Was Pink, Now Blue’s Story

I used Mary Kay for a year before I decided to represent them and did it for personal use and to supplement my early retirement income. The gal who recruited me, "B" was an acquaintance who really had little to say to me unless she was talking MK, inviting me to a class, etc but I was buying product from her and liking it. I do think it's good stuff. She had tried recruiting me right after my first purchase, but I was going back to another city to take care of my sister, who had cancer. Believe it or not, she thought it would be a great idea for me to sign up, sell in a new town, where I knew few people, when I wasn't busy caring for my sister! She was persistent! That should have been a red flag! I thought it was ridiculous!

A year later, my sis died, and I came back home. I signed up and tried to sell Mary Kay so I could avoid getting a "real job" part time. I liked the flexibility aspect and since I liked the product, I thought my sincere enthusiasm would help me sell. In retrospect a "real job" would have resulted in a "real income" and no VISA card debt! I told a few ladies at church about my MK venture, did give out a few Look Books, and got a few orders. At that point, being "heady with excitement" about how easy this was going to be, I placed an $1800 wholesale order, plus plenty of Section 2 products for sampling, partying, and writing up those orders!

Needless to say it was a lot harder than I thought! I HATE "warm chattering" strangers and asking people to have parties. (I did not know the party and recruiting concept was so crucial to success until after I had joined) My director basically felt I was an awfully nice person who could "call in her markers" and guilt people into have parties for me but I was very reluctant. . . I decided to have my own open house type party so everyone I knew would know what fun they were! They enjoyed my party, purchased quite a bit, but didn't want to have their own. Many (25 or so) are still my customers, though I find they don't reorder nearly what the MK company predicts customers will! (Are mine different? LOL) I thought a non pushy, helpful attitude, great customer service, and a great product would be enough to build a customer base, but I have been very wrong!

Early on I had some misgivings about what the MK company was expecting me to do, so did not try to recruit anyone else. A real turn off was when I went to one of my first training meetings. They were discussing recruiting and telling us all the things not to say or a prospect would not "come in." I really felt betrayed knowing all the things my director did not tell me (on purpose) so I would go ahead and join! I knew if I couldn't be honest, I didn't want to recruit. My director offered to "close" people for me! Apparently the Golden Rule involves omitting lots of important information, so people will join and thank us later! So patronizing!

My director is nice enough, but has bought the whole MK thing hook, line, and sinker and every time I talk to her about my misgivings, the problem as she sees it is that I have become negative by not attending the once a week meetings. (I am in my late 50s and these meetings are way too over the top, rah rah, and cultish for me!) She also works MK CONSTANTLY, and I really just want to enjoy a ball game or an antique store and not be sizing up everyone within 3 feet of me as a sales opportunity or recruit.

I have been thinking about getting out for the last 6-8 months, especially since learning how much MK is sold on eBay. I complained to my Director who told me to forward eBay sites to MK, but felt "Why should I do their work?" It's their contract with consultants so they should be enforcing it." I also called MK Legal myself and was told there was not much they could do about it (I swear I am not making this up - I placed the call in summer of 04 ) and they insisted I talk to my Director about this instead of to them! In the meantime, I also found out that some consultants were submitting free replacement orders for product they never ordered from MK in the first place, (a great scam to get free inventory) and the MK company had hired staff to look into some of these replacement requests and spot check on this practice. I figured if they could hire staff to protect their own pocketbook, they should do more to protect their consultants from the low priced eBay sales. At this point, after experiencing MK firsthand, I don't blame those eBay sellers at all! Many don't realize it is prohibited or are just trying to pay down some debt on the inventory they so optimistically purchased. (I myself now have a $3,000 VISA debt and paid down $2,000 already) Also, after experiencing the manipulations, half truths, and lies told in MK, I don't blame them a bit for doing what they can to improve a bad situation.

Last night I found this site and also found out I could return Section 1 inventory purchased in the last 12 months and get 90% of the wholesale purchase price back. (My director has always maintained it is only in the first year I could do this.) Well, I am going to jump on this like a "monkey on a cupcake!" But besides this I am so relieved to find people like me who got lost in the "pink fog," are in debt, and feeling a bit depressed with it all. I find how they use God, "God wants this for you," and the Golden Rule thing really offensive, now that the blinders are off! Thanks for creating this site! I'll be visiting often as I get MK sales out of my life! It's a good thing I like the products--I have enough personal use MK to last the next year and a half!