tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post5513315561334494805..comments2023-10-14T05:42:23.964-07:00Comments on The Truth About Mary Kay: Mary Kay eventsJon Bironhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398467008484819674noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-41066347433443584472007-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:002007-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:00Thanks everyone for commenting... some good though...Thanks everyone for commenting... some good thoughts here.<BR/><BR/>Judi,<BR/><BR/>First, I agree with shades that sales sheets (or any system shy of barcodes and registers that track inventory and sales) are not going to solve the problem.<BR/><BR/>If people are intent on buying prizes, which we ALL agree (including PT) is a VERY bad financial deal, they are going to figure out a way to do it. When you hand people the opportunity to run their business any way they want, there will always be people that try to take the easy way to the top. (or in this case the prizes) The easy way usually doesn't work. That is why (I think) we see the ones complaining are the ones that tried to do it the "shortcut way". Whether or not they were instructed to do it that way is another story. I believe that some are. If I recall your story correctly, this was actually taught to you.<BR/><BR/>If you put on "the shoes" of the company for a second and consider your options for measuring sales, I suspect you would come to the same conclusion they have. What is the most accurate way to track sales without forcing our consultants to buy expensive equipment and subjecting them to reporting every detail of their sales, discounts, etc?<BR/><BR/>If you were in that decision making situation, what would you decide?<BR/><BR/>From a cost effective standpoint and to provide convenience of use for consultants, I would do exactly what they do. Can you suggest a better way?<BR/><BR/>Second, I have discussed elsewhere the free training. But since you brought it up here, I will reiterate. <BR/><BR/>The free training is:<BR/><BR/>A. Demonstrating how to use the product and how to demonstrate it to others. You are usually trained by observing. Your director/recruiter *should have* taken you to a class/party/facial and/or warm chattering.<BR/><BR/>B. Phone calls. Mentoring calls, question answer calls, and the like are there to help you learn to do what you do better.<BR/><BR/>C. Conference call. Once a week my wife's director has a conference call for all the consultants in her unit. I think this is common practice... Anyone else?<BR/><BR/>D. Meetings. This is the first one (so far) that sometimes costs money. The one my wife goes to is free (her director has a location that doesn't charge to use the room) I have heard that you can usually find one in your area that doesn't charge. Anyone else?<BR/><BR/>Even if there is nothing nearby that is free, this is now a different level of training and investing in your business. You have already been taught how to present and sell the product. (picture the 'training' you got if you have ever worked retail)<BR/><BR/>That basic training is ongoing. Again, we face the dichotomy of 'the good directors' and 'the bad directors'. A good director (provided you are pursuing your business) will continue to spend considerable time helping you get to the next level.<BR/><BR/>Consider though, someone that is only placing $200 every quarter. What training does that person need? <BR/><BR/>The training IS FREE. The extras that are extremely valuable (if you want to keep getting to the next level) are going to cost extra. Have you ever looked at how much it costs to attend training sessions in "the real world"? A successful speaker does not come cheap.<BR/><BR/>Shades,<BR/><BR/>I liked your point about fund raisers! I remember when rice crispies (yes, the cereal) was having a special promotion. Buy three boxes and you get a teddy bear. My mom wanted to get that teddy bear for us (my sister, brother and me). As you know, one bear does not share well. So we had to "win" three bears. She bought 9 (NINE) boxes of rice crispies!!!!<BR/><BR/>We got our bears, but we were tired of them LOOOOOOOONG before we ate through those NINE boxes of RC!!!! And my parents NEVER throw food away. We had to eat ALL nine boxes before we could get any other brand of cereal!!<BR/><BR/>Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>I think your observation goes a long way to summing up the problem here. Current MK'ers have inherited a culture of corruption. It is there and it does take work to avoid falling into it.<BR/><BR/>Thanks everyone, you make this site what it is!Jon Bironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06398467008484819674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-8594039928341990622007-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:002007-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:00Again, I will say that I think those on pt protest...Again, I will say that I think those on pt protest to much. It is really sad that they don't have a life and that they have to put fear into others to make themselves feel good. <BR/><BR/>I think a retreat would be fun. Being in South Texas there aren't many around here. Well, I would like to go to one. I went to seminar this year and I enjoyed it. I will probably go back to the next one. I went to career conference and it was in San Antonio and I enjoyed it also. With that being said. I think that it is great if you can go and if not that is OK too. We all have to realize what we can and can not afford to do. Again it is our business and we are independent and can run it the way that we see fit.<BR/><BR/>Have a great evening<BR/>BrenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-68524026187275738542007-11-30T13:58:00.000-08:002007-11-30T13:58:00.000-08:00Oh, Anonymous! I love that you mentioned Mary Kay'...Oh, Anonymous! I love that you mentioned Mary Kay's autobiography! I reference that book like a textbook. It not only tells of Mary Kay's life, it outlines just how she wants the business model to work. Excellent point!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-59001277234629051512007-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:002007-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:00It's possible that so many in the business have be...It's possible that so many in the business have become too focused on getting the offered prizes, tickets, etc that they do "whatever it takes" to get them rather than working their businesses the way Mary Kay Ash had intended (selling and recruiting) and reaching their goals, thus EARNING the prize, ticket etc. In reading the debate in the blogs, I feel, as a new consultant, that I have inhereted some sort of MK "culture of corruption." It's a little disheartening. <BR/><BR/>I agree with shadesofpink, the goodies MK offer us to reach our goals are merely incentives. Let's not get caught up in earning the prize for the sake of the prize. Let's earn it by working our businesses. <BR/><BR/>To everyone in the debate, reread Mary Kay Ash's autobiography or read it if you haven't already (it is so very inspiring.) Incentives motivated her to work her business. And that's what she has given to us for our businesses.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-7547376284681972142007-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:002007-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:00If people order wholesale to buy tickets to an eve...If people order wholesale to buy tickets to an event when they have sold less than the order reflects, whose to say they won't fudge sales sheets? I can fill out a sales slip right now and show a $300 order. Doesn't mean anyone paid me. Mandating a sales slip would not change the fact that there are people out there who would be dishonest. It's equally tempting--and easy--to forge a sales slip as it is to place a wholesale order. Then the company would have to go to great lengths to prove money was exchanged and if cash was involved, that's near impossible.<BR/><BR/>For the record, I've never heard of Chicagorama. Has anyone else? Our area directors are hosting a retreat in January, but it's completely local and no wholesale/retail requirement to go. We just have to pay for the room. Honstly, if I don't have the money, I won't go. I like the retreats. They are always fun for me--I like them better than corporate events at times. However, if I don't justify the cost with sales activity, I don't deserve to be there. Self discipline. Self responsibility.<BR/><BR/>I have a feeling MK awards sales based on wholesale because they expect the sales force members to use sense and place orders that reflect the actual activity. They have even made changes to becoming A1 by allowing cumulative online wholesale orders to add up to $200 in a month. The incentives--free bonus products, star prizes, etc.--are designed to help setting goals. When I first signed up for MK, my friend's father said he knew a woman who bankrupted herself in MK. I said, (at my wise old age of 27 and a few days) "I can see how that would happen if she kept ordering products to get prizes and not making the sales to justify, but we're not supposed to do that." He didn't really have anything to say to that. <BR/><BR/>When I joined MK and saw the prize incentives, to me, it was no different than selling candy bars for grade school fund raisers. You know the ones: Sell 200 boxes of candy bars and you get a Sony Walkman. You could stockpile a supply of candy bars at home and get the prize, but have you really earned it? It's really a matter of individual integrity. That's my honest opinion.<BR/>The bottom line is this: It's dishonest to order more wholesale than actually sold. By placing the wholesale order, you're saying to your director, your NSD, you recruiter, and MKC, "hey, I sold double the amount I'm ordering!" If you didn't sell it, it's dishonest. It's no different from faking a sales slip.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1716666792083573252.post-67625170848076786412007-11-30T03:30:00.000-08:002007-11-30T03:30:00.000-08:00I don't agree, David. If MK is awarding sales, th...I don't agree, David. If MK is awarding sales, then they should award sales. If someone is really working their business then they will not mind showing their receipts to prove it. Aren't those sales sheets on In Touch. You should have to fill them out to be able to go to these events. That way there is no doubt. No one could ever come back and say they bought their way up. This has been a complaint for so many years that MK should do something about it just to shut people up. I've been to some of these events. The price you have to pay for "free" training is ridiculous.Johnnie Cadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357805552145909446noreply@blogger.com