in the background and listened as the experts shared their knowledge. He quickly became a familiar and welcomed face in the Avon community.

Fate stepped in, and in 2003, Betty had a stroke. With her fibromyalgia and worsening arthritis condition, she was forced to retire from her thriving business and turn the reins over to her husband.

Mike dove in and set about becoming an official sales representative for Avon. He had learned much about the business over the years, and felt confident he could take over and run the store in his wife’s stead. After all, he had plenty of help from Betty’s family and friends, who helped her for many years in the store, even before Mike came into the picture.

However, Mike Freeman, the former tractor trailer driver from Pennington Gap, Va., soon realized he had a lot to learn about being a man trying to run a traditionally woman’s business.

“Some was hard to believe,” said Mike. “The customers had gotten used to Betty over the years. When I came, it was sort of an odd time for them. They’d say, ‘Men don’t know nothin’ about Avon.’

“I just showed them.”

Mike had done his homework. Whenever a product came in, he studied all the accompanying information and learned everything he could about it. He went to every meeting and learned from the experts.

“At first it felt really strange, having to know the difference between liquid, powder or mineral foundations,” he said. “It was even tougher learning the subtle differences between the colors of lipsticks and smells of the perfumes. And you have to keep up with it, since it’s a continuous change.”

As hard as he worked to learn the Avon business, Mike said it was still nearly six months before the customers, new and old, became used to the idea of a man running the store. He found that he could break the ice simply by engaging customers in any kind of conversation, even something as trivial as the weather.

Eventually, the man’s charm and soft-spoken demeanor won over the store’s patrons.

“At first, they didn’t want to deal too much with me,” he said. “They preferred to work with the ladies. Now, some have gotten used to me, and they won’t hardly work with any of the others.

“In fact, most of Betty’s original clients are still with us now. Used to be, the old customers were always asking when Betty was coming back. Now when I’m not around, they want to know where I’m at.”

Three years ago, Mike Freeman won his first big Avon award — a Hawaiian vacation — when he qualified for the President’s Inner Circle by selling more than $112,000 in product in a single year. Since then, he has been one of the top three Avon salespersons in the Kentucky Wildcat Division.

This year, he earned trophies for first place in district sales increase, first place in sales increase for the Kentucky division and second place in sales volume in the district.

Though he started with long hair and a nine-inch beard, he has since gotten a much shorter haircut.

No one will ever see Mike Freeman going door-to-door or hosting a party to sell Avon. That’s just not a part of the business that he would ever be interested in. Mike enjoys his little room at the Flea Land Flea Market.

“Being around the flea market gets into your system,” he explained. “Avon products sell themselves. All you have to do is stand by and watch the product sell itself. Most of the men and women who come into the store already know what they want. All you have to do is get it for them.”

However, Mike is always on hand if a new item comes out and a customer needs to know how and why it took over from the old one. Mike usually has his customers try out a new cologne or perfume and walk around with it for a while to determine if they really like it. He knows they’ll come back if they decide they want to buy.

Mike attributes his success as an Avon representative to his knowledge of the products he sells and his self-motivation to continually improve his business. His goals for the coming year are to make it back into the President’s Inner Circle and maintain at least second place in the Wildcat Division.

Two years ago Mike was told he was in the first stages of leukemia. The disease often leaves him feeling week and without much energy. However, Mike has no intention of giving up and quitting either on life or his business.

“Selling Avon is just too much fun,” Mike said of his unconventional business choice. “New customers don’t seem to mind me. The market changes all the time, and I think everyone has gotten used to seeing new and different people behind the counters.

“I get to meet a lot of great new people every week and besides, it helps pay the bills.”



Bobbie Poynter can be reached at bpoynter@thetimestribune.com

        

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