We have all seen that www.marykayintouch.com truely has everything any ibc would ever want to know about their Mary Kay opportunity. It may take quite awhile to read everything available but the search feature is also available. So where am I going with this? I have read over and over again that some poor individual is praising pt because they helped her get back some money from the nasty old MK Company. hmmmmm
1st suggestion - if they perhaps had read intouch while they were in MK with the same zeal they read pt now that they are out of the MK busines, they may have still been in Mk and making money.
My point - pt didn't help them get anything that mk wasn't ready and willing to give them. I just conducted a test and in less than 2 minutes with the search feature I found three different pieces all with info on how to do a repurchase of product and even what to do if you change your mind and don't want your starter kit. I copied/pasted two below and the third one is under Legal Ease, it is a pdf type document so I can not copy that but I did add parts of the other two below.
So exactly what did pt do for them? The 90% buyback existed before pt, and had been appropriately used and was never hidden - all an individual had to do was read - how do/did they find out about it on pt? - they read... what a novel idea.
For those that publically post, "oh, thank you for opening my eyes, I never knew this, I never knew that... " - it doesn't surprise me that they weren't successful with their mk opportunity - MK might not be hard but one must put forth some effort, the product may be great but it doesn't sell itself without having someone demonstrate it first.
Here is what is easily available on www.marykayintouch.com
To accept Consultant's cancellation of this Agreement within thirty (30) days after acceptance of the Agreement by Company, and upon return of Consultant's original and unused Starter Kit to Company, to refund to Consultant the Consultant's cost of the Starter Kit; or if Agreement is terminated and Consultant's original and unused Starter Kit is returned to Company after the cancellation period and within one (1) year of purchase, to repurchase such Starter Kit at ninety percent (90%) of Consultant's original net cost.
To repurchase, upon termination of this Agreement, at ninety percent (90%) of Consultant's original net cost, original and unused Section 1 products, provided such items were purchased by Consultant from Company within one (1) year prior to return.
Starter Kit and Section 1 products must be shipped freight prepaid, accompanied by a "Request for Repurchase" form to the Mary Kay Repurchase Department in Dallas. Consultant agrees that Company's cost of any prizes or product bonuses awarded to Consultant because of the original purchase and any indebtedness Consultant owes Company will be deducted from the repurchase amount. Consultants who return merchandise to Company are not eligible to rejoin Mary Kay as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. Consultant agrees that Section 2 items are not intended to be purchased from Company for resale and are not subject to the repurchase provisions.
and
If you choose to purchase inventory, you can always rest assured that there will be a multitude of Company-published materials available to you that contain excellent sales tips aimed at helping you successfully sell your products. You also have the opportunity to ask other successful independent sales force members, such as your Independent Sales Director, for tips and advice on selling Mary Kay® products. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh viewpoint to help you generate effective strategies for growing your business.
Finally, if you change your mind or decide that a Mary Kay business is not for you, you can take comfort in knowing that the Company will repurchase, at 90 percent of your original net cost, original and unused Section 1 products, provided such items were purchased by you from the Company within one year prior to return.
So what did pt do for them that intouch didn't? (Little side note, the employees that take the call when a consultant does call to find out what they need to do are very accommodating, helpful, and friendly, they do not give the requester alot of grief -
A great suggestion if you are in Mary Kay, make sure you keep yourself informed and in the know... READ www.marykayintouch.com often, read your Appaulse magazines, read your consultant and product guides that come in your starter kit, and watch the skin care class dvd. Be responsible for educating yourself - your "success" may depend on it.
Posts
I am the type of person that looks and reads everything. When my friend first told me about Mary Kay...BEFORE I signed any agreement I did my research. I wanted to know the good and the bad. I made an informed decision of my own and decided I would give it a try.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the people on PT..."seem" to have gone in blindly. Not doing the research before they signed the dotted line.
That to me, is just silly. Then to complain that they were not told this or that etc... Well maybe if they had just done a little bit of research they could of found out a lot like I did!
I was always aware from the beginning of the return of the starter kit and inventory options. When I did sign the dotted line I was immediatly on Intouch reading...when I got my starter kit I read and watched everything in it!
It's so annoying to hear the complaints because of "not knowing" but like you said...all the information is out there to be had with just the click of a mouse!
I think its a matter of being just to lazy and just wanting to blame other people for your failure.
Believe it or not Kimberly and dont get me wrong I agree with everything you have said I know a girl who was a team leader 15 yrs ago and she is a top director now and I have witnessed with my own eyes someone at a guest event pushing the agreement in front of a "prospective recruit" and getting them to sign Johnny on the spot which I think is WRONG. When you are a top director and have people wanting what you have there is a tendency to have that power if you will abused. This woman has a pink caddie surely SHE wouldnt lie to me. There are also some out there who only start at the 600 level when it comes to inventory and dont tell the prospective recruit about coming in with 200.00 order. I can see how some people can be duped and as PRO MK as I am it happens more often than not but ONLY in bad areas! It doesnt happen in ethical areas because they were not trained to be that way. I know of no other way. I even saw someone post (and it makes sense) that she would go to the grocery store and look when a woman would pay for her groceries to see if she had credit cards and she knew that was a possible recruit! I never would have thought of something like that and Im assuming she may have been taught to do this. Dont get me wrong I think that what you have said is absolutely correct but because of a few bad apples and the fact that some directors will say and do anything to keep their cars it does happen that people dont know certain things. However in reference to what you said after they sign up it is their responsibility to read intouch and their sales guides MK hides nothing when it comes to the rules.
ReplyDeleteIt was not trained that way in my area, but those ways of looking at women were encouraged.
DeleteAnd my NSD was all about on the spot recruiting. All About It. Afterall, Nothing Is Impossible. Ha.
The MK explanation has a lot of boilerplate. Some people easily read right through that; others get lost. PT puts it in easier language, sort of like this: "You can return product that you purchased in the last 12 months. It's a rolling year. You are not ineligible to do returns after your first year in MK; you just can't return stuff you've had for more than a year." Therefore, PT gets credit for making the returns policy known because they state it simply.
ReplyDeleteI agree...I guarantee there are pushy directors and whatnot. What confuses me is the lack of common sense.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense will tell you...hey someone is shoving an agreement in my face to "sign right NOW". I would have been completely put off by that. Had my friend been pushy. I would have NEVER signed anything.
Maybe a lot of the young women getting into it through pushy tactics are just that...young and naive. Very impressionable (sp?). Yet...once impressed I would still think they would atleast "read the fine print" and do the research.
Maybe there is a reason so many people tell me I should of been an attorney! hahahhahaha I sign nothing before doing my homework and questioning everything! hahahha
Kimberly I hate to tell you this but I was (or used to be)the kind of person who would sign something and not read it...LOL Although I was not recruited that way I read everything only because I read everything MK. You are right a lot of this is "common sense" and most of these antics happen at a guest event not when someone is doing an interview or when a wife or husband is there. People get caught up in a "hype" environment.
ReplyDeleteI bet MK4ME doesnt do most of her recruiting at guest events..If Im wrong she will correct me. I bet she sits down and tells them everything. That is one reason why Mary Kay said to recruit someone who has SEEN you do a skin care class so they KNOW what to expect.
Colleen...I wasn't trying to offend. Like I said "I am the type of person" that makes sure I read things before I sign them. I know not everyone does...although, everyone "should".
ReplyDeleteRight on Colleen, I don't want someone to join because there is a ton of excitement and give aways, I want someone to join who wants to try MK and has a clue what they are getting into - your best team members will almost always come from your skin care classes. (Have we heard that before?)
ReplyDeleteI also want someone that actually loves the product - even if (and I have) had a prospect ready to sign the agreement but hasn't used the product, I won't let her sign the agreement until we have facialed her and made sure she liked the products. I am sure it could be done but I think it would be much harder to sell something you don't truely believe in.
For those that actually think about returning the starter kit, if they enjoy the products, I don't know why they would. You can have your agreement cancelled without returning the kit and if you think about it. The 3/1 cleanser, moisturizer, one foundation, oil free eyemakeup remover, mascara, and day/night solution comes to $143 - (all of which are in the starter kit). We get the starter kit for $100 - and if you don't want the other foundations etc.. you can always donate them to a woman's shelter and do something good for someone less fortunate and still save money. :)
I am going away for a long weekend so enjoy the weekend ladies!
Another thought, I love watching those silly court shows on tv... every single judge has always told anyway that has a dispute over a contract - well you should have READ it before you signed it! Case dismissed
ReplyDeleteKimberly I knew you were not offending anyone I just wanted you to know that Im not like a lot of people on the net. I can tell when someone is being offensive and again thanks for caring.
ReplyDeleteI love how we at this blog can have such a great discussion back and forth.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to chime in. :) Colleen, are you saying you think it's wrong to recruit at guest events or just that some tactics used at guest events are wrong? My director built her unit on guest events. She invites potential hostesses to meetings and offers them something for bringing friends. I have used this, too. It increased my sales. Now, at our events, recruiting is not shoved down anyone's throat. Guests always get to try the product and always receive company information. The decision is theirs.
ReplyDeleteI signed up at a guest event. No one had even asked me to sign up as I've said many times. The atmosphere of the meeting made me want to sign up more. I've had team members come to events or listen to info calls and decide to sign on the spot with no pressure at all. Most said to me afterward, I'd like to get that kit! Or I'd like to sign up and try it, too! I'm usually shocked. :P
On another note, there are some things that are common sense, but there are others where if the info isn't presented up front, the recruit doesn't know to question it. One of my current team members was a consultant before. When she decided to give this another try she said to me she didin't know how she was going to get $600 together for her first order. I reminded her that she only needed to order $200 to become active. She had no idea. Her previous director led her to believe that $600 was the minimum to start. Unbelievable! Of course, it was at the end of a quarter. :-/
Kimberly, I'm like you, I read everything. I'll admit, when I decided to sign up for Mary Kay, I signed up going in rather blindly. I just new I loved the product; didn't wanna pay full price; and could see myself selling it in good conscience because I liked my personal results. :) So, I signed and read later, but I read InTouch in my spare time or during down time at work. I read Mary Kay's autobiography. And after I read that book, I was more sold than before because I felt like I really understood the philosophy of Mary Kay Ash. As I was reading her book, Miracles Happen, I really felt like it was not only her story, but a training manual, so to speak, for her company. She lays out in that book exactly what she was thinking when she started the company, what she expects of the sales force, even the "dress code". After I read the autobiography, I felt more connected to the business as a whole. Something just clicked I guess.
Oh Shades I would hate for you to think Im against guest events I meant the tactics. I have NO problem with someone signing up at a guest event even an agreement. I meant when someone ask them to whip out that 100.00 check Johnny on the spot! I think you have an honest director I can tell so do I
ReplyDeletebut there are some areas that grow quickly and crash and burn! Im glad that this other girl found out about the 200.00!!! I have to tell you there was one time (and you wont believe this) that someone was complaining on a board that the director didnt tell her about the 2400.00 package! She said that if the director told her about this or the 3600 she would have gotten more inventory, the director probably didnt want to scare the woman away. Damned if you do damned if you dont.
That's what I thought, Colleen. ;) Yes, you just can't make everyone happy! :P My director does a new consultant orientation and she goes over the Read Set Sell brochure. That has all the info and it's a little overwhelming. Whenever I have a new team member I just let them know we share all the options, but they can start with nothing if they choose and $200 is all that is required to become active. That usually works and then some order $200 while others order $2400. You just don't know. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and my blog is down for some reason. Just switched servers so maybe that is an issue. My brother is my designer and he's going to check it out when he gets out of work tonight. Hopefully it will be back up and running soon! :(
ReplyDeleteHey Shades I just wanted to let you know I went to your blog the other day and it was down I will try later on tonight.
ReplyDeleteMy blog is back, Colleen. Thanks. :) There was a technical error made when switching servers and the old server was updated while the new server was not. It has been fixed, but some of the more recent posts were lost. We were able to retrieve all the posts from Google Reader and cache, but sadly, the comments are lost for good. :( I feel awful about the comments, but I am relieved that the posts could be retrieved. I was scrambling to get them back up last night. Now it is fine.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteReposted from LuckyLawGirl:
ReplyDeleteHasn't anyone ever heard the phrase "buyer beware?" I am a former director and although things did not work out for me, I harbor no ill will towards the MK company. I went pretty fast into becoming a director, but then didn't really have the sales or active team members to support my unit. I did not, however, get myself into massive debt trying to hold onto my unit or to buy my unit in the first place. I just can't believe what I have been reading over on PT!! I don't see how people can make their own choices to buy inventory they don't need, etc, and then blame it on the company or their director. Nobody can force anyone to do anything they do not want to do!! As far as the buyback policy, it is clearly stated on the intouch website and on the IBC agreement! it just makes me shake my head that people are so easy to blame others for their decisions.
June 28, 2009 2:22 PM