A Large Account Without an Operating Model
L'Oreal was a top-tier vendor at Amazon with a $400M book spanning 7 brands across beauty and personal care. The relationship was commercially significant but operationally fragmented. No unified operating model between Amazon and vendor teams. Disconnected ownership across retail, supply chain, and advertising. Manual reporting across multiple systems. Connection scores at the start of 2021 were 2.7 with 67% of the team rating their work below 3.
The opportunity was to design a service operating model that treated the Amazon account team as a genuine extension of L'Oreal's own organization. Infrastructure, cadence, and accountability that implied. As the first Brand Concierge team for a Consumables vendor, there was no playbook to inherit. The playbook had to be authored.
What a 99% Fill Rate Actually Requires
Getting a $400M book to 99% fill rate is not a talent problem. It is an architecture problem. Three structural gaps were driving the inconsistency:
No shared operating cadence
L'Oreal's planning cycles and Amazon's execution cycles were not synchronized. Quarterly business reviews surfaced issues weeks after they could have been caught. A weekly executive cadence needed to replace the QBR rhythm.
Data quality without ownership
IDQ issues were being discovered late after campaigns had launched or inventory had been committed. Manufacturer codes shared across L'Oreal brands prevented clean reporting segmentation. The fix was process redesign and a manufacturer-code-based brand classification system.
Reactive account management
The account team was skilled but operating reactively. Connection scores reflected the strain. The team needed a structural reset, not just a morale fix. AM/VM ownership boundaries had to be codified, AM career architecture had to be designed, and the path from sub-3 ratings to engagement had to become a named workstream.
The Brand Concierge Model. Four Layers
The Brand Concierge operating model was designed around a single principle. The Amazon account team should be able to operate as if they were inside L'Oreal's organization, with the same context, the same priorities, and the same accountability for outcomes. That required four structural layers.
Team Structure. L6 MAM with 4 Direct Reports
People manager role. 4 direct reports across 7 L'Oréal CPD brands. Authored team-level talent architecture and ran weekly 1x1 PD cadence.
| Team Member | Level | Brand Coverage | Function Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Moore | L6 MAM | Cross-team strategic | Holistic L'Oréal strategy. Escalations. R&R rollout. MSPP enrollment. SPX SMEships. BC Prime Day captain. |
| Adam S | L6 Sr. AM | All-brand strategic | WBR/MBR ownership. Business Plan management. Customized vendor reporting. AM Decision Rights. Retail POC. |
| Justin S | L4 AM | Maybelline, Garnier | Catalog management, selection, Onboarding Buddy, Brand Shopping Pages, Brand Skins. |
| Robbie A | L4 AM | L'Oréal Paris, Essie | Supply chain, hazmat, OIH reporting, Vendor Flex, Priority Catalog, Pallet Ordering pilot. |
| Jillian C | L4 AM | NYX, Carol's Daughter, SoftSheen Carson | Marketing calendar, NIS reporting, opportunity sourcing. |
BC Time Study. AM Workload Distribution
Ran a workload analysis on the team to inform headcount planning and process automation requests. Vendor issue deep dive and catalog updates consumed 61% of AM capacity.
Four-Layer Operating Model
Each layer addressed a specific gap. Together they delivered 110% YoY portfolio growth and became the org-wide standard for enterprise vendor partnerships.
AM/VM Responsibility Matrix v4. 8 Activity Areas
The boundary document that resolved cross-functional conflict. Authored as part of the Brand Concierge program and adopted as reference by partner teams.
| Activity Area | AM Owns | VM Owns |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog Management | Catalog updates, BAIGA audits, IDQ scores, A+ Content | P&L cost changes, IPC exclusions |
| Selection | Buyability fixes, B2C selection, merchandising | Vendor selection negotiations |
| Marketing & Promotions | Non-peak holiday execution, deal sourcing | Peak event strategy (Prime Day, T5), funding negotiations |
| Profitability | Performance reporting, blocked selection ID | Cost increases, dispute repayment decisions |
| Inventory Operations | Order issue investigation, deal forecasting submission | Bulk buy negotiation, OIH audits, manual buys |
| Contra-COGS | Single-vendor promo contracts (Straight Pay, Promo Flex) | AVN setup, accrual negotiations |
| Business Planning | Reporting, deep dive, vendor presentation | Joint Business Plan strategy, target tracking |
| Vendor Communication | Primary external POC, weekly/monthly reviews | Category P&L decisions, T2T meetings, QBR |
Weekly Executive Cadence (replaced QBR)
Issue resolution accelerated 4x. Strategic alignment moved from quarterly to weekly without overwhelming the team.
5-KPI Dashboard. The portfolio at a glance
Front-loaded quality architecture moved IDQ checks earlier in the workflow. 100% IDQ was the result of process redesign, not headcount.
BC L'Oréal Leveling Guidelines. L5 AM II vs L6 AM III
Career architecture I authored for my team as part of the Connection Score reset workstream. Distinguishes L5 AM II and L6 AM III expectations across 6 capability dimensions. Applied to my Brand AMs and Strategic AM.
| Dimension | L5 AM II / Brand AM Track | L6 AM III / Strategic AM Track |
|---|---|---|
| Ambiguity | Designs short-term solutions, writes SOPs | Defines long-term account strategy, scales across Tier 1 vendors |
| Scope and Influence | Influences account decisions, contributes to optimization | Drives org priorities, aligns multiple teams toward coherent strategy |
| Execution | Tactical and strategic balance, escalates appropriately | Strategic with tactical responsibility, force multiplier |
| Communication | Leads meetings, drives detailed alignment, trusted with leaders | Drives high-level alignment, presents to leaders 3 levels above |
| Impact | May impact multiple team goals, beginning ADMX/CX impact | Impacts senior leader decision-making across Tier 1 vendors |
| Process Improvement | Identifies and develops scalable team processes | Designs root-cause solutions, accelerates org mechanisms |
Connection Score Reset Workstream
End of 2020, BCL Connection scores averaged 2.7 with 67% of ratings below 3. Mike named owner of the workstream to reduce sub-3 ratings from 67% to 30% (3700 bps reduction) by EoY 2021. Approach: defined individual roles and responsibilities, created AM/VM engagement model, structured team and stakeholder engagement (group chats, weekly State of Business presentations, quarterly think-tank sessions), and aligned professional development with role activities. People leadership signal that goes well beyond commercial outcomes.
7 Guiding Principles with L'Oreal
Cultural framing established as part of the Layer 2 governance work. Created shared vocabulary for how the partnership operated.
What the Model Produced
$400M annual sales across 7 brand portfolio. Commercial growth enabled by operational credibility.
Operating model codified as the governance playbook for enterprise vendor partnerships.
Weekly executive cadence in place of QBRs. Issues caught and resolved before compounding.
Boundary document referenced by partner teams. Cross-functional friction reduced by codified ownership.
The Pattern Behind the Result
The 110% growth, 99% fill rate, and 100% IDQ are commercial and operational outcomes. The more durable signal is what produced them. Treating an account relationship as an operating system problem rather than a talent or effort problem. Authoring the boundary documents (AM/VM Matrix v4), the talent architecture (AM Core Competencies framework), and the cadence (weekly executive review) that became the org-wide standard for enterprise vendor partnerships.
This is the same principle that produced the results in every other engagement. The context changes. The approach does not. Fragmentation to structure to visibility to governance to scale.