Does Pink Stink or is Mary Kay O.K.?
February 7, 2007 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
What do you think?
Visit the Mary Kay Cosmetics website and you can read about an inspiring company and an empowering business opportunity for women. Here is how Mary Kay describes itself:
Achievement. Success. The realization of dreams. Mary Kay Inc. was created from one woman’s desire to enrich women’s lives. She began by offering quality products to enhance a woman’s image and a perfect business opportunity to help women earn extra money, enjoy more flexibility and grow as independent business owners. The result is a company that, more than 40 years later, still embodies the core philosophies of its founder: to use the Golden Rule as a business guide and to help women live a balanced life by placing God first, family second and career third.
Visit the Pink Truth website (formerly MaryKaySucks.Com), published by CPA MBA & CFE Tracy Coenen, and you’ll get a different view:
…Mary Kay is a product-based pyramid scheme. This means that many at the bottom of the pyramid must buy significant amounts of products so that those at the top can get the big commission checks, “win” the cars, and go on the fancy trips. This is common with multi-level marketing (MLM) companies such as Mary Kay. They depend upon an endless recruitment of new people who purchase inventory packages….
…multi-level marketing companies like Mary Kay are abusive systems that create negative consequences for the vast majority of participants. Because of that, there is no such thing as the “right way” to be involved in an MLM. The system itself damages the vast majority of participants…
On her post at the Fraud Files Blog, Coenen adds:
…The amount of time required to earn an income is generally downplayed. Recruiters brag about the 50% profit that can be earned on the sale of the cosmetics, but never mention that most products are sold at a discount and therefore that 50% will never be realized. (That’s if they can actually find anyone to buy the products.) New recruits are encouraged to buy large inventories without any sales experience or a customer base to support the inventory.
IS MARY KAY COSMETICS AN INSPIRATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THAT IS EMPOWERING WOMEN AND GLORIFYING GOD… OR A PYRAMID SCHEME POWERED BY BRAINWASHED CULT MEMBERS WITH GREAT MAKEUP?
Leave a comment. Share your opinion.
More Mary Kay discussion links:
The Pinking Shears Mary Kay Survivor’s log, forum, cope group
Investigate before investing. Visit FranBest.com.
PT Bashers: Do you have any actual, legitimate, verifiable complaints against PT and/or Tracy that normal people might view as significant, noteworthy or even interesting… or is this just a personal girl-on-girl catfight… a make-up party gone horribly wrong? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that)
I hope you’re not contending that PTs insidious plot is to score big selling $20 PT cards through Vistaprint, raking in, say, $4 – $8 per sale. Plus, what’s wrong with trying to make money? That’s what brought you all together in the first place, right?
No I am not PUR (whatever that is).
Lump Lump Lump: I have already asked that the admin verify I am not Tracy and it can be done I’m sure. What in the world is wrong with some of you people? Did you people actually READ my posts? Do people not go to Pink Truth to read and get information? I will have to look for MKForever over there so I can read about her. Is every person who visits this place someone involved with Pink Truth or a rival place? You have to establish a loyalty? You cannot read and post where you choose? That sounds much like the Mary Kay mentality that I have seen.
Me: I would loved to have known about your challange. Unfortunately, I did not. I also would have been interested in going to your site to read if you had not been so rude. No interest now. Why would I care if the owner of Pink Truth makes money off of any advertising links? I do not use those links and could care less. Mary Kay makes quite a bit more money from people by drawing them into something that ends up hurting the families.
MKForever: LOL comic relief for me so early in the morning.
“You have to establish a loyalty? You cannot read and post where you choose? That sounds much like the Mary Kay mentality that I have seen.”
Sean, the above quote is one of many legitimate complaints on Tracy, owner of Pink Truth. Check out http://www.PTLies.com for more information on the fraudulent tracy.
Nothing wrong with making money. It’s manipulation to make money that gets my back up. Much too involve to go into in a comment here, but as I invited Sean to do, please visit my site, click on the category “Tracy Coenen” and see what comes up. My my my, I do not recall inviting you to do so, so if you have no interest…so what.
PTLies also has a category related to Tracy and there is interesting reading there as well.
Sean, it’s WAY more than a makeup party gone bad. Tracy allegedly (have to put that in there so she won’t threaten to sue me again) is being investigated by the FBI, allegedly did illegal background checks on people including me, violates copyright laws, and is just downright mean, paranoid, and manipulative (allegedly).
Mary Kay & Pink Truth: Eerie Similarities http://ptlies.com/?p=90
Mary Kay & Pink Truth: Eerie Similarity Number 2
http://ptlies.com/?p=91
Fake It ‘Til You Make It: Eerie Similarity Number 3
http://ptlies.com/index.php?paged=5
Tracy and the IIA (Part 1)
http://ptlies.com/?p=94
Tracy and the IIA (Part 2)
http://ptlies.com/?p=95
For Pink Truth, Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery.
ptlies.com/?p=72
Stalking Melissa
http://ptlies.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/stalking-melissa/
Tracy Throws Down A Challenge
http://ptlies.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/tracy-throws-down-a-challenge/
Tracy Throws Down A Challenge (Part 2)
http://ptlies.com/?p=51
Banned from PT? Enter and sign in please!
http://ptlies.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/banned-from-pt-enter-and-sign-in-please/
Our Motivation…..
http://ptlies.com/?p=153
The Tracy Coenen Soap Opera….Episode 1
http://ptlies.com/?p=124
Blood In The Water: A Note From a ptlies Reader
http://ptlies.com/?p=121
My My Mym maybe you should have made sure you changed your name from the name you use when you post on Duh, aka Willie Lump, Lump .
Don’t give up your day job, undercover work might not be suited for you. Anyone reading Duh know about ME’s challenge.
And you also know what a PUR is, don’t you??
Sorry, WLL, misread stuff. oops.
Tracy allegedly (have to put that in there so she won’t threaten to sue me again) is being investigated by the FBI…
Big deal. So was Martin Luther King, Elvis, Albert Einstein and the writer of the song “Louie Louie.” Being investigated doesn’t mean being guilty. Are you a communiss? Or one of them outside agitators? Allegedly being investigated means even less.
But in fairness… I will visit PTlies after my post traumatic stress therapy session this afternoon (caused by viewing the WMBs on the Duh site). But I’ve seen nothing about PT or Tracy that explains why she’s got all of your mascara in a clump. She’s done more to get the MK story out than anyone, right? Doesn’t she deserve some credit for that?
BTW… Where’s the Anti-Duh site one of you slackers is supposed to build? No one’s heard of Blogger around here?
“She’s done more to get the MK story out than anyone, right? Doesn’t she deserve some credit for that?”
See Sean, that’s another complaint about Tracy. She wants everyone to THINK she’s done more than anyone to get the MK story out, but it’s simply not true. It’s an illusion. She wants to be the ‘Queen’ of all anti-mk, which is why she doesn’t link to any of the other anti-mk blogs and there are many. She even uses ‘queen’ as her title on her board. If her whole motive is to get the MK story out, why not link other sources who have the same motive? Over half the ideas and material on Pink Truth were stolen from her former allies and supporters and now that she got what she wanted out of them, it’s ‘every woman for themselves’(her own words). Does that sound like someone who’s only motive is to get the story out? No, sounds like a controlling bitch who wants to start her own cult by bashing another cult, MK.
And who does background checks on their posters and expose personal information, but a controlling nosy bitch hiding behind a ’cause’ anyway?
Take it from someone who was once an avid Pink Truth supporter. I’ve been around since before the birth of Pink Truth and have seen how things transpired over the last year. I trully believed and admired Tracy for her work on Pink Truth, but as time went on, her true colors started to shine through and soon she became very controlling. People couldn’t visit other anti-mk blogs without getting banned from Pink Truth. If you didn’t agree with the mass opinion on Pink Truth, you were banned. Ridiculous!
I’ve only done background checks on one of our commenters (Duh) and that was only to determine if she’s dangerous.
WLL: I did think it odd that there was no link list. What does she have to gain by cornering the market on anti-MK sentiment? I’ve seen a lot of sites that pretend to be consumer advocacy site but are really pushing their own crooked program (MLM watchdog sites that bash others, but recommend one: theirs). But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Is there money in criticizing Mary Kay?
Note: It’s our policy to allow any company or person discussed on this site a chance to rebut comments or clarify the issues. Anyone can request a guest post by emailing me at info[at]ideafarm.net. Sean
I don’t think it’s about money for her (although she did have threads up asking people to click her google ads and donate money to her pay pal account, but was recently deleted from some strange reason, LOL). It’s about fame and control. There are so many similiarities between PT and MK, it’s ridiculous.
and have you seen her cafe press store of overpriced pink truth merchandise? LOL
…she did have threads up asking people to click her google ads…
That will get you banned from the Google Adsense program for life. Maybe that’s why there are no Google ads up. Did you rat her out to Google, Willie?
One of the things many people question are TC motives as she has decided to take up a cause when she herself didn’t personally experience horrible situations during her 5 year (??) stay with MK. My statement can be rebuffed, however, if she as intelligent as she appears to be (and I do feel she is a very smart individual, if things were so bad, it wouldn’t have taken her 5 years to figure this out.
I don’t know her personally so this is only my opinion but from reading her history she may have wanted to have been a director or National and it didn’t work for her. Moving up in an venue such as MK has much to do with building personal relationships and being able to treat others with respect and decency and truly caring. One can be very smart and skilled and yet have no people skills and dispite knowledge not succeed and respect is earned not demanded.
As far as why is she doing this, she has made a name for herself and she is making money off her blog, none of the other blogs that have been listed in this post are profitting from this. At one time on PT, there was even a tip jar and it was encouraged that everyone contribute because of all her time and efforts she puts into the site and a welcome letter telling everyone to use the shopping links on her site. (the letter has been removed). Her complaint is MK makes money off its independent contracts, yet I have not ever heard of her sharing her profits with any of the people that write posts for her and assist her. They contribute their time and efforts because they truly believe in what they are doing.
With the time and energy shown on PT, it would be great to see these efforts extended on a cause where they really could make a difference. (Cancer research, starving children, aids research, homeless, etc..)
Whether people want to view MK as a business or not is not my point but when one ventures into any small business, their is a risk. It is a personal choice to take the chances on whether it is worth the blood, sweat, and tears to get a business up and running. In Mary Kay a buyback is offered, start your own small business and have it not work out, you are out your money. One of the other big issues, medical insurance- well any small business owner makes that choice to do without a Company’s benefits if you want security then do not opt to be self-employed. When you sign up you know that there is no emplyee benefit package so why after you join do you think it is unfair that it is not offered.
There is no get rich quick scheme (legal) – if there was we would all be rich. If someone really thinks they can make 6 digits working a couple hours a week by starting to sell anything, whether in a mlm, a small business, or a corporation, then they have lived a very sheltered life or are motivated by greed.
There are good and bad people everywhere in all aspects of life, their are people of power that will take advantage of others, these individuals are not exclusively in MK, they are every where and as adults living in our country with freedom of choice, it is too bad that more individuals can not accept responsilities for poor choices they have made without looking for a scapegoat.
For every “un” success story in Mary Kay there are many success stories and many of success stories have done things honestly and ethically and I am sure there are some that have made it dishonestly, but TC chant is “if you are successfuly, you have used and abused people, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to succeed.” – That would not be correct any more than all pters are lazy looser. (and I am sure there may be a few that were but I am sure it wasn’t the majority).
WLL didn’t rat her out but one of the threads on one of the blogs did go over the fact it was against policy, within days the letter was gone. It had existed for the better part of a year. (Coincidence?)
Bet if you asked, Duh could get you a screenshot of it.
google ads are on her discussion board.
For every “un” success story in Mary Kay there are many success stories and many of success stories have done things honestly and ethically…
MKBiz: Your comments are very wise and truthful.
Ooops, sorry Sean, very new to this blogging stuff, started to write to you but looks like I put your name in the spot for my name, please fix for me. My apologies and maybe I should just not venture into this blogging world may be too dangerous for me. (Two goofs in one day is plenty)
(Two goofs in one day is plenty)
I get two blunders in before 8 am. Fixed’m both, so goof away.
What came up in your background check on me Sean? I hope you didn’t find that crack bust back in ‘82. I’d be crushed if that bit of info got out, ya know?
BTW, were you ever a mime?
BTW, were you ever a mime?
Can’t say…
Can’t or won’t? You see, I’ve been doing a little checking too.
Busking performances can be just about anything that people find entertaining. Buskers may do: musical performance, clowning, comedy, improvisation, balloon modelling, dance, acrobatics, contortions and escapes, juggling, magic, fire eating, sword swallowing, snake charming, fortune-telling, present a flea circus, street theatre, street art (sketching and painting, etc.), puppeteering, storytelling or recite poetry or prose as a bard, or do mime or a mime variation where the performer stands still as a living statue.
So tell us Sean. We want the truth!
DUH:
This is about Mary Kay, not my sordid past. You don’t want to know about my WMB days…
MKBiz stated: …I have shown a profit from my second year in business, driven free for 12 years and have moved (to buying clients over $400,000 of product myself. I do carry approximately $8000 wholesale because of my customer base approx 500… and… No debt…
If she could do it, why couldn’t you? I think you and your gal pals were listening to too much Heavy Metal when you should have been moving product. Am I wrong…?
Berry said: “About how I watched my director use inactive consultant’s names buy product, fudge over customers orders, ‘miscount’ the money, etc, etc, etc.”
MKForever, did you miss this part? I see you didn’t comment on it – moreso, you ripped Berry apart without addressing her first hand experience with deceit commonly found in MK and other MLM’s by uplines. Sure, all companies have their dirty employees and I am sure there are blogs about them – this is about MK.
I can attest that I saw the same things in Mary Kay. How dare you dismiss this and guilt out this person for sharing what they experienced. As a “positive” person who loves success, you should be mortified that this happens in Mary Kay and that many, many, many of the directors remaining in MK practice (and teach thru their own example) to cheat on an on-going basis.
Your condescension without compassion for someone truly scammed by an evildoer in MK is why anti-MK sites exist; someone needs to help these women out of the pit of guilt and remorse so they can move on with their lives after dusting off their feet.
Sean, about Tracy/PT – She is a great organizer and a good writer and knows how to market herself, but the content of her site is basically a compilation of ideas she’s gathered around the net from places which existed before hers.
Without others the PT site would not be what it is and it’s really sad that she’s chosen (now that she’s copied everyone elses mission) to view this as “every woman for herself”.
Don’t dismiss what is being said about her. Members of the Pink Truth community have a stranglehold over them which they are very unaware of (until they break a PT rule).
Don’t dismiss what others say about their experience with her. More and more, because of her control issues, I feel recovery from a relationship with her is no different than recovery from abusive, unethical people in MK. In my opinion (and observation) she has used and turned on many former MK women. Now, those women have to endure yet another recovery process.
As a warning to others, if you go to Pink Truth to get info, share your experience, etc., that’s fine BUT:
1) Never send a Private Message on the bulletin board (she can view and does view those messages).
2) Never give her any real, personal information about yourself or your trust.
3) Be careful in Chat – she’s watching.
Yes, Berry deserves our compassion. Berry said: …quit my job two weeks before I signed up for MK…behind my family’s back… I borrowed $7K from my stepdad promising to pay it alllll back in a year or less! I spent $3k+ my first order, then signed up for seminar… I ditched out a few times on the meetings claiming I was sick when I was bored…
Yes, she’s a pillar of ethics. She borrows $7K she’ll never pay back and she doesn’t even stay for the meeting.
…Meanwhile I was charging my mom’s credit card to that special paypal like account so I could pay my rent and cellphone bill…I tried selling my product to customers for 50% off to get rent money. I hadn’t paid my credit cards in two months. I couldnt pay my cellphone bill that month… Asked the church to give me money for medicine.
Running up mother’s credit cards, begging the church. Too bad she missed the part of the seminar about not discounting and devaluing the product. But that part wasn’t entertaining enough for her.
I had no rent money. Beginning of January, [my director] asked me to stay at her house to make sure her kids got out to school every day… I said no, she got mad and yelled at me for being a lazy a** bum who can’t do anything for herself.
Pretty unreasonable request for free rent. How dare she! I’m sure she found a relative’s credit card to cash-advance her rent. She IS resourceful.
…I’m in $10k worth of debt because of Mary Kay. I was out of work for over a year because no one would hire me having not worked in so long. I had been brainwashed and pinkified…
Poor Berry. She’s the victim of injustice. It’s MKs fault, her Director’s fault, the women at the seminar’s fault, the director’s husbands fault…
By letting this poor, misguided, amoral and deluded girl refuse to take responsibility for her own actions, you’re doing more harm to her than any MK “evildoer” ever could.
Laura R
Without others the PT site would not be what it is…What a lot of people miss is that blogging is thrives through collaboration, cooperation & linking. This site is linked to over 200 other sites in a co-op fashion. You’ll see lots of cross-posting between us and sites others might see as competitors. So PT is hurting itself by not being cooperative with other sites.
That being said, if Tracy and PT hadn’t come along, that material would still be spread around, mostly unread and lots more women would have gone unwarned. Correct?
Laura R said I feel recovery from a relationship with [Tracy of PT] is no different than recovery from abusive, unethical people in MK… those women have to endure yet another recovery process.
Not to be mean, but don’t you think that any woman who must “recover” from a relationship with a website moderator after having to “recover” from Mary Kay have bigger issues in their lives they should be addressing? Isn’t part of the problem that some people are expecting to fill the big hole in their self esteem with a makeup sales program or an anti-MK website? I know this sounds insensitive, but shouldn’t some of these people just [here it comes...] get a life?
MKForever, all I said was you ignored the issue of a crooked director in MK, which is more common than you think. And, you also missed the parts where she DID take responsibility (remorse for quitting her job, etc). If you read the story carefully, you can understand how much her decisions were influenced by someone she obviously respected in the beginning.
We are “coached” to borrow from anyone including ex-boyfriends! We are encouraged to quit our jobs so we have more time to do MK. We are encouraged (by some directors) to “hide” our MK purchases and use other’s credit cards. I’ve heard it all over the years and her story doesn’t shock me as much as it does you. It sounds pretty familiar.
The director is to blame somewhat. Someone in the role of a mentor, teacher and MK director should never have given the gal ideas to quit her job, borrow money or anything else until she developed a customer base to sell to.
PT is highly visible and yes, more people are warned as a result and that’s a good thing, you are correct.
Other sites do link to Pink Truth although she does not reciprocate the favor.
What I meant when I said “without others, the PT site wouldn’t be what it is” – I am talking about initial traffic, organization and content.
Sean said: Not to be mean, but don’t you think that any woman who must “recover” from a relationship with a website moderator after having to “recover” from Mary Kay have bigger issues in their lives they should be addressing?
Actually, no. A natural need of every human being is relationship. When we meet someone new or venture into a new opportunity (for whatever reason) and find ourselves betrayed, belittled, sabotaged and burned by someone who initially misrepresented themselves, I think it’s pretty normal to have a period of recovery to get over the loss of that relationship and whatever else was left in the wake of the division.
Earlier in this thread Neutral Ground asked, why did pro-mkers go for the jugular, why not just tell a success story, not even a scensational one but a pretty typical one. Wow, she didn’t even take the time to say, thank you. I know I didn’t post my Schedule C for her to dissect but I can attest that it was way more than the $25,000 that PT says is all a Grand Prix director can earn. But enter into their numbers figures for selling the product up to $40,000 a year to real clents (yes some of us have real clients and hold skin care classes and facials) and you can earn a very comfortable income. I promise, soon as I earn the six figures – Sean –
you will have the first exclusive, deal?
Quote from Sean:
Sean said: Not to be mean, but don’t you think that any woman who must “recover” from a relationship with a website moderator after having to “recover” from Mary Kay have bigger issues in their lives they should be addressing?
Boy did you call that one right, first they need recover from Mary Kay, (let’s get a teacher group going or an ex-nurse support group going to help them recover) These people paid thousands of $$ and hours for these careers, if once they got in it wasn’t what they expected, they get out and move on. They had expenses, they had school loans, these ladies just must be stronger realizing that the career they thought was for them wasn’t and they simply moved on. The don’t make fun of other nurses that remain or other teachers that remain, it becomes a closed chapter in the life. Nothing heals if you keep picking the scab of the wound. Not only doesn’t it heal, it can even get infected and fester and oooze gooey yuck all over the place. But a little antibiotic cream and a bandaid and a little time will heal things quite nicely.
Our poor soldiers coming back from the war needs deprogrammings, a consultant tha failed in MK be it with a good director or a bad director needs to accept your responsility for it and realize you have learned some lessons and move on. You don’t jump out of the fire pan into the fire and that is what many of these co-dependent type individuals appear to be doing.
COMMON SENSE: Can’t afford to buy the product, haven’t sold any of the product, well, DUH>> don’t order more so you can win a $10 ring, if you need & want the recognition and the ring that bad – there are needs sorely lacking in your life aqnd you are trying to fill these voids with MK recognition. Talk to a marriage counselor or therapist.
As for unethical directors, they do exist. Bad people exist everywhere. Don’t whine and blog about it on line, document the wrong doing, get it notarized and send it to Corporate. When they receive official written complaints, they do take action, but if noone ever takes the time to put it in writing so Corp can compile and establish a pattern, nothing gets corrected. The Power to improve Mary Kay will come from strong ethical people within Mary Kay”.
Not from a person that has now stirred more pots than Betty Crocker. And IMHO as long as she continues to bribe and encourage peopel who supposedly are already broke to spend money on her links and buy her pinktruth business cards, and buy her appareal, knowing none of these expenditures assist these ladies in earning an income, she is FAR WORSE THAN ANYTHING SHE CAN SAY ABOUT MARY KAY CO. Everything I have seen listed as a complaint they had about Mary Kay, it has been replicated on the very site they are trying to use to “recover”.
Hey why don’t we go out and buy the alcoholic, a 6 pack of beer, ..well, at least it is hard liquer, righ??
See, doesn’t work.
Ladies run from PT, accept the fact that MK didn’t work for you, may not have been your fault, may have been your fault, who cares?? Just go find something you enjoy doing and be happy.
MKBiz said:I know I didn’t post my Schedule C for her to dissect but I can attest that it was way more than the $25,000 that PT says is all a Grand Prix director can earn…. I promise, soon as I earn the six figures – Sean – you will have the first exclusive, deal?
MKBiz: You make some good points. I’m not sure I’ll be around long enough to post your six figure Schedule C (I hear the Pink Hit Squad may have a contract out on me. I may have to go into hiding at a Tupperware safe house)
However, if you provide me with documentation and/or detailed breakdown of how much you actually make as a Grand Prix director, I’ll be happy to post it as provided. There have been so many generalities bandied about, your (actual sales/expenses) numbers would provide some substance to the debate. We’ll keep your identity confidential.
Laura R
It seems to me that MK casts the net pretty wide and pulls in both needy women who don’t have a chance as well as a small percentage who do have the drive and sales ability to make money from the system. Those who never had a chance leave disillusioned and at a financial loss. The ones who were emotionally needy end up commiserating on sites like PT, where they, according to some, trade their dependence on MK for emotional dependence on PT.
Accurate summary?
Sean – MK is not a franchise. Mary Kay is a MLM that rewards recruiting, not sales to those not in the MLM. The prizes, trips and bonuses go to those who recruit and convince the recruits to order product. That leads to recruiting people who don’t have a chance, just to pull the inventory order from them, pocket the bonus and let them sink or swim.
When they sink, the successful MLMer says, “You didn’t do it right” and goes on to the next one.
Hi Sean! Long time no see! I posted a pic today, and I don’t know why, but it made me think of you. As I was putting it up I thought, “You know who would LOVE this picture… Sean.” Anyway, go check it out.
MUAH!
I sell Mary Kay. I know that some women who sell the stuff can be very pushy.
I am not like that. I am not pushy. I sell the makeup, I don’t preach about the company and get people to join unless they show intrest first. I have been doing Mary Kay for about a year and enjoy it. I don’t make much money because I don’t put too much effort into it. I have a job and go to college for Business. Running my own business is a great experience.
Selling Mary kay is not for everyone, some people don’t know how to run their own business, they shouldn’t do it then.
Don’t be haters.
We are all individuals and we all run our businesses differently. We aren’t all what you say we are. We aren’t all pushy old ladies trying to recruit all of our customers.
I was in Mary Kay for 5 years and I tried everything…I went to all the meetings, I had a huge inventory, etc. The problem is my upline had no REAL sales training, just the “fake it till you make it” quality. Once I learned how to really “do” a party based business, (I chose something with direct shipping…no inventory!) life changed dramatically!!
Who else is sick of chasing down prospects and harassing relatives?
http://danielle.the7greatliesofnetworkmarketing.com
Accurate Summary?
I’ve pondered this “summary” for quite some time. It’s not as cut and dry as you make it seem. Your summary generalizes the population into two groups- 1) those that have drive & sales ability to make money and 2) those that are “needy” and didn’t have a chance to begin with. You seem to omit “choice” in your summary. Choice to stay, choice to leave.
We all have needs.
Emotional needs are not unnatural. We were created to belong to, love and need “one another”. God said it is not good for man (or woman) to be alone.
When you cast a net, you know as well as I that you’ll bring in all sorts of things, that’s why I disagree, for the most part, with your generalizations. While your summary is right for a small population, it’s not accurate for the big picture, in my opinion.
Outwardly, reps seek potential recruits who are “sharp” and “have credit.” I’m sure some of them are “needy.” The Mary Kay Marketing Plan sells fellowship in the form of “girlfriend time” to women, so, in my opinion; “emotional needs” are a target of potential recruits, therefore, casting that net, in some cases to draw “needy” women is intentional, in my opinion. Stay-At-Home Moms are primary recruiting targets for home-based businesses.
In my nearly 5 years of experience, both in and out of MK and in and out of pro/anti-MK/MLM sites, I’ve witnessed people with drive and sales ability who have made money leave MK and other MLM’s VERY disillusioned (but not financially ruined) for a number of reasons which are discussed on our sites.
I’ve witnessed “emotionally needy people” become VERY successful (sometimes unethically) who remain in MK & in debt (because of their business & emotional needs) for years and years and who have contributed to the disillusionment of good reps by their bad behavior.
There are very successful people who have chosen career over family. There are very successful people who become very materialistic (or materialism was their drive, not necessarily “sales ability”).
There are individuals who learned to sell, make good money and remain in MK, but come to sites because they were disillusioned by the abuses of their upline at one point and needed to find encouragement or leadership from others who were successful in their businesses, however they define that.
I could go on and on with examples outside of your two groups, but I think you get my drift. There is no one right answer. While people have their opinions of MLMs (and strong ones at that) anyone participating in one just needs to be careful and be informed about the business model so you don’t fall into the same traps or make the same bad choices we, on the anti sites did.
I’m sure with franchises, there are sites and forums which detail things to avoid or expose issues which have rose out of unethical human behavior during the process in an effort to educate and inform future franchisees. That’s what we are supposed to be about.
I’m sure, to a small degree, there are those on any forum, anywhere about anything who “depend” on that group temporarily, for whatever reason – again, I say, we all have needs and it’s natural and normal to be “needy” once in a while.
I’ve been selling Mary Kay for 1 1/2 years. I don’t push the recruiting part,however I have 2 friends (have been friends for years before I even joined MK) under me. I love selling Mary Kay. I needed to quit my job as a CNA to take care of my grandmother and granddaughter. I make decent money, in fact I make just as much money working 40 hours in a nursing home breaking my back than I do now working 10 hours at something fun and not very hard. It is how you approach it like anything. If you think you’re going to fail, you will. If you’re determined because you have mouths to feed, then you will do fine.
I have been in the SAME type of business but with a company called BeautiControl, It too is based out of Dallas TX, ever watch the movie Hell on Heels??LOL I got up to Executive Director level ,earned the mustang,jewlery,trips…and everything the fine company like MaryKay has to offer…the down side?
The fact that only 1% of women make it in the beauty industry …there IS NO “residual Income” and it’s NOT willable. meaning the day you die…your up line gets your hard work efforts.
Next they expect you to go all the way to the top as a CEO of your company… and still call every single person on your team and Welcome them and ask them how YOU can help them become successful…Question: What CEO of there business does that?
NExt There Comp Plan is the worst in the industry..its called the stair step break away…where you actually get paid LESS for promoting a Director..I know I have done this 3x’s and realized that I am NOT brain washed and tunnel vision enough to keep booking more parties and selling more products..to get to the very top promoting more Directors…and starting ALL OVER AGAIN?? WHY?
You may think hummmm maybe I should keep my options open right? You should look try it and tell me what your experience was or still is?? I bet 9% of Directors have a PILE of inventory in there garage of beauty products because of the HIGH quotas. and to top it all off if you doubt what I say, I invite you to go on EBAY and look up any home party product being sold there..if it’s being sold there ..Id raise an eyebrow :-)
Good Luck to you all
Lisa
http://www.ladyexcutives.com
I have been a consultant for about 2 months. I don’t expect to get rich overnight and I do not expect to quit my job within the next year. Commissions will come if I decide to do more recruiting, but the return on selling a product is excellent. I have used MK products for years (over 10) and I really trust them. My recruiter has already received a commission check based on my sales, but who cares, her commission check does not take anything away from me. Right now, I could bypass my recruiter and my sales director in success. (Case in point, my director’s sister, has bypassed her long ago.) On the case about inventory, it’s your business, again you decide what you want to do. If you buckle under pressure, then that is your issue. You know what you can afford and what your personal situation is… Within one year of purchase MK will buy back your purchase (90%) if you find that you can not work the business. Bottomline, I started the business for me.
Mary Kay a cult? lol ok. I think that Mary Kay has amazing products and that a lot of people who sell mary kay sell it for the fun of it. That’s what my friends do anyway. You get to meet people. Sure you have to put a lot of money into it, but seriously, what business that you’re starting all on your own, don’t you have to put money into. You get the cars and the prizes if you put the work into it. So if you sit at home and think somethings going to happen, it’s not. Sure they send out bible verses but I know just as well as any other Mary Kay consultant, that they feel it’s motivation. I don’t personally believe in it and i’m not offended by it. They aren’t trying to push it on me, just throwing it out there for support. I think people will think what they want, but Mary Kay a cult? lol ok if you say so.
When people go into businesses like that all they need is the initial kit with a small amount of inventory which should total less than $500. They should immediately be shown how to do a skin care class and if their sponsor is local, they should actually conduct the first class as part of the initial training process.
The new consultant should then learn how to run a business by getting more training especially from outside sources. They should only buy inventory they can afford and on an “as needed” basis and then know how to book enough classes or be a vendor at events to move the product.
They should be talk immediately how to recruit ethically and not “push” thousands of dollars worth of inventory on anybody.
It is up to each individual to get the training they need and use common sense. Afterall it is their business. People have GOT to have the mindset of a real business owner so personal development is key. Nobody can nor do they have the right to blame anything on anybody else, especially their own short comings and failures.
Responsibility=YOU and YOU are Golden, do what’s right for YOU! Do it honestly and with integrity!
Before ou take the word of pinktruth.com and “truth”. Take a look at http://www.ptlies.com
I visited ptlies.com.
This is like the Some Call Me Duh/Banned From Bitchfest website without the raunchy humor and obsession with manboobs.
No offense, but these anti-pink truther women’s obsession with Tracy Coenen seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?
It’s kind of like they idolized Mary Kay Ash, then got disillusioned. Then idolized Tracy Coenen, then got disillusioned. Now they live in dark obsession that even wonderful cosmetics cannot lift them out of.
(I can only dream that someday I’ll be important enough to prompt a FranchisePickLies.com stalker website.)
What is it about PinkTruth.com that riles up so many ex-Mary Kayers? Aren’t you guys on the same side with the same goal?
I never idolized Tracy or Mary Kay Ash. I have, however, worshipped at the altar of the manboobs.
Duh lives! I knew you were close, watching over me, keeping a watchful eye on the Kaybot army.
Your site has gone quiet but your spirit… and dedication to MBs… lives on.
I am a new consultant and so far I love being part of Mary Kay. I have a director who doesn’t sugar coat things for me. She told me that getting started and becoming successful with MK will take a lot of time and commitment. I purchased a small amount of inventory (about $600.00 total) and I am taking the opportunity to learn as much as I can about the business before I go out there and start selling. Before I start holding classes I need to make sure I know what I am selling and the best way to sell the product.
With any small business it’s going to take a LOT of time and effort. You get out what you put in. I have seen a few family members begin their own business and it took them years before they were able to see large profits. I saw how much time and effort went into making their business successful and I am fully expecting to do the same in order to make Mary Kay successful for me.
It’s great to see both sides of the argument. I went online and read just about every negative comment said about MK. I needed to see why people were unhappy and why they didn’t succeed. I think if you only read the “omg this company is the greatest thing ever” comments you are going to be disappointed when you discover this isn’t as easy as you thought.
Everyone is different and everyone is going to have their own personal experiences to share, whether it is bad or good. Getting angry because people call MK a cult or pyramid scheme is silly because, to that person, that is exactly what Mary Kay is. Those of us with better experiences don’t see it like that and that’s great. But just because you had a bad experience with MK don’t get down on those who succeeded. (and those who are just making comments and who never had experience with MK just like to hear themselves talk imo…to me if you never worked for them or knew someone directly then why bother putting in your two cents…but again that’s just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions…)
You should NEVER be “talked into” doing something outside your own means. If I didn’t have the $600.00 that I was willing to invest in MK then guess what, I would had told the director no. Of course directors have their own angles they are working; the trick is to get your own angle where you can make the most profit for yourself. If you were persuaded to do something you couldn’t financially back up then that’s your own fault and no one else’s. Seriously, when did people stop taking responsibility for their own actions? Last MK party I went to I’m pretty sure the consultant didn’t hold a gun to anyone’s head.
With any business the key is to be as well educated as possible about your product, the target consumers, and the best marketing strategy and to make sure you are committed to spend as much time as it takes to make it successful. If you are in this because you think you will be making tons of money right away you are sadly mistaken. I suggest you do a lot of research; figure out what works, what doesn’t work, and get as much education as you possibly can in. You will never be “stuck” with tons of extra inventory because they will offer back 90% of your total inventory (plus shipping). Really they make this business adventure pretty safe if you know what you are doing.