When I first became involved in Mary Kay Cosmetics, I had no intention of making it a career or anything close to it. I saw it merely as a way to make some extra money with a flexible schedule that was under my own control. I thought it would be fun to sell cosmetics and lead these “skin care classes” where women tried before they bought.
One of the things I find interesting about Mary Kay, however, is the effective way in which company representatives “indoctrinate” everyone into “Mary-Kay-think”. One of the most commonly promoted ways of thinking is “positive” only. One is not to speak of anything that doesn’t appear to be positive, and that includes FACTS about Mary Kay and the business opportunity.
If someone has been unable to sell products, that should not be mentioned during meetings. If someone observes that the success rate of Mary Kay consultants is low, that is not to be discussed either. When one’s spouse questions the “opportunity”, that is to be ignored as well.
You see, anyone who is not on the Mary Kay bandwagon probably doesn’t “get it” or is just a “negative person”. It is possible that Mary Kay recruiters Promote this kind of thinking, rather then critical thinking about the business venture, because it is much easier to control.
While I didn’t start my Mary Kay venture to create a new career, it was amazing how quickly the idea of making the “big” money and driving the pink Cadillac could appeal to an intelligent woman. As soon as I became involved with Mary Kay, my family and friends began saying that it was a pyramid scheme. They balked at the idea of being paid a commission on those I would recruit into the organization. The signs of a business scam were all there.
I followed the company line, however, and stated that it was only fair to be paid a commission in return for helping women build businesses of their own. I believed that people were fairly rewarded for the efforts that they put into the business, so I worked hard to build my Mary Kay clientele. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that a pyramid-based product scheme like Mary Kay does NOT necessarily reward you for effort. The vast, vast majority of participants will “fail” because of the multi-level marketing structure and the way it is set up.
15 Dec 06 at 6:32 pm
hello there
as an ex mary kay salesperson, i don’t think it is a fraud. it’s a business. it’s a sales business. that means you have to go out and sell. if you don’t, it doesn’t work. why is that fraudulent? there’s lots of MK directors out there and they have varying personalities, from nasty to lovely. that’s the same in any other business.
new businesses have a failure rate of about 75%. mary kay’s is around 90%, i believe. but look at the initial investment of time, energy, knowledge, etc.! what other businesses can you start with an initial investment of $200 to $2000?
compare that with franchising. blue mau mau reports franchise failure rates between 0% and a little over 50%. but the initial investment is somewhere between $20,000 and $250,000. (note that one of the 9% failure rate franchisees is ford motor. you won’t get that for a $200 startup investment).
MK is a business. so you probably gotta do the business owner thing. lay awake worrying at night, work your little bee-hind off, try and fail at all kinds of attempts to get customers, etc. and along the way you’ll find people who are really nice and others who are awful.
the think positive mantra is irritating but again, you’ll find that in other businesses, too. most large successful businesses use some sort of brainwashing or other.
i think it’s not so much about fraud but about people needing to think critically before they get into any business deal. and, let’s be honest, most of us don’t do that most of the time. how often have you bought a pair of shoes or clothes that, come to think of it, were neither necessary not practical not flattering, and they still cost an arm and a leg?