One of the most maddening aspects of Mary Kay Cosmetics is how recruiting is drenched in half-truths and slick marketing lines.

• “Doesn’t this look so eeeeeasy?”
• “All you have to do is squirt and smile!”
• “You’d be perfect at this!”
• “Unlimited income, part-time hours, financial freedom…”

These are just a few of the rehearsed scripts that the enthusiastic recruiters in pink deploy to lure women into the bubble. They routinely gloss over how much time and hustle it actually takes to make a sale and wildly exaggerate the money you’ll supposedly bring in.

Consider one of the old recruiting fliers that still circulates, even 20 years after it was written. It boldly declares “what you can expect,” which sure sounds like an earnings claim. And technically, sure, some of these numbers could happen in isolated cases. But the catch is that they’re presented as though they’re typical, when in reality, there is no credible data proving that.

Let’s look at a few of these claims:

• Class Size –  According to the flier, a typical skincare class will have 3 to 6 attendees, averaging 4. While that’s theoretically possible, the reality is that even booking and holding a class with any guests is a struggle for most consultants.
• Average Sales Per Class $250 – If you have 4 people in a class, each would be spending over $60. That’s simply not the norm. I don’t think most women show up prepared to spend $60 on makeup, especially when they already have their favorites. There are lots who spend nothing or buy a little lipgloss or mascara as a pity purchase. And you’ll hear occasional stories about the magical $1,000 class, but those are outliers, not everyday occurrences.
• Customer Retention 85% – Where exactly is this figure documented? What counts as “retention”? Someone who bought once? Someone who orders once a year? Someone who only buys again when you’re giving a big discount? No one I know in Mary Kay has anywhere near that level of loyalty among customers.
• Average Reorder $200 per year – This would mean each customer spends $50 per quarter. Again, I’ve yet to meet a consultant whose numbers even come close to this claim. I know it doesn’t sound like it should be hard to get someone to spend $50 a quarter, but it is hard in MK.

Despite all these rosy projections, the flier then uses LOWER numbers to give you more estimates:

• Run 5 classes per week, and you’ll pocket $48,347 per year.
• 4 classes per week, and you’re looking at $38,748 annually.
• 3 classes per week? $29,061.
• 2 classes per week? $19,375.
• Even 1 class a week is supposed to net you $9,687 a year.

Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? Just a few hours a week, and you’re practically making a part-time salary. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

The problem is that reality doesn’t match the script. Even running just a single class a week requires much more than “a couple hours.” You’ll spend time looking for leads, prompting them to invite more friends, prepping samples and products, delivering orders, following up, recruiting, and trying to rebook.

And even if you somehow manage to schedule and hold those classes consistently, you will almost certainly bring in far less than these shiny projections.

What bothers me most is how this kind of marketing sets women up to fail before they ever get started. From day one, they’re sold a vision that isn’t based in reality. The disappointment that follows isn’t their fault, it’s the predictable result of being recruited with promises that simply aren’t true. But as long as they stay in MK, they’ll be told they are responsible for their poor results.