No Job Security in Mary Kay
You’ve heard the argument that MLM provides a wonderful opportunity. You decide how much you make. You control your own destiny. You can’t be laid off or fired. You’ll be financially independent, and you’ll make money on your own terms.
But anyone who’s ever made it to sales director in Mary Kay can tell you that there is no “job security” in Mary Kay. There are about 9,000 sales directors in the U.S., and probably about 500,000 consultants. 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 matter of a few 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.
From one piece of propaganda used to promote the MK opportunity:
The word of the day……. Layoff.
Have you seen all the companies in the news experiencing cutbacks & layoffs? It begins to make even the most job-secure worker feel a little woozy!
You may not be worried about layoffs, job cuts or wage freezes, but during times of workplace instability its still SMART to create some career insurance ~ just in case. So …. How can your Mary Kay business be that insurance? No, not In the way you think ~ I’m not advising you to quit your job and work Mary Kay full time if you aren’t ready. Just allow your business to give you a hand.
The piece goes on to talk about using MK as a backup plan. How it will give you a financial cushion during a job search. How holding one or two parties a week could mage a HUGE difference in your budget.
It’s all nonsense. 99% of women actually lose money in Mary Kay. Save your money. That’s far more security than Mary Kay could ever give you.
Visit the
“You can’t be laid off or fired.”
Looks at Mary Kay in Australia and New Zealand.
of course “You can’t be laid off or fired.” – you’re not an EMPLOYEE, you’re an “independent contractor”. BUT the consultomer agreement specifies that MKorpse can cancel your agreement at any time for any reason so no security there
Read your contracts, Kaybots. The company can definitely terminate you. And you have no recourse.
But of course you can have job security in Mary Kay! That is, if you work for Mary Kay Corp.
Just one opening on the Mary Kay Careers web page:
Sr. Project Manager, Consultant Marketing
(I’ve copied parts of it here, read it in its entirety at the link)
https://marykay.referrals.selectminds.com/jobs/sr-project-manager-consultant-marketing-europe-1099
But here are the points of interest to me…
JOB PURPOSE
Leads planning, development, execution and optimization of programs to increase ordering, productivity and team building for Mary Kay independent sales force (note that nowhere does this mention any goal referencing actual SALES TO END CONSUMERS…nope, we are focused on increasing ORDERING, PRODUCTIVITY, AND TEAM BUILDING only)
Develops, manages and executes Consultant Marketing programs in support of the ISF (Independent Sales Force) such as:
New Independent Beauty Consultant onboarding strategy (new IBC strategy), including the Starter Kit strategy, consultant ordering incentive programs, and activity promotions.
Productivity and Retention programs such as monthly ordering bonuses, consistency challenges, customer ordering incentives, customer base development, etc. in collaboration with Product Marketing, Consultant and Consumer Communications, Sales Force Education and Sales Force Development Has leadership responsibility in this area.
(Again, the focus is on HOW TO GET THE IBCs to order more. Not ONE mention of actual retail sales to consumers. You’d think, if these corporate employees are tasked with supporting IBCs, that there would be at least SOME mention of tracking/evaluating retail sales to the IBCs’ customers. But there’s not. Because those “customers” don’t exist to MK; are incidental to MK; and certainly are not worth any iota of time from the corporate “customer service/sales development” employees…because by “customer” they mean IBC, and by “sales development” they mean inventory orders by said IBCs.)
When will the PT critics (or the delusional directors ie Chelsea, Jamie, and the like) realize that they are NOT the special little unicorns that they believe themselves to be?
If you’re in MK, no matter what level you’re at (or not for those flat-earthers who claim MK is NOT a pyramid scheme), YOU ARE BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE. And not a fun one. MK hires (and onboards, and trains, and provides insurance and other benefits for) corporate employees like this whose sole job is to get you to SPEND MORE MONEY ON INVENTORY. Period.
Okay, one more fun quote from a different MK Careers post (“Coordinator of Sales Force Development):
(This is one of several key duties listed, and this one was listed first…mak8ng it likely the most important):
“Completes the Recruit Reinstatement process. Researches the date the Recruiter lost her Recruits, order history, Recruiter production and order activity then follows guidelines in restoring Recruits to a Recruiter. When outside of guidelines, gathers supporting data including financial impact to Company and takes request forward for additional consideration. Communicates decision to Consultant Records, the Recruiter, Sales Director, and/or up line sales force member(s). Also, completes the 90% Return Policy and exceptions to this policy. Communicates decision to former Consultant and Director if request is approved or denied.”
Wait, wait, wait…
Wait…
…you mean people can actually LOSE their recruits? No way!
And this job description implies sometimes people want to RETURN their products! Ha!! Pull the other one!
I call FAKE NEWS!
That is correct. And you don’t earn commissions if you’re Inactive. See? MK has that stacked in their favor, too.