Here’s a great example of how Open Innovation partnerships deliver new opportunities for success. Avon Products, Inc. has teamed up with award-winning television host and best-selling author with Suze Orman. The renowned personal finance expert will serve as a Special Personal Finance Advisor to the company’s sales reps, offering them money management advice and strategies for success.

What a creative way to stimulate Avon’s corporate culture!

As part of the partnership, the company has created an “Ask Suze” mailbox feature on its intranet site so Avon reps and employees can submit personal questions to Orman for individualized advice and guidance. Critical financial management tools will also be provided to determine FICO scores, create a will and trust, evaluate insurance and guard against identity theft.

Orman will also be featured at key events, webinars and taped webcasts, which speaks to the needs of today’s tech-savvy “Alpha Mom.” (If you haven’t read any of my previous posts on this subject, click here and here to read up on who Alpha Mom is and how advertising gurus are cashing in on this key marketing segment.)

The partnership is the first of its kind in the direct selling industry, and was formed to advance Orman’s and Avon’s shared missions to provide financial empowerment to women–in this case, 500,000 Avon representatives in the U.S., and eventually to representatives around the world.

Avon had conducted a worldwide opinion poll of women in 16 countries in early 2007, and the findings overwhelmingly showed that worries about money were at the top of the list of women’s concerns. “Having enough money to live right and pay the bills” was cited by women as the number-one factor that would change their lives for the better.