One Woman’s Struggle Up the Mary Kay Career Ladder
For a long time I was warned about this site… as many other consultants I am sure. There was actually a segment with the directors at seminar talking about it. I was in Mary Kay twice. the first time as a 18 year old part time college student/full time employee at a hospital. My mom was also a consultant twice when I was younger. Helping her in her office with the products taught me to read.
My second time in Mary Kay i came back because I wanted my discount back. When I met with my new director she laid out the inventory talk and i decided to do an 1800. Then I kept ordering because she said I needed more stuff even though I wasn’t selling anything.
In the beginning of my second time around, I was working two part time jobs and in school full time. I started for my products, and wanted more money because I was broke. It was hard for me when I started because I was very negative, and didn’t have many girl friends. I didn’t even wear makeup when I started!
I got my first team member, and at that time the company was having the “vibe with 3″ promotion to go on target with 3 active instead of 5. I found some people that started (1 of which was a friend and I begged for her help to get into red). We were on target for 2 months with half the production met, and the third month, I couldn’t get a single new recruit, or the 4,000 in production. I was very upset and couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t do it.
for the next year and a half i sold product and didn’t really recruit anyone. Then I “made the decision” and got fed up with my wanna be director not doing her job I decided to become a director so my team wouldn’t have to deal with her. I went into DIQ with family and friends on my team, and by the 3rd month couldn’t pull production so I charged half of it (yes over 2k).
Every quarter the pressure was on to be a star, so I continued to charge it because my director would say just charge it! Then the company found out that an order was placed without someone’s knowledge (because my director told me to do it) and I was not allowed to re submit for 6 months. How is it I got disciplined when my director is the one that did it?
After that I was already on target for my car, and short 2 months by 2k, so she said JUST CHARGE IT, and so I did. Earned my car, and was on suspension from re submitting at that point. (only the DIQ requirements state you cant put an order in for someone else, why doesn’t car qualification?). after 3 months, enough directors I knew had written into the company that they decided to let me re submit. This time we did over 34k in production (keep in mind I was doing everything! I did not talk to my director the entire 4 months I was in DIQ) and had a great unit of women working.
After completing DIQ I got my unit number on a thurs and was in Dallas Monday for training. I came home so completely exhausted from 4 months of “short term sacrifice” as they like to call it, to a party of 12, and 1200 in production for the month. Second month was Seminar, with 1600 in production. Going from the four months of DIQ production of 4300, 10,300, 7,100, and 12,000 this minimal production was a shock to me! By the third month My mother was in for surgery, and my grandmother in the hospital fighting for her life.
My family consumed my thoughts, as did school (I am still in school full time until may ’09). we did yet again a short month, and the company called and said u have one last shot. The last month we did 3200, significantly better than we had been doing, but my grandmother was still fighting for her life, I was playing the role of mom to my 2 younger siblings, and in school. I was exhausted!! After that month they said sorry you are no longer a director! I was OUTRAGED that the company was not willing to work with me! I had dedicated every ounce of my being to the company and when I switched to my family I got screwed! My unit all knew the issues with my family and were understanding and supportive. Now they are all mad because the company took away what we had worked for. If i was not dedicated to “the dream” why would I have been to new director training 1 week after finishing requirements?
As of now, I have learned a lot! I learned not to CHARGE IT because someone will get a better paycheck while I go into debt. I accrued over $30k in debt charging product, seminars, hotels etc for events. My boyfriend hated being around me because I was always stressed out and had MK on my mind, and the lack of money caused a huge rift between us. He was always supportive until the end, but now we are both glad that is over. I have attached a copy of a letter I sent to corporate…. no response from them… GO FIGURE! I also have Greg Franklins direct line in my phone… just in case anyone wants it!
Former Director and Car driver with MKC
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Comments (6)
brotherOfKaybot
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I posted this in previous thread but will report here so more people can read:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/117631419/Bill-Ackman-s-Herbalife-PDF?secret_password=16pa8kf0q3qhtgm5u1se
Tracy you will find this to be a great read. The link is to a presentation claiming that Herbalife is a pyramid scheme. Although not directly related to MK I believe these MLMs are all the same so it is an interesting read for any
pinktruth-er (is that the correct name for us?). Its unfortunate that the evils of MK are not nearly as publicized as much as a company like Herbalife, since it is publically traded.
Keep up the great work and posts!
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CK
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YOu know… I thought it was me… But it is SO gratifying to see that it wasn’t me. That it isn’t any of us. It’s the system. The system is set up so that the rank and file consultant goes into BIG Debt, while the “Lying by Omission” Directors benefit from the debt production, The Nationals benefit more because their money is compounded on the debt of others (and I am talking the rank and file consultants plus the 1st line, 2nd line and 3rd line directors as well) and the COMPANY Benefits because it gets it’s money UP FRONT because the Directors push to FrontLoad as much inventory as possible.
Let me clarify this:
The COMPANY Benefits from the Up Front Sales of the product in the form or Wholesale to the Rank and File Consultant. And the Directors Benefit through as much as a 13% Commission from Pushing as much Front Loaded Wholesale Product to the Rank and File Consultant. And that Front Loaded Product is in increments or $600. Usually $1800, $2400, $3000, $3600 and I have seen as much as $4800. You See, $1800 and above constitures a Star Consultant Order. And did I not tell you? The Directors also get bonuses on Star Consultant Orders as well.
So… The Rank and File Consultant is Doubly Damned… She Can’t Win.
IF You Don’t Believe Me about the Front Loading, You may want to visit this LInk:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/07/23/mary-kay
It is the Recording From the NPR Show “On Point”. The title is:
InVestigatiing Mary Kay. It goes into the seedy under belly of product being pushed off onto unsuspecting women. Pink Truth is mentioned by name in the first few minutes. This radio “article” is informative. Mary Kay Corp. did have a rebuttal but you can’t hide from the Pink Truth. FrontLoading is a practice that is carried out by most of the Directors to boost their production. IT seems that the company looks the other way while this is going on. But you know what? Wheter they acknowledge the practice or not, IT is BEING DONE. EVERYDAY. They (Mary Kay Corp.) benefit from it as well as the Directors. So, unless the Rank and File Consultants Say NO MORE, IT will Contimue.
The above article is so eloquent in it’s frustration and desperation that WE ALL NEED TO TAKE NOTICE!
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AlmostPink
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I got suckered into having a MK party at my home. The SD, at the time, she is now an NSD, was so good. I loved her personality, I was impressed with her material things, jewelry, trips around the world, and her six figure income. She was so charming and asked the group of attendees to listen to her tell us about the company later in the week over coffee. She said that even if you have absolutely no interest in MK, that was okay, she just needed so many people to Listen in order to help her get a promotion. I was very interested in signing up. I thought I could do it if she could. I pitched the idea to my husband and we did some Internet research. We stumbled on to Pink Truth. Wow! What an eye opener! So at the meeting later in the week with the SD, I brought up the website. Her response was: I will explain it like sex. For a loving married couple sex is a beautiful thing. But pornography is also sex that is sinful and disgusting. So trying to get more information about MK is perfectly fine and encouraged. But looking at a website like PT in order to get more information is misleading and disgusting………. I thought that was a weird explanation and did not answer my questions at all. I am just so thankful to have found PT and so thankful I avoided signing that contract. I just cannot believe that I bought her sales pitch hook, line, and sinker.
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Lazy Gardens
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She said that even if you have absolutely no interest in MK, that was okay, she just needed so many people to Listen in order to help her get a promotion. This was a blatant lie … she couldn’t get “promoted” unless she got a certain number of women to SIGN and ORDER!
at the meeting later in the week with the SD, I brought up the website. Her response was: I will explain it like sex. For a loving married couple sex is a beautiful thing. But pornography is also sex that is sinful and disgusting. So trying to get more information about MK is perfectly fine and encouraged. But looking at a website like PT in order to get more information is misleading and disgusting
ROFLMAO!!! Now we’re not only “lazy loosers” but Pink pornographers?
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raisinberry
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In 2007, a top NSD “labeled” Pink Truth as Pink Porn. She did so to attach the most disgusting connotation to the site as she could imagine to repel IBC’s from visiting. Who would want to become addicted? That would be the danger. They Desperately need women to stay clear of this site and all these accounts of ‘insider” information, because it literally kills recruiting…and recruiting new blood is the ONLY way they continue onward…it sure isn’t from retail selling.
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selina
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this breaks my heart. were you able to get any money back from the one year 90 percent buy back
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