Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

3 comments
In light of the fantastic opportunity afforded to us to be thankful for all the many blessings we have, Balanced Mary Kay will be taking an enjoyable reprieve from the standard eye-rolling and sighing over the childish nonsense on Pink Truth.

This just means that I will not be putting out any posts for the next 4 days. Feel free to leave comments, get conversations going, or even become an author and pen some of your own thoughts during the holiday... just make sure your relatives don't catch wind of how boring you obviously find them!

And make sure to 'tune in' next week as we have fun trying to make sense of the "logic" that Pink Truth uses to, get this, 'prove' that Mary Kay is a cult.

Good times.

See you all next week.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pink Truth: Tirelessly hating on Mary Kay

4 comments
Pink Truth sets up, and knocks down, more straw men

It is so easy to prove what a terrible company Mary Kay is when you don't allow anybody to critique what you say.

"DupedByPinkFriend" perhaps should do a little research into the sub-cult-ure that she is devoting herself to now.

Please feel free to comment... or write anything.

I don't mind keeping the site 'going' by posting these daily links, but if no-one is really interested, than it is sort of pointless.

I know that there is no real need to point out how much psychobabble goes on at Pink Truth as almost anyone with a brain can see right through it.

Does that mean that this is the end of this site? Should it stay or should it go?

Let me know.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Non MK -Information on Store Closings/Weekend Stuff

1 comments

Subject: List of Stores Closing

For the most part, I just delete "Fwds" and often don't even read them, but I thought this was very useful to share, it might be a good idea when shopping to know if you are going to be able to exchange a gift, or a defective product. - Hope this info is helpful to everyone.

It seems there are lots of stores that are closing due to the "recession" and the fact that people are not shopping. If you have any "gift cards" from these stores, make sure you use them, or you will lose them!

Watch those store money cards and gift cards...and credit slips! These are stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009.

Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many), Ann Taylor... 117 stores nationwide,( Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide), Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January,
Cache will close all stores, Talbots closing all stores, J. Jill closing all stores, GAP closing 85 stores, Footlocker closing 140 stores, more to close after January, Wickes Furniture closing, Levitz closing remaining stores,
Bombay closing remaining stores, Zales closing 82 stores and 105 after January, Whitehall closing all stores, Piercing Pagoda closing all stores,
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January, Home Depot closing 15 stores, Macy's to close 9 stores after January, Linens and Things closing all stores, Movie Galley closing all stores, Pacific Sunware closing stores, Pep Boys closing 33 stores, Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores,
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January, Ethan Allen closing 12 stores, Wilson Leather closing all stores, Sharper Image closing all stores,
K B Toys closing 356 stores, Lowe's to close some stores, Dillard's to close some stores, Harold's to close most stores

Friday, November 21, 2008

Pink Truth: Mary Kay can't help you get out of debt - heres a better idea... do nothing

4 comments
Does Pink Truth seriously still wonder why people say they are "negative" when they say stuff like this?

Don't get me wrong, it is clear that you don't stand a chance of "making" $1 for every $1 invested. Yes, when you make the math as simple as possible, the equation is that you buy $2 worth of merchandise for $1.

As I mentioned yesterday, this is one business option out of many. It may work out great for you, it may not.

The 'basics' that are laid out by this NSD (That Pink Truth liberally copy/pasted... copyright infringement anyone?) are correct.

Overly simplistic. Perhaps.

I noticed though, that no one managed to point out that she repeatedly says "SELL" not "ORDER".

My thought process about that? Glad you asked. I know (from talking to my wife's director) that there are some people that, no matter how many times she tells them not to 'just order to get a prize', talk excitedly about how they are going to "win" this prize or that prize. (Implied is that they are planning on ordering even though they don't need to.)

Conversation goes something like this.

Consultant: OMG, Ms. Director, I am so excited about this prize. I am going to place an order for x,xxx. That will be enough for me to win this prize!!!
Director: That is great Ms. Consultant, but do you need those products? Are you sure that ordering them right now is a good business decision?
Consultant: OF COURSE it is a good idea. I will win this prize.
Director: I understand that you are excited about the prize, but if you haven't sold the other items that you already have in your inventory, this is going to do more damage than good.
Consultant: OH DON'T WORRY about that... I will sell it all. I BEEEElieve!!!! I just have to have faith.
Director: That's not really how that wor...
Consultant: OH I KNEW you wouldn't understand. You don't really care about me anyway. I thought you were supposed to be there to help me. **click**

(This was a 'creative' rendering based on the recollection of a few conversations that I have had with several people in Mary Kay and should not be viewed as an actual conversation)

I am not saying that all (or for that matter, any) PTers are/were like this. What I am saying is that any time Mary Kay has a document that uses the word "order" in it, they get all gang-buster with their "look, look, see.... I told you... all they care about is ordering". It would not surprise me to see them get up in arms when they go through the drive through and the speaker-box says "may I take your order?". Sorry, I am cracking myself up with the image of r-berry kung-fu kicking a McD's speaker-box and screaming, "I know you are one of them"...

... ahhh .... whew ....

... and were back folks,

Seriously now, what do you think of this get out of debt plan?

Seriously hogwash? OR legitimately possible?

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Husbands are weak and easily manipulated

3 comments
Mary Kaybots shouldn't tell their husbands how to act... that is Pink Truth's job

I know that this conversation already started a bit - see here.

But for what it is worth, here are my two cents.

Followed, hopefully, by yours.

I think that there is a good, right, healthy manner in which a husband and wife should operate together. Considering current divorce rates, it is clear that in addition to not being able to agree about what that good, right, healthy relationship looks like, a lot of people are unable to 'get it right'.

If there are problems with your relationship, Mary Kay will, it seems, most likely magnify them. By contrast, it seems, that some people have reported Mary Kay magnifying the things that are 'right' with their relationship.

There comes a point (many times actually) in any relationship that things 'get sideways'. Perhaps I don't agree with my one of my wife's decisions. Perhaps the other way around. Perhaps this has happened with some of you?

How you deal with it is important. Supremely so. I will not offer advice on marriage here... I don't think it is my place, and this is neither the time nor the place. I am very happy with my marriage and love my wife very much. If you want advice, or want to ask a question, please feel free to email me... I love helping people. (And no, I will not try to get you to join my '4 1/2 steps to a successful marriage' MLM!!!) Seriously. I make no promises except that I will give my best effort to be of some help.

But this is not about my marriage or yours. This is about the tireless manner in which Pink Truth continues to make up whatever they want to about Mary Kay.

Follow the link above and then tell me how you answer Tracy's question at the end:

"Can you read between the lines to see the truth about Mary Kay?"


I will tell you how I answer.

Stop trying to read messages between lines that don't exist. There is no massive conspiracy behind Mary Kay. It is a cosmetics company that sells skin care and cosmetics. If you don't like their style you are under no obligation to be a part of it. You don't have to buy their products. You don't have to sell their products.

If you feel strongly enough that their products are inferior or that their business model is poor, you should feel free to express those feelings.

But for the sake of your own journalistic integrity and conscience, stop making up lies, smearing the names of good women (and men), and dragging down otherwise upstanding women into your mire of conspiracy minded nonsense and bitter, vitriolic, hate-filled gossip.

...

You were saying?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Pink Truth: Mary Kay tactics - It takes one to know one

5 comments
Excelently timed, Pink Truth posits their opinion of the D.I.S.C technique

Okay look, we all know that Pink Truth thinks that anything Mary Kay does (or Mary Kay people do) is manipulation, or greedy, or insincere. We all know that this forgone conclusion is based on outrageous circular reasoning, hatched together with, at best, anecdotal evidence.

They will see anything Mary Kay does as manipulative and "bad".

The question I want everyone to answer today is not whether or not the D.I.S.C. 'tool' is manipulative.

I am pretty sure that everyone here (or at least most) are mature enough to realize that this is simply a truthful observation of the way different personalities respond to different stimuli. Studying it and understanding it and even utilizing it in improving your communication is not (in and of itself) manipulative or "bad".

The question I want you to consider and respond to, if you would be so kind, is:

At what point does it become manipulative?

At what point, does understanding and using these principles cease to be simply a means to improve ones communication and becomes something much more insidious?

Or, is it impervious to being used this way?

Something to consider that may help put it in a different light, there are certain things that most guys don't understand about women. Understanding these things can help a man better express his love to a particular woman. It can also be used, allegedly, to manipulate women. But the question is, at what point does one use stop and the other begin? And, more importantly, how can you tell which is which?

Ah, these are the questions that I like!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pink Truth: We publish stories about Mary Kay - as long as they back up our preconceived conclusion

2 comments
Pink Truth claim - this 1 story (out of hundreds of thousands) is the universal truth about Mary Kay

Don't take my word for it, here's a comment from Tracy:

"Disillusionedpinkie wrote:

The saddest/scariest part is that your story is not the exception but rather the rule in MK.

Amen, sister. So often we at PT are accused of being involved with (or actually being) the minority who had high debt and little profit. From the thousands of women I've talked with about MK, and from their experiences with hundreds of others in MK... I'm quite confident that they are the rule, not the exception. There are a very, very small number who are profitable at an "executive" level. The remaining vast majority are struggling and not earning a living wage (most actually losing money and self-esteem)."


Hmmm... what about all those other women that try to talk to you about their experience but you delete and ban them? How many thousands of them are accounted for in this conclusion?

Just wondering.


Monday, November 17, 2008

Pink Truth: We are genuine, Mary Kay is not genuine... because we said so.

5 comments
Pink Truthers are better than Mary Kaybots because we are genuine and they are sneaky

From Tracy:

"Now... I get the concept of "networking." I've done it to build my personal business. But I've done it in a genuine way, not with these tricky little methods. I haven't contacted anyone to pretend to "reconnect." I've told people about my company in the context of a legitimate, genuine conversation... not because I want to recruit them or sell them something."


Tracy, any 'method' of networking can be done genuinely or disingenuously.

I can guarantee you that if you told us about any of your so called "legitimate and genuine" 'methods' of promoting your 'personal business', we could point out how sneakily they could be used.

The very example you use (of Mary Kay) -

"And if you doubt that... Just remember that one of the key teachings in Mary Kay is "work the numbers." Have you been told: "Some will, some won't, who's next!"??? These things demonstrate how the goal of Mary Kay isn't sincere interaction with women. It's about playing a numbers game and moving on to the next person with skin who might be interested."


of necessity is one that you must use yourself.

What do you do when you are telling someone about your business, and they are not interested? Do you never tell anyone else about your business until you have convinced that person to be interested in you? Or do you move on to the "next" person?

Not only is this concept not diabolical, it doesn't even make sense to protest it. Some will. Some will really dig what you are doing (whatever it is). Some won't. Some simply are not interested in what you are doing (never will be). So, after you have talked to someone (and they have either responded favorably or unfavorably) who will you talk to next?

What is so insincere about this?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Weekend Humor - Non MK

2 comments

I love sharing and helping others as many of you have figured out. I thought I would share a very valuable lesson I learned last night and into today. When getting together with your friends for your monthly nickle/dime/quarter poker night where it is manadotory if I want to play I must supply my "famous" devilied eggs, one should not decide since it is chilly outside and spitting snow that making homemade chilli for the guests who are drinking beer and eating pepperjack cheese is a good idea. I will spare you the pain - just don't do it! :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Pink Truth: "But we like having our nose in Mary Kay's Business

4 comments
Pink Truth analyzes and offers advice to Mary Kay director?

Oh, and what's this? If you are not careful, you may miss the one piece of advice from Pink Truth that may be worth noticing.

Tracy says:

"That is great advice. When I started my accounting business 9 years ago, I had no clients and no money. I started temping right away to get money in the door, but was able to be flexible with it so that I could still start establishing my own business. It worked out great!"


Not sure if all will agree here, but this is really great advice. If you need cash coming in, don't expect Mary Kay (especially ordering a bunch of product) to be a magical solution. You may find that you are a stellar sales person that just oozes sales right out the gate. But chances are that you will have to build up to a respectable, regular income. In the meantime, if you need cash now you need to find a way to earn it.

If you have something to say about this, you know where to put it... in the comments section.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

D-I-S-C PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT/QUIZ

6 comments
D-I-S-C PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT

Attached is the assessment, my results even though I thought I was a "high C" turned out the my S was one point higher than my C, I scored lowest in I but the D was almost as low.

Instructions: In the spaces below, rank the traits listed on each of the 6 lines. Working left to right you should assign a "4" to the word which is MOST like you: "3" points to the word LIKE you, "2" points to the word that is SOMEWHAT like you, and "1" to the word LEAST like you. Figure your totals for each vertical column and fill in the boxes marked "TOTAL". The combined score of all four columns should equal 60.

______COLUMN 1 ____COLUMN 2_____COLUMN 3_____COLUMN 4


____ COMPETITIVE ___INSPIRING_______STEADY______CAUTIOUS

____SELF CERTAIN____OPTIMISTIC____DELIBERATE____EXACTING

____ADVENTUROUS___ENTHUSIASTIC___FRIENDLY_____EXACTING

____DECISIVE_________FLEXIBLE_______PATIENT________STRICT

____ASSERTIVE_______IMPULSIVE______STABILIZING_____PRECISE

____VIGOROUS____RESPONSIVE____SYMPATHETIC_____FACTUAL

_____TOTAL___________TOTAL _________TOTAL ________TOTAL
"D" .................... "I" ....................."S"..................... "C"............

Circle the highest total and note which letter appears in the box with your
highest. (Either D, I, S, or C)
and remember this is just for fun.

Pink Truth: You can hate Mary Kay here, but only if you blindly agree with everything we say

1 comments
Pink Truth, ignoring the rational opposing opinions presented to them, posts inciting "hate mail"

PinkPeace says:

"...for when she decides to join us after finding out the truth about MK on her own..."


But pinkpeace, I wonder, what will you do when you find out the truth about Pink Truth on your own?

If you have something to say about this, you know where to put it... in the comments section.


Wednesday, November 12, 2008

UNDERSTANDING D-I-S-C

2 comments
When working with people it is always helpful to understand that not everyone is like us. There are many different personality studies. One that is frequently used is the D-I-S-C System. By no means is this complete and to fully understand it would take alot of time but attached is a chart that breaks down the four different styles. D is Dominant, I is Influencing, S is Steady, and C-Conscientious
Because I couldn't get it to post in a table format (not very computer savy) I have color coded the different types.

I would like to mention that we all possess all four qualities, just in different degrees. The other thing is your "style" may differ because of the situation, ie: you may be one style at work because you must do a certain job but might be very different in your personal life. The goal would be to work on areas that are weaker to become more "balanced".

As one looks this over, it might help us to understand why some people end up in not happy situations and why there can be major communication breakdowns or misunderstandings, especially when it comes to situation in emails, etc. where there are no facial expressions, body language, or tones to assist in the message.

In a seperate post I will provide a little Assessment to help you see where you fall in the chart. (As I prefaced, it is by no means complete but it is a glimps into the system).

Style D -I -S- C

Basic Tendencies:
D: Fast-Paced and Task Oriented
I: Fast-Paced and People Oriented
S: Slower-Paced and People Oriented
C: Slower-Paced and Task Oriented

Greatest Strengths:
D: Decisive Action, Takes Charge, Gets Results, Self Confident, Independent, Risk Taker
I: Fun-Loving, Involved W/Others, Enthusiastic, Emotional, Optimistic, Good Communicator
S: Patient , Easy Going, Team Player, Calming Influence, Steady/Stable, Good Follow Through
C: Accurate, Analytical, Attentive to Key Details, High Standards, Intuitive, Controlled


Natural Limitations:
D: Impatient, Stubborn, Harsh or Blunt
I: Disorganized, Non-Detail-Oriented, Unrealistic
S: Indecisive, Over-Accommodating, Too Passive, Sensitive
C: Too Critical, Perfectionist, Overly Sarcastic

Communication:
D: One-Way, Direct, "Bottom Line"
I: Positive, Inspiritng, Persuasive
S: Two-Way, Best Listener, Empathetic, Feedback
C: Diplomatic, Keen Observer, Provides Details


Fears:
D: Being Taken Advantage of
I: Loss of Social Approval
S: Loss of Stability
C: Irrational Acts Criticism of their Work

Love Language:
D: Admiration
I: Acceptance & Approval
S: Appreciation
C: Affirmation

Under Pressure:
D: Autocratic, Aggresive, Demanding
I: Emotional Attach (But May Avoid Public Confrontation)
S: Acquiesces, Tolerates, Complies
C: Avoids, Withdraws, Plans Strategy to Get Even

Money Viewed As A Means Of:
D: Power
I: Freedom
S: Showing Love
C: Insuring Security

Decision Making:
D: Quick, Result-Focused, Very Few Facts
I: Impulsive, Whether it "Feels Right"
S: Relational, Trust in Others
C: Reluctant, Needs a Lot of Information

Greatest Needs:
D: Challenges, Change, Choices, Direct Answers
I: Fun Activities, Social Recognition, Freedom from Details
S: Status Quo/Stability, Time to Adjust to Changes, Sincere Appreciation
C: Time to do Quality Work, Work, Facts, Time to Analyze

Recharge:
D: Physical Activity
I: Social Time
S: “Nothing” Time
C: Private Time

CM Awards are on 8:00

0 comments

Don't forget to tune in and and watch the Country Music Awards!

Pink Truth: Maybe if we hold our breath long enough, Mary Kay will go down

7 comments
Pink Truth and Mary Kay - So Happy Together...

Your comments are what keep this site jumping... so jump on in, oh, and don't forget to keep it real.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008

Pink Truth: Mary Kay's Number 1 Recruiting Tool

2 comments
I am bored of pointing things out about PT.

I have said a lot about Mary Kay and Pink Truth.

You can easily research my feelings on most of these things. I had hoped at some point to put together an easy to follow guide that breaks down the points and counterpoints of the myriad issues on both sides of this discussion.

However, I simply don't have the time, energy or drive to do all that. At this point, I have decided that the one thing that I will continue is providing a place where your opinions, thoughts and contradictions to Pink Truth can be heard.

I will keep posting daily links to what Pink Truth is talking about. My offer still stands that anyone who would like to become an official author of this site can express interest by sending me an email. Otherwise, feel free to leave your point of view in the comments section.

Weak from being irrelevant, Pink Truth copies Mary Kay... Again.

If you have something to say about this, you know where to put it... in the comments section.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

The Brush Set

4 comments

Mary Kay® Brush Collection

This luxurious makeup brush set includes a Powder Brush, Cheek Brush, Eye Definer Brush, Eye Crease Brush and Eyeliner/Eyebrow Brush – all with sleek black wooden handles. The set also includes the Mary Kay® Cosmetic Organizer bag, so you can just roll up your makeup brush collection and go! It's even roomy enough to add your Mary Kay® Compact, lip gloss, mascara, other makeup applicators and more!

Use them. love them. Love the mineral foundation powder brush but agree we could use an eyeliner brush (thinner and stiffer then the one we have) and a full size lip brush since all we have is the little purse size one.
If you would like to see pics since I have no clue or patience to figure out how to post them, just visit www.marykay.com .

Pink Truth recommends sleazy ways to succeed in Mary Kay

5 comments
Well after a series of fully plagiarized and shamelessly copied posts directly from Mary Kay, Pink Truth finally offers some content of their own.

Look how shady we would be if we were in Mary Kay

I would not be surprised to learn that this happens in Mary Kay. There are plenty of people in this world that will do anything if they think that they can make a quick buck doing it.

However, I find it more than a little curious that while Tracy has plenty of innocuous advice from Mary Kay to copy and paste at will, she has not one line to quote from any reputable source that this is encouraged in Mary Kay.

Rest assured though, she, with all the authority a fraud investigator can muster, puts your mind at ease with this:

"You see this practice with the credit card going on a lot, especially if a director is struggling to meet production or finish a car. Corporate is aware of the practice, but looks the other way. (As with many of the other practices that are not on the up-and-up, but corporate ignores them becuase they generate wholesale orders.)"



1. "YOU" see this a lot? Who is the "you" in that equation? I don't see it a lot. In fact, I don't see it at all.

2. If a director is struggling (esp. on a regular basis) to perform the thing that she is being paid to do, she should step down to a role that does not cause her to struggle. And certainly she should do so if her current role is causing her to practice such reprehensible practices as are outlined here.

3. Corporate is aware of this? Really? You know this, how? Do you mean that you have some inside information that indicates this is the reason some of those 900 directors were terminated? Oh wait, that would mean they don't look the other way. Perhaps the fact that they wait until they have this little thing called 'evidence' or 'proof' before they take action is all that it takes for you, who doesn't let bothersome things like "no evidence" and "no proof" get in the way of making accusations, to decide that they "look the other way".

4. Ignoring unethical behavior that goes against company policy for the sake of making a quick buck from a wholesale order that will most likely eventually get returned or sold via a liquidator is not a good business model (remember that from yesterday) for Mary Kay corporate. If this is a corporate practice at Mary Kay (and I can't emphasize enough how magnificently I doubt that it is), it will not last long. (Either the practice will stop or Mary Kay will.)

I know all you PTers and assorted other Anti-mkers would like to think that the reason for your lack of success in Mary Kay was Mary Kay itself. If it wasn't your recruiter, it was her director. If it wasn't the director, it was the NSD. If it was nothing to do with the wonderful, innocent women that comprise the sales force, NSD to lowly consultant, it must have been corporate. If you are "blessed", it was the, how did he used to put it?

What was it that he said 'victimized' everyone that laid eyes on Mary Kay?

...great... now I have to go look it up. (hold on)

Oh yeah, it was "MK MLM Victim". It is the MLM's fault.

Anyway, it isn't your fault that this opportunity did not work out for you. Perhaps it is a female trait that I can't understand that keeps you from saying, "oh well, that's not a match for me, what else can I try" but rather forces you to find someone else to blame so that you can wash your hands of it as though you could have done it if it wasn't for the stinking, rotting corpse that held you back.

If that is what it takes, I have to warn you, you are going to have to stare daggers at the "Mary Kay Ship" for a long time, because from where I am sitting, they look pretty solid.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Pink Truth Regurgitates more "Truth" about Mary Kay

11 comments
Well, Pink Truth seems to think that they can infringe on any material they would like to, but as most of you know, they have no problem manipulating the DMCA to force bloggers hand to take down any post here that even quotes their site. So, while I would like to point out the glaring foolishness in "raisinberry's" post by quoting and then responding, I don't want to provide any fuel for more bullying.

So check out the post here - Pink Truth and Common Sense... a combination not likely to be seen

And match the corresponding responses:
1. Phrase not meant to be taken literally
2. If you are not selling that much, are you really "selling" at all?
3. Did you really think they would just give you a $25,000 car for "earning" $18,000? Really?
4. Have you ever heard of a motivating expression? Note to "raisinberry", "You're on fire" does not mean that you should frantically look for an extinguisher.
5. Unless someone told you that filling out a worksheet was the same thing as having a business plan... and you believed it... this point makes no sense.
6. Has anyone heard this one? It seems like it may have been a grotesquely stretched 'saying' that was taken horrifically out of context. Regardless, not having a customer base and/or sales income does not mean you have to order on credit. It means you should not order. Honestly.
7. Perhaps this one should be (or more likely "is") rephrased - "Reinvest until you are at the profit level you want to be at.
8. Ummm not sure what this is meant to prove. Is this statistic oft repeated in MK? I think its more like 700K, but either way, is that a small number? Seems like a lot of women like Mary Kay to me. How many of you (pt types) are there that hate it? I think you are outnumbered.
9. So, by your math, 14,000 (actually you said 1 MIL, so 20K, but whose counting) women in MK are making more than 50,000. I have not heard this statistic that you say MK-bots repeat, but it would seem that there is a good chance that there are no other companies paying out $50K + to 14,000 of their 'sales force'. Perhaps, 'raisinberry', you could name a few?
10. Operative word here, can. You can do it too. Not "you will" not "it will be easy", "you can. Forget the whole fame and fortune thing and just focus on selling the product. This is not a scheme unless you make it one. You are selling cosmetics for crying out loud. Get out there and sell them. Be assertive. If selling cosmetics is not for you, find something else you are good at.
11. I am not sure how this one was presented to you, but if you signed up for something because someone told you it was "taught at Harvard", I question your judgment. Perhaps a polite, "that's nice" would have sufficed. And if you passed this information on to others without verifying the validity of it and understanding it, shame on you. You perpetuated the problem. Way to be proud of that.
12. "To walk with confidence" is exactly what this (here comes that phrase again) motivating expression is supposed to inspire. That you took it to mean lie says something. Doesn't it.
13. Again, motivating expression. NOT excuse to do wrong.
14. Motivating expression. (And I seriously hope the floating on milk thing was your own addition to this) Look, as you found out, "loading up other women in CC debt" doesn't work for the long term anyway. So why do you keep insisting that this is the way the "successful" ones do it. "Their end is (as yours was) in disaster".
15. Show me these "statistics". By the way, 20/80 'rule' is just a guide that fits into almost any scenario you can imagine. 20% of the ______ do/consume/spend/etc. 80% of the _______. It has been used to apply to just about anything... and almost always rings true to a certain degree. 20% of the idiots in the world create 80% of the problems for the rest of us. See, now you try it. It will always work. 20% of the words I type on this blog tell 80% of the story. Oh, and I am pretty sure that mk4me expects to make money training consultants. My wife's director does too. MK corporate seems to invest a good deal of money into this as well.
16. *sigh* You can go ahead an "buy" your stupid ribbon if you want. You can stick it to your pile of inventory. The rest of those beaming winners... earned it. Maybe. Thing is, you don't know. But, simply put, yes... MK rewards activity. And, yes, if you want to fake it, you can. But for the love of all that is holy and pure, why would you?
17. Motivating expression. Misused, I am sure. Easy to see through? Should be.
18. I am sure that some people will disagree with me, but this one and the one before it should really not be taken as literally as some people seem to make it. If you are not making enough money to comfortably pay for an event from your profit, you are not making enough money to make it worth your time. Get back to work and earn that trip.
19. The secret to your success was obviously getting out of Mary Kay. Honestly, if these were "secrets" you were looking for and waiting for, you would have been in a long time. What exactly did you think was meant by, "it takes a lot of hard work"? A shovel maybe? Hammer and nails?
20. Motivating expression. And, whoa, did you just zone out at every Mary Kay event/training/etc. and substitute your own ideas for what they were saying? The whole point of this motivating expression is that your attitude is extremely important. I am not sure if you even noticed that the wording implies that you can do everything wrong and still succeed.
21. Motivating expression. (I swear, I feel like a 2nd grade teacher explaining these) This one is meant to encourage you not to quit. Sometimes things get tough. You shouldn't let these things make you quit. You should be strong. This doesn't mean that if you are not making money and you are unhappy that you should keep bashing your head against the wall hoping that the bruise you are giving yourself will turn into sweet ice cream.
22. I can honestly say that I am genuinely impressed at your ability to assume that because you had limited success with Mary Kay that it must be that way for all of Mary Kay. Your blissful unawareness of the most basic of life principles leaves me in awe. Congratulations.

Your arrogance, "You owe us nothing" makes me wonder if you were one of those consultants that suggested to her clients that the 'blessing of your presence' ought to be considered prize enough in exchange for whatever you were asking them to do.

You should probably go back to sleep now. It is a much happier place there, I am sure, than in this big scary world where... oh wait a minute, that must be why "negative" comments like this one aren't allowed on your site. Only Pink Truth can be negative. And only about Mary Kay. And we don't call it "negative". We prefer to call it "The Truth". It has a much nicer ring that way.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Another glimpse at what Pink Truth considers the "truth" about Mary Kay to be

12 comments
Do you have some free time right now? If you do, great, today's "truth", brought to you by the letter *sigh* and our friends at Pink Truth, is a long one. If you don't, then don't even bother checking out A Canadian Mary Kay Defector Decries Mary Kay Practices. Weighing in at just under 4,000 words, this one is jam packed with everything from the obvious, "Mary Kay isn't a match for me so I am quitting" to the bizarre.

To be perfectly honest with you, I just don't have the time to analyze everything she has to say. She makes some good points. But overall, I am left wondering what the point is. Perhaps it is because I am not in her shoes. Perhaps it is because when I don't like something, even if it was a mistake I made to get me "into it", I simply move on. I don't know. If you have the time (I know some of you already have an have been waiting for this post) check it out and share your thoughts.

Here are a few of mine.

"Platinum" (the author of the piece) says:

We were also told at a workshop by a National that if we wanted to become Nationals we would need to build our team in several different areas within a 2 to 8 hour radius depending on the density of the population so I determined to travel to cities within an 8 hour trip one way, and other places that would require lots of travel time to work towards my long term goals.


This is, hands down, one of the greatest examples of putting the cart before the horse that I have ever heard. I once had an idea to borrow money from my credit card (cash advance style) to invest in an interest earning account. (Of course the idea was to borrow at the promotional 0% interest rate and invest in something safe - say 4% money market) But what if the "deal" would be 18% interest on the credit card and 1.5% on the money market? Wouldn't you "abandon ship"? If driving 8 hours - one way!!!! was putting such a strain on things why why why would you keep doing that?! She also mentions elsewhere (and I hear this a lot from the "Mary Kay is evil" crowd) that all the events were a serious drain on potential profit. If that is the case, DON'T GO. Does anyone really believe that when you meet a Mary Kay lady your ability to say "NO" goes out the door?

A little later she continues:

Plus we tend to put the million dollar Directors and Nationals on huge pedestals. This is also before expences. Did you know that if you had a regular job and were earning $50,000 for 20 years, that you would have earned 1 million dollars? You have spent it on rent, vacations, food, clothes, car, gas, etc., etc., but you've earned a million dollars! If MK is viewed as a business and a replacement for a different job, the Nationals would be using their earnings to pay bills and regular family expenses as well as any extras just like any "executive" would have to. Or did you think they just save it all up for a "rainy day"?


First of all, where are the speling (int. mispelled) critics when "one of their own" spells expenses "expences"? Again, not that I care... it is "blogland" and no one checks their spelling or grammar, but it was a point I made in a recent post because of a comment angrily spewed by a PTer towards an MKers "grammer" (if you recall) and I wonder, where is that critic now?

But moving on from the petty, is this a joke? Do any of you really think that earning millions of dollars is so that you can stash it all away, taking it out occasionally to admire its "prettiness"? Money is earned so that it can be used. Spent, wasted, invested, whatever! If you are making $50K a year for 20 years, congrats, you made a million dollars. The way she asks, "Or did you think they just save it all up for a "rainy day"?" makes me think that she thought this. I mean seriously, are there people out there recruiting with lines like, "Once you get into Mary Kay, not only will you be making a ton of money immediately, but you will no longer have any expenses... those bills you are paying now will grow wings and fly away to the place where bills go when they die."???? What is that? Mary Kay puts their top achievers on a pedestal. SO WHAT!!!!

More...

Mary Kay said that "You can achieve anything you want if you want it badly enough and are willing to pay the price." I'm just not willing to pay the price anymore. How about you? Success is always "just around the corner", but for most of us that corner will never come, it's perpetual.


I got news for you... this "problem" is not exclusive to Mary Kay. No matter what you are aspiring to in life; a certain salary, a bank account balance, a new car, a spouse, children, a life of luxury, a life of leisure... there will be a price. What you have to do is figure out what priority each thing holds for you and make your decisions based on that. Don't let the Mary Kay lady tell you what your priorities are. Don't let the (scary) Pink Truth lady tell you what your priorities are. They are Your priorities. You choose them. You stick to them. And if you believe in God, and have any common sense in you, you let Him choose them!

And finally,

Head office might terminate me when they catch wind of this email,

Probably not

and that's okay. It will just prove that my story is correct all the more and that they want to keep us from speaking the truth about what is really going on.

Probably not, and even if she were terminated it would likely not be an attempt to *gasp* hide the truth (duhduhduhhhhh).

It makes their job difficult you know!

Not really, no. If anything, those consultants will finally call the corporate headquarters (like they should have in the first place) and get their questions sorted out. I know Pink Truth doesn't seem to have the ability to grasp this, but a company like Mary Kay wants to know the problems their sales force is having so they can fix those problems. It amazes me the density of some people's thinking.

And they're in it for the $$ and that is on their consciences.


Profound. They are in it for the money?! Get out!!!! You have got to be ******* me.

But wait just a tic. Why did you join?

Anyone here feel like Mary Kay would be a better place if they gave up trying to make money?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Pink Truth: Mary Kay directors are so cheap they treat their assistants decently

3 comments
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. If you are going to make a statement it should either be an opinion/speculation that is clearly presented as such or you should explain what fact/source you used to come to the conclusion that you are presenting.

Pink Truth, as all my readers are well aware, does not hold this same conviction. They operate under a different model altogether. I think it can best be described as, "Say whatever you want, tell everyone that it is the truth, delete and ban anyone that disagrees."

Case in point - Pink Truth copies Mary Kay directors survey.

Pink Truth Premise: Mary Kay directors don't make any money (or at the very least 'barely any' money)
Supporting fact: They pay their assistants anywhere from $8 to $12 per hour.

Now if you, like me, are scratching your head, saying, "Wait a tic, don't they have to be making money in order to pay someone else money?" than you are in luck... Tracy has this genius explanation.

"I guess none of these sound too bad, especially considering that in my area, directors only "paid with product." That's because they really couldn't afford to pay anything at all, with what little they were making as MK directors."


Am I the only one confused?

Accusation - Mary Kay directors can't afford to pay assistants because they don't make enough money.
Proof - Mary Kay directors (in this example that we are providing for proof of our accusation) pay their assistants, in most cases better than most retail/part time jobs.

I just can't get it to add up. Can anyone help me with this?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Pink Truth - Twist things much?

13 comments
Today's post should resurrect a conversation we had here over the weekend. See the comments here to get caught up to speed.

Then you can check out Pink Truth's post Mary Kay Bans Asking Questions?

Now, because we already started this conversation and because I want to invite more people to join in and weigh in, I will keep this brief... I hope.

Basically what Pink Truth (in this case the author is "sadnpink") is suggesting is that Mary Kay attempts to create an atmosphere where questions are not allowed to be asked, concerns are not allowed to be expressed, and anyone who does any of these things is relegated to the minions of "negative-nellies" who should be avoided at all costs.

However, what they often offer as evidence (as is the case here) are typically things that do nothing to prove this accusation.

Consider:

"...I was supposed to look upline to those who had achieved more if I needed advice..."


This seems like REALLY good advice to me. In fact, consider how "sadnpink" herself opens this post.

"Having been trained in the field of communication, I know how crucial it is to keep lines of communication open when working a business. Even in relationships, this is a key ingredient to success."


I am confused. Isn't this keeping the lines of communication open? Isn't this encouraging exactly what she says is being discouraged?

This is crucial here, pay close attention to what I am about to say. If a Mary Kay director is smart, she will WANT to know what the struggles of her downline are. She will WANT to know the problems they are having. Because until the "lines of communication" are flowing and she knows what the problem(s) is(are) she can do nothing to help.

The problem with this usually comes in when the downline discuss amongst themselves, or with clients or with their downline the "problems" because those individuals (clients, downline, each other) may be more willing to commiserate with them rather than help light a fire under them than the people above them are.

In other words, for the sake of illustration, allow me to create a simple problem.... one that "sadnpink" used.

Problem - “No one wants to have a class”.
Solution - (again this is just for illustration, your solution may vary) You haven't called all of the leads that you have to ask people to book a class.

Now, if you - as prescribed by the aforementioned "only talk to your upline for advice" formula - call your director and say, “No one wants to have a class”. She is going to probe a little (hopefully). How many people have you called? Did you talk to them or just leave messages? Do you have leads you have not called? The solution may not be pleasant, but if she is a good director, a good leader, she will probably come up with a clear and concise plan that you will now have to follow through with and do in order to find the someone who does want to have a class.

However, if you - as Pink Truth seems to prefer - log onto an anonymous forum and complain about how no one wants to book a class, or get together a small group from your team to sit around and complain about how no one wants to book a class, or commiserate in whatever way you commiserate... A. she has no idea that you are having trouble booking classes and... B. you are no closer to arriving at the solution than you were before. In fact, if anything (because you probably slammed on how pretentious the director - the one person that can help you - is, and how she thinks she knows it all...) you have probably further cemented your resolve to not do the one thing that you need to do if you want to make your business more successful.

And this is why I think it is so important to establish the difference between a good director and a bad one.

If your director is likely to light a fire under you, challenge you to do the work that you don't want to do, or help you think of ideas that you didn't have, and the only reason you don't want to call her is because you actually don't want to do the hard work that it takes to become successful than you should quit Mary Kay, return your product for whatever money you can get, and be done with it. Mary Kay is obviously not for you.

If however your director is likely to say that “No one wants to have a class” is negative talk and don't bother me with that nonsense - click -, than you have a bad director. If you want to have a solid chance at making a go of Mary Kay, you should either bail on that director completely and sign up in a unit that has a director that will light a fire under you - or - stay with that director "on paper" and find a director that does push and challenge you that you can call when you are feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, frustrated, etc.

Nothing that I have seen thus far indicates that Mary Kay encourages the abysmal "ignore reality and pretend everything is good" that Pink Truth wants everyone to believe that they do. If you read any of the official literature, if you call the 800 numbers, you will not see this doctrine, as Pink Truth claims they preach it, anywhere.

Now again, this is not to say that there are not directors (executive, elite, national or whatever) that do preach these things. And it is certainly not to say that the perception of what is being said can really go way off the course of what someone actually was trying to communicate. Consider how often on this blog I say something, someone says, "how dare you" or the equivalent and we sort it out to realize that I did not mean anywhere near what they thought I meant. Except remove the dialogue part of that, because a lot of times, in places like Pink Truth, there is no dialogue allowed. It is either "rip on what the Mary Kay person said" or be deleted. Similarly, picture the cluster of Mary Kay team members that are talking doom and gloom and how ignorant their director is when someone pipes up, "actually, I thought what she said was right on and very helpful... it sure motivated me!" Who do you think will not be invited to the next "chat" session?

When Mary Kay (I am talking about the "official" Mary Kay that I am quasi-familiar with and the Mary Kay that I have observed in my wife's unit) says, "Don't talk negative and don't associate with people that do", this is what they are talking about. The problem is not that you have a problem. The problem becomes a problem when you declare with certainty that your problem is unresolvable and start declaring that your unresolvable problem is a Truth... a Fact... abut Mary Kay. Now you really do have a problem that can't be resolved. But for someone else, this problem is nothing more than the motivation they need to work through to the next level.

Whew... like I said, this will be a short post!!!!

;)

Monday, November 3, 2008

Pink Truth Can't find anything nice (or mean) to say about Mary Kay

2 comments
I wonder, is it just a "slow news day" at Pink Truth lately?

It's funny, I guess, that - yet again - Tracy has nothing better to do with her "daily" rant against Mary Kay than post a Mary Kay webinar invitation.

Mary Kay shouldn't train it's National Sales Directors??

Her profound opinion...?

"It just feels like Mary Kay Inc. is teaching the national sales directors to take advantage of women."


Hmm, is that what it "feels" like, Tracy? Really?

And you got that from, what, the invitation you copy/pasted? (You are getting really good at that by the way... keep it up!)

I'm bored. Seriously, I have nothing to say about this. I wonder why? Oh yeah, probably because you didn't say anything.

Now would probably be a good time for you to come clean to you merry troop of disciples and let them know that Mary Kay is just a company, just like any other company. It has its good stuff, and its bad. It has its psychotically devoted fans and its enemies. It is not however, a cult, an evil kingdom or some other hideously disguised, insidious beast out to destroy lives.

Which leaves me the perfect opportunity to insert here what I see the role of this site as being.

You see, as with many things, Mary Kay has developed two extreme and polar opposites - in terms of responses to it - neither of which accurately reflect the vast majority.

For an example of this, consider the immigration issue here in the United States. You have some very extreme views that basically suggest that (in the most extreme) anyone who is not white has no right to be here (which also happens to be absurdly ignorant as "white" is certainly not the native color... as Jack White says, "Why don't you kick yourself out, you're an immigrant too...") - and in the other extreme - that there should be no laws preventing anyone that wants to live here from doing so.

The vast majority of Americans do not fall into either of these extreme ways of thinking. Some think our laws are too strict while others think they are too lenient. But most agree that there have to be some laws, and they should not be too overbearing. It is, after all, the land of opportunity.

Now, back to Mary Kay and this website.

There are some Mary Kay "peeps" that have a scary, eerie, devotion to Mary Kay. These, I believe, are extremists. There are also some that HATE Mary Kay with a passion. They paint Mary Kay as pure evil and suggest that the only good "kay-bot" is, well, one that has "seen the light" and escaped the pink bubble... essentially, "they have died to their old ways and have been reborn as a new creation".

My goal with this site is to strike a balance between the extremes.

Are there bad things that happen in Mary Kay? - Absolutely.

Are there good things that happen in Mary Kay? - Absolutely.

Do you need to be careful? - Of course.

Is Mary Kay God's special gift to women and their undeserving husbands? - No.

Is Mary Kay an evil cult of greed and shameless manipulation? - No.

Please. This is really simple. It is just a company. Join at your own risk.

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