Ask most lay people what 44 year-old cosmetics company employs over 300,000 people in more than 20 countries and you'd likely get responses like Revlon, Chanel, Maybeline, or other well-known brand names.

And even if you qualified that question by saying that the company in question was a direct sales corporation, perhaps you'd get suggestions like Mary Kaye or Avon.

The correct response however--one well-known to those in the industry--is Jafra Cosmetics International, a direct marketer of skincare and body products whose 1999 growth rate of 17% was tops amongst direct sales companies.

"We are a company for women," explained Eugenio Lopez-Barrios, sales manager for the Florida region, "and we offer them the opportunity to be financially independent, to be their own boss. The flexibility of the company allows them to work from their homes, part-time, and to make good money doing so."

Like most direct sales companies, Jafra requires that its representatives buy the products that they sell from the company, in this case at a 50% discount, and then they get to keep most of the profit they make.

Lopez-Barrios said that there was one additional benefit to joining their sales team--Jafra pays additional stipends through a multi-level format--and you are rewarded financially for any new consultants that you bring in.

He explained new employees need to be hired by an existing consultant, and that any consultant that brings in a new employee gets a percentage of not only what that new employee pays for products, but also a portion what the subsequent employees hired by the new employee receive.

However, despite these inducements, common-sense dictates that if their products didn't sell the things that make Jafra an attractive place to work would be moot--indeed, it is the diversity and quality of Jafra's merchandise that is the real impetus behind the company's success.

"Because we don't sell retail," Lopez-Barrios said, "we can sell top-quality products with essentially the same composition of some of the best-known name brands, but prices are much lower because our costs are much lower."

A great example of this is Jafra's skin care line--one which features a cream that increases skin elasticity by 30% and has broken skin care into 108 different combinations.

Lopez-Barrios then explained that Jafra is particularly recognizable in Hispanic communities and cited that fact as one of the major motivations for Jafra's recent decision to open it's Florida regional office in Doral at 2520 NW 97 Avenue.

"There are a lot of people here from different nations, particularly Latin American," he said. "And the exploding population and economy here made it even more attractive for the company."

One of the major reasons you've likely not heard much about Jafra is that the company tries to keep its overhead as low as possible, declining to advertise and refraining from spending a lot of money on expensive offices or superfluous personnel.

The Miami office, consequently, is not an administrative facility--it is more of a training center where Jafra can bring in new consultants to explain the process.

"In the Miami area alone we have about 1,000 independent consultants," he explained, "and about 4,000 in Florida. This office allows them to receive good training to become a personal beauty consultant."

Another reason for moving to Doral, the one that attracts so many growing international businesses to Doral, is the ease with which it can be reached both in terms of its proximity to the airport and major expressways like the 826, 836, and the Turnpike.

"From the investigations we made," Lopez-Barrios said, "it was clear that Doral will become more and more of a business center. Coming here, besides being convenient was also prestigious--we wanted our employees to know that we are an image-conscious company--we are in the best part of the county. We wanted to be in the best area for image and accessibility."

To find out more about Jafra or its products, you can call them at 305 629 9961 or toll free at 888 579 8980, or else check out their web site at www.jafra.com.

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