If You Have to Pretend Mary Kay is Prestigious…
Every so often, my former area in Mary Kay would get on this kick about pretending Mary Kay was a prestigious product and that the consultant’s time at a skin care class was a rare and valuable thing. We were supposed to make women WANT to have a party or buy products or become a recruit by pretending this was such a special chance for them!
I don’t disagree that my time is valuable, but I’m not interested in pretending that it’s a big privilege to be around me. Especially if the way you get to be with me is if you agree to listen to me blather about Mary Kay. I’d rather not pretend that I have only two openings next week (when I really have the entire week free) so that I can sound busy and ask you which is better for you.
Yes, women do like to be around successful people, but if you have to pretend to be successful and in-demand for MK skin care classes, what’s the point? You’re going to pretend to be busy so that she perceives this is a wonderful opportunity and books an appointment with you?
On a daily basis, women also pretend that Mary Kay has the same level of quality as department store brands. Some women even refer to them as “prestige” brands. This perception of quality is necessary, because without it, the products would never be sold. (Not that a whole lot is sold to begin with, but you get my drift.)
I’ve long held the belief that Mary Kay is on par with products bought at Walgreen’s, Target, or Wal-Mart. If women like the products and they work, that’s just fine. But they’re simply not of the same level of quality as the more expensive brands. Yet they’re priced like they are.
Why are the products priced at a higher level if the quality doesn’t merit it? Because Mary Kay has to pay commissions to so many levels of the pyramid. The only way to do it is by inflating the price of the products. And along with that, you must inflate the image of the product.
Why do I bring this all up? Because it’s just one more part of the massive shell game that Mary Kay plays. Each day, women in Mary Kay pretend they’re successful, pretend they’re master recruiters, pretend they’re actually supporting their families with MK, pretend they’re “on target” for a goal, and pretend that they didn’t have to recruit their dog to make it through DIQ.
Mary Kay is based upon numerous deceptions, and sites like Pink Truth are the only way to expose these deceptions to the general public and help prevent women from getting involved with the company.
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Comments (4)
raisinberry
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Sadly, this was where my buzzers first went off, and yet I found myself deferring to my Director’s judgment…and all the other unified voices of solidarity regarding the “Mary Kay Way” .
After all, these women “arrived” and I was still looking up the ladder of success from the first rung. What’s a little white lie here and there?
The “booking” pretense was exactly as you say..create the illusion that you are so massively booked that she’d be lucky to get in to see you.
This was followed by the “creative financing” pretense that you could pay for your order in three parts so hubby can’t track what you spent…also affectionately known as the “husband unawareness plan”.
Like most manipulation and thought control, the ploys start small an build. Soon you are standing at meeting for high sales, nodding as your SD retells the tale of your hourly profit…dividing sales by 50% and then dividing by hours worked at the appointment. AS IF, that had any basis in reality. Smile and Nod. And Do NOT let your SD look bad. After all she’s trying to recruit YOUR GUEST for you! You are now complicit ..
You are now complicit.
And so it goes. One enormous deceitful omission of facts and reality, all to recruit the next tier of pyramid builders.
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Scrib
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Mary Kay hasn’t hung around for fifty years because they did something right. They’ve been around because they initially hook women with deception. (I just need your opinion, it’s just a girl’s night out, I’m not trying to recruit you, etc)
In turn, those women are taught to nurture and practice that deception (“It works when you do!” “There is no better business for women!” “I’m a director that’s making six figures!)
In turn, that deception is passed on to new women. I’ve come across more than a few accounts where recruits were hooked by a pretend picture of success (“That director looked so successful and happy, I just knew I had to be where she was!”) See the PT article, “Mary Kay Hookers: How Some NSDs fell into Temptation.”)
http://www.pinktruth.com/2011/09/mary-kay-hookers-how-some-nsds-fell-into-temptation/
And finally, anyone who breaks free of the deception is immediately demonized with silly blanket assumptions. (“They’re disgruntled consultants, they wanted to get rich quick, they didn’t work it hard enough, God wasn’t their partner, they were lazy.)
I’m glad we’re working to break this cycle concerning this so-called “God First” company.
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NeverWasPink
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Wait, so you’re supposed to present yourself as soooo super-busy to prospective clients yet later, when you’re trying to recruit them, simultaneously boast about how much FREE time you have and how you only work 10 hours a month!? *cough, twise, that’s for you*
What a joke. You’re supposed to be a strong leader so your team will follow, yet when YOUR leader screws up it’s YOUR fault you weren’t being a good follower and just closing your eyes and listening to whatever your director tells you?
Must suck, having to balance precariously on a unicycle with a slow leak in the tire, all while you desperately try to “fill a bathtub with the drain open”.. whew.
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Olivia
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Please. The Hard Candy stuff I get at Wal-mart is way better than the stuff my mom’s Mary Kay pal sells. And cheaper.
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