Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Most Recent Poll

This poll was brought to you by somewhat regular commentator "deleted" (and the letter 'z').

Deleted wants to know whether my wife and I will be attending seminar this year. I asked all of you if you were going and it seems that 25% of the readers on this site will be at seminar this year!

While you are there, feel free to mention this site as a positive alternative to Pink Truth!!



Now I want to know from all of you...

Do you think that I should answer Deleted's inquiry?

Why are you attending seminar this year - or why not?

For someone who has not been to seminar, do you recommend it?



12 comments:

  1. I just wanted to tell all of you thank you. I am just now finding this site and have really enjoyed reading everything that you all have to say. Thank you for your input.

    As for your question about seminar...I am still kinda new to MK. But I will be attending seminar. For several reasons.

    #1 is that it will not be a total loss even if I do not thoroughly enjoy myself. There will be at least one thing that I have never heard before that will help my business and the free product that they give back to us basically covers the cost of registration itself.

    #2 is that my director is in Dallas and I really enjoy being around her.

    #3 is that I think I should go at least once to form my own opinion of seminar. If I love it GREAT! If not then I don't ever have to go again.

    I think that if you want to answer the question that Deleted posed then by all means go ahead. As long as you can do it without bashing MK or putting it on such a high pedestal. I think that people need facts, Not emotions, on whether or not to attend seminar. They need to make the decision for themselves. Based on the pros and cons of the situation. Not a bad experience had by one or 2 individuals. Or on the suggestion from someone that absolutely loves the awards ceremonies.

    Thanks for hearing me out.

    ~Viv

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will not be attending Seminar this year. I attended in 2004 and it wasn't really my thing. There were a number of factors that formed my decision. Mainly, I think if I were in a more advanced stage in my business, I would feel more comfortable there. My reasons for not enjoying it were personal and had nothing to do with Mary Kay, Inc. and the business.
    My favorite parts of Seminar were the banquets we had with our national area and our local units, but my director was unable to go that year. I think that may have been a factor, too. If she would have been there, I am quite sure I would have enjoyed it more. She had a family obligation and had to go to a different Seminar.

    I would never tell anyone not to go to Seminar. Just because I didn't like it that much doesn't mean someone else won't love it.
    When I reach my goals, I will attend. I plan to attend in 2009, but I will plan my itinerary differently. Also, the next time I go, my director will also be attending and that will make it a lot better (and I'll be a director, too!).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Viv. I'm glad you made it over. Viv is my recruiter. I'm going for the same reason she is, to check it out and see if it's worth the hype. I'm also looking forward to seeing our director in her natural element.

    Wish us luck. We're driving 13 hours from our home in the southwest. Hopefully we'll make it without killing eachother, LOL. Too bad MK is NONDRINKING. We're going to need a straight wiskey shot after this drive!

    I'd love to hear everyone else's reasons for going or not. Is it too "rah, rah" for you? I'm an Eeyore, so I hope the RAH factor doesn't give me a huge headache.

    Kim (I still can't remember my freakin' password)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Are Blessed and deleted the same person?

    Dave, why does Blessed/Deleted want to know this answer so badly? I asked him that and received no response. What is his point? That would determine whether or not I would answer the question.

    Welcome Viv.

    Shades, I do think that your director not attending Seminar could have affected your feelings about your trip. I really work hard to make sure that my gals get the most from the experience, that they know where to go and when, and show them what is good/important and what is not. I feel like their travel guide for the trip and feel that it is my responsibility to help them get the most from it. Without your director to give you guidance, and background info. on who people are, etc. I think that somethings would be lost.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, STRT. I think my director's absence created a lack of unity of the members of our unit that were there. Her senior was there and stepped in when she could, but she is a Cadillac director so for the luncheons and such, we were on our own. I was kind of a loner because everyone else was there with their husbands. I was single at the time.

    My recruiter kind of ignored me and that was what really angered me. So, it had nothing to do with MKC, but the way some people were behaving. Had my director been there, it wouldn't have been quite so lonely. She keeps us together at events. I did meet some nice ladies at the luncheons.

    As far as Seminar itself, some of the recognition parts felt really long. The training sessions seemed too brief. I did see Phyllis Sammons speak (she was a brand new NSD then) and I really enjoyed her. What a great sense of humor she has!

    Overall, I felt a little overwhelmed. I had joined in July of 2003 and this was in July 2004. So, I was just at the end of my first year. I felt like I would appreciate and enjoy it more if I were higher up the ladder and doing more sales. I was really at hobby level and viewed Seminar more like a vacation than a business trip.

    When I'm a director I'll go. It's part of the job and I'd want to be there for my unit members. I'd also want to be there for my personal team members who might go. And I would never ignore anyone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I went to Seminar last year. I don't know if I am going to make it this year. I own a hair salon and haven't decided if I want to close it and go or what just yet. I have time to figure it out I guess. We will see. I liked it I will tell who ever is going wear comfotable shoes. There is a lot of walking. I hope that all of you that go have a wonderful time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Why not answer Deleted's question? Be yourself, be authentic and tell him what your plans are. He will probably pick either answer (Yes or No) apart to the nth degree regardless of what it is anyway leading to countless posts on dissecting why you are going or why you are not. On second thought, don't answer him...I'm not sure if I can process all of the drivel that will follow. Hey, you guys can start doing Executive Summaries of your posts so when I don't have time to read it all, I can just take in the high points! Yeah!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Actually, since Dave isn't a consultant whether he decides to go or not is really a non-issue to me. I don't tag along on my husbands business trips. I guess I could but even he thinks they are boring and I really don't have the time to sit thru training that has no purpose in my daily life - actually I am sure the Federal Goverment (Post office) wouldn't allow me to sit in. If he asked me to go, maybe if the hotel had a gym and an indoor pool, but why would I otherwise.... yes, Seminar has some fun, but frankly, I don't even think my husband would enjoy it. He has been to Career Conference and he thinks that is just about enough estorgen... I think Seminar would be overload from him, it is training for me not necessarily him. He listens to me when I talk about my business and he know quite abit about it so why would he need to go to Seminar?

    So whether Dave goes or not.. who cares except Dave and his wife..

    ps Seminar tip... I always bring comfy walking shoes and then change into my heels at the Convention Center, saves the tootsies.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dang mk4me, you say it before I can even type it!

    I bring "HOT" shoes for stage appearances, etc. and then bring something to hustle to the buses in, sometimes slippers! I encourage my unit to do the same, as well as giving them a list of packing suggestions, what to to bring and what not, our schedule for the trip, what to wear for each time segment, when extra cash is needed, etc.

    My hubby does not attend Seminar, he has been to Dallas many times for his own career, and until I achieve the next level, I figure he should stay at home. However, he has attended Leadership twice and had a great time. I feel that I am working at Seminar, and at Leadership I can give him more attention, plus it is not as fast paced and moves around to different cities.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Idea for a new post.
    "How are you spending the last 10 days of June?"

    Since we are all accused of spending June maxing out everyone's credit card and signing up non-existing recruits, I thought it might be nice to share what we are really doing the last few days of this Seminar year.

    I'll go first. I am just working on a good month as I always do. Holding personal appointments to show the new products, and having good sales from those appts. by the way! I completed the National Queen's Court of Sales last month, but still finished off Pearl Star this month. I also have a consultant who is finished. We've already completed our unit club goal too.

    So, I am basically getting ready for the celebration at Seminar. Getting together prizes for my winners and gifts for my offspring and Sr., and beginning to plan to make next Seminar year even better.

    That's right. No big hustle. No big promotions. No begging for orders. No recruiting contests. Just working as usual!

    ReplyDelete
  11. hey strt!! Congratulations on finishing Court of Sales, I, too, have already completed it (also by selling the product).

    I would like to point out, that I use this the Court of Sales amount as a level that I should maintain, not one I try to buy for recognition. If one takes this business seriously and wants to earn good money selling - less than this amount doesn't bring in the type of income most of us are looking for. It is a way of measuring how much you are doing and then I get rewarded for doing what I should be doing anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I don't see why Dave WOULDN'T answer. Why not answer?

    I think it says alot that only 25% percent of posters are going, since it appears that the majority are pro MK.

    I am not going. Went once. Was not worth the time away from kids and hubby, the expense was ridiculous, and the training was nonexistant. Too much rah rah for ordering product. The I stories were over the top, I had never heard such exaggerations. Too much inspiration, not enough real ideas. It takes more than just believing in yourself.

    I still sell. Never recruit. Love the product. The majority of directors I have met have been master manipulators. I am not saying all of directors are this way. But the majority that I have met.

    So, Dave, what's it gonna be? Why not answer your own question?

    ReplyDelete

For Further Reading...

This Week On Pink Truth - Click Here
Pros and Cons of Mary Kay - Read or Contribute or Both!
First Post - Why I Started This Blog
The Article I Wrote For ScamTypes.com (here) (there)
If this is your first visit please leave a comment here. I would love to hear from you!
If you want to email me: balancedmarykay@gmail.com
But you are probably better emailing mk4me: mk4me2@gmail.com