Mary Kay in Ireland
I was doing some research and happened across Mary Kay’s corporate website in Ireland. It was interesting to see the differences (or lack thereof) there.
For one, they don’t tout 50% profit. It is “up to 40%” there.
The career car is a black Mini Cooper with pink stripes.
But the rest of the “business” of being a Mary Kay consultant is much the same. Pretend our focus is selling products to customers when it’s really about recruiting.
Do you want to know how much money you can make in MK in Ireland? Here’s their disclaimer:
The earning opportunity associated with a Mary Kay business is certainly open-ended; however, it is impossible to guarantee that a particular level of income can be earned. The amount of money you may make as a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant will depend upon many factors, including your personal goals and the amount of time and effort you choose to invest in your business. Many Independent Beauty Consultants operate their businesses on a part-time basis with the goal of meeting short-term financial goals – such as the purchase of holiday gifts for their families, to pay for a family vacation, school clothes or tuition for their children. Meanwhile, others decide to build their Mary Kay businesses to the point at which it becomes possible for them to quit their jobs and pursue their Mary Kay businesses full time. The bottom line is that how much you earn in your Mary Kay business is strictly up to you. So in the words of Mary Kay Ash, “Set your goals and hang on to them until they are a reality. You’ve got to believe it before you will ever see it. Whatever the mind can perceive and believe, you can achieve!”
And yes, they push inventory packages in Ireland too:
You’ve just purchased your Starter Kit, and now you are wondering how much inventory you should order to get your business started. The first thing to remember is that purchasing inventory is an individual decision – and it’s certainly not a requirement for you to begin your Mary Kay business. We always recommend that you determine what activity level you intend to pursue in your Mary Kay business and then, if appropriate for your personal circumstances, invest in a level of inventory that supports that activity.
As you contemplate your decision, you may want to consider why Mary Kay Ash believed maintaining an appropriate amount of inventory was beneficial. Among other things, Mary Kay always enjoyed the instant gratification and excellent customer service she could provide a customer who wanted her skin care or color cosmetics products on the spot. She knew that doing so could help build a strong customer base and create loyal customers for life.
If you choose to purchase inventory, you can always rest assured that there will be a multitude of Company-published materials available to you that contain excellent sales tips aimed at helping you successfully sell your products. You also have the opportunity to ask other successful independent sales force members, such as your Independent Sales Director, for tips and advice on selling Mary Kay® products. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh viewpoint to help you generate effective strategies for growing your business.
Finally, if you decide that a Mary Kay business is not for you, you can take comfort in knowing that the Company will repurchase, at 90 percent of your original net cost, original and unused Section 1 products, provided such items were purchased by you from the Company within one year prior to return.
Visit the
“Your business” appears every other sentence in this corporate glurge. Hey, if you repeat a lie enough, it starts sounding like the truth; everyone knows that.
The Truly Big Lie is mentioned in passing:
“The bottom line is that how much you earn in your Mary Kay business is strictly up to you.”
99% of those who sign up lose money, and it isn’t their fault. It’s because the system inherently stacks the odds against most reps by oversaturating the market. Yet they imply success is there for the taking. “[It’s] strictly up to you.” Rubbish.
When I was in college, I worked part time in a local government office. A coworker I barely knew tried to talk me into coming to a meeting to learn about this great new system for making big bucks. “You get out of it what you put into it,” he kept saying. Once I sussed out what it was (Amway, of course), I politely declined.
But that slogan appealed to my ego. “Hey, I’m a hard worker. I’m smart. A system that rewards my skill set is bound to work well for me!” (Hey, I was young and stupid then.) I’m sure it’s why pretty much all MLMs use some variation on this theme of “You’re a winner! Get paid what you’re worth!”
Just say “no,” kids, it’s all lies.
Ireland has about 6.6 million people vs 332 million in the U.S. Seems like Mary Kay would saturated the entire market about a month after opening up shop there. Would love to know how many beauty consultants there are in Ireland.
There’s roughly about 5,000 IBCs in U.K. & Ireland as far as we were told. I’ve been out for a year, maybe more now as they were saying there were 70% more consultants between 2019 and 2020, so may be around 7,000 or even 8,500. Ireland is only a very small part of the group.
The Mary Kay U.K. & Ireland Consultant Group only has 1,500 members.