BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Michelle Sorro on “TV Retail & Multimedia Sales Success”

Our recent Beauty Biz Roundtable 10 event was a hit thanks to our incredible group of Thought Leaders! We were fortunate to have Michelle Sorro, a former on-air host at HSN, Inc., as one of them.

Michelle is a familiar face to millions of people who welcomed her into their homes as a host on HSN, America’s premier multimedia retailer. With over 3,000 hours of live TV shopping, she has driven sales up to $1 million per hour, and developed exceptional rapport with viewers as well as celebrity guests, industry experts, and fashion icons. Specializing in beauty, she regularly worked with high profile international brands such as Lancôme, Shiseido, Benefit, Trish McEvoy, Lorac, Too Faced, Sally Hershberger and many more.

Michelle founded MMS Consultancy to provide unprecedented multimedia consulting services to an exclusive network of prestige beauty brands. With Michelle’s niche expertise in the television retail industry and her passion for beauty, she has incomparable insight as to what propels dollars per minute sales in front of the camera, and behind the scenes. Utilizing her customized three-phase strategic approach, this holistic formula has increased sales by up to 80% for some of the world’s top prestige brands. Michelle’s proprietary technique is wildly effective and will enhance any beauty brands’ multimedia success.

We sat down with Michelle to get her thoughts on her background and on the beauty industry.

1. Please share 3 key points from your Roundtable presentation/discussion.

• We discussed the translation of the traditional retail module to multimedia sales success.
• We also covered content strategy, production flow and vital keys to the sales presentation that includes how to identify the emotional core benefit of each product to close the deal.
• Attendees walked away with a general blueprint for television shopping and multimedia sales success

2. Please tell us about your career path/progression. The road to… where you are now? How did you get started?

 After a decade of selling luxury real estate in Los Angeles, I decided to create a new chapter and moved to Florida to be a host on HSN. With over 3,000 hours of live television sales, specializing in prestige beauty, I gained incomparable insight as to what propels dollars per minute sales. My niche expertise, passion for beauty and desire for helping others achieve their dreams compelled me to start my own company. I founded MMS Consultancy to provide unprecedented multimedia consulting services to an exclusive network of prestige beauty brands. Utilizing my customized three-phase strategic approach, this wholistic formula has increased sales by up to 80% for some of the world’s top prestige brands. My proprietary technique is wildly effective and will enhance any beauty brands’ multimedia success.

3.  Who is today’s beauty consumer? How are they changing?

She’s digitally savvy: approximately 90% of e-commerce customers use online customer reviews before she buys.

 4.  What do beauty professionals need to do to continue to connect/attract with today’s beauty consumer?

Get online with engaging, valuable and emotional inducing content. Many beauty brands have tried to avoid e-commerce but the stakes are high for those that miss the opportunity.

 5. What attributes make a great leader? Tell me about your leadership style.

A visionary leader is effective in manifesting his or her vision because s/he creates specific, achievable goals, initiates action and enlists the participation of others. Inspiring leaders lead with transparency, intelligence, compassion, decisiveness, assertiveness and passion. Leaders of strength and grace admit when they are wrong, can change their mind as they learn and share a vision of the future that is so clear and inviting that others are eager to follow. These traits are what I aspire to be and essential in live television shopping as it’s an organic always-changing-never-the same product, quota or client.

6. Any other advice/words of wisdom?

Hire an expert coach or consultant in e-commerce sales for video content or live television shopping. Words, descriptions and demos are critical currency. Spend wisely and monitor their input. Content strategy, production flow and knowing how to identify the emotional core benefit are key assets to success!

Sinead Norenius (Founder of Beautisol and iFabbo with Michelle Sorro during BBR10

BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Jan Lombardo, President of GO SMiLE, Inc.

BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Don Frey, Frey Consulting

BBR10 Thought Leader Q&A: Charlie Perer, Partner at Intermix Capital Partners

BBR10 Event Photos

About the Beauty Biz Roundtable Series

Hosted by Mazur Group, the Beauty Biz Roundtable (BBR) series brings together 100 Mid to Senior Level Beauty Executives in a roundtable format that fosters networking and idea sharing. This is not a lecture or panel discussion. Attendees are given the opportunity to sit down in small group settings with industry peers. Past BBR attendees and Thought Leaders have come from every major beauty company here in the West including Stila, Dermalogica, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Neutrogena, Murad, Urban Decay, CND,  P&G, Josie Maran, Intelligent Beauty, Sexy Hair Concepts, boscia, MOR Cosmetics, OPI, Smashbox, Sexy Hair Concepts, Orly International, beautylish.com, and more. To see exclusive coverage of BBR events, visit Mazur Group’s YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/mazurgroupla