New Mary Kay Timewise Miracle Set 3D

Written by BestDecision

Mary Kay is very clear to sales directors: Get the new recruit to order inventory as soon as possible. The longer she waits, the lower the order.

But what do you do when a major product change is coming? Mary Kay is releasing a new Timewise skin care set called the Miracle Set 3D. They say it “defends, delays, delivers.” Here is a look at it:

Mary Kay will tell you that they don’t make a lot of product changes. We know they really do. Take a look at the changes that occurred to the Timwise set over the years. Mary Kay says that it’s been 18 years since Timewise has been changed, but that page tells a different story.

Product changes are inevitable. Of COURSE a company wants to keep up with the times. But there is a special situation with MK because they encourage consultants to carry large inventories and they frontload new consultants. Who is left holding the bag when a product changes? The consultants! And it’s especially difficult when it’s a major product change like this.

There is always a problem when a major new product comes out: old inventory versus new inventory. It’s especially a problem with new consultants. You’re trying to get an initial inventory order from them right away, but you know that if you have them buy Timewise in April, it’s going to be obsolete in May when the Timewise 3D comes out.

Mary Kay has created a video (scroll down) to help sales directors with this issue. Because obviously it’s really mean to have women buy the old miracle sets in April when the new sets are coming out in May. But they don’t really care about the consultant. They care about the sales director getting a commission on the largest possible April inventory order, and they care about MK Inc. selling the remaining old Timewise that they have on hand.

There’s also the issue of the starter kit. The consultant is going to get an old starter kit. But hooray! She can BUY a “conversion kit” for $25 and get the Timewise 3D cleanser, day cream, night cream, etc.

How does Mary Kay suggest that the sales director talk about inventory? In the video, it is assumed that the consultant is going to buy inventory. She wants to do a power start, or 30 faces in 30 days. The consultant says she’s going to call 50% of her people who will be part of the first 30 faces in April. So the sales director wants her to buy inventory to service them. Notice she doesn’t take into account the fact that it’s going to take time to actually see those women, even if the consultant calls them in April. People will have to book a date for a party or facial, some will reschedule, some won’t even be reached by the consultant immediately. But never mind! We have to sell inventory NOW or we’re going to lose money!!!! We also don’t make a distinction between  how many faces she WANTS to see and how many she will actually be able to see.

The sales director says we’re going try to predict how many Miracle Sets the consultant will sell. We don’t want a customer to have to wait to start using skin care anyway, so we HAVE to get them on the old Timewise. They start with the Ready, Set, Sell worksheet. Of course, there is no consideration of how likely this consultant is to actually sell the products. They only talk about how much she WANTS to sell. The video ends there, and the sales director in real life is left to decide how many of the old Timewise the consultant should order.

Normal people would say that the director wouldn’t want to overload the consultant with old sets, because she’s going to be frustrated when she doesn’t sell them right away, and she has a bunch of old stock left when the new products come out. It makes no sense to have an upset, discouraged consultant in your unit. But that’s not the Mary Kay mentality. The sales directors are very likely to have the consultant order too much of the old stuff (think of production and commission check NOW), banking on the fact that she’ll order a bunch again when the new stuff comes out (more production and more commission THEN)!!!!

This whole thing is a mess, and it always is. The consultants always end up holding the bag with old inventory they can’t sell. Mary Kay wants to dress it up and make it an issue about “servicing customers now,” but they know the new consultant will end up with old Timewise products that she can’t sell. It is this way with every major product launch.

Check out the video. The conversation about the new versus old Timewise Miracle Sets starts around 5:30.

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58 COMMENTS

  1. I’d like to know the basis for the statement “only 20% of visible skin aging comes from the natural aging process”. Is this a fact that can be verified by science or is this a “MK fact” ? Does anyone have a copy of the pending patent that describes the ingredients in their “complex”? Is it a pending patent for MK or have they purchased the right to use the complex from the patent-holder?

    • As the second document details, the key ingredient MK boasts is resveratrol, yet studies show it has no effect on skin when applied topically. This is the same song and dance they did with us when launching the original Miracle Set in 2000. Nothing new!

      • there are studies that show that it is effective, I use one from the Ordinary which costs about $7 a bottle. there are three scientific journals i could point you to if needed.

        • According to this study from 2011, it’s not. “…There are a few roadblocks in the way of this promising agent regarding its translation from the bench to the bedside.”

          Let’s also keep in mind it depends on what a brand is trying to spin to sell a product. MK will do just about anything to amp up their sales force hype and hysteria. I’m living proof of that game.

          Published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the NIH: Ndiaye, M; Philippe, C; Mukhtar, H; Ahmad, N (2011). “The Grape Antioxidant Resveratrol for Skin Disorders: Promise, Prospects, and Challenges”. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 508 (2): 164–170. doi:10.1016/j.abb.2010.12.030. PMC 3060966  . PMID 21215251.

    • Rodan and Fields says the same. There are a ton of cosmetic companies out there with new product launches. Why bash one company?

      • Maybe you missed the concept that this site is about Mary Kay, therefore we talk about Mary Kay???

      • Because we were actually a part of MK and had our hopes on something that many are faking. R & F simply hasn’t built a sales force large enough yet to experience the fallout MK has. Their day might be coming, too…

  2. I’m going to indulge and be a little bit catty… Is the lady on the left trying to look like it’s 1997, or is that just her style?

  3. there are studies that show that it is effective, I use one from the Ordinary which costs about $7 a bottle. there are three scientific journals i could point you to if needed.

    • But you know how they’re “too busy” to have the time to update their website. Except when they get a promotion!

  4. The consultant in the video has been coached to coo and head nod in the yes manner. They teach this in asking questions for sales to get the yes head nod.
    So this video is a sales prop for the masses in MK. After all, MK has to sell this to the people signed up, remember they are the customer.

  5. 80% of customers are on miracle set (based on age) – but you have just started your business and made it to senior consultant. The language in the video assumes you have a large customer base by omitting the numbers and using percentages. The layering the director does is the snake oil talk and she has it down pat.

    Let’s be gracious and say you have 25 miracle set customers (which would BE a miracle) 80% x 25 = 20 customers

    50% need to be introduced to the new set. 50% x 25 = 13 customers (rounding up)

    How many would order the old timewise in April my guestimate 10%, because who needs more product all at once, not many = 3 people.

    3 old timewise sets needed = xxxx dollars
    13 new timewise sets needed = yyyyy dollars
    I do not think this adds up to 1800.00 in product for timewise April order.
    The video assumes you have 0 old timewise sets in your basement now = error, the old inventory is down there trust me.

    You take a handy dandy (fixed) quiz and the viola 1800.00 is needed. Note how the director is up selling the business to the consultant (to meet her quota).

    Doesn’t say how long you have had your starter kit, to make good on the 25.00 new product adjustment, assumes you are a recent newbie. I bet they put a limit on the starter kit upgrade based on how long you have had the kit.

    And it assumes the skin care classes are popping up like the spring flowers – it is SO easy to get 5-7 women together – ugh!

  6. So this video came directly from MKC and wasn’t an NSD’s quasi-amateur production?

    If so, it’s proof positive that MKC has a direct role in deploying the misinformation. It would be very nice to see a class action lawyer take advantage of this against MKC.

    • “So this video came directly from MKC and wasn’t an NSD’s quasi-amateur production?…”

      I bet you’re right. It doesn’t look as slick as a professionally done MK corporate video.

      • It doesn’t look like the MK advertising videos, but the “sales force weekly spotlight” is a corporate thing. I think this video is from MK Inc., but I can’t fully verify that.

      • I was never in MK, but I get the impression that its “professional” videos use actors and are for the public. Conversely, the internal videos are for the sales force and use sales force members (who can’t act.)

        • You’re exactly correct. The only others in the internal videos are corporate staff.

  7. The blonde was on the ABC 2020 special who couldn’t tell Rebecca Jarvis how much money she made in a year.

  8. This video is from corporate? CORPORATE is telling these women to frontload their new consultants! Disgusting and I hate it. We cannot blame the NSDs when they’ve been groomed to lie and deceive right from the top.

    • I should clarify: we cannot JUST blame the NSDs. I still blame them, but they’re just passing on what they learn from the heads.

      • And they want to support whatever the company says because they get more attention that way. Their egos are starving!

  9. “it is SO easy to get 5-7 women together”

    And they’ll all be willing to whip out $110 plus tax for the new set!

    I’d never buy a “set” that includes a cleanser. In my opinion, the cleanser is just a “filler” for the set Any cleanser simply cleanses and is only on your face for a few seconds before being washed down the drain (along with your money).

    I buy effective, but inexpensive cleansers, and spend my money on excellent skin care.

    • Exactly! They act like it’s proprietary and a holy grail discovered and used exclusively by them.

  10. It is easier to run a Mary Kay business than keep up this charade blogging. Mary Kay businesses are awesome & so are the products. Go get a job, ladies.

    • Sarah, I don’t have a job. I have a CAREER. Can you tell me what car you’re driving? We’d all like to know because it’s indicative of what your gross income is.

      Oh, and another thing…my career gives me free BENEFITS. When is the last time MK paid for your eye exam, teeth cleanings, and retirement? Hmmmm??

    • I love Mary Kay ! Lol I’m sad for all you women. I have made money. You don’t need to invest anything like y’all are saying to make money. I have only invested my starter kit and made plenty money. I guess you all just no good at it and have spent time doing the wrong things. Also the women I’m surrounded by are the most awesome women I have ever met. *genuine* and I also love the products which are cheap compared to these other brands that are just marketed up bc of celebrities.

      • So which is it? You don’t have to invest anything? Or you have to invest in a starter kit? Those are opposing statements.

        I love that you make “plenty money” with the products that aren’t “marketed up.” LOL

      • “Genuine”? Nope, not when you leave. And your grammar makes my choice even clearer that it was the right one. While other companies sometimes use celebrity endorsement, MK is profiting from the Go Give Area and all the people who don’t have recruiters anymore.

        How many $75 sheet masks did YOU sell this weekend??

  11. And what about those $70 sheet masks? “Ingredients are going to penetrate based on their molecular size. Nothing else,” Paula Begoun told Refinery29. “Having that sheet on your face does not form enough of a barrier. It’s bulls**t that the sheet helps ingredients absorb.”

    MK ladies, you can’t argue with basic science. Exactly how many boxes of these did you sell last week??

  12. One thing I hate from MK is they say they includes natural ingredients in their creams and thats a scam because “natural ingredient ” means “molecules created in a laboratory that resembles natural ones”, so this is no Natural.

  13. This website is so PATHETIC!! Who creates a group just to HATE & COMPLAIN?!?! And on a company that enhances the lives of women everyday! POST THIS!!

    • I’m not sure who creates a group just to hate an complain, but I’ve created a website that tells the real truth about Mary Kay. It’s a shame that the truth is negative. It’s a shame that MK hurts far more women than it ever helps. It’s a shame that this site is needed because there is basically nowhere else to hear the truth about MK. But here we are.

      Welcome!!!

    • Erica, I’m here as a former Cadillac director to bring awareness of what really goes on. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

    • I don’t hate and complain. I am an ex-personal use consultant who saw and heard a lot of dishonest and unethical things in my former unit. I come here to lend my voice in support of those who were, and continue to be, hurt by Mary Kay and its ongoing deception.

      Oh, and your excessive use of capital letters and punctuation is a dead give away.

    • The only women whose lives are truly enriched by MK are the NSDs and any women who are MK corporate executives. The other 99.95% of women, those who who make up the sales force, are empoverished a little bit more every day.

      Come back next April, after you file your tax return, and tell us how much you were personally enriched. We’ll wait. Bring your Schedule C. You do know what that is, right?

    • Erica Shanklin: Mary Kay Independent Senior Beauty Consultant (facebook)
      Or maybe just an Independent Beauty Consultant (MK website)?

      Whichever, you haven’t put your business degree to proper use. Treat Mary Kay like a real business and do a cash flow, expenses, and all the rest of the business stuff. How much SPENDABLE money have you made? Or are you paying for the “opportunity”?

    • Only 25 units in the entire company added 20 new Conultants in July. Sure doesn’t look like you all are selling lots of 3D or else EVERYONE would want to do what you do!

  14. These products will be launched in Brazil in January 2019. But they are already available to buy in advance (1 kit per Consultant). And believe me, they are already on sale at “MercadoLivre”, a kind of “Ebay” in Brazil. The same story repeats itself. Consultants with a large stock of the old TimeWise System. Sorry for my bad English. I’m using google translate.

  15. women hate the new set so much i was able to sell all my old sets, with a discount of course. lol

    • That was my point to my consultant. I was fine with the “old” timewise products. Then they redid them, made the tubes smaller, and the price went up considerably. The old cleanser and moisturizer were total of $44. The new ones are total of $56. The addition of fragrance is enjoyable, but not $12+ more enjoyable.

  16. I’ve been with this company for over 10 years and love it. Of course they are going to update products! They want to be competitive in the market, why would I want to be part of a company that doesn’t update their products for 20 years? And inventory is not a requirement and it depends on the recruiter if they pressure women into buying it.

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