A Series of Lies in Mary Kay

Written by Raisinberry

One lie leads to another, leads to another, leads to another… Kind of like Mary Kay boiling a frog without the frog noticing.

Back in the day, my earth science teacher told us that the way a frog is wired, being a reptile and all, you could toss him into a boiling pot of water and he would sense the differential in water temp to body temp and spring out without getting burned.

But then there was this other method for cooking a frog. Just place him in a room temperature pot of water and slowly turn up the heat. Because his body adjusts to the rising temperature slowly, he never notices he is beginning to boil. Voila! Fresh frog legs.

This, to me, was a glaring example of the technique by which we all got cold-cocked in Mary Kay. Below, is a series of lies, omissions and distortions that set up the consultant to be drowning in hot water.

“You don’t need inventory.”

This appears non-pushy and takes off pressure. It is a throw off line to make a director appear casual instead of on a mission

“A typical appointment is under 2 hours.”

If you knew your first class would take 4 hours, you might not sign up. Let’s face it; even the best of the best can’t always control the length of classes, especially when Aunt Clara comes an hour late.

“Women do not like to wait for product and a customer buys more when she knows you have it there.”

Since it is impossible to know whether she bought more because she saw your box in the trunk, we’ll never know. Even telling her you carry product is not quantifiable in terms of dollars spent. Many consultants have completely forgotten their inventory at home and sold similar amounts, so waiting to receive an order wasn’t a deterrent. The lie here is to make you think you will lose a sale because you can’t service her immediately, when what is really happening is the director is making you fear you won’t be successful without it.

“You definitely want to be in the Consistency Club… it shows your commitment to your business.”

This contest to get you to order monthly is designed to give the Unit a base production. You will hate to screw it up after 3 months so you will order a minimum just to keep it going. It is just a $200. If you screw it up, don’t worry. There will be a mid year chance to be in the MIDYEAR Consistency Club. (Anything to get you back on track. Consistency is everything! To the director, that is!)

“You are Number One in sales!”

Well no, what you are is number one in orders. You will head up that Seminar Year to date RETAIL SALES list, knowing you didn’t sell ¼ of it yet. Getting credit for double-plus of your wholesale order just doesn’t sit right, but the water is starting to bubble now, with the sound of distant applause…”I guess this is how Mary Kay keeps records.” You say to yourself, and your director says, “Isn’t it great that they give you credit for all your wholesale?” “Yes” you say…,”is the a/c working?”

“You are almost on target! You only need $600 more to be official! Why not finish your star now, you will sell it!”

By this time your director has become your just about best friend! You are a mover and shaker in her unit! You will be introduced at guest events as a ON TARGET CAR DRIVER! Everyone will know who you are and look up to you! Its Only $600…and even though there is a whole lot left of that initial $2,400, you can just get skin care- the staple of the business and always move that! Starting to sweat yet?

“You can order for another consultant to finish your car but not in DIQ. Once you start DIQ, every order needs to be paid for first by the consultant… that’s the rules. But there are exceptions when she is far away or won’t be paid till the weekend. The company kind of expects this, they make a joke out of all the “illegal” or bogus consultants at Director- in- Training week.”

Yes, they definitely make you read the DIQ rules and they definitely laugh about everybody breaking them in Dallas. And here is the secret “meta-message”. The under the surface “wink wink” that will characterize your career as a Director. If you can get away with it, go ahead. Just so the numbers add up and we can applaud your success!

From the smallest insignificant lie to the “find a way – make a way” lessons of heading up the career path, you never noticed the temperature rising and the blisters forming because the ”tricks” were never learned or discussed until you were already acclimated to the temperature of your new position.

Had you known before signing your agreement that a Ruby star order of $2,400 would be where your “points” were, that you would charge up orders activating team members on your own credit card, as necessary, that Consistency Club is a production ploy, and Number One in Retail means number one in accumulated debt, you may have bounced in to Mary Kay and bounced right out again, very clear on the danger.

Most consultants, similar to our reptilian friend, never sense the danger, never see the danger, because of sensory overload. Slow subtle additions, distortions and omissions of information carry the consultant along not even noticing that things do not add up. Her analysis of what she does see is called “paralysis”, and stopping to test the temperature of the water is producing wilted “laurels”. “Keep moving…Fear is false evidence appearing real!”

When an organization requires you to stop listening to your senses, stop evaluating what you see and requires you, instead, to blindly believe in the system surrounding you, without question and most definitely without voicing your “negative” concerns…you are slowly being indoctrinated . You are a victim of fanfare, and glorious distraction designed to never let you perceive that while the sauna is warm and comfy, soon you will be cooked alive.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Excellent post. Love it. The lies are told over and over. The consultants inhale them. They repeat them over and over to others, customers, family, friends. Told not to see the negative only the positive. Love the frog analogy. I’m sure it happens to everyone. Sneaky…

    10
  2. 72 degrees: Anyone can do this, especially if you’re not a sales type, are totally broke, have no friends and are incredibly busy. Not only that, but there’s no risk because it’s only $100 and you get half off all your products.

    Simmer: oh yeah, that. You actually have to order every few months to get the discount, but the product flies off the shelves. Don’t worry about going into debt, you want a full store, not an empty wagon. You can get your money back on most of it if it doesn’t work out so no risk! Make a list of everyone you know, hold two classes a week.

    Boil: Well, you have to work your business! Did you think you wouldn’t have to put in the effort? Do whatever it takes if you want success.

    Rolling Boil: Nobody held a gun to your head and forced you to buy all that inventory you can’t sell. I just don’t know what to tell you. Are you working your business? We are all extremely successful so you must be doing something wrong. Whatever you do, don’t send the product back or you can never be one of us again.

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  3. And all the frogs in the pot are sneering at the others left outside. The pot frogs think they have been chosen and are privileged to live in this fresh body of water with a luxurious flexible temperature.

    They try to convince their friends to join them, and will mock those who don’t. They think they have found the ticket. Of course, all the arrogant frogs in the pot agree with each other, and they exchange information from within the world they live. They will not listen to anyone who has an “outside view”, as those frogs are negative and uneducated about their new found life.

    Fact is: it’s a simple pot on a stove, full of snickering frogs, about to be cooked. One frog is saved and rewarded by the master chef for recruiting the most friends!

    Read the “wrinkles to you” thread on the discussion board to see how pot frogs think they’re so smart and special.

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  4. Slogans. I have come to loathe them. The kinds of slogans tossed around MK circles are the worst kind: thought-stopping clichés. They are designed not to provide insight, but to make you stop thinking for yourself. Consider these few random examples:

    “You have to show up to go up.” Show up where? Meetings? To watch trinkets get handed out, worship at the feet of your Director, and receive little to no training?

    “Go-give spirit” Go where? Give what? Is there any real altruism involved, or are you just saying something that sounds good?

    “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” I cannot control what products MK provides for me to sell, nor can I force anyone to buy them, so why are you overstating my role? Maybe so you can blame me for losing at a rigged game?

    “Don’t rest on your laurels, or they’ll wilt.” Oh, shut up. We all need to rest sometimes.

  5. “They repeat them over and over”

    I heard an interesting story from an ex-doTerra distributor. She said she was in love with doTerra and its products (EOs/supplements) when she first joined, and she was certain the products were helping her. She told everyone.

    But, as time went on, she began to acknowledge that the products were NOT helping. Yet, she found it difficult to leave, and she continued to spew lines about how great the products/company were. She said she found herself saying them almost automatically…”I kept saying them because I thought I was supposed to…”

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