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?
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I personally think that since the same lies are being told across the country, maybe even world, that the deception has to be widespread and more than just a few bad apples. I live in one part of the country. I have 4 family members who live far away from me and each other who have all joined MK and had the exact same lines/lies told to them. If it were a few bad apples, then the lies would be contained to a specific area, wouldn't it, not all over the place.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why David picks apart words here. Do the vast majority tell lies? Obviously, by PT readers and posters, yes. You can't refute that. Are there lies of omission? OMG, yes. You can't deny that. Do 99% lose money? I don't think we will ever know the answer to this. Just like in any direct selling/MLM organization, MOST do not make it. It's the nature of the MLM beast. Does PT take liberties with the truth? Does PT exagerate? Of course. Who doesn't when trying to get their point across?
I have not witnessed any of these lies mentioned. When we have our meetings our guests are given an opportunity to ask any questions they have after information is shared. Questions are answered honestly.
ReplyDeleteThe lies mentioned in this post are not told by my director, her director, or her senior director, or my NSD. I do think that there are those who exaggerate and make false claims and I wonder if it has to do more with whom the upline is. Since there are national areas that span the country, if it's in the upline it will be in different locations. There are unethical directors in my geographical location, but they are not affiliated with my upline or my Seminar division for that matter.
I know these things do happen. I have some new team members who are former consultants and weren't getting the help they needed. They were also misinformed, or informed in such a way that things were unclear. For example, I had a team member telling me she would have a $600 wholesale order by x date. When I told her that's cool, but she doesn't have to order $600 at once; that can be cumulative, she was surprised. She had been told $600 had to be placed at one time by her former director.
ReplyDeleteIt turned out that she signed on the last day of a quarter. So, yea, it was wrong. It should have been explained to her that if she was ready to place a $600 at once, this was the last day of a quarter for it to count that quarter. Otherwise, she could wait and do $200 cumulatively for the next quarter. That kind of deception is wrong and needs to be stopped, but how can you force someone to be moral? You can't. That is what sucks.
All I can do is give her the correct info and allow her to work at her own pace. That is how this was designed to work, after all.
Another team member I will be signing soon was in a former unit that discouraged her from promoting her business. She described things she wanted to do and was told it's not allowed. I told her the things she wants to do are allowed, but there are guidelines and rules. More misinformation, although, in this case I think they were more worried about what's allowed and what's not allowed than personal gain. Either way, I can help her and I will help her. That's why I'm here. To help them reach their goals whether it's $100 a month or $1000 a week in sales.
I also think it is interesting that I know a few people who weren't happy with their upline in MK, but they love MK overall. So, rather than sell their stuff back they go inactive and terminate and sign a new agreement with someone they like better. They can see it's not everyone. It's who they were with at the time.
ReplyDeleteAll my recruiter could talk about was "the free car". She spent a lot of time "visioning" picking up the car... her family there and her "team" (she had to build it, first).
ReplyDeleteFor her and by default me, it was about motive, i.e., what motivated her (me and my $$!!!). Well it obviously just wasn't me. She had her family and a neighbor AND a couple of girls she worked with, in on the gig.
Ultimately, I came to find out that she was a pretty impatient kinda gal. For instance, when I elected to drive everyone to the Monday night meeting, I took a route she wasn't familiar with. She was very challenging about that. Most would just be grateful not to have to drive.
I could see how she could "critique" the process to get from here to there and to try to find the shortest distance to get what she wanted. Well, that didn't work too well for her. Her family bailed. She left before I did.
I can't imagine things could be much better for her today. Those qualities go to the very fabric of the person. I can't see how she can be happy without some intervention.
I did meet some truly great gals while in Mary Kay. They were other directors and therefore I didn't have access to them. Great ladies, though. I hope it's working out for them.
"I could see how she could "critique" the process to get from here to there and to try to find the shortest distance to get what she wanted. "
ReplyDeleteI'm talking about every one of us being front-loaded with the most obscene stuff every. The last girl I met to join the team before she finally bailed had been coached into buying the full kit and caboodle. She was an immigrant! Who the heck is she going to sell all that stuff too?
Nobody. She bailed a couple of months into it.
See, greed doesn't pay.
Flyebye, that is awful! I have more to say, but it is time for me to go. :P
ReplyDeleteFlybye, I've heard speakers talk about envisioning the pride in their family members' eye seeing you pick up your car and all that. To me, the car is just a thing. Some people are just materialistic and it is sad. I'll admit that I do have some selfish reasons for wanting to succeed, but who doesn't? I am NOT so selfish, however, to hurt others to get what I want. That bothers me.
ReplyDeleteFlybye, were you a director? You seem so knowledgeable and it sounds like you had a good grasp of the business aspect I'm just curious.
Anyway, back to envisioning, I talk about my goals to stay focused. I would be annoyed if I was exposed to the thing you are describing on a regular basis.
Oh, one more thing, Flybye; when you say you didn't have access to them because they were directors, what do you mean by that? I talk to many directors via the internet and I ask questions at our different events. I just don't see them as inaccessible. How so were they inaccessible t you? Thanks. :)
fb64 - See, greed doesn't pay
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, neither does being dishonest, cheating, lying, stealing, etc..
No it doesn't, and usually what goes around, comes around.
As for consultants that have had a bad experience, there is the year clause. The old saying actions speak louder than words applies..
ReplyDeleteI have had several consultants that have gotten out of Mk, because they were lead to believe they had to order every 3 months (of course the rest of the line is to stay active, but if someone has not team members) it really doesn't matter except to her recruiter, and other things. But from observing other directors at functions and listening to them speak and then following up with unit members in other units, years later, I have had them call me and ask to join our unit.
These were not people I was trying to recruit to change units, I wasn't involved in them getting out and had no clue they had wanted to join our unit until the call came.
I take it as the greatest compliment when I hear little things from my unit (when they think I can't hear them) talking to a prospect or someone and say stuff like, oh she is just so real. You can talk to her, and will give a the best and most honest answer possible. She is always there for us no matter what is going on. It doesn't matter if you are a star consultant or a pink piddeler, she loves us all.
Now, knowing that is how my unit members feel about me, is as good as any paycheck possible.
Starter kit $100 (tax + s/H)
Inventory $200 plus (tax + s/h)
To be known as a women of character, who is ethical and honest.... priceless
That's great, mk4me! I also know people who were told they have to order every 3 months. And they were expected to order the same amount they had for their initial order! Yuck! And like you, my director and her director have new unit members who wanted in their units. :)
ReplyDelete