Mary Kay Opinion 267

If you don't have money at GAP to purchase the clothes, the salesperson does not sit down with you and discuss how you can go to the bank to get a loan or borrow from a friend or neighbor to get what you 'need'.

The kind of high-pressure techniques Rachel is referring to push customers away. Companies that use such practices, like time share operations have to provide incentives to get people to tolerate the presentations. In the case of business opportunity promoters, the incentive is the promise of easy money (okay, not easy, but ample income that can be earned over time if you stick with the program, and buy into their business opportunity.

But what makes a direct sales operation like Mary Kay more problematic than some other sales presentations is the potential to confuse the salesperson with someone who's got your interest at heart. If you go to a time share presentation, you're unlikely to think the salesperson is looking out for you. Yes, in each of these cases, someone's goal is to convince you that plunking down a wad of cash is for your own good, but the prospect is unlikely to get confused by this.

In Mary Kay, the person telling you that buying inventory or other products you're not so sure you need is also supposed to be training you, advising you about how to run the business, and certainly hopes you'll think of her as your friend. At the very least, she makes money only when you make money.

So my message is to be on your guard about this. It is your business, and that person who wants you to plunk down that money is primarily interested in her own pocketbook and not yours.
Eli Mantel - 24 Jun 2005

Eli I like your comparison with the time share presentation. I know people who've been duped by those, and I've always thought those shady techniques were partially to blame in those cases, too. But I agree, the Mary Kay (and other MLMs) are worse. Both because they have more believability when they claim to be helping you, and also because there is a difference between being told you're spending money to have some nice vacations (you KNOW you end up with less money after the purchase), and to be told that you're investing in something that's supposed to have a great return if you just work at it.

I've always stayed away from those time share offers because I know I'm susceptible to a good sales pitch, and I'm smart enough to stay away from it if it's something I can't afford to buy. In the case of the Mary Kay thing... I was interested in making some extra money, so it sounded like something I did want.

Rachel Suddeth - 26 Jun 2005

Topic MaryKayOpinion267 . { Edit | Ref-By | Attach | Diffs | r1.4 | > | r1.3 | > | r1.2 | > | r1.1 }

You must register before editing pages or using other extended features on this TWiki system.

Revision r1.4 - 27 Jun 2005 - 06:59 by EliMantel
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.

	TWiki . Edumacation . MaryKayOpinion267	TWiki . { Main \| Edumacation \| TWiki \| Test }
	Edumacation . { Home \| Users \| Changes \| Search \| Go }