傳統觀點認為，直銷是一種過時的商業模式，因為繁忙的生活使得人們無法留在家中等待銷售員上門推銷，而且越來越多人偏愛網上購物。不相信？雅芳公司的銷售額嚴重縮水便是最好的證據。

但在競爭異常激烈的服裝行業，一家小企業卻掌握了直銷成功的秘訣，那就是年營收高達2.5億美元，已成為美國最大服裝直銷商的Cabi公司。要問它的秘訣是什么？那就是利用直銷為女性提供高接觸服務，同時提供實惠、優質且不會過分前衛的服裝。

此外，該公司還會保證“造型師”銷售產品時全情投入，而不是僅僅將此作為兼職，單純為了賺錢。造型師是該公司對其銷售代表的稱呼。

CAbi目前擁有約3400名造型師，她們需要接受培訓，學會向客戶展示如何更好地著裝，如何搭配服裝，以及如何配置整體形象——這家位于洛杉磯的公司認為，這種專注度水平才是直銷成功的關鍵。

CAbi公司CEO琳妮?柯特表示：“零售商提供這些服務的價格更高。”琳妮從2013年開始擔任該公司CEO，此前先后在瓊斯服裝集團和彭尼公司擔任高管。

CAbi意為“應邀而來的卡羅爾?安德森”，每年提供兩個系列的服裝——春夏系列和秋冬系列，平均價格為100美元左右。其主要客戶為40至45歲的女性，這個群體同樣喜歡經常光顧J.Crew、White House Black Label和Loft等女性服裝品牌，尋找那些價格實惠的流行服飾。

3年前，私募股權公司Irving Place Capital和J.H. Whitney從創始人手中收購了這家公司。CAbi通常在每季中期更新商品，新增12件商品，每年更新兩次。這樣不僅可以幫助CAbi緊跟熱門趨勢，還可以為造型師們提供重新拜訪客戶的借口。

霍利?帕克解釋說：“這種銷售模式就是令女性感覺舒服，而不是強行推銷。這才是女性渴望得到的服務。”霍利?帕克來自圣芭芭拉市，是兩個孩子的母親，從2008年開始為CAbi做直銷。

CAbi的造型師一年共舉行了6萬場“表演”，推銷她們的服裝。她們選擇與女主人們合作，后者會提供她們的房子，并且呼朋喚友（潛在的新客戶），以此獲得折扣。造型師們可以獲得33%的傭金。

但她們必須付出極大的努力。銷售代表的高流失率一直都是雅芳最大的問題之一，因為許多人略微嘗試一下后便選擇退出，留下一大堆失望的客戶。雅芳也曾經嘗試過服裝等產品類別，但均以失敗告終，并且不斷改變其產品的可識別度，使銷售人員很難賣出服裝，并從中獲得傭金。

CAbi設置了許多門檻，阻止那些對待直銷不夠認真的人加入。銷售員必須在每個銷售季開始時提前購買庫存，金額必須達到2500美元，然后才可以進行銷售。如果造型師未能達到最低要求，她們就無法參與隨后的銷售季。（該公司嚴令禁止造型師在eBay或其他類似市場上銷售未售出商品。）此外，所有銷售人員都必須參加CAbi每年兩次的培訓會。

柯特表示：“這是他們在開展業務前必須做的一項具有顯著意義的投資。因為通常情況下，銷售人員更傾向于打造自己的業務。”這樣做的結果是實現了85%的保留率，而不是直銷行業常見的20%。

CAbi適度但不可否認的增長，在當前的趨勢中可謂一枝獨秀。據直銷協會統計，過去三年，服裝直銷額呈每年下降的趨勢。相反，柯特表示，該公司正在以每年5%的速度增長，對于一家私募股權控股的公司來說，這樣的速度不算突出，但在整個行業內依舊處于領先地位，表明其緩慢而穩健的方法正在帶來回報。(財富中文網)

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

審校：任文科

Conventional wisdom dictates that direct selling is a passé business model, what with people’s busy lives preventing them from being home to greet door-to-door salespeople and a growing preference for shopping online. For evidence, just check out the dramatic sales erosion at Avon Products AVP 0.74%.

Yet, one small company has figured out how to make this way of selling work in the hyper-competitive world of apparel: CAbi, a $250 million revenue company that has become the largest direct seller of clothing in the U.S. Its recipe? Using direct selling to give women high-touch service while offering affordability, quality and not overly fashion-forward clothing. It also makes sure that CAbi “stylists,” as it calls its sales representatives, are fully committed to selling its products, and not just looking for some extra cash on the side.

CAbi stylists, who currently number around 3,400, are given training to show customers how to dress better, fit their clothes, and assemble looks — a level of attention the Los Angeles-based company says is the key to making its approach work.

“Retailers only provide that at a significantly higher price point,” says Lynne Coté, CAbi’s CEO since 2013, and a one-time executive at companies like Jones Apparel Group and J.C. Penney JCP 0.85% .

CAbi, which stands for Carol Anderson by invitation, offers two collections a year, one for spring and summer, and the other for winter and fall, with average prices of around $100. Its typical customer is a woman between 40 and 45 who also likes to frequent J.Crew, White House Black Label and Loft in search of trendy clothes that don’t break the bank.

The company, bought three years ago from its founders by private equity firms Irving Place Capital and J.H. Whitney, refreshes the collection mid-season twice a year with an injection of 12 pieces that can help CAbi benefit from a hot trend and give stylists a pretext to reach back out to customers. “It’s about making women feel well, not about the hard sell. Women crave that,” explains Holly Parker, a mother of two from Santa Barbara, who started selling for CAbi in 2008.

CAbi stylists collectively put on 60,000 “shows” a year to promote their wares, working with hostesses who provide both their homes and access to their friends (i.e., new potential customers), in exchange for a discount. The stylists themselves can make as much as 33% in commissions.

But they have to hustle for it. One of Avon’s biggest problems has long been the high turnover among its sales reps, as many try it out for a bit before dropping out, leaving a trail of frustrated customers. Among its many missteps, Avon also tried its hand at apparel but treated the category as an afterthought and kept changing the collection’s sensibility, making it harder for salespeople to sell clothes and earn commissions.

At CAbi, there are built-in roadblocks to prevent people who are less than serious about it. Saleswomen have to buy inventory upfront at the start of season to the tune of $2,500 and are on the hook for selling it. If a stylist fails to meet a minimum threshold, she is barred from selling in subsequent seasons. (They are strictly forbidden from selling unsold merchandise on eBay EBAY 0.23% or other similar marketplaces.) And all representatives are required to attend CAbi bi-annual training meetings.

“That’s a significant investment the have to make in the business upfront so typically, they’re a lot more inclined to build a business,” says Coté. The result is an 85% retention rate, rather than a typical 20% in the direct selling business.

CAbi’s modest but undeniable growth stands in contrast to current trends. According to the Direct Selling Association, direct sales of clothing have declined in each of the last three years. In contrast, Coté says the company is growing at 5% a year, modest for a private-equity owned company, but still an industry-beating pace that shows her slow-but-steady approach is paying off.