Never Underestimate the "Pawn"

Because every successful brand owes its brilliance to the people who stand behind the counter, not just those behind the boardroom door.

In the world of luxury beauty, everyone wants to be the queen, the king, or the rook — the visible, celebrated pieces that seem to move the brand forward. But what so many forget is that the pawn, the promoters, beauty advisors, consultants, make up artists and demonstrators, are the foundation of the game itself.

If you lose your pawns, you have already lost the board. ♟️

🌟 The Invisible Backbone

Throughout my career managing multiple luxury beauty brands, one lesson has remained constant:

The people on the shop floor, standing for hours, greeting customers, explaining products, observing what clients love or leave behind, are not “support staff.” They are the heartbeat of the brand.

Sadly, too often they are treated as an afterthought. Some executives see them as a cost to be controlled, not an asset to be celebrated. That attitude is not just short sighted, it is self destructive.

💬 What the Pawns Actually Do (That Leaders Often Overlook)

1. Front row Feedback Beauty advisors are the brand’s eyes and ears. They see what customers reach for, what frustrates them, and what competitors are doing differently. Their observations are pure gold for shaping smarter strategies.

2. Living Brand Ambassadors Every smile, every product demonstration, every genuine conversation influences how a customer feels about your brand. You cannot fake luxury, it is lived and breathed by the people representing it on the floor.

3. Loyalty Builders Customers remember how they were treated, not just what they bought. A single empathetic conversation can turn a casual buyer into a lifelong advocate.

4. Market Intelligence Agents Forget expensive reports. These team members know which products move, which stall, and which competitor has a stronger story this month. Their insights often outshine any analytics dashboard.

🚫 Why Executives Get It Wrong

Ego and Detachment. Too many leaders spend more time polishing their presentations than walking their shop floors. Strategy without empathy becomes theatre.

Poor Investment Choices. We throw money at packaging, marketing and influencers, yet pinch pennies when it comes to training, recognition and wellbeing of the very people who deliver the experience.

The Ivory Tower Effect. Numbers and KPIs are seductive, but they can never replace real world context. The story of your brand lives in the stores, in the voices of the people selling your products every day.

🤝 What I Have Always Done Differently

I made it a non negotiable to visit every store, not for photo opportunities but to genuinely connect. I learnt names, listened to frustrations, celebrated small wins and made sure they knew how valued they were.

I treated feedback from the shop floor as market intelligence, not casual chatter. Many of the insights I received directly shaped strategies that helped brands outperform competitors and rise to the top of their categories.

And I invested in training, not only on products, but on confidence, customer psychology and how to embody luxury in tone, gesture and energy. The results were clear. More motivated teams, higher conversion and stronger brand loyalty.

🧠 A Message to My Fellow Leaders

To every executive, brand manager and decision maker reading this:

• The promoter, consultant and make up artist are not junior roles. They are the voice, face and feeling of your brand.

• Stop managing from the top down. Listen from the ground up.

• Visit your counters. Ask questions. Observe. Show appreciation.

• Invest in growth, training and recognition. Your people will give you more than sales, they will give you staying power.

👑 Because Pawns Can Become Queens

In chess, pawns are seen as expendable. In business, they should never be treated that way. Every day, in every store, your pawns are converting your brand promise into reality.

Underestimate them, and you do not just lose a move, you lose your advantage.

✨ If you have ever been inspired, challenged or humbled by your frontline team, share your experience in the comments. Let us give credit where it is truly due, to the real ambassadors of beauty.

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