"I don't have a consultant."

When I first decided to start my MK biz back up, I (of course) told my friends and family about it. Most of the responses I got were like this:

• "Really? That's great! I am out of (fill in name of product here) and I don't have a consultant anymore!"
• "Wonderful! My consultant moved and I really want to try the new things MK has."
• "I am so glad to hear that! I moved and lost touch with my consultant."

This got me thinking: why is there a "lack" of MK consultants? I have heard a lot about how the market is "saturated" - so how can this be that so many of my friends and family (and 2 strangers) like the products but "cannot" find a consultant? (Until now, of course! LOL)

[What follows is purely anecdotal (from an informal survey of those I have spoken to), but I would love to hear other stories from other consultants.]

First, let's look at the common reasons why someone no longer has a consultant:

• The customer moves and loses touch with the consultant.
• The consultant moves and loses touch with the customer.
• The consultant quits.

People move all the time. It is simply a fact of modern life. And it is true that a consultant may not be able to keep in touch with someone who moves (although having an email address may help in this regard - unless they change email addresses, too, of course).

Consultants sometimes move far enough away that they would prefer a local consultant. (Maybe they want to have a SCC and earn some hostess credit.)

And consultants quit. Life happens. The consultant that I was going to originally sign under quit because she and her hubby were transferred overseas and she felt it was best to leave MK until she came back to the States (in 3 years). Some consultants simply don't want to stay in MK. It happens. MK is not for everyone.

But with all of the talk about market saturation (from the anti-MK sites), one would think that finding a new consultant would be a piece of cake. Not so. Many in MK are personal use. From my own circle of people I know, 3 out of 5 are personal use.

Of the ones that are not self-labeled "personal use," they do not market their businesses like someone who is looking to make a full-time income at this business. Not even a sticker on their car. No pin. Nothing. So how do they expect to get new customers?

I have gotten 2 enthusiastic customers (not friends and family - these are people I did not know) simply from carrying my On-the-go Tote. (These are people who approached ME.) And I have only been using it since last Friday. (4 days). These are people who love Mary Kay but don't have a consultant. (Of the 2, one moved and the other had a consultant quit.)

Don't let the term "saturated" scare you. The market is NOT saturated. If a brand-new consultant can have 2 new customers in 4 days just by carrying a tote with a Look Book in it, then anyone can find new customers.