http://www.pinktruth.com

The CBS affiliate in Philadelphia ran a story yesterday about women doing direct selling in a recession to "supplement" their income. Of course, Rhonda Shasteen of Mary Kay got to have her say.... telling the world that women will spend money on lipstick even when their finances are tight.

The story was largely focused on the "opportunity" that companies like Mary Kay and Arbonne offer women. (Mary Kay said recruiting is up 10% this year, but of course didn't release any sales figures or offer up information on how well all those recruits are doing!)

But Pink Truth has a voice! I am so thankful to the producer for working hard to get something in the story about the other side of Mary Kay. We got a great mention, and I got to tell the world that recruiting and frontloading are keys to multi-level marketing schemes. (Click the picture below to go to the CBS3 Philadelphia site to see the video.)

Are you impulsive? Do you tend to make life-altering decisions on a whim, or are you the type to think things over before embracing a new venture? Do you think with your heart or with your head? Are you one to jump headfirst into a lake if you can’t see the bottom, or do you investigate first?

If you are asked by a bubbly, sharp looking lady if you would like to join Mary Kay, telling you that you’d be great at selling this wonderful product, your best bet is to do some serious considering, ask many questions, and ask to see proof of the answers you are given.

You see, the women in Mary Kay are taught to recruit as many women as they can, without regard to whether those women would be good at what they do for a living. They learn from their mentors to try to get women to join Mary Kay quickly, without giving them time to think it over.

This month is one of the few times during the year that you might actually find out how well your Unit is doing. Mary Kay publishes commissions in Applause Magazine, the top pyramid dwellers, but the vast sea of some 13,000 North American Directors will never grace the pages.

In July, however, many Units announce where they finished at year end. If you can find out what your “Seminar Year End Goal” was to hit “whatever” Unit club, or how far away you were, you can easily estimate your Director’s paycheck. When your Director keeps this quiet,…well you know.

Remembering that she is paid on wholesale, not retail, any retail figure has to be reduced by half. So if your unit is in the $250,000 Unit Club, figure the amount at $125,000 wholesale. Now divide that $125,000 by 12 months and get $10,400 wholesale production per month. Your Director gets about 23% of that (if she’s over $5k per month, which means bonus money). She's makes $2,392. per month excluding her personal recruiting commission. You can find her recruiting commission, commonly called a love check in your newsletter (unless she’s hiding from that).