Then, I noticed a ton of women who were not wise enough to protect their interest by getting out within the 12 months you are alloted. There are tons and tons of women with huge inventories in their basements collecting dust. There are so many incentives that require buying more products. Many women have maxed out their credit cards purchasing unneeded inventory to acquire another prize level or sales director status.
The thing is, Mary Kay boasts that they are the number one best-selling cosmetic on the market. This comes from sales numbers; guess who is buying the products, the dealers, not the public. I wish someone would expose this as it is horrible what is going on.
The products are excellent, but their marketing plan stinks for the majority of women biting into it. I was lucky enough to sell down my inventory and now I sell only to a select group of women. There are so many women that did not see what was going on until it was too late for them to return their $3000+ inventory.
I am sorry that you didn't make a very wise decision on inventory. Obviously, you didn't really carefully go over your options and write a business plan as to how you would run your business. Like I have mentioned to others on this page, if you started a business with no inventory it would NEVER make it. You wouldn't open a dress shop or gift store with no inventory would you? Women who are saying they are suckered into buying inventory obviously aren't researching and coming up with an actual business plan. If they didn't know in a whole year of being in Mary Kay that they could get out, they weren't working their business. They obviously read no company literature, never looked on the website, and never went to a success event. That is their own fault, because as we all know, you show up to go up!
My comments to this edit above......"you show up to go up??????"....I heard that so many times I could die. The meetings get boring after awhile....all you do is hear "I stories" from women who got there by other ways than working their business,,..they are not all up front with you about how they attained their "goals"...... The blame game about not working the business is ridiculous. To Brandie.....how much do you actually make a year in your lovely Mary Kay business after expenses?????? And, who tells the women to 'write a business plan' when they recruit someone.......the recruiters are hot after someone new to purchase inventory because they NEED THEM TO DO SO TO MAINTAIN a level or car or qualify for something. Rarely is it in the 'best interest of the recruit'.......AND, as we've been told, get these women to events to 'benefit ourselves'.....that too is a huge joke. So Brandie, please don't generalize about why people leave this business........'working a Mary Kay business' is totally dependent on what others do and we only have so much control over that before we start harming relationships.
Another opinion----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joining MK can be fun, and you have the opportunity to make new friends. Just go into MK with your eyes wide open--the director's job is to influence consultants into buying lots of inventory meaning that all consultants are strongly encouraged or manipulated by their director, whichever way you look at it, into being "star" consultants with over $3,000 in w/s inventory at all times. That is a lot of make-up and skin care items on your shelf. After your family and friends have bought from you, then in order to sell products you have to "cold call" or "warm chatter" strangers, who will looks at you like you're nuts trying to sell MK at the grocery or Wal-mart. No one likes a sales pitch. The products do not sell themselves. If you doubt this, look at all the unsold MK products listed on ebay. Sorry to be so harsh but this is reality. All activities at success meetings are geared toward this one goal: making monthly production for your director. There is nothing wrong with that, but just be forwarned; what looks like friendship can be a way to manipulate money out of you. If you join start with a very small inventory, or better yet, take orders and only buy products to fulfilled paid orders. Go into it with the goal of having fun with minimal financial investment. And if you are one of the lucky ones who can sell lots of product you can always order more.
- 05 Mar 2004
Thanks for pointing out that the original statement got deleted. I've reinserted it.
EliMantel - 05 Mar 2004
Somebody came up with a comment as this earlier in this thread. I have heard similar statements in other MLM companies, without them being supported with material that proves statements like that true. THE FACT is that Mary Kays business plan is not thaught in Harvard (if you doubt this please contact the dean of the school) and other fact is that not 70% of women earning over 100K are from MK. Also, somebody said earlier that NO 1 FAILURE in small business is UNDERINVESTMENT...THIS is a first time a heard this LIE. Please show us the material (links are fine) where a study conducted shows that underinvestment is the no 1 reason for faileure. WOMEN! Be more crical.CRITICAL thinking. PLEASE. Do not just accept these LIES as a mere fact, because they are not facts.Just lies heard from upslime and repeated by trusting (most) women. .....Oh Dear.
*** OK, wow I am really, really shocked at the statements made by some of the "ladies" on this site. I just had to add my input! So here I go: A) Obviously many, many of these "ladies" when opening their Mary Kay business, had NEVER been in sales before. (and no I am not talking about working the cash register at Wal Mart). Sales is not for everyone!! However horrible it seems to you it is something that is done to you every day!!!! Be it at a Real Estate office, a clothing store or online. And it is not a bad thing to sell someone. (Allthough Mary Kay products DO sell themselves a SALESPERSON is required as with any product on the market) B) When you began your MK journey did you think that you could just sit around and your bank account would increase itself? NO! When you sign up you are opening your own business! It's like opening a Century 21 franchise. But since the starting cost is only $100 these people don't take it seriously. Well, if you do you can succeed. It's not a job it's a business!! The American dream. There is no such thing as get rich quick, or else these MK sales reps would all be retired and living in Maui! Anyone that would open their own business and expect not to put in the effort (and if thats not working put in more effort) should not be considered legaly capapble to make any money spending decisions as they obviously are not fit for it. C) OF COURSE you need an inventory. When I buy something I personally don't want to wait for it! I paid so I want it now. If you don't have what I want now then I'll go to the Dillards make up counter right now and get myself a similar product and be able to use it tonight. Somewhere in here a person argued that with online shopping one has to wait as well. Well online shopping is great but mostly used for gift giving but when someone is shopping for makeup, lotion, soap etc. they don't go online, they ran out of soap ladies they are not gonna wait to wash until you have placed their product order. Do you? HELLO! They go to the store or call their MK consultant (if she has an inventory). D) In Mary Kay I have found a family, they are wondrful ladies that truely live by Do unto others as you want done unto you. And since becoming a MK consultant I am finally able to put God first, Family second and Career third. It IS encouraged!
So I'll end this by saying if you understand what I have written above and agree, then MK may be for you. If you don't, please don't begin a MK business because you will fail at it and then you will unfairly put an entry in this website dragging the empire that one inspiring and beautiful woman created, through the dirt. God bless you all.
***Guys point of view************* Well, my gf just started Mary Kay about 2 months ago. Im not too thrilled about it but I cant really do anything cuz its her decision. She bought 600 bucks worth of stuff and hasnt even begun selling anything. And now, shes thinking of buying 200 more. What kinda business practice is that? Well, its her money, shes not getting a dime from me. And screw what other ppl say about supporting your woman. Luckily she hasnt asked for any. But from a business/investment sense, if I were an investor, I wouldnt invest I dime till I see more of a return. Ya ya, inventory, I agree, but you only need so much inventory. If your sales director is so COOL, she'll lend you part of her inventory and you can just pay her back or even return it when you get your own stock. Plus, ladies, if you really want, just buy the stuff on ebay and try to sell it. It so much cheaper! Some if its just repackaged products that were the same as before. See if you can sell, if so, great! Join Mary Kay. Its not for everyone! Dont "invest" shit loads of money, try it out first. See if your sells director will let you try to go with her and sell her products with her just watching you. It'll give you a feel of your own sales capability. If they are anything they say they are, they'll be more willing to do that. She can keep the profit...whatever. And if they claim that you need a large inventory, that bull. If you have one product you should be able to sell that one product!...even if it takes 50 ppl to show it to. Take something like the saten hands kit. that one is suppose to sell itself. See if you can get 1 person to buy it out of 10-20. If you cant, then Mary Kay is not for you. Anywayz, I only hope the my gf doesnt turn out to be one of the statistics that we all hear about............. just use your common sense, dont listen to anyone but yourself. If they ask you to buy stuff, say no, do it when YOUR ready, not them. *******************************
*** Another Guys point of view *********** This is a male’s perspective of the ethics of this Mary Kay direct selling. Anytime you invite someone into your house, especially friends and family you have him or her at a disadvantage. You serve them coffee and finger food and then show them product. Even though there is a “no obligation to buy policy”, there is a psychological obligation to buy. My wife is a beautician by trade and has a closet full of her favorite beauty products. She knows the prices, she knows what she likes, she knows that Mary Kay is generally overpriced. Her Mary Kay sales friend doesn’t use the products herself because she feels they are expensive. My wife felt an obligation to buy a couple items so her friend would be happy. She chose some of the cheapest items she could find. I totally am against home selling. It is worse than telemarketing. It is easy to hang up on a stranger and say, “please do not call again.” This is much harder to say to a friend. After going to one “party” how many times do you have to refuse invitations to next week’s party? My wife has stated in a kind way that she does not need Mary Kay products but her friend always manages to show something new to her every time they meet. My wife started a business based on selling her own manufactured consumer product and wanted to have a business kickoff party at home. I agreed with one stipulation: invite whoever you want, but there will be no sales of product at the party. This will be a party in the real sense of the word. If guests truly want to buy the product, they will come back some other time. Guests were fine with this, and why not? Most were neighbors and friends and did not have to go far to buy the product. Some came back to buy it. Most friends and family received the product as gifts for Xmas. If you have a place of business other than your home and have a grand opening, this is fine in my opinion. Mary Kay knows the power of the internal obligation of “friend selling” and exploits it. Mary Kay strains friendships. The selling does not stop at the party. It continues every time they meet in a social setting. When they go out to diner, when they go shopping, Etc. It has gotten to the point were my wife does not want to call her anymore and has heard that others are doing the same. She has suggested that my wife hold a party over our house for Mary Kay. If I did not allow sales at our own business kickoff party, what do you think her chances are to hold a Mary Kay party at our house? You guessed it – no way. Once you exhaust your direct friends and family in your initial sales drive, you have to convince friends and family to increase your sphere of influence. Otherwise you have to set up a traditional marketing plan and compete with every other cosmetic company out there. The vast majority of people will never make this jump. This is where my wife’s friend is now. She has exhausted her direct sphere of selling and has not recruited any “friend sellers”. She has gone on Mary Kay trips that look like they are designed to make more money for Mary Kay. She has to buy her training aides. If my company sends me on a training trip, it cost me nothing. If they don’t think its cost effective they won’t send me. So if you don’t care about straining friendships and the ethics of inviting someone to your house, telling them you get a 100% markup and then suggest they buy something (but don’t use it yourself because it is too expensive at half price) then go ahead and be a Mary Kay salesperson. Good friends are hard to come by these days it’s a shame to alienate them.
MaryKay.doc (Friend selling is worse than telemarketing)
| file attachment: | action: | size: | date: | who: | comment: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Topic MaryKayOpinion1 . { Edit | Ref-By | Attach | Diffs | r1.13 | > | r1.12 | > | r1.11 | > | r1.10 | >... } |
|
Revision r1.13 - 06 Oct 2005 - 23:09 by MaryWithers
Privacy Policy |
Copyright © 2000-2005 by the contributing authors.
All material on this collaboration tool is the property of the contributing authors. Collect email addresses here. Ideas, requests, problems regarding TWiki? Send feedback. |