The Money in Mary Kay is There For Me When I’m Ready!
Written by PinkPeace
We often discuss Mary Kay director incomes on Pink Truth, criticizing how the numbers are presented. I want to show lurkers and other readers how directors twist the truth to present an unrealistic picture of income potential in Mary Kay. The sad part is that, not only do they deceive prospects, they deceive themselves.
I would venture to say that every recruit was presented with the Applause magazine pages showing NSD incomes and top director checks. I know I always showed those pages to prospects. My national was Christine Peterson, and she was consistently in the top three of the Sapphire sales division, with monthly checks ranging from $40,000 – $75,000.
“Can you believe it?” I would gush. “She was a kindergarten teacher making little more than $20,000 a year. Now she makes three times that in ONE MONTH!” I would explain that this was our “legacy” in our national area. “Christine just teaches all of us to do what she does, so that we can make the same kind of money she does.”
Then I’d point to sales directors who I personally knew, and show the prospect their paychecks. “I know Susie Smith – she’s just the nicest person – and she made $8,500 last month. And here’s Janie Jones. She’s a single mom with three kids, and look at her check for just working part-time: $6,000 last month. Can you get excited about that?”
Inevitably, the prospect would ask me what MY check was for the last month. Rut-roh. I had to scramble, because chances were I was trying to block that number out of my mind (especially when I subtracted chargebacks, car copays, director suit fees, car insurance and whatever other expenses were taken out that month). I didn’t want to lie to the prospect, exactly. But I didn’t want to tell her the hard truth either, because why would she want my job then?
So I quickly added up my base check – you know, the one that gets published BEFORE any deductions are taken – plus my sales for the month. That usually came to around $4,000 or so, which sounded a lot better than the maybe $1,200 that actually got deposited. But, oops. I guess I didn’t really tell her the real sales, per se. Maybe I told her what I ordered during the month, instead. Well, whatever. She didn’t need to hear all the details, right? The NSDs always taught us not to clutter the minds of prospects with lots of picky details. If she wanted to know all the info, she’d ask. Otherwise, just give her the basics.
But then, the question would come. “Why aren’t you making the $10,000 a month paychecks?” It wasn’t asked in a mean way. The prospect was just curious. I mean, it’s only logical. If there’s that kind of money to be made, why wouldn’t you go after it?
Now I had to get really creative. Deep down I wondered why I wasn’t making that kind of money, too. I worked so hard, but I couldn’t get to that magic number of unit members where that money would just flow to me. I saw other, much less ethical directors make it big, and I couldn’t understand. Mary Kay was God first, so why didn’t my above-board/Mary Kay way business practices get me farther along?
It must be me. It couldn’t be Mary Kay. I obviously didn’t have enough charisma and people skills. I needed a better work ethic. I had to boost my “deserve level.” I was deficient in my faith in God and living out Biblical principles. And I wasn’t trusting the company the way I should.
After all, Mary Kay is the greatest opportunity for women! Mary Kay works when you do! The only way you can fail is to quit! Winners always get up one more time when they’re knocked down! Mary Kay isn’t for the chosen few, it’s for the few who choose!
So, I’d blame my lack of income on myself. I’d say to the prospect, “You know, I make the money I make in Mary Kay, because I choose to work very part-time. I’m not saying that every woman in Mary Kay makes a six-figure income. But isn’t it great to know that that’s the potential we have in this awesome company?
The money is there when you’re ready to step up to the next level. What other company would have that kind of money waiting for you when you’re ready for it?” I’d point to the NSD checks in Applause, and the prospect would nod and get starry-eyed, and we’d go on to the next part of the presentation.
Whew! I got through that question. Again.
It didn’t seem like such a lie to me, because there were women getting big checks. But what I neglected to explain was that only the tiniest percentage of sales directors would ever make that kind of money. The remaining 98% – 99% of the 14,000 sales directors (which included me), would never come close to the famous “executive income” that was promised us by our uplines. And certainly a mere consultant would never make commission checks.
I also never spoke of all the director business expenses that can eat up hundreds of dollars every month, BEFORE the company takes out chargebacks, copays, insurance, etc. Why bother with all that, when chances are the prospect would never even be a senior consultant, much less a sales director?
So no, I didn’t make that kind of money in Mary Kay, even in my best month.
But, hey! Isn’t it great to know that the money is there when you’re ready to step up to the next level? Isn’t it?
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Comments (17)
raisinberry
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Ditto, ditto, ditto. Pinkpeace, you have zeroed in on the exact way this fraud get rationalized and justified in our minds.
Mary Kay wealth is a “potential”. A hope. An “opportunity”. ANYONE can “make it”. SO if ANYONE can, it MUST be ME. Doesn’t that just ring so true?
And as long as you continue to lie to yourself, omit facts and real figures, and parrot the upline lines, you can continue to delude yourself and others that success is just a second, one recruit, one order, one offspring away.
Women who trudge the career path waiting and hoping for this imaginary “success” will watch as they grow ever more in debt…and just like slot machines, they live for the payoff…that one month where they gold medal and dig out a bit, just to find themselves back in the crap heap a month later. It is this “addictive” endorphin high…finding the salvation of new recruits, that tricks the sales director into trying again and again. SHE WILL NOT FACE HER CREDIT CARDS, LOANS, SHELVES, SECOND MORTGAGES, and completely pink- enveloped life.
Just as Allison flamed and burned, all new comers will never match the oldsters who signed on 20-30-40 years ago and got pushed to the top of the pyramid. You have to financially abuse a whole lot of women, over and over, while in MASSIVE denial as to their condition, as you claw the tower to the top. Eventually, the bottom rots away under you.
It is the definition of running a hamster wheel. SO “focused” you lose yourself in the process…and Mary Kay prospers off the churning.
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gotheart
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PinkPeace, “It must be me. It couldn’t be Mary Kay. I obviously didn’t have enough charisma and people skills.”
I thought and believed these very words.
Like Raisin said, “ditto, ditto ditto.”
HAPPY LAST DAY OF THE MONTH OF JUNE!
Free and Happy!
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Freefrmpink
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Ditto Pinkpeace! How sweet it is to have my life back! I’m enjoying my June’s again. Kaybots will be churning the wheel until midnight central time Saturday. Then scramble until noon central Tuesday to clear desktop on hold orders. What a mess. So glad to truly be blessed!
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onelessSD
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Amen & Amen!! PP – you described me and my recruiting talk to a T. Down to that dreaded question – and answer. Amazing, and here I thought I was the only one for so long- but finding this website has truly freed me to see the truth!
Like Gotheart & Freefrmpink- the month of June is a fabulous month to be free! Kids have been out of school- we’ve done fun outings already, and slept in every morning. But most importantly – I’m in charge of my card! None of the shenanigans being played to reach a goal, whether it be personal or unit- just totally free! So very happy!
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raisinberry
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pp,oneless, freefrom and gotheart…AMEN SISTA’s!
No more month end madness. No more STRESS. No more “creative financing”, no more LOSSES.
No more losses. Wow. From the company that brought you “enriching women’s lives”. Yea, right.
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pastpink
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Like, Like, Like!! Great article-so true!
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pinkpeace
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Thanks, ladies! And guess what? IT’S JUNE 30th AND I DON’T CARE! Sometimes there are no words to express how much better life is outside of Mary Kay.
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SuzyQ
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I was just thinking about that– June 30th. Because it is a Saturday, they will get an extra day to wind up the year. Thank you God I am out of that rat race. June 30th now just means July 1st is tomorrow
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Deflated Pink Bubble
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DAMN. I heard this exact line when I questioned my SD:
“You know, I make the money I make in Mary Kay, because I choose to work very part-time. I’m not saying that every woman in Mary Kay makes a six-figure income. But isn’t it great to know that that’s the potential we have in this awesome company?”
What the heck? Is it part of a script? Ugh.
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MLM Radar Detector
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It’s worth posting this here to preserve the tie to this thread
Potential earnings??? Phooey. I could potentially become President of the United States. I could potentially win the lottery. Isn’t America great?
Potentially winning the lottery won’t pay down my credit card. Real earnings will. So how much are Mary Kay directors really earning? It’s worth posting these links here to tie into this thread
In Canada Mary Kay is required by law to post an earnings representation statement, giving actual results for their sales force. When you click on these links, keep two things in mind.
First, the lowest earning group only includes those who were Mary Kay reps for at least one year AND earned commissions. It doesn’t include the thousands who quit before their 12th month and sent their inventory back; if it did the average earnings figures reported would be a lot lower.
Second, they’re only reporting commissions paid. These earnings figures do NOT include your expenses: rent, advertising, utilities, car co-pay, office supplies, prizes awarded, packaging materials, samples, phone, internet, computer, commission chargebacks……..
Current data posted on the official Mary Kay Canada website: http://www.marykay.ca/content/corporate/en-ca/home/earnings-representation.html
Tracy’s gathering of the Mary Kay Canada earnings representations from 1999 to 2010: http://www.pinktruth.com/2009/05/canadian-earnings-representations-2/
So how much did a typical MK sales director earn? Well, in 2010 in Canada, half of them received LESS than $17,649 in commissions over the entire year. Before expenses.
Yep, the money is there when you’re ready to step up to the next level, isn’t it? Maybe they’re talking about play money.
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NeverWasPink
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Wow!! I’m posting it so lurkers can see too!!!
“The vast majority of the independent sales force members’ primary source of profit is selling product. In addition, all Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants can earn income from commissions, dovetailing, prizes and awards. To be eligible for commissions, Independent Beauty Consultants must be active themselves and have at least one active recruit during the relevant period. Members of the independent sales force are considered active in a particular month (and for two months after) when they place at least $200.00 in wholesale orders for cosmetics intended for resale during the month.
In 2010 , there were over 29,573 members of the independent sales force of Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. in Canada. Of the 3,836 who were in the independent sales force for at least one year and who earned commissions, 47.7% earned commissions in excess of $100. Of the 532 of those who were Mary Kay Independent Sales Directors, the top 50% earned commissions during the year of $17,649 to in excess of $100,000. Of the 24 of those who were Mary Kay Independent National Sales Directors, 50% earned commissions during the year in excess of $100,000.
February 2011 “
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Lurker
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I imagine this has been addre4ssed before . . . but . . . BBB – Better Biz??
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Britt
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I went to my first Mary Kay party on Saturday. I plan on hosting a party in 2 weeks.So I was thinking about starting Mary Kay. I came across this website while doing my research. Why are so many of you in debt? Why did you buy so much inventory? The party was fun. I bought foundation and concealer. My friend bought a skin care set, and my other friend bought a eyeshadow and eyeliner. If you throw parties, you should be making some type of money! Right!? And I had to wait 3 days to get my products, I don’t think she had a over supply of inventory. I don’t understand where everything went wrong for some of you. It makes me terrified to even start!And I have no plans on recruiting. Just building my own customer base.
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TRACY
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Britt – 99% of people in MLMs like Mary Kay lose money. They are not a business. They are a legal form of a pyramid scheme. You *might* make some money. If you do, it will be something in the neighborhood of minimum wage. This is not a good opportunity for you.
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onelessSD
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Britt- it might look like a lot of fun, and all very innocent, however- it’s not. With so much MK on Ebay, why would anyone purchase for full price? With an untold amount of consultants in your area- there aren’t enough customers that are willing to pay full price to purchase from you. Like Tracy said- it’s a legal form of a pyramid scheme- the women at the very top are the one’s making the money- and with each layer down, it gets less and less.
I tried to build a solid customer base- but I lose customers left and right because someone has recruited their best friend/ or family member. Or their neighbor has started to sell, and or someone from their church just started -and is giving a discount. The list goes on. You can’t “hold people to you” because they are consumers and will go where they get the best deal. You may make some pocket change- but you will never make a decent income- I’ve tried for over 15 yrs, and I was a SD for 7 of those years – I worked my tail off- and when it was all said and done- I made less than minimum wage – way less.
This ‘so-called’ opportunity is not a good one – it’s a money-pit.
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MLM Radar Detector
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Britt,
Just how much time do you think your party’s consultant spent setting up the party, filing the paperwork, and delivering the orders? And how much money do you really think she earned for all that time invested?
3 to 5 hours prearranging the party: discussing setup with hostess, determining probable headcount, encouraging hostess to invite additional people, confirming party arrangements, packing appropriate number of demonstration sets, arriving early and setting up party room.
2 hours holding the party.
1 hour processing orders afterwards: filling out paperwork, placing orders, receiving and verifying shipments. Another 1 to 2 hours driving around delivering orders.
That’s 7 hours minimum, possibly 10 hours, for one party.
How much do you think she earned for those 7 to 10 hours of effort?
She sold 1 foundation, 1 concealer, 1 eyeshadow, 1 eyeliner, and 1 skin care set. (By the way, that’s considered a “good” party. Often she’ll sell a lot less.) All together, if everyone paid “full retail” she probably sold $100 to $125. After subtracting the wholesale cost of the merchandise, her 50% cut is about $63.50.
Subtract her expenses from that $63.50: shipping charges, gasoline, hostess gifts, samples used at the party, bags, decorations, party snacks, MK recruiting literature… If we’re estimating on the low side, she probably had $25 in expenses.
$63.50 minus $25 is $38.50. Remember the 7 to 10 hours she spent setting up the party? $38.50 divided by 7 equals $5.50 per hour. And that’s from a GOOD party.
She worked her butt off for hours, just to earn 2/3 of minimum wage. She’ll do it again for the next party, and again for the one after that… Does it still sound like fun?
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Didpink
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And that estimate is on the low side. If this IBC had to pay for a babysitter since you do not bring your kids, there goes all her money to the sitter who earned just what she did just by showing up and watching her kids. Or lets say her spouse or a grandparent helped out- time away from her family. Never mind the time BEFORE the party to book it. She made dozens of calls to get this partybooked and no doubt she had others that stood her up. Not worth it.
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