Tupperware

Paola Freinquel Schleifer is a seasoned professional in the guided selling industry with over 20 years of experience across national and multinational companies. Her expertise spans commercial, strategic, academic and cultural areas, with a proven track record in leadership and team development in various Latin American markets. Starting her journey at Tupperware in 2019, Paola quickly advanced from a commercial role in Argentina to overseeing commercial activities across the entire LATAM region, including strategic expansions into Brazil and Mexico. As Tupperware’s Regional Sales Director for Latin America, Paola champions profitable business growth and fosters a positive environment for the sales force and commercial network.

Through this article, Paola discusses how she navigated the complexities of modern commercial management at Tupperware, focusing on integrating holistic strategies and digital transformations to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations and foster inclusive leadership.

How do you think the evolving landscape of commercial management in HR will meet the challenges of fulfilling your business needs?

The future of commercial management in HR necessitates increasingly holistic and proficient professionals capable of embracing multichannel strategies. This evolution demands leadership that excels in assembling diverse teams, endowed with both a broad vision and a detailed operational focus, integrating hard and soft skills seamlessly. Crucially, the ability to combine creative strategic planning with impeccable execution stands as a pivotal requirement. This approach is essential for achieving impactful business outcomes and sustaining growth, exemplified by our strategies at Tupperware.

In adapting to the digital shift, we recognize the importance of not overlooking any customer type, from the most traditional to the fully digital, especially in LATAM, where both coexist significantly. This evolution underscores the need for refined strategies that embrace all customer segments, moving beyond traditional demographic segmentation like age or location. Instead, our focus at Tupperware has shifted toward understanding individual behaviors, preferences and challenges. This nuanced approach, leveraging advanced segmentation tools and technologies, enables us to communicate more effectively with each customer in their unique context. Balancing a forward-thinking vision with deep consumer insights and maintaining a human touch in our interactions, especially in guided selling, presents both a challenge and an opportunity to achieve our commercial goals in a competitive, globalized and digitalized marketplace.

Deep customer segmentation has emerged as a critical strategy for fostering growth and enhancing customer engagement at Tupperware.

Deep customer segmentation has emerged as a critical strategy for fostering growth and enhancing customer engagement at Tupperware. A notable example of this approach in action was our transformative onboarding program for new resellers introduced during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This initiative garnered widespread recognition and was designed to welcome over 80,000 new resellers in Argentina alone, incorporating advanced systems for communication, incentives, training and reporting. The goal was to improve retention and productivity by closely monitoring and supporting each reseller's journey. Through personalized weekly contacts, tailored training materials and social media guidance, we aimed to cater to individual needs and preferences. This comprehensive onboarding process significantly increased retention rates from 8 to 35 percent within a year and boosted reseller productivity. This success story underlines the importance of nuanced segmentation and personalized engagement in driving loyalty and performance among independent entrepreneurs in our sales network.

What are some obstacles in your business for which existing services fail to offer an optimal resolution? How do you overcome these challenges?

Tupperware faces significant challenges that necessitate strategic adjustments, particularly in our order entry system and recruitment processes for new resellers. The current order submission method is fragmented across different countries, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, each using distinct systems. This inconsistency hinders efficiency and scalability across the Latin American region. Consequently, we are focused on overhauling our order entry approach to achieve a unified, LATAM-wide system that enhances the overall process, both for new and established resellers. Similarly, our recruitment process requires optimization to streamline the integration of new resellers into our network. By addressing these challenges with a fully integrated system and aligned data practices, we aim to improve the reseller experience in the field and simplify internal operations, thereby facilitating smoother, more efficient processes company-wide.

A critical aspect of Tupperware's strategic evolution is enhancing our recruitment program, driven by the need to modernize and streamline integrating new resellers. Given the high turnover of recruits in direct sales, with new intakes every 15 to 20 days in Argentina and every four weeks across Latin America, transitioning to a fully digital, app-based system is imperative. This digital transformation aims to eliminate manual procedures, not only in internal operations but also in engaging and onboarding new resellers. By leveraging a digital tool, we intend to proactively attract diverse reseller profiles and ensure a seamless, efficient integration process. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to embracing digital business practices while ensuring inclusivity for all potential resellers, regardless of their digital proficiency, representing a significant challenge in our ongoing growth and adaptation strategy.

Addressing the critical need for transformative leadership in response to a leadership crisis discussed over the years, the emphasis shifts toward a more holistic approach to talent management and leadership development within organizations. This approach necessitates that human resources (HR) play a pivotal role with top management in seeking candidates with traditional qualifications, such as MBAs and balanced skill sets, and prioritize identifying role models with visionary perspectives and impactful actions. In today’s context, it is imperative to embrace inclusivity, acknowledging the importance of integrating new generations, addressing social and environmental concerns, and advancing gender equality and diversity in leadership.

As we navigate through 2024, the call for real change in leadership paradigms is louder than ever, requiring HR to lead this transformation by adopting innovative analytical and evaluation tools. These tools should assess candidates beyond conventional competencies, focusing on comprehensive profiles that align with the company’s values and the broader societal impact.

Could you offer any advice to your peers on how to navigate through the evolving business landscape?

Embrace change by diversifying talent within your organization, as we have successfully done at Tupperware Argentina over the last two years, increasing our headcount by 50 percent with individuals possessing varied skills both in our offices and the field. This deliberate strategy necessitated close collaboration with HR and resulted in a significant workforce transformation; 70 percent of our zonal and regional managers are new to their roles compared to five years ago. For example, transitioning a team member from marketing to sales has introduced fresh perspectives that enrich our operations. The key is not just to develop talent but to actively design and integrate it into your daily operations, a challenging but rewarding endeavor that can fundamentally alter your company's culture and trajectory.