Mary Kay Opinion 272

I live in Dallas (home of Mary Kay Cosmetics) and I get hit up constantly by Mary Kay saleswomen - oops I mean salesladies. One of them asked me to be a "model" in a Skin Care show they were doing. So, I put on the cosmetics they recommended. After the show, about 3 of them cornered me and tried to get me to sign up and sell cosmetics. If this is such a great "career opportunity" why would they need to convince other people to do it? Also why did they lie and tell me they just needed me to be a "model" when they were in actuality trying to get me to join? I felt lied to. Seriously.

Then they were talking about the "free prizes" and they showed me pictures in this catalog of stuff that was pretty much junk. Like costume jewelry, scarves, etc. I have a REAL job (benefits, 401K, paid holidays, paid vacation, etc.) and I can afford to buy these things on my own; except most of my salary goes into my savings and 401K because I'm not so stupid as to throw money away on this stuff.

I can't imagine what mentality a grown woman has that she goes after these silly prizes. This is little girl stuff. Kind of like wanting the prize from the cracker jack box. Their meeting was like a pep rally, one of those rah-rah motivational things. I can see how some people get seduced by it. It does give on a real "feel good" feeling, but it wears off after a while. How much credit card debt do these women have, 'cause I know they are having to buy all this product out of their own pocket before they can re-sell it. Have any of these women ever taken a finance course?

Janet Wilcox - 23 Jul 2005

Janet--

You've discovered what Harvard teaches when you hear "Mary Kay is taught at Harvard Business School": How to maximize the profit from your sales force. Instead of having the company cover the cost of inventory that the sales force needs to be effective, convince the sales force that they should buy the inventory, with the result that selling inventory becomes profitable to the company. Use status symbols, such as special jackets, as an incentive. Provide rewards not in real cash, but in trinkets.

Every business has to sell something, and finding creative ways to motivate the sales force is reasonable. But when you're on the other side of this equation, you do need to do some figuring to determine if you're getting a fair shake.
EliMantel - 23 Jul 2005

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