Okay, I will put this as gently as I can. If the Mary Kay you are being introduced to (or are involved in... or know someone who is involved in) looks ANYTHING like this...
Pink Truth Describes A Very Ugly Version Of Mary Kay
... RUN.
Can anyone tell the class why?
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The is a saying the 'grass is always greenier on the other side of the fence". This story sounds a tad far fetched to me but one line that really made me wonder was
ReplyDelete"we wanted to have careers that allowed us time to be with our spouses and children. We wanted to work from home and be there when the school busses arrived and our husbands pulled in. We wanted Executive pay for private school"
and to supplement how hard our husbands worked." It is also prefaced by the fact that they are "Christian woman" - like that would make some sort of difference in what they want.
I have struggled with expressing this because what I am feeling isn't translating into the written word well. But... I feel that they wanted executive pay for private school, to look important but didn't want to work to have it. They want to look important and successful but didn't want to put the time into it. Maybe they were looking for or expecting too much and wanted immediate gratification. That just isn't the way it works.
The were envious of this woman that "looked sugar sharp" and they wanted to be like her, possible isn't the reason to go into a venture.
Jealousy, greed, coveting what others have, are not reasons to do Mary Kay.
I have been in Mary Kay along time, I have not aliented my friends, because I don't crame MK down there throats every time I see them. There is a time to "shut off" your MK self and know when just to be yourself.
MK is a great opportunity but if every person in the town decides to become a consultant, and there are no customers left, well, no one is going to make anything.
That's the whole thing about small town "anything". There's only so much to go around. Anything more than two people doing the same thing at the same time reeks saturated.
ReplyDeletemk4me, I hear what you're saying and how you're trying to say it. You're much nicer than I could be about it...
Seriously, at the risk of offending A LOT of people, I have to say that my observation and experience is that "godly" behavior happens between 6 and 7 o'clock on Saturday evening or 10 and 11 AM on Sunday. What else would they have to "confess" if not coveting thy neighbors (***), then there are the other "sins", greed, envy, etc.
**oops, was that my outside voice?**
Sorry folks. God is everywhere, all the time.
FYI, you get out what you put into *anything*. And what's that that Dr. Phil says? If you marry for money, you'll earn every penny."
Except in this case, you lose every penny...
Again hard to articulate, but let me just say that the means doesn't justify the end.
Harsh, MK4ME. How can you say that they didn't want to have to work to have all that? And what is wrong with wanting more out of life? There is nothing wrong with wanting a better education, thru private school, for your children. There is nothing wrong with wanting to supplement the husband's income. There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to be there when your kids get home from school.
ReplyDeleteThose were the exact things told to me by my recruiter. She told me it was all possible. I believed her because that was what she herself wanted out of life and what she was getting thru MK. What mother isn't looking for that?
I was willing to work. This isn't a government program, it's a secular job. But I certainly never thought it would happen simply thru dreaming. I knew it would be hard work. And maybe I was expecting too much, too. Maybe I expected more than I got because that was the way it was presented to me by my recruiter. Maybe I wanted instant gratification because I was told that was how it happened in MK. Maybe instead of criticizing these women we can criticize the way some of these recruiters prey upon the insecurities of women to get them to sign the agreement. Yes, we have to take responsibility for our actions, but those who recruit with false information need to take some of the responsibility also.
I'm not even remotely under the impression that those women did not work. I know how hard I worked when I attempted MK; I just didn't reap many rewards for that work. I also know that the expectations that are raised by many directors and recruiters are utterly unrealistic. You *do* have to be the sales type if you are trying to make money selling things. Women whose personalities and schedules are utterly unsuited for a home cosmetics business are getting recruited and then disaster ensues.
ReplyDeleteNot harsh, I did not say everyone that didn't make it in Mary Kay didn't work. Reading this particular post though said to me, some people want something for nothing and it is their desire to have it for little or no effort is what makes them so easy for a "paint the big picture" type recruiter to sign them up.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, if you watch the Publishers Clearing House Contest present the winners, it makes you feel like they will be ringing your doorbell any day if you just enter..... I am still waiting, I did the work, I filled out the form.... where are they I am waiting...
And I have said it again and again on this site ..but... Mary Kay is not for everyone and you can't be the pushy sales type for LONG term success, however you must truely be a people person. And skin care and color techniques can be taught, being a people person can not.
and arabella, just because you classify all of us MK people as garish, loud, frumpy, pushy... and we are not that way, you assume because I was talking about the feeling I got about the tone of the writer of this particular post that I was referring to all that have left MK and didn't make money.
Please don't twist what I say. Never, never, never have I ever said that ANYONE that didn't "make it" in Mary Kay was because they were ...pt's favorite quote "a Lazy looser". I never will either because I do not think that. I am sure in the history of MK there are some that didn't work and then there are mulititudes of other reasons for consultants not staying with the business.
something happened... any way, like they will be arriving on your doorstep bringing your big check and roses and balloons any time now. I am still waiting.
ReplyDeleteNow, I have said that over and over and over again on this site, but I have never once said, nor do I feel that those that did not stay in MK are (pt's favorite term)..a lazy looser. I am sure that in the history of MK that there are in fact some that didn't do the work but for the majority there are a majority of reasons not to stay with Mk.
Also I feel you will not have 'LONG' term success if you are the "pushy" sales people type, another thing is skin care and color can be taught but being a great people person can not be taught, you either are or you are not. And that is where I think the major difference is. No matter how nice, wonderful, good hearted an individual, it doesn't always make them a people magnet.
arabella.. because you want to lump all of us in MK as frumpy, pushy, big hairs...doesn't mean I lump all exMKer's in the same classification.
And for the record, I don't recruit with false information. I would rather undersell and over deliver.
And what you want to call as false, isn't totally, for a few it is the truth, the problem is, it is not the truth for all. And the opportunity should not be oversold. It will be work and dedication for several years in the beginning as you build your client base and then your team. If you are expecting "get rich quick" or "no work for big bucks" - you will be disappointed.
**Warning** if I totally confused everyone on my posts, when I posted the first one, only part of it showed up. So I went and finished it again and when I posted it the entire original post showed up. So I apologize but I am not loosing it and repeating myself! :) Got to run...
ReplyDeleteHave a super day everyone! :)
I would say that a *good* sales person is not pushy. That's an amateurish sales person. A good sales person makes you comfortable and makes the product desirable to you, as opposed to pushing it so that you (might) only buy it to get rid of them. I have met good sales people who could sell ice to the Inuit.
ReplyDeleteMKforme is right about the people person thing. I am not a people person. I never belonged in a sales position. I did warn my recruiter and director about that before I signed, but...they did not seem to think it would matter. They were mistaken.
The other thing I regret is not breaking the basic. I would have sold a lot more if I had. I didn't have friends with a spare $60 (what it cost then; figure in inflation and current prices now) to plop down on the whole shebang.
You make some very good points Miranda. A pushy sales person may get a large initial sale, but then not ever receive another order from that person. I would rather start were the individual is comfortable, earn their trust, and allow them to add as their budget allows. I like lifelong customers not a big windfall and then nothing.
ReplyDeleteI will not over sell product either. If a person askes about a product that probably won't benefit them, I tell them, I might not get the sale for that item but I gain my client's respect.
As for breaking the basic, the Company has also relaxed on that. My firm belief is the basic is superior if used as a set. But with the old five steps, I have had many a client who couldn't start on all 5 steps and I worked with them to get started and add until they got the entire basic. Many of them are still very loyal clients to this day and understand the importance of using the skin care as a system.
And Miranda, I guess you proved that you were right and your director and recruiter were wrong. Hopefully, they just saw something in you and thought you would be successful, of course, maybe they saw you as a warm body. But if someone tells me they aren't good with people, I tell them that perhaps Mk might not be the right choice for them. I was very shy before MK, I am still (believe it or not) pretty shy today but I have an uncanny ability to make people feel comfortable and for some reason, it seems like even strangers love telling me their lives stories. I will not warm chat, now if someone approaches me because of my pin, or whatever, then I am fine, but you won't ever catch this Director going out to "warm chat" and everyone that knows me -knows that about me.
..Now warning.. once you get me talking it is hard to shut me up!..
Well...here's me. I have a Master's in English lit. I'm a copy editor as my main job. I do that job very well. I rarely interact with clients, and when I do, it is usually not face to face. It's ideal for me.
ReplyDeleteMy second job is proofreading books. The book co. sends the page proofs to me, I mark any errors, and I send the proofs back with an invoice. I do that from home, which rocks.
My third job is as an artist's model. No talking really, just posing. It can be physically demanding, but I just count it as exercise. That gets me $40 per 2 hour "drawing from life" class.
It's not that I am not sociable....I have many friends. But sales work or any kind of retail job is absolutely wrong for me because I do not like talking to strangers. I need to be introduced gradually to new ppl. I think the director and recruiter just assumed that all my friends would buy from me. However, most didn't have the money, and of those who did, I got a lot of product returns due to skin reactions. We had issues with the green mask, the mascara, the eye cream (anti wrinkle stuff, forget the name) and the sunscreen, and a couple were allergic to the plum lipstick. :/
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ReplyDeleteYou are right Miranda, In order for this business to even come close to working and making money you must be willing to move beyond family and friends. You have to be willing to move beyond your comfort zone and meet others who may like the product.
ReplyDeleteI started with family and friends as well, but soon realized that most of my friends were in the same financial boat as I was. I was needing to make some extra money, so I knew I wasnt going to do that by just depending on people that were financially strapped to keep my business going. and if I was to make any money I had better learn to talk to others and put myself in the position to meet many kinds of women from different financial backgrounds.
Now I did not do this by stalking women at the mall or going up to strangers. What I did was learn to ask for referrals at every appt, took advantage of opportunities to get my name out there (booths at fairs and convecations, silent hostesses, ads, wearing the product, logos etc) One person leads you to another, and that person leads you to two more, and before you know it you have lots of customers. I am always amazed at how many women tell me that they have never tried Mary kay, that is why i dont buy into the "this business is saturated" excuse.
It really comes down to what you are willing to do, within reason, to make this business work.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is a choice and it takes practice and it can be learned. I normally am a person that keeps to myself as well, but I learned to take a deep breath and just do it. Whats the worse that could happen? Someone saying NO to me is not gonna kill me. I have learned to just move on to the next person. Its paid off for me.
I tell everyone that this business can work, but you have to be willing to put in work to grow and and I dont oversell the simplicity of it. If you only do what you are used to doing you wont experience any growth in your business, or any where else for that matter. I offer my card now to women that I dont know personally but who I may have naturally stuck up a conversation with while I am out. It is not forced or planned. If it happens it happens, if not, then it doesnt. Your director was wrong when she mis represented this to you, but if you did not like the product in general and were not willing to step out of your own comfort zone, then yes it was probably not for you.
The problem I have with situations like yours it that those on PT will take your situation and say that you were not successful simply because the MK business plan is faulty, or that you were doomed to fail. But it just really comes down to that it was just not the right kind of oppourtunity for you. No fault of yours or anyone else. We have always said that MK is not for everyone for a variety of reasons. And thats ok, but they (PT) should not go around trashing the whole company and everyone still associated with it by saying it can never work for anyone and that we are purposefully trying to destroy womens lives. I am living proof that thats not true.