Complaints about Leadership Conference in Nashville
Written by Frosty Rose
Leadership conference, the “exclusive” gathering in January open only to sales directors and above, is always ripe with fodder for Pink Truth. Today, let’s take a peek at what the directors are saying behind closed doors about the eagerly anticipated party.
For those who are unaware, this is a themed evening soiree that directors must earn admittance to, generally by being on target for Court of Sales or Court of Sharing, or completing another challenge like offspringing a new director in the last six months. Apparently, this year’s party was a flop, with people complaining about how crowded it was, and one director describing it as “a $50 gift card at a food court that we ran out of time to spend because of the lines.”
The mental gymnastics in this thread are highly entertaining to me. Given the constant MK mantra of being positive in all circumstances, the hypocrisy of these directors complaining about free food just lights my dark little soul. Can you imagine how they would respond to a consultant with similar complaints at Seminar? They’d hand her a skunk for “stinkin’ thinkin.’”
And what about Joni, “holding her breath” hoping people don’t complain? After all, any in-person gathering is better than no in-person gathering. And *whispers behind her hand,* you know what they did to Career Conference, right?? It’s like a toddler with her second-favorite piece of candy. Sure, it’s not ideal, but she knows if she throws a tantrum, Mom will take it away entirely, and then she’s really stuck.
I really feel sorry for these women who can’t openly express their opinion about something that, frankly, sounds like a nightmare. But, consistent with all things Mary Kay, focus on the positive, shut your trap with any criticisms, and just be grateful we’re not yanking the rug out from under you entirely like we did in Australia.
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Sounds so typical of a Mary Kay event….They claim you “earn” a wonderful reward party for all your hard work, but the actual event just kind of sucks. And there’s always other MKers telling you how great it was/you should feel lucky to go/ It could have been worse.
This checks out.✅
If this was Joni’s favorite leadership party other than Universal, I’d hate to see those other non-favorite events.
I have a friend named Joni who really is cool, and it amuses me to think of what she’d have to say about this super awesome party.
I see Joni Cool is employing the time-honored “I didn’t have a problem, therefore you couldn’t have had a problem, either” argument. Because it’s more important for you to get to have your in-person parties than to address the issues pointed out by everyone else.
It sounds like MK cheaped out on the venue. If this hootenanny (in keeping with the country western bordello aesthetic this thing took on) is invitation only, they knew in advance how many would be attending and should have gotten a venue of adequate size for safety/elbow room and had enough food stations to accomodate the actual crowd, not what they felt like paying. But they’re so used to being able to stomp on their pyramidlings’ feet and be thanked for it, they knew they could get away with it.
The gift cards were no doubt redeemable for food only and not cash, so the poor bartenders were cursing you out inside their heads for leaving them with a worthless piece of plastic instead of even a measly one dollar cash tip.
I ain’t going all the way to Nashville and standing in line for 30+ minutes for burgers and donuts. There’s a Burger King, a Wendy’s, a McDonalds, and two Dunkin’ Donuts about equidistant from my house, and no shortage of sit-down restaurants a lot closer by than 30 minutes if I wanted something different than a fast food burger.
My verdict: these women are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. I’ll accept my stuffed skunk now. It’ll go with my skunk earrings and Pepe le Pew socks.
Pyramidlings is my new favorite word!
Pyramidlings ™
WOW … the creme de la creme and they had a food court experience?
What happened to sit-down dinners with chicken hiding under sauce and mystery veggies?
I hope the didn’t have to wear skirts & heels as they waited for their burger & donuts.
Didn’t they have to pay to attend the event? So, the food was not “free.” Looking at social media, it seems the most food they enjoyed was in their hotel rooms at night where they feasted on raw veggies and popcorn from Tupperware containers.
Or maybe they crashed a Tupperware party for the food.
Peanut butter crackers and chocolate bars out of the hotel’s vending machines, washed down with the booze they smuggled in.
I struggle to see the long-term appeal of Mary Kay. Everything and everyone is fake. The “business” is fake, the “opportunity” is fake, the relationships are fake. The “training” is fake. The “coaching” is fake. The “profits” are fake. The “celebrations” are clearly fake (see the post above). The “accomplishments” are fake. The awards are of questionable value (aka FAKE). The “accolades” are fake. Love bombing? Fake. Free car? Fake. Executive income? Fake. Sales? Fake. Customers? Fake, unless you admit the MK reps are the real customers.
I hope this is not too harsh, but is the real sell here to fill a perceived emptiness with fake things?
What’s really sad is this comment: “Appreciate all MK has done for us”.
They don’t do anything for the “sales force”. They take their money and provide a mediocre experience. They’ve conned their customers (sales force) into believing they should be grateful for whatever they can get.
That “all that MK has done for us” line struck me, too. In MLM, if you fail, it’s all your fault: you didn’t work your business, you didn’t follow the plan, you thought it was a get-rich-quick scheme, etc., etc. But every reward or perq is because the Company is so wonderful and benevolent; never say anything bad about the Company.
Okay, even sadder: “If we complain, they will take away these events.”
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
“None of us want to complain, but…”
You have every right to complain.
To paraphrase Ned Stark, anything said before the word “but” doesn’t count.
Did you notice Amie’s remark? How nice that she gave her gift card to the bartenders as a “tip.” She hoped they could cash it in. Bless her heart, she spent all of her money on products and didn’t have $1 to give a real tip. The real truth though is that if anyone could cash in those gift cards, Amie would have done so. Giving it to the bartenders was useless to them. If the ladies couldn’t get food, what made her think the bartenders would want to wait in an hour line for food?
Right! Did she think that the lines would still be open after everyone was finished working? So strange, tacky, and cheap.
Just wondering, did any of you former directors ever feel like these events were a reward or privilege?
Yes – I remember not being impressed with the food and my senior director “we get to eat off of China”…. And I thought … can’t we every day?
But the hype was that we got to rub shoulders with the elite and hopefully hear some magic tidbit that spirals us into success. Of course that never happened. But we went back to our units to brag about it in hopes that they would want to join “the big girls club”. I feel sick even thinking of my mindset back then
Oh wow. Vickie is my former director.
How tacky to give out gift cards for food instead of having a buffet line like literally every other happy hour, ticketed party, or professional networking event. Drink tickets is normal, but it sounds like they didn’t even have drinks!
Also, how clever of this company to create a culture where any complaining customer will instantly be shamed.
I’m amazed at how politely these women complain or express themselves while trying to have an adult conversation well giving feedback on a shitty event. Their complaints are valid. Heck the comment cards didn’t allow for real Feedback…
The MK way aka the acceptable way is to shut these women down who make it possible for you to be a Director is to shut them down with sarcasm and chide them for daring to express disappointment in a closed Facebook group and act, oblivious, because if you pretend like you had a good time than everybody else should too.
. I know it’s angers people like Joni your close group posts end up published on this wonderful website called the pink truth that I love so much .. but maybe if you would stop acting like a starts with a B and rhymes with witch then your closed group post won’t end up on the Pink Truth
English is my second language, so you Kay bots can pretend like my comment isn’t valid because it’s not perfectly written. Hi actually laugh about it because you know that’s when you lose an argument is when all you can talk about is somebody’s grammar. If you wanna talk about grammar. look at your own because again, English is my second language and I’ve only been speaking this language for 18 years and I started as an adult..
As Americans like to say, “ I see you. “
My comment is directed at the Kay bots.
A friend of mine showed me screenshots I didn’t even wanna go in the group you offered me too, but it just made me so mad because they read my comments and they say it’s all I do is comment on this website I barely speak English and I eat must’ve not graduated high school or went to elementary school it’s such mean comments but they basically dismiss what I say because I don’t have perfect English
Pfffffft
OK I am so sorry. I talk into my phone on that comment. I didn’t type so that’s not me typing that’s me talking I apologize my I’m speaking English in a microphone that’s meant for Spanish
As many others have said, your English is excellent, Shay. The stinkers picking on you seem to forget that there was a time when they couldn’t speak or write it themselves. It was a skill they had to learn, too. The grammar and spelling in some of their posts is awful, far worse than yours. Learning a second language as an adult is difficult and I admire those who have done it.
SD Joni Cool took two of her pink sisters to Leadership in her Cadillac. She even let one of them drive it (video on FB), I thought that was not allowed.