Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lies - a mini-series (Part 5 of 7) All Statistics are Lies

This is part 5 of a 7 part series. We are diving right into Pink Truth's "favorite" Mary Kay lies and making some interesting discoveries along the way.

Today's "lie" has a very distinct irony to it.

Any statistic about success in Mary Kay (more women making six figures, more women millionaires, etc.)

"Recruiters use these made up statistics to entice women into Mary Kay. None of them are true. Mary Kay is not the “best selling brand.” But for a few select individuals, women in Mary Kay aren’t making anything close to an executive income. Women aren’t “promoting themselves” when they’re ready… they’re just trying to tread water and hope they don’t lose their teams and units. Did you ever wonder why no one presents any proof for these statistics or claims? It’s because the proof doesn’t exist and these claims are completely fabricated, but repeated with vigor by those attempting to recruit you."

I will let you guys pick apart the specific "statistics" listed here and discuss in what context they are true and in which they are lies. For example, that Mary Kay is the "best selling brand", is obviously not true. But, stated in the correct context, with the proper disclaimers, it is certainly a very strong and accurate selling point for the company. (And yes, all you contrary disparagers, they use sales to consultants to determines sales volume, and yes, that is the standard they use to compare to other companies, and no, that does not make the claim any less true or significant.)

What I find interesting here, is the self-righteous, holier-than-thou way in which Pink Truth scoffs at misusing statistics in the very same post that they misuse (and I use that term very casually) their own favorite statistic. "99% of women in Mary Kay lose money." Not only is the statistic applied very loosely to Mary Kay (in the original publication they take it from), it is also completely taken out of context. Remember I mentioned irony? Check it out, here is what Tracy (or at least I am still under the assumption this was written by Tracy) said about Mary Kay consultant's misuse of statistics... consider how relevant it is (and much more passionate than I could ever be) when redirected at HER misuse of HER personal favorite stat-*cough*lie*cough*-istic:

"Did you ever wonder why no one presents any proof for these statistics or claims? It’s because the proof doesn’t exist and these claims are completely fabricated, but repeated with vigor by those attempting to recruit you."

Ironic, no? (I though it was)

Also, there's this:

"None of them are true."

*ahem* Tracy... wanna help me out again? What was that thing you said?

"Did you ever wonder why no one presents any proof for these statistics or claims? It’s because the proof doesn’t exist and these claims are completely fabricated, but repeated with vigor by those attempting to recruit you."

Right... that's what I was thinking too.... it was, all, on the tip of my tongue, ya know? Couldn't have said it better myself... thanks.

((sigh))

Right, so, what do all of you think?

Do recruiters misuse statistics? (HA! Is the Pope Catholic!?)
Which ones are true? How do you know they are true? Do you ever ask the person telling you the statistic, "What is that based on?" or "Where can I see it in writing?" OR, do you simply parrot the information to the next person you are talking to and hope they don't ask you how YOU know it is true!?

Has anyone on Pink Truth asked Tracy how she KNOWS that 99% or people in Mary Kay lose money? Have any of YOU read the PSA article for yourself? Did you understand it? Or are you just mindlessly passing around the same misused statistics in much the same way you did when you were in Mary Kay? What will it take for you to use your own brain? Obviously Tracy is not going to help you with that!

Would this site be better if I misused statistics? Is that the secret to getting popular?

Women Inspiring Women (or Men...)

Regardless of party lines it is clear that the 2008 elections are challenging the traditional role of women in the world. From Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin America is being told that women are capable leaders. They don’t necessarily have to make it into the White House to shake up the traditional image of women. There have been many other women throughout history who have re-shaped the world’s view of women in various ways.

I challenge you to share the story of a woman in history who you feel is particularly inspiring or who has shaped history. For variety’s sake if you are going to pick Mary Kay then add a second woman as well. Also, lets try to avoid any political mud slinging here. The two politicians were named as a reference to our point in history not as an endorsement of either party.

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lies - a mini-series (Part 4 of 7) Mary Kay Will Consume All of Your Time

This is part 4 of a 7 part series. As you will see, by this point, apparently even asking a question is a lie.

Do you have a few hours a week to devote to Mary Kay?

"This one is a simple con. Who doesn’t have two or three hours a week that they waste on nonsense and could devote to something productive? Probably all of us. The problem is that Mary Kay doesn’t just require a couple of hours a week. Especially not if you’re interested in making more than $25 a week. The truth is that developing a legitimate customer base takes many hours per week. You have to find prospects, talk them into hosting parties, preparing for the parties, holding the parties, wrapping up loose ends after the parties, and then do it all over again. Then there are all the meetings and “training” events that you’re coerced to attend. Quite simply, there is a lot of time involved in Mary Kay, and anyone who tells you that you can do it in a couple of hours a week is lying."

1. Is simply asking, "Do you have a few hours a week to devote to Mary Kay?" a lie? If they say, "yes, I do" and you say, "oh good, with just a few hours a week, you can make oodles of cash", then YES, you are lying. But just asking... I don't see it.

2. "The problem is that Mary Kay doesn’t just require a couple of hours a week."
(Really? What happens? You get in and they say, "ha ha, now we gotch... you have to work, like, totally, 4 hours a week...[maniacal laughter]...andyou can't quit...ever.WHat did I miss?)

3. "The truth is that developing a legitimate customer base takes many hours per week."
(Right, but don't worry if you want an illegitimate customer base. If you want one of those, this question is not a lie!)

4. "Then there are all the meetings and “training” events that you’re coerced to attend."
(Here's a radical idea. DON'T GO!)

5. "Quite simply, there is a lot of time involved in Mary Kay, and anyone who tells you that you can do it in a couple of hours a week is lying."
(The "truthfulness" of this point depends a great deal on what "IT" is. And, frankly, "...there is a lot of time involved in Mary Kay..." sounds like a bit of a *cough*lie*cough* misrepresentation *cough*lie*cough* to me.)

Ok, MK newbies, PU consultants, and "hobby level" types. Weigh in please! Is "it only takes a few hours a week" a possibility? Obviously, (or at least hopefully this is obvious) you are not gonna be rakin' in the big bucks this way, but can Mary Kay be "done" with just a few hours a week?

Anyone out there know someone that does Mary Kay part-part-time? Is it worth it to them?

Is it weird to anyone else that Pink Truth is calling a question a lie? (not that anything they do is 'weird' to me anymore)

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lies - a mini-series (Part 3 of 7) No One Really Likes Mary Kay, Really

This is part 3 of a 7 part series that, frankly, has lost hope of keeping a straight face while examining the erroneous accusations of Mary Kay's extensive foray of lies.

Mary Kay products sell themselves

"Anyone who has ever done Mary Kay knows what a total lie this is. Of course, there will occasionally be a customer who is hunting for a consultant. That’s rare. One in a while you’ll find an excited hostess who has a bunch of spendy friends at her party. That’s rare too. What we know is that the actual market for Mary Kay products is very small. There is a very tiny pool of women who are legitimate customers buying the products. There are certainly not enough of them to allow many women to turn a profit selling the products."

In keeping with the goal of allowing discussion to flow from the readers of this blog, I will try to keep my observations brief.

1. "...Anyone who has ever done Mary Kay knows what a total lie this is..."
(Anyone here care to disagree?)

2. "...Of course, there will occasionally be a customer who is hunting for a consultant. That’s rare."
(Anyone here care to disagree?)

3. "...One in a while you’ll find an excited hostess who has a bunch of spendy friends at her party. That’s rare too."
(Anyone here care to disagree? Also, isn't "spendy" an adjective for something that is expensive... like a purse? Did the hostess spend too much "buying" her friends affection?)

4. "What we know is that the actual market for Mary Kay products is very small."
(WE? KNOW? HOW?)

5. "There is a very tiny pool of women who are legitimate customers buying the products."
(Really? I would love to see the research that backs up this assertion!!)

6. "There are certainly not enough of them to allow many women to turn a profit selling the products."
(Really? I would love to see the research that backs up this assertion!!)

Sorry for the repetitiveness above, but the only consensus about the "truth" presented in this "no one likes Mary Kay" diatribe seems to be amongst people that did not do well selling Mary Kay. Hmmmm... the ones that could not find a market to sell Mary Kay to all agree that there is no market to sell Mary Kay to... whodathunkit?!?!!

Also, the "lie" they are supposed to be exposing is "Mary Kay products sell themselves". How does "there is no market for Mary Kay" whining prove that Mary Kay is not so good that it tends to save some saliva by "selling itself"? (oh... did they think their recruiter literally meant that the product was going to bust out of the box it came in, sneak out of the house when you are not looking, stroll down to the corner and 'make eyes' with passing consumers until someone picked it up, tracked you down so that they could pay you for this incredible product? I guess they have a point then. It does not "sell itself". My bad.)

What do you think? Does Mary Kay sell itself? Is this fair to say when talking to a prospective recruit? Is it possible to carve out a niche market in your area that is big enough to make decent money?

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lies - a mini-series (Part 2 of 7) The Vast Majority of Mary Kay Recruiters Tell Lies

This is Part 2 of a 7 part series that raises an eyebrow at Pink Truth's (eyebrow at the Truth part of that as well) assertions about the rampant lies in Mary Kay. Please note, it is perfectly acceptable, if you feel so inclined, to move from the "eyebrow raise" into the "wholehearted belly chuckle" as the nefarious irony builds up.

Just One Bad Apple In The Bunch

(Again, I believe this to be from Tracy, but could be corrected after she reads this):

"Sorry, but if you look at Mary Kay recruiters in general, the vast majority of them tell lies to recruit. Many of the lies are lies of omission… They don’t tell the potential recruit how low their sales really are, the true quotas that are required to move up, and the fact that an estimated 99% of women actually lose money with Mary Kay."

I'll be brief, and allow you, my readers, to fill in any blanks here.

Pink Truth Lies:

1. "...the vast majority of them tell lies to recruit"
(This is particularly funny to me because in the original article, she links to another page that uses more lies to back up this assertion. Note that most people see a link as a sort of "footnote-like" reference that makes a thing more true.
I honestly keep hoping that one of these days, I will see the evidence that they have of things like this, "...vast majority..." BS, but every time I follow a link, I just find more exaggerations and unfounded claims.)

2. "...Many of the lies are lies of omission… They don’t tell the potential recruit how low their sales really are, the true quotas that are required to move up..."
(Ok, "...vast majority..." crap aside, you either say your sales are higher than they are (a lie) or plainly lay out your average sales (not a lie). You either lay out the required sales and recruiting levels to reach certain titles (not a lie) or you spare the poor, already overwhelmed recruit all the gory details until she is ready to find out what it takes to reach this level (also not a lie). Telling her that she can reach high levels in the company without meeting quotas (a lie) is not a lie of omission... it is just a lie.)

3. "...and the fact that an estimated 99% of women actually lose money with Mary Kay."

(This has to be my favorite... because this "fact" IS A LIE. To be fair, it is a partial truth, stretched into an exaggeration, and then twisted into the lie you see here.)

What are your thoughts on the "one bad apple" line?

Do you think there are more bad than good? Or more good than bad?

Does anyone else think that it is ridiculously, absurdly hilarious that Tracy would like Mary Kay recruiters to LIE, spreading her "99%" deception, in order to avoid being accused of lying... get this... by her?

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lies - a mini-series (Part 1 of 7) Mary Kay Exploits Christianity for Monetary Gain

Pink Truth (the website that smears Mary Kay) has a very interesting, if liberal, definition of "truth". I doubt if anyone that has read here long has any doubt about the contempt I hold for the standards that website holds for conveying "truth".

So what happens when a weblog that plays loose with the truth starts slinging accusations about rampant lies? (sounds like the lead-in blurb about an upcoming TV sitcom) Intrigued? I hope so, because we are going to spend the next several days talking about the so called lies, manufactured or otherwise, that Pink Truth would like you to believe that Mary Kay tells.

Tonight, by way of introduction to this concept (and the ensuing conversation I hope it will spark) lets look at Pink Truth's explanation to us of just how credible it is to allege that lies are being told in Mary Kay.

Although Tracy has gotten better at giving credit to her guest posters, one can never be too sure whether or not she "forgot" to give credit... so, barring any later revelations, this is from Tracy:

"I thought it would be fun to tell you about some of my favorite lies told in Mary Kay. Lies? Lies, you say? But you thought Mary Kay was a “Christian” company!

Wrong! It’s a company that exploits Christianity for monetary gain. By spouting things about Christianity, they get women off their guard. Their defenses are lowered, and they’re more likely to believe the lies they’re told."

Now, I really want to hear your thoughts on this, but I would like to take a moment to make a few personal observations.

First of all, I strongly disagree with any assertion of "Christianity" being applied to inanimate objects.

A Christian company
A Christian song
A Christian band
etc.

A "Christian", by definition, is a person, no? Carried out further, a person that "follows Christ", right? So, do some people (in and out of Mary Kay) refer to Mary Kay as a "Christian" company? Of course. Does that make it a given? Does that mean that everyone in Mary Kay is a Christian? Of course not.

Was Mary Kay founded on Christian principles? Are some (or many) of Mary Kay's core values guided by Christian values? It sure seems that way.

My question is, "What does this have to do with a discussion about rampant deception in a company?"

Wouldn't lies be bad whether or not the company was "Christian"?
Isn't it possible that a company aiming to uphold Christian values be capable of lies?

Now this, in and of itself, is not really very shocking. (considering the source) It irritates me, yes, but, really, Pink Truth is hardly the first or only people to mock someone that tries to put Christian principles into practical application and they certainly won't be the last. However, what changes this from a minor irritation (like the rash you get as a result of chafing) to something worth committing an entire post to, is the second part of this "introduction".

For the sake of emphasis, I will quote it again:

"Wrong! It’s a company that exploits Christianity for monetary gain. By spouting things about Christianity, they get women off their guard. Their defenses are lowered, and they’re more likely to believe the lies they’re told."

Using the "It's a Christian company" line as a segue, they tell the most insidious lie in the Pink Truth handbook. "Mary Kay exploits Christianity for monetary gain."

This has been discussed in other places, and undoubtedly, there are people that fit this accusation. However, consider the person that holds their beliefs and values so highly that they make an effort to incorporate them in their business dealing. When they approach a potential recruit (for the sake of argument, let's assume that this potential recruit holds similar values in similarly high esteem... how else would they be "exploitable"?), they encourage them, as they would like to be encouraged... to pray about it, to ask God for guidance, and whether this would be a good direction for them to take. Pink Truth would have you believe that this person is exploiting Christianity for monetary gain. And not just this person. Mary Kay as a company is doing this. How, you may ask. "By spouting things about Christianity..."

Here's the problem with this "theory".

A God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian is not going to be taken in by someone "spouting things about Christianity".

Anyone that doesn't identify as "Christian" is even less likely to be taken in by "things-about-Christianity" spouting.

So, who exactly is Mary Kay using Christianity to exploit for monetary gain?

What are your thoughts? Does Mary Kay exploit Christianity for monetary gain? If so, how? Can anyone explain this to me?

Mary Kay Recruiters Consistently Lie About Everything. True or False?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I posted this question, "Is Mary Kay an illegal pyramid scheme? Will the results of the Y.T.B. lawsuit change things for Mary Kay?".

While there were many good responses, yesterday someone saw fit to go through all the trouble to create a blogger profile just so they could "flame" this site with Pink Truth propaganda.

It went something like this.

"Let me tell you in no uncertain terms that getting into Mary Kay Cosmetics is extremely dangerous! Recruiters consistently lie about everything, and the lies are perpetuated over and over:
"MK marketing plan taught at Harvard" NOT!!!!
"MK is a dual-marketing plan" NOT!!!
"Executive income on part-time hours" NOT!!!!
"You can write off your personal use of products as advertisement" NOT!!!!
Make no mistake that MKC is a devious, corrupt company whose catchy motto "Enriching Womens' Lives" is anything but! Thousands upon thousands of womens'lives have been destroyed by following the advice and business practices handed down from their uplines: divorce (their widely taught "husband unawareness program"), foreclosures (ordering incentives and "short-term loss for long-term gain"), and bankruptcy ("fake it till you make it").
Beware! Mary Kay Cosmetics preys on womens' natural trust.
If this lawsuit being discussed here rests upon the fact that their salesforce consistantly lie about the "flopportunity", then yes, MKC will be next. And for the sake of innocent women, I truly hope it will."

As I suspected, the cowardly deviant had no designs to stick around and explain his/her position, much less defend it.

However, and I am sure quite opposite the expectations of aforementioned deviant, I would like to discuss this further.

Since this seems to mirror somewhat accurately the complaints and missives of the Pink Truth crowd, this is a great opportunity for the "balanced" crowd to respond.

What say all of you? Are these rantings valid? Have you seen any of these things take place?

Debbie Meyer's Green Bags - Non MK -Just FYI

How about an off topic subject- just for fun?? (When I find a good thing, I like sharing it with others) Have any of you seen the commercials for the green bags that have been advertising on TV? They are supposed to extend the life and freshness of your produce. Well, I have, and because I have wondered if it was possible for them to work and have been tempted to buy them but just didn’t take the time to order them and because for me, if something looks to good to be true, I tend to be very cautious.

I love salads but hate taking the time to make them, so I love to buy the bags of premixed salads. My complaint with them is no matter what I do to store them, within 2 -3 days of purchase, I won’t eat it because it gets yucky. So since I only go grocery shopping once a week, I can eat salad at the beginning of the week but not the end of the week.

I was at Wal-Mart the other day and saw the bags at the checkout. It was $9.88 for 20 bags (10 large and 10 medium) so I bought them. I thought it was a little pricey for bags but hey I was being adventurous. I will tell you, it was well worth the $$. I finished off the salad on day 6 and it was still edible. Day 6 and my celery still snaps like day one. The fresh broccoli that I forgot about it still like the day I bought it. And I read the instructions (imagine that) to find out these bags are reusable.

So if you have been wondering if they work, I give them my thumbs up.

"I Will Match My Time With Your Effort

"I'll match my time with your effort"
We do hear this statement often in Mary Kay. What does it actually mean? In my humble opinion, one can put a realistic (or positive) spin on it or turn it into something negative. How do I view it?

Before I go further please understand that I see my time basically in fourths. I have family/faith time, I have business time, I have friend /errand(other) time, and I have sleep time. Like everyone else I have 24 hours in a day and it must be used wisely.

Will it surprise anyone that has followed my posts, that I see Mary Kay as a business? So if I were ever to say to my consultants, I will match my time with your efforts, it does not mean, I will not be there for them, it does not mean I will not train or help them. It is common sense that a consultant that is working her MK as a business is going to need more time and mentoring than a personal use consultant, yes?? (This theory seems pretty basic to me). Many have seen the 45/45/10 time split:

Spend 45% of time with New Consultants
Spend 45% of time with Key People
Spend 10% of time with the rest.

This is kind of generally accepted as how one's time should be spent as a director (this doesn't include her personal business).

Of course, some, once again will see this as negative, but let’s think about it, once a consultant is trained, does she really require a lot of time? If she is doing personal use or hobby level, probably not, and I think if I were to always be calling her and bugging her, she would find this very unpleasant because it is her business so if she is happy with the level she is doing, why can’t I be happy for her were she is?? I started my MK business for personal use, I attended new consultant training, learned about the products and that was it, after that the only thing I planned on doing was ordering when myself and a few friends need our products. – OK, how much help did I need to do that? I never felt like my director didn’t care about me. I also knew if I did have a question, I could pick up the phone and call my director and she was more than happy to help me. I can guarantee you that if she had always been calling me to encourage me and support me to do more and build my business, yada, yada, yada; I would have been long gone. When I wanted more, she was there, as she should have been. My phone works both ways; it is just as easy to place a call as it is to answer a call. Communication is what is most important and it takes two parties to communicate. None of us have a crystal ball to know what they other person wants or feels, most of us base what someone else feels by how we would feel in the same situation – and sometime this is can be really far off. For example, when I need to get something done in a little time or by a dealine, I want everyone to just leave me alone and let me do what I need to do. I do not want calls of encouragement, cheerleaders, everyone giving me suggestions and ideas on how to do it, I know what I need to do, now leave me alone and let me do it. I get overwhelmed any other way and begin to have a meltdown. Now I know for others this is the exact opposite of how they would like to handle the same situation. Each one of us is unique and special and that is what keeps life from being very boring. We must also be sensitvie to the individual.

The consultants that are trying to build their business are going to require more personal time to learn how to grow. Let’s face it, they do know how to do a class, but as they move up there are other areas to learn.
So the majority of my time SHOULD BE spent with the new consultants and the ones who require more assistance, but I still need to have time even for our personal use and hobby level people because after all, they, too, are a part of our unit and still important as an individual.
Now I must point out that this is the business part of my time. If I happen to have a friend that is a p.u. consultant in my unit, the additional time spent with her may be from the “friend” time and not the business time. Not because I am playing favorites, likewise if I have a hotshot, if she was my friend before MK (and she will be my friend after MK) I may spend more time with her but some of the time is coming out of the friend segment not the MK segment.

I have heard some consultants complain because their director calls them, that she doesn’t know when to leave them alone, if they have had a crisis in their lives, they don’t have time for MK and don’t need their director encouraging them to work. That is fair, however, how can they then turn around and complain that when they had a crisis in their life, they barely heard from their director. Could it be the director is trying to respect their space and doesn’t want to be a burden to that consultant? Honestly, at the risk of sounding cruel, how much time does a consultant that is not working need from me??? ***Now please note that if there is an illness or a death, etc… I will be the first one to bring over a meal, drive someone to the hospital, etc… but she doesn’t need her MK BUSINESS director in her face.
I love my unit, I have lots of great consultants, I respect them all and do enjoy them all, but some were friends before MK, some did become friends in Mk, others even though I like them are business associates. Should they quit Mk, they are not all of a sudden going to become my friend.
I also must chuckle at the complaint that, “once I quit and sent back product; she didn’t have time for me. Umm… if we weren’t friends before MK, and we were business associates in MK, and you quit MK, what is there if we didn’t become friends in MK?? - In Corporate when I had an employee quit, I honestly didn’t expect to continue contact, the only thing we had in common was employment. Remove the common thread, there is now nothing in common. This is not cruel, it is just life.

My time is valuable, I can not possible do a new consultant debut or skin care class for every unit member, especially since my unit, even my home based unit is spread over 2 – 3 hours, we are also in about 6 other states, some over 3,000 miles away. So how do we managed, I will have the “strong, confident” recruiters help with their team members debuts. I will do my personals and the team members of the consultants that are not comfortable doing them. It works because this also builds a strong bond amongst team members. None of the directors I work with (including myself) will only do a business debut if a consultant is a star, all of us feel, a strong start is important for any consultant, and perhaps even more so if the consultant doesn’t have the money to work with. Having the money and the product does make things easier. This is using my time wisely, a strong happy consultant will stay a consultant, I do not worry when my consultants do the debuts because they have been trained and our goal is to get the new consultant off to a strong start. Our focus is NOT recruiting at a debut. AND IT NEVER WILL BE. Our focus is getting the new consultant bookings and selling product. We build a strong foundation before we start building the structure.

So now that you have my take on that statement, let’s start some conversation, your thoughts?? Is the statement fair? Is it cruel? Is it just plain good business savy?
How else could a director provide what everyone needs without totally stressing herself and everyone else out? Your thoughts??

Lazy Losers and Jars of Brains!

I have been reading various anti and pro MK sites in the past few days in an attempt to investigate and observe the verbal attacks that happen or are claimed to have happened between the two groups. Now, I am not a very mathematical person so I’m not going to present calculations for you because, frankly, I barely pulled off a B in statistics. What I am going to share is just pure uncalculated observation.

My main two observations came from reading anti-MK sites. The first was the style of the hate mail. If you follow any anti-MK site it is quickly apparent that when you sign your agreement with MK there is a clause that requires you to hand over all grammatical parts of your brain so they can be stored in a jar until you quit and send back your product. What do you mean you didn’t know that? Of course it is true. I mean look at the mail PT gets from consultants. None of the consultants who send e-mail can write properly but all of the PT members who have returned product have reclaimed that part of their brain. Thus the brains in jars theory is the only logical explanation… or it could be that the mail is all a fraud. I like my version better.

Then there is the term “lazy loser.” I cringe when I see that term within a post. It is quite popular on all the anti-MK sites. The funny thing is that I have never actually seen it used by a consultant. The only time I ever see it used is by the members of the anti-MK sites who are claiming that they have been called lazy losers. Every story and every post uses that exact term, “lazy loser.” It seems most unlikely that every consultant who contacts them uses that exact term. It seems to have now become a legend, almost as though if a consultant so much as says “hello” on a anti site then they have already used the term lazy loser by default. I, myself, have been accused of calling someone a lazy loser and all I could do was chuckle because I hate that term and would never use it. I almost have to think that there isn’t a reason for anyone to call them anything because they are already calling themselves these names.

My reason for this post is simply to bring about discussion. Have you ever been accused of calling someone a “lazy loser”? Is it a term you would ever use? Does anyone know where the term originated?

Oh and does anyone know where that room full of brains are? It might be fun to switch a few jars around ;-)

Have a great day and smile!

Balanced Mary Kay: Weekend Report

Growing up on the East Coast (any other "right" coasters out there?) we had a saying:

"When it rains it pours".

We used that because, literally, we never got "showers" or "sprinkles" or "drizzles", we always got insane, buckets-of-water downpours. But it was always used to illustrate the fact that certain aspects of life (work, life changing events, etc) seemed to happen all at once, or not at all.

So it seems to be with this blog. Things slow down, get quiet and almost seems to simply grind to a halt (although the page views don't really drop off... so is everyone just waiting for someone else to say something??!?). But other times, like this weekend, "It pours".

In case you missed anything, here is a recap (with links of course)

Profile - Praying4Courage
(Introduced Praying4Courage)
Balanced Mary Kay Welcomes New Authors: Colleen and Praying4Courage
(Welcomed two new authors - Colleen and Praying4Courage - Colleen's profile coming soon)
What Really Matters
(Praying4Courage's first post)
My Most Embarrassing MK Moment
(Colleen's first post)
NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS
(Dealing with trolls... sorry for any inconvenience)
Pink Truth: Politics and Mary Kay don't mix - Lesson Learned!
(Poll results... and the regrets I had for bringing up that topic!)

So, hopefully, you are having a nice slow Monday and need some good reading material!

(It's not like your doing anything at work anyway!)

Pink Truth: Politics and Mary Kay don't mix - Lesson Learned!

All I can say is "wow". I seriously thought this week was never going to end! There were a lot of opinions about this poll and subject.

I think the obvious consensus here is "what, that's silly".

To any of you that were offended, I am sorry. I never meant any offense by it.

For those that requested a similar subject on the other candidates, if you would like, you can discuss it here on this post. If anyone thinks that Bush (2) McCain, Clinton (or anyone else) is the Antichrist, and would like to share their findings or suspicions they can do so here.

Otherwise, lets call this subject closed.

The next poll will be much 'tamer', I promise.

NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS

Unfortunately, due to abuses of the anonymous commenting previously allowed, Balanced Mary Kay no longer allows anonymous comments.

This also includes the option to type in a name. In order to comment here, you will need to sign up for either a blogger id or any of the "openid" options (wordpress is included).

Please check out Open ID to get signed up. You can read their privacy policies, but rest assured that I have no access to their databases.

If you are particularly paranoid, create a free hotmail, gmail, or yahoo email address, and use that to sign up for your open ID (or blogger - gmail works great for that) and use a fake name. If you are more paranoid than that, seek mental help (just kidding... kind of :)

Sorry for the inconvenience. Feel free to thank the anonymous trolls (once you get an ID that is!)

My Most Embarassing MK Moment

Ok Ladies and Gents. This is my first time as an author so bear with me until I come up with something thought provoking. Im sure in the lives of directors and consultants that there has come a time where we wanted to quit, we put the wrong color on a client, we didnt know the rules to move up, or we just plain out and out got the MK heckler from hell during a skin care class! Maybe a director forgot to play her music during a unit meeting or she was expecting her consultants to hand in their weekly sheets and nobody did so the prize is sitting on the table and there are a lot of guests and they are thinking if nobody is selling why should I join? Have any of these things ever happened to you or do you have an embarrassing MK moment you would like to share that happened to you (going through DIQ, as a director, or as a consultant) in the company? Go for it!

What Really Matters

From the first time our mother told us not to steal the other kid’s sandbox toy to the wedding vows before the preacher we spend our lives gathering values. Some we will live our lives by, some we will loosely hold, others will be forgotten, and still more will be purposely tossed aside.

Businesses often share their values through their mission statements or literature. Mary Kay Cosmetics talks about valuing God, Family, and Business in that order. There has been debate about that but lets leave that out of this post for now.
At turning points in my life I have written mission statements for myself. I reflect on where I have been and where I want to go and what values are important to me and then I write it all down.

My challenge in this post is for each of us to write a mission statement. Write a mission statement for your MK business if you have one or write a mission statement for your life. This isn’t a goal sheet. This isn’t about writing down what prizes you want or the status to attain. This is about reflection and finding what is really important to you and/or to your individual Mary Kay business (as opposed to the company as a whole).

This exercise may bring up words or feelings that you don’t want to share. That is okay. If you do want to share then that is encouraged. There is a lot to be learned about and from one another through an exercise like this. I personally look forward to sharing and reading whatever may come from this entry.

Balanced Mary Kay Welcomes New Authors: Colleen and Praying4Courage

As most of you are (hopefully) already aware, I am actively seeking new authors for this site. You should be. I talk about it enough!

Today I am pleased to announce that Colleen and Praying4Courage have both accepted the challenge to be authors for this site. I am excited because I believe that their perspective and thoughts regarding Mary Kay will greatly enhance the material this site has to offer!

You can read up on praying4courage here at her profile

If you want to create your own profile and let us all know a little more about you Click Here

*note - there may be a few of you that have posted a profile and I (STILL) haven't generated your own page yet... I will try to look into that soon, but I digress.

I am very serious about adding different perspectives and again emphasize that if you would like to be an author, let me know. I do want to see that you have been participating on this site already. If you are interested, email me at balancedmarykay@gmail.com

Welcome Praying4Courage and Colleen and we are all looking forward to hearing from you on a regular or semi-regular basis!

Profile - Praying4Courage

My name is Praying4Courage and I am a former MK Senior Consultant. I signed up during my freshman year of college (I was 21 because I had taken some time off before starting school). I believe it was January of '07 when I signed my agreement. I was recruited by a "hotshot" who was in car qualification and DIQ at the time. Our director had just become a director. I made the mistake of buying a lot of inventory (I was a Ruby star). That was probably my downfall in the business. I do feel I was pressured to buy the inventory but I know that ultimately I made the decision to use the credit card when I knew that I shouldn't.

My goal in MK was to earn some money myself (I receive disability payments). My hope was to eventually work my way off of disability and become self sufficient. I was working part time hours and not missing meetings while balancing my life as a full time student. My earnings were extremely low while I was a consultant. I probably only earned around $400 the entire time that I was in MK. I was not good at sales and most of the people I facialed were college students who didnt have the money for makeup that wasn't from Walmart. In May of 2007 I made the decision to send my product back to the company. I had already cancelled my voicecom and stopped working my business. Sending back the product was more of a formality than anything else. Besides that I needed to pay down my credit card. My blue check was for about $1200 give or take a bit. I had used a lot of products myself and had used others as demo products. For a while I hated MK and hung around pink truth. Was I bitter? Yes. Was I taking responsibility for my role in getting into debt? No.

Eventually the administrator of PT got upset with me because I defended the pro-mk visitors and said that they didnt' need to be treated so harshly. I was banned from the site. At that point I spent days readng pro and anti mk sites and came to realize that I was responsible for my actions and also realized that there was a lot of bitterness at PT that wasnt' getting those women anywhere. I didn't want to be stuck like they are.

At this point my views on MK are mixed. I did not have a good experience with the company myself but I think that some other people do. I recognize that part of my falling out with the company was my fault. I am glad however that I can not rejoin since I sent my product back.

Since I have left my recruit also left. My hotshot recruiter is no longer involved in MK. In addition, our director who was a new director has stepped down to being a consultant again. It is hard for me to see that and think that MK is a stable company. So all in all I guess what I am saying is that I'm not a big fan of MK but I also dont' agree with PT. I'm somewhere in the middle of the road. But that place is good for me. I'm still a full time student and just finished my second year as an undergrad psych student on the deans list every semester. Indeed MK was a mistake for me but I've bounced back.

Pink Truth and Balanced Mary Kay Joining forces to expose Mary Kay?

That's right, you heard it hear first.

This post is, as Wikipedia is fond of saying, a "stub". A thought popped into my little head, and as things have been (relatively) quiet around here, I figured I would share.

You see, Pink Truth is not all that different from this site. Really.

Now if you think I am off my rocker, keep reading... this gets better.

The "ah ha" moment, the "one thing" that sparked this thought for me... came from.... none other than, wait for it...

...

"Raisinberry" (for those of you that do not follow Pink Truth, "raisinberry" is one of the more prolific commentators on that site)

That's right, "raisinberry" said something that made me realize that, almost unilaterally, the folks that post over there and the folks that post over here, fundamentally speaking, see eye to eye.

Think about it.

Most (if not all) here hate manipulation. Religious or otherwise, we can't stand it.

So do they.

Most (if not all) here hate false income claims. From cars to paychecks to commissions to "quit your job" lines, we hate to hear about it.

So do they.

Most (if not all) here hate pyramid schemes. Whether it is perpetuated in Mary Kay, or in "life outside of Mary Kay", we disapprove.

So do they.

I could go on.

Fundamentally speaking, the stuff they hate about Mary Kay, we hate.

The only "little detail" we disagree on is how widespread these problems are in Mary Kay. (They more, us less.)

So, in "healthy" negotiating style, I propose a 'set-aside'. We both agree to "set aside" the part we disagree about, and explore just how much we do agree about.

Having said all that, let me ask you to consider the following quote from "raisinberry". Yes, the one that lit the little light bulb in my little head. Those of you that have "issues" with "raisinberry", set them aside for a moment. Allow yourself to picture someone that came to the realization that she had been lied to, and was manipulated into lying to other women. Imagine how you would feel (or recall how you have felt in a similar situation), remove the "Mary Kay" factor from this completely, and just picture this purely in terms of someone that got scammed.... bad.

"That means, all those women whose faces we looked into and believed were either masterfully duped themselves or fully aware predators. That is the scariest thing of all...listening to, modeling your behavior, repeating the words that work from, and otherwise obeying a voice in complete denial...or one that is frankly a sociopath. Who can watch the financial life blood drain out of her directors year after years after year and not give a rats rear? Who can say, "no, next!" being a party to phony words that manipulate women into coughing up another round of wholesale?"

Do we not all agree that, assuming there is a real person that embodies the evil she speaks of here, a person who would do this to another person is someone who (at best) should be avoided?

Really, our mission is the same. We do not want people to be victims. We want to stop the culprits.

Do you think this is possible? Is there hope that we could "meet in the middle" and actually do some good? What are your thoughts about this?

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Lady Harassed Me - And I Kinda Liked It!

Well, since a few of you were talking about this, I thought it worth bringing "out in the open"

Today's "Pink Truth Comment" is brought to you by the letter X and Pink Truth commentator, "sherineill":

"Wahoo!!! I love it!

I walked into a restaurant about a month ago and saw a MK ballot box in the washroom. I filled out a ballot (I wanted IC to call me) and then on another one put this site address.

Well sure enough about a week later I got an excited MK lady on the phone telling me I didn't win the "free gift" (which was satin hands) you would think she would be promoting the new product but whatever. However, for filling out the ballot I was going to get a "free facial!!!!!"

Her: Now what is better for you the beginning or the end of the week. ( I almost hurled at the thought that I used to do this weekly)
Me: Neither
Her: Oh so you're telling me weekends are better, how abou.....
Me: Actually no. I didn't say that at all. You're not listening. Are
all MK Consultants like that or just you?" ( I was having fun)
Her: (silence) Well my appointment book is filling up quickly...I would really like to get you in as soon as possible
Me: Why? It's free, you're not getting a thing out of it. I am not going to buy anything.
Her: Why not pamper yourself? Do you have children?
Me: What difference does it make? I am still not buying anything.
Her: (stammers...) well I was going to say if you have children this would be a nice time to finally have your husband take care of them so you have time for you self. We woman need that.
Me: Listen, how dare you insult my husband. He actually does take care of HIS children. I know in MK you think hubby's do nothing, but in the real world they actually do! I don't want you to step foot in my house and try to get me to buy your timewise stuff, or your new mineral make up or worse try to recruit me. I've been in MK and and am climbing out of debt. I wish you luck with that!!!"

And I hung up.

I then went to the restaurant and complained to the Manager that I was being harassed by the MK lady.

HA!!"

I would love to hear the conversation with that manager!

Sheri: A MK lady harassed me.
Manager: Which one?
Sheri: The one with the "ballot box" in your washroom.
Manager: How did she get your phone number?
Sheri: I wrote it down on a card and put it in the ballot box in your washroom.
Manager: Oh, then she must have called you a bunch of times?
Sheri: No, no, just the once... I made fun of her.
Manager: O...K, then in what way did she harass you?
Sheri: No, see by putting the B box there, she harassed me.
Manager: I don't follow.
Sheri: Oh, I see, you are in the pink fog too, never mind, *cough*PINKTRUTH.COM*cough*
Manager: Huh? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.
Sheri: Nothing... *cough*PINKTRUTH.COM*cough*
Manager: Um... is there anything else I can help you with?

...to be continued!

What are your thoughts?

Is Mary Kay an illegal pyramid scheme? Will the results of the Y.T.B. lawsuit change things for Mary Kay?

From across the pond, my friend, Scam sent me some information about another MLM business that is being accused of being a Pyramid Scheme.

Jerry Brown sues YourTravelBiz.com over alleged pyramid scheme

Some quick takeaways:

"Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown sued an Internet-based travel business Monday, accusing it of operating a pyramid scheme and seeking more than $25 million in fines and restitution.

The company, YourTravelBiz.com Inc. of Wood River, Ill., recruited tens of thousands of members with promises they'd earn big returns by setting up personal travel agency websites, the complaint said.

The business is "immensely profitable to a few individuals on top and a complete rip-off for most everyone else," Brown said. "Today's lawsuit seeks to shut down the company's unlawful operation before more people are exploited by the scam."

...***...

"The lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court accuses YourTravelBiz.com of enticing individuals to pay more than $1,000 a year in fees with promises that they could become millionaires and qualify for deals available only to professional travel agents.

"In 2007, consumers paid over $103 million to Defendants for websites, but made only $13 million in travel commissions in a business Defendants advertised as the 'easiest way to make money' and earn 'serious income' without any selling," the lawsuit said.

An estimated 62% of 200,000 YourTravelBiz.com participants didn't earn a single travel sales commission in 2007, the attorney general's office said. The California lawsuit is the first by any state against YourTravelBiz.com, said Gareth Lacy, a Brown spokesman."

Will this affect Mary Kay? I know there are differences between Mary Kay and YTB, but what impact might the ruling on this case have on Mary Kay?

Thanks Scam for calling attention to this.

A whole blog devoted to Travel MLMs
Scam's original article on this

Is Obama the Antichrist?

This post is to explain the current poll and to allow discussion about it. As always, you can change your answer any time up until the poll closes, so vote early and change as you see fit.

The idea for this post is thanks in part to a Time article I recently read, "An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad?".

I think this is a very interesting situation. I am sure that I did not put enough "choices" on the poll, so just pick the one that is closest to your opinion.

Personally, I think that IF, and I emphasize IF Obama is the Antichrist, he will most likely not get elected as President of the United States. The Antichrist (from what I have read) seems like he will be more of a world leader. I doubt that he would be able to accomplish that kind of influence abroad if he was "shackled", so to speak, to the political atmosphere in the U.S.A. (Just an observation)

Now, in addition to expressing whether or not you think that he may be the Antichrist, I would like to know:

If you knew for sure that he is the Antichrist, would that make you more likely or less likely to vote for him?

After all, if he is the Antichrist, the sooner he ascends to power, the sooner the end times can get started and...

So anyway, what are your thoughts about this controversy? (any and all comments about McCain, Obama, the Clintons, foreign affairs, etc. are welcome on this post... as with the one on religion, do not 'weigh in' if you don't want your feelings hurt. I will not take very much 'oversight' on the comments. However, as always, abusive language will still be censored.)

What do you eat for breakfast? See the results of our latest poll here.

We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming..

Attention all Consultants, make sure you visit www.marykayintouch.com and then go to mkconnections and check out the special for 50 free business cards!! Woo H00
Now back to our program....

MK Cars - Production Requirements

Colleen, per your request-

Here is the information right from Mary Kay Intouch – The Advance Brochure. The Company makes no secret of it. The only problem I see is if someone is unprepared or unwilling to maintain the production for the Car. I have seen directors pull out all the stops, clean out from under the couch cushions, etc… to finish qualifying for the Cadillac, well guess what?? If one is not willing to keep working that hard, production isn’t going to magically happen. If you look at the charts, a director doing Saturn production would be driving with no coop payment but if she had taken the Cadillac, she would be making a large coop payment. My deduction, don’t pretend to be something you 're not. For the last several years, I am proud to say I have been a money making Premiere level director, because I am NOT willing to do what it would take to MAINTAIN the Cadillac, notice I did not say that we had never qualified for it. It is always possible to have an exceptional couple of quarters – but I wasn’t willing to continue to work at that level because of the changes that were going on in my personal life. Earning the car is a commitment to work, it is not a gift. This is another reason why one should never cheat the system to get the ‘prize’ – fake consultants and personal use consultants are not going to help with production so unless the driver is prepared to be selling $8000 - $10000 a month to maintain the car by herself, she should really make sure she has a team that is working too.

Mary Kay did not set up the Car Program for us to be leasing the cars- it in not beneficial to the Consultant or the Company. The Car Program is a benefit for doing a certain level of production which should come from selling the product. When the system is used properly, it works.

We do not WIN the cars, we EARN THE USE OF THE CAR - and the Company is always telling us not to say we "win" the cars, because it sounds like a sweepstakes, not an incentive program.

Grand Achiever Co-op Lease Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change)
MONTHLY NET ADJUSTED TEAM WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY LEASE CO-OP PAYMENT

$4,500 or more --------------0-
$3,500 to $4,499 ------------$ 93.75
$2,500 to $3,499 ------------$ 187.50
$1,500 to $2,499------------ $ 281.25
$0 to $1,499 -----------------$3 75.00

Grand Achiever Cash Compensation Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change) MONTHLY NET ADJUSTED TEAM WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY CASH COMPENSATION

$4,500 or more-------------- $ 375
$3,500 to $4,499 ------------$ 281.25
$2,500 to $3,499------------ $ 187.50
$1,500 to $2,499 ------------$ 93.75
$0 to $1,499 -----------------$ 0


Premier Club Career Car Co-op Lease Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change)QUARTERLY NET ADJUSTED UNIT WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY LEASE CO-OP PAYMENT

$23,000 and over ------------$ 0
$20,000 to $22,999---------- $ 50
$17,000 to $19,999----------- $ 100
$14,000 to $16,999 -----------$ 150
$11,000 to $13,999----------- $ 250
$8,000 to $10,999------------ $ 350
$0 to $7,999----------------- $ 500


Premier Club Cash Compensation Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change)QUARTERLY NET ADJUSTED UNIT WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY CASH COMPENSATION

$23,000 and over --------------$ 500
$20,000 to $22,999 ------------$ 450
$17,000 to $19,999 -------------$ 400
$14,000 to $16,999------------- $ 350
$11,000 to $13,999------------- $ 250
$8,000 to $10,999 --------------$ 150
$0 to $7,999-------------------- $ 0


Cadillac Co-op Lease Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change)
MONTHLY NET ADJUSTED UNIT WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY LEASE CO-OP PAYMENT

$45,000 and over -----------$ 0
$42,000 to $44,999 ---------$ 90
$39,000 to $41,999 ---------$ 180
$35,000 to $38,999 ---------$ 270
$31,000 to $34,999 ---------$ 450
$27,000 to $30,999 ---------$ 630
$0 to $26,999 ---------------$ 900

Cadillac Cash Compensation Payment Schedule (amounts subject to change) QUARTERLY NET ADJUSTED UNIT WHOLESALE PRODUCTION
MONTHLY CASH COMPENSATION

$45,000 and over ------------$ 900
$42,000 to $44,999 ----------$ 810
$39,000 to $41,999 ----------$ 720
$35,000 to $38,999 ----------$ 630
$31,000 to $34,999 ----------$ 450
$27,000 to $30,999 ----------$ 270
$0 to $26,999 ----------------$ 0

Pink Truth: Mary Kay and Faith don't mix

Here is a really quick thought, but one that should probably generate a lot of discussion.

Some people on Pink Truth claim that their faith was manipulated in order to force them into ordering more than they needed, and, in some cases, ultimately manipulate others this way as well.

Others maintain that faith and religion have no place in any work environment and therefore should not be spoken about in Mary Kay.

Meanwhile, some in Mary Kay insist that it is God who blesses their Mary Kay and they would be remiss to not at least acknowledge the good favor He has blessed them with.

Still others agree that faith and religion have no place in any work environment and therefore should not be spoken about in Mary Kay.

There are people in Mary Kay and people on Pink Truth that would call themselves Christians, and those that would not.

My question is, if ones faith can be manipulated as easily as some claim theirs was, wouldn't that cause serious concerns about ones faith being weak?

There is a lot here, and I must warn everyone... If you are easily offended, you should probably not join in this conversation. If you put your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, etc. on this post, be prepared to defend them.

Should religion and faith be kept quiet in Mary Kay?

Is talking about God to a potential recruit manipulation? Or just out of place?

If someone tells you, "God's will for your life is to sell Mary Kay" and you just blindly take their word for it, who really is to blame there?