The Mary Kay Way to Overcome Objections

There are lots of reasons why women don’t want to become involved in Mary Kay Cosmetics. The recruiter’s job is to overcome those objections. She is given standard lines, like the below, to use to convince you to join.

If you’ve ever been in Mary Kay, you know these responses are filled with lies. You DO have to sell to succeed in Mary Kay. The products do NOT sell themselves. You WILL have to talk to strangers. You will NOT be able to turn one person into an entire customer base. You will NOT be able to earn $100 with only 3 hours of work.

I don’t have any problem with the basic concept of overcoming objections… it’s done in almost every sales job. What I have a problem with is lying.

This is why Mary Kay is so evil. They bring you in with lies, and keep lying to you in order to keep you in. It all starts with recruiting…


Objection: “I don’t have time.”

If I could teach you how to earn an extra $100 per week — that’s $400 per month — working 3 hours a week, and eventually double that to $200 per week, could you find 3 hours?

Objection: “I don’t have any money.”

Do you have a credit card? Do you know somebody who loves you with a credit
card? If I could show you how to earn your $100 back in 2 weeks, could you find someone to help get you started?

Objection: “I’m not the sales type.”

Would you believe that probably 90% of the women who start Mary Kay are not the sales type? (yes) If I could teach you how to show this product and let it sell itself, without being pushy, would you feel better about doing it?

Do you believe that women love to take care of their skin with great products? (yes) If I could teach you how to help them do that, rather than trying to SELL them something, would you feel better about doing it?

What was the first thing I said before I showed the sets at your class? (You’re not under any obligation to buy anything) Did you feel that I was being pushy? Did you know I sold $___ at that class? Women love to shop!

Objection: “I don’t know anybody.”

Do you know one person who might be a practice face for you? (yes) If I can teach you how to turn that one person into all the other faces you will ever need, would you be willing to learn?

Do you know that many of our most successful consultants didn’t start with people they knew? If I can teach you how to meet people, would you be excited about a Mary Kay business?

Objection: “I don’t wear makeup.”

Do you feel skin care is important? (yes — if she says no, you probably don’t want to recruit her) Would you be surprised to learn that the majority of products we sell are skin care and body care, rather than makeup?

Would you be surprised to learn that many of our most successful consultants and Directors don’t really wear a lot of makeup — but they are committed to good skin care?

Would you be surprised to learn that the majority of your Mary Kay income will come from women buying skin care and body care, rather than makeup?

Objection: “I don’t want to talk to strangers.”

If I could teach you how to build your business without talking to strangers, would you
be willing to learn?

If I could teach you how to build your business without talking to strangers, would you
be excited to give it a try?

Objection: “I need to talk to my husband.”

What will your husband say?

If she says, “He’ll do whatever I want” … So when he says that, will you be ready to start, or do you have more questions for me? Great! When will you be able to talk to your husband? (Set a time to call her back.)

If she says, “He won’t want me to do it” … May I make a suggestion? (sure) Explain to your husband that you want to purchase a starter kit so that you can beginning buying your products wholesale. Then tell him that you’re also interested in the business opportunity — so after you order your kit, you’d like him to come to Orientation with you and get his opinion of the business as well. Then when you come to orientation with my Director, both you and he can hear a lot more and decide how much you want to do with the business end of it. Do you think he will agree to that? (yes)

Would you agree with me that we can pretty much get our husbands to let us do whatever we want, as long as they know it is important to us? Just let him know it is important to you!

Objection: “I don’t think I’d like doing Mary Kay.”

Let me ask you a question. If you WERE going to do something like Mary Kay, what would be the reason? Would it be to get you out of the house? Would it be for money? Would it be something that is just yours? (wait for her answer)

If I promise to hold your hand and teach you how to do this, what would keep you from getting started today? (then she’ll give you the REAL objection)

Objection: “I’m too shy.”

Would it surprise you to know that some of our most successful consultants were extremely shy when they started their businesses, and they have done very well?

Would you like to be less shy? Can you see the value of doing something that is fun and might bring you out of your shyness AND earn you money in the process?

Would it surprise you to know that most shy people are very sincere, and sincerity is one of the best qualities a Mary Kay consultant can possess?

Objection: “I know someone who did Mary Kay once and she didn’t make any money/ failed/etc.”

Would you agree with me that there is probably someone in every single occupation on earth that hasn’t done well while other did? (yes) So what makes you think you wouldn’t do well?

Would you agree that her lack of success might have more to do with her personal situation than with Mary Kay?

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever worked with someone at your job who failed or quit? (yes) Did her quitting keep YOU from being successfully at YOUR job? (no) The same is true of Mary Kay. We each have our own opportunity. It is not dependent on others.

If they give you a bunch of objections and you can’t get them to say yes or no…

(In a soft voice) May I ask you a question? (yes) Do you think you’re just scared? (yes) Well, what’s the very worst thing that could happen to you? (wait for her response, then say) Do you want to know what I think? (yes) I think the very worst thing that could happen to you is you save 50% on your products for the rest of your life — does that scare you?

I totally understand. I felt that way myself, but here’s what I’ve found. We’re all scared when we start something new, but what’s the worst thing that could happen to you (wait for her answer) And what’s the best thing that could happen to you?

11 COMMENTS

  1. Q: “Would you believe that probably 90% of the women who start Mary Kay are not the sales type?”
    A: “Yes I would, which is why these women (90%) you mentioned who try, fail. 99% of MLM hopefuls fail. So, in essence, even the sales types (9% remaining) can’t do it either.”

    Q: “Would you be surprised to learn that many of our most successful consultants and Directors don’t really wear a lot of makeup — but they are committed to good skin care?”
    A: “Yes I’d be downright shocked. Every Mary Kay woman I run into must wake up with a made-up looking face. Were they born that way?”

    Q: “If I can teach you how to meet people, would you be excited about a Mary Kay business? If I could teach you how to build your business without talking to strangers, would you be willing to learn?”

    A: “Gee, that sounds a little contradictory. How can I meet people if I don’t talk to strangers?” (Okay that’s cheating. I borrowed from two different Mary Kay scripts, but it just goes to show that they pick and choose the response to manipulate you. There is no consistency.)

    15
  2. Objection: “I need to talk to my husband.”

    My husband would be “Paper-trails, baby” “document, document, document”. He’d want written proof I wouldn’t be wasting my time and his money.

    10
    1
    • Oh, I bet they’d hustle him to one of the “husband seminars” like Heather Daniel Kent’s hubby (I think, could be wrong but pretty sure her) to attempt the brain washing.

      Your husband is the enemy of MK! Lol.

      • He’s dead so the point is moot. However he worked for a multi-national company in a VP level role and while sales was not the main focus of his responsibilities, he was occasionally involved in the negotiations of multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts. He’d probably have enjoyed himself.

  3. “If I … would you?”

    Boy, that takes me back. When I was in college, I worked part-time at Radio Shack. (There was an automotive stone-wheel realignment service on one side of us and a dinosaur daycare on the other.) We were always either #1 or #2 in sales in the district, but the District Manager was always trying to “improve” our performance anyway. One of the grand ideas he passed down from on high was that we use the “If I … will you?” technique to close sales.

    “If I show you what a great value this CB radio is, will you take it home with you today?”

    It lasted maybe half a day. (I never tried it at all, but a couple of the other sales guys did.) Customers hated it. You could see in their eyes how uncomfortable and put-upon they felt. Our store manager finally intervened and said, “No more ‘If I, will you?’. It’s pretty clear it’s only going to drive customers away.”

    Almost all of the MK script responses end with an “If I … would you?” question; a few skip the first half. In other MK training, the advice is to ask a question, then look down and let the silence get uncomfortably long, because the first to speak, loses. It’s a war of wills where the loser pays money to the winner.

    It’s all so manipulative and pushy; it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

    12
  4. It’s important that the typical “overcoming objections” that is a huge part of all sorts of sales situations (most of which are noble and legit) isn’t confused with the MK definition of “overcoming objections”.

    With MK, the “objections” aren’t to do with selling the product; they’re ALL ABOUT recruiting. Any legit sales professional, regardless of industry, knows what concerns her potential CONSUMER might have and understands how to professionally respond to them.

    That is NOT what MK means. MK is talking about recruiting, not selling product. The objections they’re talking about have to do with signing up to be an IBC and buying INVENTORY, not objections about simply selling product. There is a HUGE difference, but because MK loves to hijack “legit” terminology and bend it to fit their make-believe business. Profit level? Lol. $650,000 in sales because we BOUGHT $300,000 at wholesale? Lol. Objections? Lol.

    • Do they have a script for overcoming sales objections at all? I do remember the line in that foldable easel book thing that came with my kit for when I did skin care classes. “What will you be taking home with you today?” So pushy. Yikes. Plus we were supposed to corner each woman individually after the class. Wonder why in the world nobody wants to go to those stupid classes.

      8
      1
      • Same thing exists today in what is called a “flip chart”. The individual close still corners people. However, now they rely on very skilled Directors hosting group Facebook parties to see things for them. There is no personal achievement anymore.

    • I should have added that another huge problem with MK and their objections is when they are going to places (Target, Starbucks, etc) and approaching women who have gone to those locations NOT to look for an MLM opportunity; they’re minding their own business and are accosted. With legit brick and mortar retail (in my experience, mattress store for example), we don’t go to the Walmart across the parking lot and drag their shoppers into our store, and then try to overcome objections they have to buying a mattress when THEY HAD NO INTEREST IN EVEN LOOKING AT OUR PRODUCTS to begin with.

      With our brick and mortar, we run the ads, put up the signage, and hang out inside our store awaiting potential customers to COME IN OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. And trust me, nobody goes to a mattress store “for fun”. They go because they have an interest in the product. Training on ways to overcome objections that interested consumers have is legit and necessary, for both the salesperson AND the customer.

      Trapping a woman between racks at Macy’s and then trying to overcome “objections” she has when she tells you she: does NOT want your “pampering”; does NOT want to make an extra $500 a month for three hours work; and does NOT want to “support” your “business” is not what the rest of the business world considers to meet the definition of “overcoming objections”. Just one more way where the MK definition = / = the REAL definition.

  5. We were taught “no means ‘more information’”. The only objection I didn’t have a reply for was “I’m just too lazy to do it”. Sad, but true!

  6. I never did MK, but I was roped into signing up for Beauticontrol and Arbonne 15-16 years ago…the scripts are identical. I actually “stumbled onto” PT when I was researching those other MLM scams.

    Man, I’d LOVE to have a bot try this spiel on me today.

    5
    1

Comments are closed.

Related Posts