This story offers the point of view of a Mary Kay husband. While some may say that this schedule is temporary and will end once the wife is done with her Director In Qualification period, that is false. Sales directors are constantly “in DIQ,” always looking for new recruits while barely making minimum wage.

Let me first begin by saying I’m not the average guy. I do laundry, change diapers, clean, cook, do yard work, and I carry my own weight around the house. I am not one who expects my wife to do it all while I sit on my rear with the remote in hand.

With that said, MK is slowly driving a wedge.

Have you ever wondered what life is like at the top of Mary Kay? Look no further than the standout beauty consultant Allison LaMarr, who quickly rose to fame within Mary Kay, and was put on a pedestal by corporate and sales directors.

We have documented on Pink Truth the meteoric rise of Allison LaMarr to the position of National Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. While being the fastest to reach NSD, she was also the fastest to quit. And now Mary Kay has sued Allison and her company Driven Inc. (also involving her husband James LaMarr) for breach of the NSD contract.

Back in May 2005, Allison LaMarr was flying high in Mary Kay Cosmetics. The company and its consultants couldn’t get enough of her, because her fast ascent to fame meant that anyone could do it. Allison was the NEW face of Mary Kay, and the company used her every chance they could get to prove that MK was a legitimate opportunity.

In a May 2005 article in Applause magazine, the company touted Allison’s accomplishments in this article. Here is the most interesting part, in which Allison professes that she “would never leave the Mary Kay life.

One morning, I heard this statement on a television talk show: “One obstacle to recovery is hope.” They went on to discuss how hope plays a part in people recovering from tragedies or moving forward in their lives. I thought it was very appropriate in relation to Mary Kay.

Several months ago, Raisinberry wrote an article on this very issue. Mary Kay lives and dies by hope. So long as you have the “hope” that you might be one of the big winners in the pyramid scheme, you will continue to pour time and money into this losing proposition.

Here’s the truth: Mary Kay admitted in a letter to the FTC that the company recruits 40,000 new U.S. consultants per month. (Boy, I bet legal wishes they had never written that, because they didn’t realize I’d keep repeating it!) That’s 480,000 women a year that the company uses.

Recently a pro-Mary Kay woman attempted to post the following comment on this site:

What does it matter how many people drive a pink Cadillac or how few people make alot of money? Most people in most businesses fail because of numerous reasons… Mainly they don’t work hard enough. As long as the guidelines are understood, which they are, then its up to the individual to make it happen, regardless of who makes what above them. Selling isn’t for just anyone and most people realize they don’t have what it takes and a few succeed. But if a few can succeed, doesn’t that mean anyone can?

Her conclusion is that “…if a few can succeed” then “anyone can.”  This comment is typical of the delusional nature of Mary Kay. I suppose if “someone” broke the world record running 100 meters, then “anyone” can break a world record,” right?  If “a few” people got a perfect score on the SAT, then “anyone” can, right?

Many recruits are snared into Mary Kay Cosmetics with the lure of executive earnings. They are told that the sky’s the limit, and the earnings are unlimited, if only you are willing to work hard enough. Sales directors tout their “highest checks” without ever mentioning all the business expenses that must be paid out of those checks, or that those are a one-time deal and don’t represent their normal commission checks.

The hard workers are the ones who make it big in Mary Kay, right? Wrong. One has to look no further than superstar Allison LaMarr, who was the fastest woman ever to make it to Mary Kay National Sales Director. Yet all of that hard work resulted in a downward spiral that culminated in Allison becoming the fastest quitter in Mary Kay history. She has flailed around since, attempting to be a personal coach, a failed participant  in multi-leve marketing company MLM Bellamora, a former “executive” for multi-level marketer Seacret Direct, and is now spinning her wheels trying to build a downline as a distributor for Seacret.

We frequently hear from Mary Kay supporters that those who are not making money selling MK products either don’t work hard enough or don’t want to make money. Five years ago, Lazy Gardens took on this idea in her article Can 26,000 Mary Kay Consultants All Be Lazy? The data and the results are still relevant today. Check it out.

From time to time, I like to take a look at who is actually selling Mary Kay products, and what kind of living they’re making from it. Pink Truthers are often told that it’s easy to sell MK products. The products “fly right off the shelf” or “sell themselves.” We’re told that if we were unable to sell the products and make a decent profit from those sales, it was only because we didn’t work hard enough, didn’t work the right way (the “Mary Kay way”), or we’re just lazy losers.

That’s why it’s so helpful to take a look at large units, see who is selling enough products to make a living (or even close to a living) and then compare ourselves accordingly. Today we’re taking a look at Kim Sabourin’s unit (formerly Kim Cowdell).

Written by SnoBaby

It annoys me to no end when people make statements of truth but don’t provide factual evidence to prove the point.

I used to only consider this when talking politics.  I’ll give an obviously silly and hypothetical example here.  My husband says, “I’m not going to vote for Candidate A.  He hates old people.”  My question…”How do you know he hates old people? What evidence do you have?”  Now, he may very well have evidence.  Great.  Just give it.  Maybe Candidate A helped write legislation that would cut social security or raise the retirement age.  NOW there is evidence to support his claim.  Perhaps it is hyperbole to say he “hates” old people, but at least you have grounds for saying you won’t vote for him due to his “actions” affecting old people.  Otherwise, the statement is just words spewed out with no relevance or validity.

Written by Rachel

I recently read a quote from a site promoting an MLM:

To recoup your initial $570 costs, focus on enrolling two distributors into your downline and then help them also enroll two people each.

This is the problem. Right here. It’s the exponential growth caused by unlimited recruiting (what MLMs like to bill as “unlimited earning potential.”) In the midst of a lot of talk about selling the product, the real focus for leadership in any MLM is recruitment. Some MLMs push recruiting harder than others, but they all have two things in common.