Has the Mary KAY Business Failed you?

Question

I just started Mary Kay less than one week ago and then I found the MK beware message boards and websites dedicated to informing women NOT to join the MAry Kay lifstyle. I was hurt because of a good friend of mine of two years signed me up and then never told me about all the money you have to invest she swore it was JUST $100 well she even paid the $100 for me and I was convinced until I saw that you have to place a minimun order of $400 quarterly to remain active. Which all of this was in the aggreement form which I neglected to read the fine print as often as we all do. Then she insisted I place this huge inventory order of $1800 for her benefit I am sure not mine. I am so sad about this because I love my little $100 kit but I feel like I was tricked and the concept really is supposed to be "enriching lives" I do believe that women all over the world can achieve success in any business but its not made for everyone and to be enrolled under misinformation is not the MK WAY

Answer 1

I think you are not looking at the big picture here. When you enroll with any company, you have to expect to sell the product. $400 quarterly, is not a lot of money. If you are actively doing parties, that would be a drop in the bucket so I don't think you were mislead. You must have understood when you got your kit that you would have to use that kit to generate an income.
I was the top Mary Kay rep in my town many years ago and found that most people just weren't too anxious to have parties. I think party plan is really a thing of the past and something you have to consider when starting a home business. Network marketing has come a long way since then based on the problems the networkers were experiencing, so they devised new methods of selling. Mary Kay was once a thriving business, but the company has already gone through hyper-growth making it difficult for new people to make enough income to pay the bills.
But regardless of what company you choose, you must expect to give it an honest try. Unless you plan to really dive into this and host as many parties as possible, I would not even consider ordering the $1,800 package because it will just sit on your shelves.
If you are into network marketing and looking for a more modern approach, there are companies out there who are willing to train you and show you the new way of selling as well as what people are looking for today. Namely, the baby boomers. I market a product that is in demand by them and of interest to them so it is easy to sell. I prefer one on one approaches or leads rather than home parties and I earn a fantastic income.
I guess it boils down to personal choice, willingness to learn and dedication.
Hope this helped.

Answer 2

I was in the same situation a few years ago . The person who signed me up was horrible pushy and of course I was young and dumb and ended up with quite a bit of debt. However, I recently ran into another group of Mary Kay ladies and they are completely different. They are very friendly and helpful. Although I swore off Mary Kay i have been thinking about it again because the products really are great and as long as you get in with a good group its a lot of fun. I believe the minimum order is actually $200 quarterly but I may be wrong. Also, never never let them talk you into placing a huge order upfront so you have inventory. This serves only their needs. I made that mistake once before. A good recruiter will offer to lend yu some prodcut until you have the funds to order your own or they will help you find clients to place orders so you will have money. However, depsite what they say it is NOT neccessary to place a huge order up front. If you have customer orders and want a little extra inventory at the absolute most place a $400 oder and even at that only if you want. Good luck and if you want any more adivce or hear about my experience jsut email me.

Answer 3

Yes, I joined several years ago and like you, expected good things. After some time, I had to leave the business because I moved out of the country and got very little back from them, after expecting to be reimbursed for the stock I didn't sell. In the end, I spent far more than I ever made. What a disappointment. I would not recommend to anyone to join Mary Kay after that. And I will not buy these products anymore either.

Answer 4

You have to work at it for awhile. Then you pretty much have regular customers. I sold M.K. for awhile. I also did Party Lite. For me it was a little to much travel. It seemed the people who booked the parties always lived a hour away. You do not have to make a big ole purchase. Have a few parties, or one on ones. Just order as you need. It doesn't take very long to sell 400. I love the hand stuff. Especially that blue buffing scrub. I use it all over. They have nice stuff. I know a couple people who sell it and they are doing well. Good luck.

Answer 5

I was not successful with MK. There are many who are successful. You do not have to place large orders; you may order things as you sell them. Some people keep an inventory, others purchase and then give the product to the customer when it arrives.
Talk to someone else in your group. Good luck; read the fine print.

Answer 6

That's some of the down falls in most home based business. Investing more and more to keep products on hand. She probably wanted you to invest the extra $1800 dollars so you could actually have products on hand (and yes it does benefit her as well as her upline). I used to sell Arbonne and went the same route as you did, it's an MLM business like MK. I invested a lot of money I didn't really have and ended up with a lot of products on hand that didn't move. I loved the products but not a lot of people were opened to either using them or selling them. Problem is, a lot of people are too afraid of "selling". The idea of going out and about selling a product is uncomfortable.
What I ended up doing however, because I love the idea of working from my own home, was I checked out another website that is more network marketing and different than the MLM. It tells you how the business is run. You've got a coach that is constantly in touch with you. You have team calls you get on every day to learn more new stuff. You're never alone and you are not "out and about selling" products unless you choose to do it, or you choose to offer the opportunity "face to face". You're not just shoved into the world on your own to figure everything out. They have a proven formula that actually works! I started 3 months ago, the following month got my first commission check. I was FLOORED! I was in Arbonne for a couple of years before I ever saw my first check!
Keep in mind however, not every home based business is for everyone. And people are in what has what worked for them. If MK is not working for you, then look for something else. BUT DO check with the BBB (better business bureau) and do your research on the companies that you're looking at before doing anything else. For the most part, they're all legit..but many will have complaints against the company, about feeling alone, no one's helping, poor upline....etc.
The company I went with is a one time start up fee and you're always in the business. It does require redirect spending which means you'd be buying products from yourself for stuff you'd buy anyway. It's easy to do and very easy to fall into the habit of. Especially when you see how wonderful the products are. But don't take it from me, check out http://www.bedavis1.mywayout.net/ Watch the presentation. If you like what you see, simply fill out the form and someone will call you with more information to look at. That is to make sure this is actually something you'd like to look into. Do that with all of them and check them out. There's no harm in doing research.
Good luck on your endeavor!

Answer 7

Sadly, you have just learned what high pressure sales are like with an MLM company. I am not sure from your statement if you meant to be a customer or wanted to work out of your home. If you are good at repeat sales, and enjoy basically being on the road and being a salesperson, go for it. The bottom line is you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. My wife and I work out of our home, but not for an MLM, our business deals with residual income, as in, one time presentation, monthly commission, and with a money back guarantee to boot!! If that sounds more like your cup of tea, check out our sight at cyf.ownanewbusiness.com.
Thanks,
Neil M.

Answer 8

well my mom was in it for a while, and she made good money too. but she stoped because it was not for her. you have to work alot.

Answer 9

oh no..no pink Cadillac for you huh!!!! good luck!