I never got into the idea of “sitting at the feet” of anyone, much less a Mary Kay national sales director. I am not beneath them, and therefore do not deserve to be sitting “at their feet.” Please. These were the musings of Allison LaMarr when she was a brand new, record-breaking NSD. (This was before anyone realized how making it to NSD was the beginning of the end for Allison… with plummeting earnings, eventual financial ruin, many failed business ventures, and a lawsuit by Mary Kay to follow.)

Allison Lee LaMarr was the one everyone was raving about because she made it to nsd faster than anyone in the history of Mary Kay.  This was proof that the Mary Kay business plan worked, if only you were willing to put in the work. (No word yet from Mary Kay about how the failure of Allison speaks to the failure of the “business plan,” of course.)

Amy Dunlap Isagenix

Yesterday we discussed the lawsuit between Mary Kay Cosmetics and former National Sales Director Amy Dunlap. Mary Kay is suing Amy for using information on MK consultants to recruit to Isagenix. Amy is counterclaiming, saying that MK lies to women when it says that you “own your own business.” Unfortunately for Amy, she is guilty of telling women the exact same thing while she was in Mary Kay. She is also counterclaiming, saying that the non-solicitation clause in her NSD agreement should be unenforceable.

In an affidavit in the lawsuit, Amy makes it clear whey she left Mary Kay. She wasn’t making much money:

Written by Personal Use Recruiter

As an award winning top personal recruiter in another multi-level marketing company, this was my experience.

For every SEVEN new customers I added to my customer base: I signed only ONE new recruit. (I know, I know… make-up MLM is an easier sell. You all kicked my butt at recruiting!)

For every TEN qualified consultants I recruited (who placed a first inventory order): FOUR would quit before the end of the year.

For that same TEN consultants I recruited on my team: Only FOUR would duplicate themselves by accidentally, or with my help, recruiting someone else

From Mary Kay national sales director Anita Garrett-Roe: How to get to national sales director status.

Anita says getting to national status involves making women feel “special”. (Let’s be honest though, if you contribute to the numbers for nsd status, they don’t care WHO you are!)

So tell them you’ve selected them and they can come with you to the top. More emotional manipulation, in my opinion!

Written by Pink_Plunge

I wrote this letter to my nsd as I was leaving Mary Kay. I was hoping for honest answers to my questions and concerns. As you probably expected, I didn’t really get any.

I am writing this email to you to explain why I have decided to quit Mary Kay. You’ll notice an attached word document that is a letter written to my team members, customers, friends and family members to explain my story and how I’ve reached the conclusion to end my Mary Kay career. I thought I’d share the letter with you too, just to make sure that you are FULLY AWARE of how I feel and how things have changed for me! PLEASE DO TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT!! My team members and I would really appreciate being HEARD!!

Written by Verity Rose

It’s no wonder that Mary Kay recruiters in search of a downline will encourage potential recruits to watch Your Future is Now, in which NSD Lisa Madson tells her I-story to a room full of MK faithful and the guests they hope to bring into the fold.  TopDirectorTapes.com, whose stock in trade is flogging Mary Kay motivational materials, notes that “[t]he Field Force says, ‘when this DVD is shown with guests present, an average of one-half of the guests who are present make a decision, on the spot, to become Mary Kay Beauty Consultants.’”  This is no accident. If Madson is not quite Kryptonite for holdouts and skeptics, she’s pretty close.

Written by The Scribbler

Last school year I completely read through "Room at the Top:  The Success Stories of Some of America's Leading Businesswomen."  Only you won't find women from real companies listed, just NSDs gushing their personal I-stories.  As I read through the book, I noticed more than a few common threads, and I'd like to share the quotes associated with one of those threads today. 

Let's hit the button on the ol' Wayback Machine and transport ourselves to that first encounter with Mary Kay.  It could be any encounter, really; a facial, a skin care class, a 3-way call with Beezelbub.  You remember asking "Why does it smell like sulfur in here?" only for the director to shrug and hold up a Yankee Candle with the words, "Hell Fire" scribbled on its label in black magic marker.  It looked legit, and the tip of the director's tail had this cute bow on it, so you didn't pry.

Mary Kay nsds Cheryl Knight Carol Lawler, Linda Toupin, and Pamela Waldrop Shaw

The new “NIQ” requirements will no longer have the current four-month qualification period and there will be no production requirement. Instead, candidates for the position of Independent National Sales Director must:

• Have a personal unit with at least 24 unit members.
•  Have a total of 20 offspring Independent Sales Directors having one of the following configurations:

Written by The Scribbler

I have a foot-high thick assortment of Applause magazines dating back to 1977.  It makes a pretty handy (albeit low) end table if you throw a glass top on it and add some opulent home décor from the local Stuckey’s:  Star Trek collector’s plates, statuettes of President Obama flashing the “hang loose” sign (and carrying a surfboard), and the ever-popular “Single Fake Rose in a Plastic Vial filled with Fake Water.”  There’s no denying I’m brimming with high class, people.   Or brimming with something else; my eyes are brown, after all.  Heck, I’m open for interpretation.