HAPPY HALLOWEEEN EVERYONE!!

More Recognition for Mary Kay

Published 10.27.11


Mary Kay is a Top Four Finalist


Finalists for the 2011 International Package Design Awards (IPDA) were announced at the recent HBA Global Expo in New York. A committee of 100 packaging executives, designers, suppliers and media, selected Mary Kay’s Thinking of You® Eau de Parfum as one of the overall Top Four Finalists in the Fragrance Mass category. Other fragrances on this list include:

•1200 degrees by L’BEL

•BUD Budapest by The Scent of Departure

•Flight by Michael Jordan by Five Star Fragrance (Winner)

•Thinking of You® Eau de Parfum by Mary Kay Inc.

The IPDA is the only design award that celebrates the year’s most innovative packaging in all beauty product categories and received more than 200 entries.

Just a little p.s. I love,love love this fragrance too!

Next...

Hopefully I put up some helpful posts today, I hope you enjoy them... and.... Stay tuned the next question I will try and answer will be:

from one of our readers and it is:

momof8 said...
I am so glad I found this blog site. Would you please tell me exactly what to expect if I decide to sell MK? I know the cost of the starter kit. What else is there? Do I get a set of make-up for me--if I'm to be wearing it from "head to toe?" Is the name tag included? and the decal? These sound like relatively inexpensive details, but I can't afford anything unnecessary to begin. I've been out of the country for many years and we're needing income. What exactly can I expect at the beginning?

Another Question from Another Reader

Question: Hi I'm a 21 year old college student looking to begin Mary Kay. Its a big decision for me. For those of you that started with just a starter kit how successful were you? Any advice. Thanks

I started Mary Kay with my starter kit and no desire but to get my products at a discount. My first order was $180 w/s (that was the minimum back then - we only received $300 - it was a 40% discount on that size order) and most of the order was for myself. I built my inventory as I built my customer base. Now I have a huge inventory to accomodate my over 500+ clients, and it is paid for. I wasn't fast but I was consistant and steady and have been fulltime since 1994, prior to Mary Kay I was a Corporate Accountant working way too many hours salaried. I am much happier in Mary Kay and enjoy the flexibilty of not having to punch a clock Monday thru Friday. One note of caution, take great care of your clients and they will remain your clients for a very long time!

Please let us know how you make out!

Happy 4th Anniversary to Balanced!!

Thank you to our admin for having this site available as a fair and neutral place for individuals to get the information that will help them! It is hard to believe it has been 4 years already. I am still loving my business & my unit and still making a great income!!

Great Question from One of Our Readers!

Question: My question to you is..... can you do this business without knowing anyone and are willing to market yourself, your product, and the company?

My answer to you is "yes". Will it be easy? Probably not, is it do-able - absolutely. When I started my business I was new to the area, I knew only a handful of people and none of them were "make up" type people. My business was started and built on people I met while marketing myself as a Ind. Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. Seriously, I think it is easier simply because family and friends don't give you the respect that a stranger would that meets you in your capacity as a "consultant".

How did I meet people? I put out facial boxes, wore my mk pin, put my business cards out in places they were permitted, and did craft fairs, health fairs, bridal fairs, and business expo's. Some of these events can be pricey but during the holiday season I was able to find very affordable craft fairs. I did ask my new clients for referrals and many of them did introduce me to other interested potential clients.

Being on the "shy" side myself, I enjoy having a display at an event, because the people that approach you are at least partially interested because if they weren't they wouldn't stop - I also always have a drawing for a small gift certificate with a makeover but if a person is not interested, they don't register.

If one has the confidence "warm chatting" is another way to meet people. Now, I don't ever go out to "warm chat" but because I am confident in what I do and it is part of who I am, I have found that often when striking up a conversation (ie: waiting in line at a cash register, etc...) the conversation may present an opportunity to present what I do and very often it results in the person requesting more information.

It sounds as if great and honest information has been shared with you and that you will have a great support system. With the awesome promotion going on in October, seriously, if you enjoy Mary Kay products, even if you get the kit and give it a shot, it is a win/win situation. If you were to purchase just items you would use from your consultant, cleanser, moisturizer, day/night solution, oilfree eye makeup, mascara, foundation/brush - the total would be over $150. So get the starter kit, look things over and sell approx. $230 worth of products, you can place your first order, deliver the products that were purchased and still have almost $200 worth of products for your inventory. If you just can't get enough orders, well you just don't continue. Seriously, anyone has a year from purchasing their starter kit to put in a product order without having to rejoin the Company.

So, imho, go for it!! And.. let us know how you make out! We are here to provide any answers we can.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained as the old saying goes.

In closing, I would like to add, that if nothing else use what you have read in the negative websites as an example of what NOT to do. I try to at least scan the posts daily and may I say if I ever conducted myself and ran my business as some of those individuals did, I would not be in business today.

October Promotion

If you have ever considered becoming a consultant, now is an awesome time to try it out! What do you have to loose. Even if you decide it isn't for you, the products you receive in the starter kit would cost more than $75 to buy! Below is the October promotion Mary Kay is running - so basically you will loose nothing if you decide you don't want to continue once you have given it a shot!!

Directly from Mary Kay Intouch:

“Refer-a-Friend” Team-Building Promotion
Oct. 1 - 31, 2011
Some great things get even better when shared with friends! Receive $25 for each new qualified** team member you add during the “Refer-a-Friend” Team-Building Promotion! And, your potential new team members can start a Mary Kay business for only $75!* Plus, they can receive up to $150 credit on their initial wholesale Section 1 order!

Here’s how it works:
•Independent Beauty Consultants whose Independent Beauty Consultant Agreements are received and accepted by the Company from Oct. 1 - 31, pay only $75* for their Starter Kit and can receive one of the following:

◦A $50 credit on her initial wholesale Section 1 order of $400 – $599
◦A $75 credit on her initial wholesale Section 1 order of $600 – $1,799
◦A $150 credit on her initial wholesale Section 1 order of $1,800 or more

To receive one of the credits above, the initial order must be placed in the agreement month (Oct. 2011) or the following month (Nov. 2011). Orders cannot be cumulative nor will credits apply to any subsequent orders.

•You can receive $25 for each new qualified** team member, whose Independent Beauty Consultant Agreement is received and accepted by the Company from Oct. 1 – 31, and whose initial wholesale Section 1 order of $600 or more is received and accepted by Nov. 30, 2011.

Of course, this fantastic promotion is not limited to the friends you already know – it’s a great offer to use while meeting new ones!

*Plus shipping, handling and tax.
** A qualified new team member is one whose Independent Beauty Consultant Agreement is received and accepted by the Company from Oct. 1 – 31, 2011, and whose initial wholesale Section 1 order of $600 or more is received and accepted by the Company by Nov. 30, 2011.

I will be back!!

Sorry I have been mia.... alot of life going on around here but I promise... I will get to the last couple of questions and hopefully by the end of the weekend! Hang tough and don't give up on me. Family, friends, and business still doing great... just alot of stuff and I am happy that I can be flexible to be able to help in so many ways and the flexibility I have is thanks Mary Kay and building a strong client base and unit over the years.

Reader Question - Can I work Mary Kay if I don't know anyone?

This letter came in from a reader a few days ago.

I found your blog The Truth about Mary Kay and have been reading it as I am considering getting into the business. Pink Truth and The PinkLighthouse have completely scared me and I am considering not signing my agreement. I know a lot about the company. My grandmother went to church with Mary Kay Ash and actually went with her door to door when she first started. Mary Kay Ash was a wonderful woman who paved the way for a lot of women and it saddens me that Pink Truth and The PinkLighthouse are so against the company. The company can't help what directors do. They can't "patrol" them making sure they are playing by the rules. To me it reminds me of playing the telephone game when I was a kid. You whispered something to one kid and as it went down the line of children it was changed and by the time the last child said what it was, that "something" never even came close to what was first said. Same thing. Information is construed differently from person to person. Unfortunately that is what happens and people will take advantage of it for their gain.  

I am being actively recruited by a woman out of state on my Facebook page. We became friends playing games and she has helped me out tremendously with homeschool materials for my children. She is like the mother I never had. She has been completely up front and honest and has told me both the pros and cons about the business. She even said do not buy inventory until you have earned it. She told me of all the extra fees (propay, website, samples, business materials etc). She even sent me parts of the consultant rules about marketing and online marketing. This woman is so wonderful and her upline is the same way.....never have I been steered in the wrong direction by either of these women and I love them for it. They even have sent me their tax statements to show they have made money and consistently. I guess they have seen Pink Truth too. I have a very positive experience with them and no misgivings about what they have told me.  

However the thing that scares me is that I live in a new area and don't know anyone. It just so happens I live in Texas where Mary Kay Cosmetics was born. There are consultants around every corner. That scares me. I would be starting this business out like if I had opened up an unknown business at my local shopping center. Its scary to me because all I hear on Pink Truth and The Pink Lighthouse is you can't do this business without knowing a lot of people and having a lot of family. After you have exhausted that you are out of business. Wow makes me feel I am out of business before I get started. I have lots of marketing ideas that my recruiter is amazed about. She has been selling Mary Kay for 4 years now and hasn't thought of them and actually said if I joined her team she would like for me to do a presentation on my marketing ideas. Kind of surprised me but I am glad I can contribute some new and fresh ideas. By they way my recruiter is working her business slowly, the way I want to, and only has 6 active recruits in 4 years.  

My question to you is..... can you do this business without knowing anyone and are willing to market yourself, your product, and the company? That is what is keeping me from signing that contract. Wish I had never found Pink Truth and The PinkLighthouse because I probably would have already been making money :)  

Thanks for you time and thanks for your blog. I love your viewpoint and its nice to see pro-mk people out there.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Balanced Mary Kay - 4 years of talking about Mary Kay

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to take a quick minute to point out that we have now been here for 4 years!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to mk4me for keeping this blog going and for adding relevant content!!  Thank you so much!

I have noticed lately that the conversation has dwindled to almost nonexistent.  I know that many of you are still checking in every day... we have the page views and visitors to prove that.  And I know that we are attracting new visitors daily as well.

I know we are all happy to have this resource available to people that are in Mary Kay and those that are considering Mary Kay (Whether buying it or selling it) for the first time.

But what would make this site better?  What can we add that would make this site more valuable for you?  What would make you more likely to voice your thoughts and opinions.

I just received an email from someone that is considering joining Mary Kay and is wondering about her particular situation.  I am sure that insights from the whole community here would be greatly beneficial to people in similar situations.  Should we have a "reader's questions" section?  Should we post more product reviews?  Would it benefit anyone if we had a regular "success story" posted?  Or would that be too much like a "rah-rah-go-recruit-people" meeting?

Also, it has been a while since we have really heard any opinions against Mary Kay or joining Mary Kay.  Would it be beneficial if I "switched sides" and played the devil's advocate against Mary Kay for a while?

I know these are a lot of questions.  Please let me know that all these visitors to this site are not just random bots scouring the internet for email addresses by letting me know what you think would make this site better (or worse) or if you like it exactly the way it is and don't want to see anything change.

Thanks so much