Anyone else been asked to become a Mary Kay consultant?

Question

A Mary Kay lady did a facial for me and a I bought a few products I liked, but she is really pressuring me to become a sales consultant, saying it's only an hour or two a week, I can get a free car and prizes and that I will hardly ever be away from my family. Also, I'm not really motivated to sell or recruit - not my thing, but I'd like extra money for my family. Any thoughts or advice based on y'all experiences?

Answer 1

My experience is with my wife having sold Mary Kay for a year or two. It was a bad deal in most respects. Here's why:

1. You will be away from your family a LOT more than they claim. My wife often had to be gone in the evenings and left me with the kids and fast food, or we would have to pay for a sitter, and then if she didn't sell anything the evening was a total loss

2. My wife was pressured to buy the newest products because some of her inventory was "outdated." So hundreds of dollars of stuff is sitting in storage

3. The "free" car is not free because in actuality Mary Kay only leases it for you, and if you don't meet production then they will TAKE it back from you! Yes, they will come to your house and tow it away, unless you are willing to help make the payments on it.

4. Our family and friends got sick of Mary Kay because my wife was trying to sell sell sell. Most of them thought it was too expensive. When she exhausted family and friends, my wife had to look elsewhere for customers, and that's when she started having to be away from home alot

5. Even though Mary Kay is privately owned, it is still an MLM or multi-level-marketing company. 99% of sales representatives in MLM companies suffer significant financial losses. There are some women in Mary Kay making lots of money, but chances are huge that you won't be one of them. So it's not true that you can "make a lot of money in Mary Kay while still spending most of your time at home with your family."

I guess I'd say there's a lot more the recruiter is not telling you, with is mostly the case with sales-based businesses. I bet she also told you it only costs $100 to get started, but that's not really true, either! You will be heavily pressured to buy a larger starter package because the $100 box has almost nothing that you could actually sell, and you have to have products to sell to succeed.

If you want to make extra money for your family, get a part-time job like most people do.

There is a HUGE amount of pressure to sell and recruit in Mary Kay. You are just now seeing a taste of it in the recruiter. She is probably telling you that you need to join NOW. Am I right?

:-) Best of luck

Answer 2

Change is scary the question I would ask is why are you considering MK. Do you use the product. For me it starts with product believe as well as belief in the company. I found so much more with Mary Kay then selling make-up it is about making people feel good and providing a service to my customers. I have fun and make money while I am able to work alongside my children. I work when I want and how much I want. It starts with a decision get all the facts then decide you are going to make it work know it is work you need to treat it like a business even if you are working 5 hours a week you need to be consistent and purpose full in everything you do. Mary Kay is a great company that gives millions back to the community through the Mary Kay Ash Foundation. Mary Kay's business plan is taught at Harvard University she was every well respected business woman. What matters most to me is the companies belief in Faith firsts then family then career use the tools provided in the stater kit read all the information listen to your director ( within reason) and you can be successful. I see comments about pink truths I read it and never experienced anything said there I would say base you decision on fact not someone else's experience. Everyone has had a bad experience with a job at some time or another does that mean no one can be successful that works there not usually think about it.

Answer 3

From experience ... as a Mary Kay consultant, as well as other direct sales/MLM ventures (most recently Pampered Chef) ... I can tell you that unless you ARE motivated to sell and recruit and you truly love the product you're pushing, don't even bother. Those things, plus the investment of a good deal more time than you've been told as well as your own money (particularly for Mary Kay, for inventory), are what's required IF you want to bring in enough extra income to make it worthwhile, not to mention the car and other prizes. IT'S NOT EASY. And that's why a huge number of new recruits to any of these party-plan things wash out after a month or two.

The consultant is pressuring you because SHE will benefit from getting you to sign up under her. The old saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" definitely applies here.

You'd be far better off getting a part-time job on the breakfast shift at a fast-food place, or taking a paper route. Neither of these are easy, either, but at least your income is not dependent on how many arms you can twist to buy an overpriced product.

Answer 4

I am a Mary Kay consultant and want to clear a few misconception up.
First let me answer your question you can make money even earn prizes and drive free however it is not a get rich overnight. You need to work at building your business. I was not interested in selling I loved the product and started for the discount I fell into selling after I learned more about the company. I love that skin care class are small and personal you teach skin care and color application to a small group of 4-6 women and build relationships I provide a service to my clients keeping them updated on the new products and helping them with my gift giving service. I was and am not the sales type


It is not a pyramid scheme it is mulit level marketing you buy directly from the company for the same percentage as everyone else. I share the Mary Kay opportunity because it has changed my life and I thank GOD everyday that this business allows me to put my faith ,family first and career last and still be able to make money.
My first year I worked full time at a large Financial Institution putting my daughter in day care and driving 42 miles one way rushing to get her before late fees fitting in Mary Kay I did sacrifice time in the short terms for all the time in the world now. That one year of sacrifice has so far equaled two years of being home with my girls and being able to contribute to the household income. I am a happier more energetic person. I am sorry for rambling so I will just make my last point regarding recrting saying people don't understand you make more money on selling the product then recruiting why would I want to make 4,9 or 13% commission on recruiting when I can make 50% on selling the product. Sharing is from the heart at least for me because you want to enrich someone else life. If you are not interested tell the consultant thank you for asking but I prefer to remain a customer and if you persist I will find another consultant. If you are intrigued tell her you need more facts and time to decide and not to pressure or push you. I can only speak for myself just like any business there are people that don't do the right thing I just hate when I hear negativity from people because something isn't right for them. What would make the world go around if we all did the same thing?
If you have any specific question I would be happy to answer in helping you decide if this is right for you sometimes a third person is easier to talk to in getting the facts we are all skeptical I know I was.

Sandra

Answer 5

It's really sad that your Mary Kay consultant is pressuring you, which shouldn't be the case. However, recruiting is how you grow in Mary Kay.

Think about this, in the "Corporate America World" you work your tail off to get a raise, if that. You work for years to get a promotion but it's still no where near management, plus not to mention the health problems you incur and stress that is beyond your wildest dreams. You will have to work almost your whole career life to even reach, maybe, close to the top of the food chain.

In Corporate America, you work for the person who started the company...making THEIR dreams come true. What about your dreams? You have dreams, just like many others, and you don't want to see them fade away, right? Right.

There are many home based business out there some not as great as others, however, there are really fabulous ones as well.

I checked out pinktruth.com the other day to see what the hub-bub was about and I was really disappointed to see so much negativity. If you really want to know more about Mary Kay Inc. and the woman behind it all, Mary Kay Ash, I recommend checking out her books and reading them. (Start with "'Miracles Happen' by Mary Kay Ash") You will see where she started out in Corporate America to succeed in being the right person for one of the highest positions in the company she worked for (in Corporate America) just to be squashed on, unappreciated, and no...she didn't get the job. She quit that corporate job and started other home based businesses. When she was through with those, she wrote a "pro and con" list and realized she had a marketing plan from her own personal experiences. Never again was she going to be stripped from the position she deserved and so she passed that dream on to thousands of many other women (and men) by creating Mary Kay Cosmetics.

In the end, if you don't want to be a consultant, that's great. If you do, that's great too! Just remember, if you sign up YOU work your business the way that fits YOUR families schedule. You are never stuck with product that is discontinued...you simply give it away at classes and write it up as a give away and claim on your taxes, or hold a 50% off sale, etc. There are dozens of ways to move product off a shelf once it has been discontinued. By the way, having product on hand is strictly your decision whether you have a little or a whole lot.

Talk to and ask your consultant for a book and extra sales slips to see if you could sell it to those you know. This way it doesn't cost you anything to sell the products for her. If you like the results, then sign up, if you don't like the results, don't sign up and be happy with being a customer to your consultant. (If you do like the results and sign up, all the people you sold to would be your customers.)

Answer 6

My grandmother was a Mary Kay consultant for a while. She said it was pretty neat... she didn't get a car, BUT she did get very good deals on makeup and only had to work a few hours to make money.
Selling and recruiting isn't that hard, and it's totally worth it to do something you don't like as much for a few hours and get paid a lot.

Answer 7

If you're not motivated, I wouldn't waste the time or the money. A free car is going to require much more than an hour or two a week. My aunt got her's but then got pregnant with her second kid, so buhbye new car. And when she was selling it hard core, she was at conferences/conventions frequently and getting her prizes (included in there was a fur coat and gaudy diamond ring).

Answer 8

I don't sell MK (but I do another co.) and all I can say is if you like the products a lot - enjoy people and you like her and feel she'd be supportive it's a good idea.
Everyone thinks "oh I can't sell" well if you like the products
that is half the battle. For me I had 0 intention of ever selling something until someone asked me about my complexion.
When I spoke about the products they asked to buy them (from me) so I took it as a sign and never looked back.

Be yourself and if she is pressuring you to hard it might not be the way you want to go with your sales.. but it's best to ask people and have support from family and friends.
If it outweighs the negative reactions go for it.

PS remember skin care and cosmetics are individual but loving the products yourself make it easier.

Answer 9

YES!!! The same thing happened to me. That's really all they are interested in. It actually made me think about doing direct sales though...just not with mary kay b/c they have like over a million consutlants literally. I ended up signing up with Purse Party. I guess I am glad the lady hounded me! LOL She still calls though even though I have told her that I found a company I love. Some peole never give up! LOL

Answer 10

Mary Kay is a pyramid scheme. The majority of the money earned is from people paying $100 to get the selling kit. Its a good idea if you are good at talking people into things. The point is not to sell makeup, it is to recruit. That's why they have very small mary kay parties, but huge conferences for new mary kay salespeople. It's a bigger deal to them than actually selling makeup. The car is won by the person who can recruit the most people, not sell the most makeup.