http://www.pinktruth.com

Here is an email response from a recruiter who has just been told that the friend hsa changed her mind about joining Mary Kay and won't make any big decisions without praying and getting input from her husband. She says she'll let the recruiter know if she ever changes her mind about Mary Kay:

No hard feelings whatesoever! This is an opportunity that could change your life, but I do understand that it is something that you should speak to your husband about and God about before you start. Why don't you think about this once you have prayed...if money is the issue, your debut will cover it and if it does not, I will personally purchase your kit! I am so confident that I won't need to though.

Also, if it is the timing....why not give it a shot!? You have nothing to lose! If it is because you may be nervous about beginning your own business...I am here for you to train, encourage, and help you in any way you may need. I believe you are awesome and would be so incredible as a consultant, but how will we ever know unless you give it a shot! There are many people who are hesitant about beginning this business, but that is a great thing because that means that you are smart and want to make good decisions for your life. It would be odd if you were to just sign up before even hearing about the business!

I am not offended or hurt at all if you don't join simply because I would never want you to do anything you don't want to do! My dream is my dream, and I will make it happen. I would love to talk soon and clear up any questions you may have about Mary Kay or concerns you and Chris may have. Would you still like to meet with me and my sales director on Thursday night for soem makeup time? Take care!

The Mary Kay legal department offers this document to help you understand why Mary Kay isn't a pyramid scheme. But the questions this document suggests you ask should really be asked of Mary Kay! The truthful answers would be really revealing! It also makes several assertions about the Mary Kay opportunity that seem to fly in the facf of reality. (Ex. You can't buy your way up... Oh yes you can!)

What is a husband's place in the Mary Kay venture? Should he stand quietly by, allowing his wife to do whatever he wants with his family's finances? Should he be actively involved in running the Mary Kay "business"? Or should he just be a cheerleader? 

I pondered whether or not this article would offend our readers; after all, it liberally uses the “S” word (submission), questions Mary Kay teachings, and looks to the Bible for clarification on such.  I decided to press onward; after all, if you’re an active MKer out there reading this, you’ve probably heard very offensive insinuations that you’re not a proper adult (i.e. a “Big Girl”) because you haven’t (insert task here).  If you can tolerate that kind of abuse, then you’re a strong individual and will come away even stronger after having read this piece.

For starters, please take a look with me at Ephesians 5:22-23; let’s see what the Word says about the roles of husbands and wives:

The secret to getting Mary Kay consultants (especially new ones)  to order lots of inventory is overcoming their objections. New consultants typically are skeptical about spending thousands of dollars on inventory that they're not even sure they can sell. But no need to test the waters and hold a few classes before you order! ORDER NOW! You'll sell tons. Trust me.

And so the con game goes. You want to be successful, don't you? Would a store open without anything on its shelves? Do you think women really want to wait for their cosmetics? Order now. Order often. Have lots on hand and you'll be successful.

Still not convinced that you need to order thousands of dollars of inventory from the start? Your Mary Kay director will bring out the big guns: It's an investment.  Debt bad. Investment good. Investment is not debt. Credit card or not, it's not debt. It's an investment. Get it? An investment in your family's future.

Anyone who's ever made it to sales director in Mary Kay can tell you that there is no "job security" in Mary Kay. For all but a few hundred sales directors, the earnings are dismal and very unsteady. And even if you are one of those few hundred who make a real career living from Mary Kay, you can go from the top to the bottom in a mere six months. There is no such thing as stability in Mary Kay.

But they would have you believe there is. When some companies are announcing layoffs and restructuring, Kaybots use it as an opportunity to recruit. If they can fill your head with the false notion that you're in control of your earnings and you dictate your own destiny, they win.

Here's a propaganda piece used to capitalize on fear and suck more people into the Mary Kay vortex:

Robert FitzPatrick of Pyramid Scheme Alert has conducted extensive research on multi-level marketing companies (MLMs). The research can be difficult with companies like Mary Kay, which are privately owned and therefore don’t release hardly any information about the dismal earnings of the sales force. (Who would want to admit the financial truth unless forced to? And don'tcha think that if consultants were doing so well in Mary Kay across the board, that the company would be out there touting these statistics left and right?)

On the other hand, certain companies using MLM models that are similar to Mary Kay’s way of doing business, do release public information about their representatives. Robert studied figures for Amway (Quixtar), Nuskin, Nikken, Melaleuca, Reliv, Arbonne, Free Life International and Cyberwize.com.

From this research, Robert compiled figures on a “per 10,000 representatives” basis for each company, in order to allow comparisons to be made between the companies. This research has revealed that 99% of sales representatives in these MLM companies suffer significant financial losses. The research further revealed that on average, no net income is earned by MLM distributors from door-to-door retail sales (direct selling of products).

One of the most frustrating parts about Mary Kay Cosmetics is the deception during the recruiting process.

"Doesn't this look eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasy????"

"All you do is squirt and smile! Squirt and smile!"

"I just know you'd be great at doing what I do!"

"Unlimited earnings, full-time pay for part-time hours, replacing your income..."

There are literally hundreds of standard lines that the scary Mary Kay ladies use to draw women into the pink bubble. Typically, they downplay the time and effort needed to sell Mary Kay products, and exaggerate the amount of money earned from Mary Kay activities.

This is one of those sad, sad dreams that Mary Kay directors and recruiters like to build up for you. They tell you how easy it is to "replace your income" with Mary Kay. And it's bull. Because we've seen over and over on Pink Truth how almost everyone in MK would be better off working a minimum wage job... they'd make more per hour at minimum wage than they make at MK.

It is next to impossible to build a client base large enough to generate a steady income in Mary Kay. Even women who've been in for years and have 100 or 200 customers (impressive sounding, yes?) aren't doing consistent, significant sales.

The reality is that "good" Mary Kay customers probably buy $50 to $100 of prouducts a year, on average. Sure, you'll hear a Kaybot talk about the two customers she has that each spend $500 a year. The fact is that they're an aberration. Many customers spend only $25 a year, but we keep them on the PCP mailer because we think someday they'll be won over and buy more.

1. They never restrict recruiting, no matter how many reps an area already has.
2. They always encourage recruiting, no matter how many reps an area has.
   

For the longest time I anguished over how I ever got in this Mary Kay mess.  I finally got crystal clear clarity concerning one of the most evil and deceptive "attractions" that Mary Kay Cosmetics uses to draw unsuspecting prey into the web.

It has been said that an obvious lie isn't effective. To be a great lie it has to be surrounded by two layers of truth. Hide the lie in the middle like a great big pink Oreo and you have a "cookie" that's irresistible as well as effective.

"The Pink Bubble" is described as the "Mary Kay way" of living positively in a negative world. It requires all negative thoughts and deeds to be held captive to a greater purpose of becoming all you can be and achieving more, while following the Golden Rule and being a "go-give" person. It's a truth that is pursued by all who wish to live "rightly". And it is sold to the typical MK consultant as only being available to us in the Mary Kay world. All other worlds fall miserably short of this ideal. Once in, why would you opt for living "outside" in a very Un-PINK world? This is the top lid of the Oreo, the first truth women long for.