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I posted this as an edit on Opinion 67 as well.

I have got to respond to this! I have posted a few times before on here and my name is Wendy Turnidge and I am a Sales Director with Mary Kay and have been for 3 years December 1st. I printed out this entire opinion from Opinion 67 because she has made some great mistakes in some of the things she stated. I have not been one of these people who did it quick and made it BIG -per say-. I am however quite comfortable and happy with what I am doing and it IS because I chose to run my business by putting the feelings of my customers and consultants first! I have earned the use of 3 cars (2 Grand Am's and 1 Grand Prix) and am about to spin off a Director next month. I DID NOT do this by recruiting everyone I knew or sold to -OR- by cohersing my gals into large inventories. First and foremost, I hold my appointments and sell the products and THIS is what gets things rolling in your business. I try to see 15-25 new faces each month and that means I am doing either facials or classes and of course, they are free. I give my gals a good time because I LOVE selling and pampering. If I didn't like to do those things, this business would be a struggle. I didn't think I would ever enjoy doing this full time but I learned to love it and love my customers. I just ran a sale over the last 2 days for my customers and sold $1,300 so far!!! Do you think I am enjoying what I am doing?!?

If you hear unhappiness from Mary Kay consultants, it's probably because they weren't able to get the selling thing down. I think there's hope if they seek it out. If not from their Director, from another Consultant who is selling alot or from another Director.

I haven't approached a single customer about selling Mary Kay in months...yes MONTHS! I give them a good time, they see me having fun and I am asked about this business! You see ladies, when YOU are happy and your customers see you are happy...they want to know more about what you are so happy about! I am a Born Again Christian as well and this business also allows me to share the Christian Values that Mary Kay began this company with.

I had 2 of my customers, JUST YESTERDAY, bring up the business to me!!! This was when I chose to go deliver the orders. My customers usually pick them up or I ship them but I decided to take an evening ride with my husband and we made deliveries for a few hours. My 2 customers both said almost the same thing, "you really look like you enjoy doing what you are doing and it's so awesome that you got 3 cars!" and then they both inquired about getting started. Guess what I did...I answered their questions and let them know that I would be happy to talk to them more and walked out their door. I feel that if they want to do it, they will call me. If I really feel a calling to get a hold of them, I will follow up but I leave it in God's hands.

When I was in DIQ, I feel the Lord truly blessed me. I had most of my team members come to me! They asked ME at the appointments! I think this is when you really know that Directorship is right for you because it ends up just happening! Yes it did just happen for me and that's no lie, I am not the type to mislead! I think that it's the INDIVIDUALS in this company that ruin the name for all of us. The people who are saying that they have "done this, or done that" or "looked at everyone as a recruit"...that DOES NOT mean that's how all the rest of us are.

If I get a new customer, here's what I say to her, "I know I don't like to be bothered so I would like you to tell me if you are they type who wants to be contacted every month, every 2 months, 3 months or just want to call me when you need something". They usually are honest and when they say, "I will call you" then I tell them that I prefer it to be that way because then I know that I am not bothering them. I tell them that I will put them on the Preferred Customer Program (if they are okay with that), I run an email sale every 1 1/2-3 months and give a 20% discount the entire month of their Birthday PLUS I have 2 big sales/year that they will get notification of through the mail...I have a STRONG customer base. If I ask them 1x about the business or the possiblity of becoming personal use because I may have seen something within them that prompted me to ask and they say No, then it's no and I service them just the same. You see this business IS about sharing the Opportunity but it is NOT about YOUR OWN selfish intentions.

If some people post on this site, complaining that they ended up doing that...then that was their fault or where they allowed themselves to end up. You HAVE to constantly be aware of the fine line when you are dealing with people. The fine line is the one that makes YOU the "seller" a danger if you begin to lie, steal, cheat, mislead, etc... GOD IS FIRST in Mary Kay because she was very wise and knew whether it's this business, your work, school, in your family, WE ALL are a danger because we ALL are sinners! Seeing how no one is perfect, do you think Mary Kay would be perfect? Is a congregation of a church perfect? I think that because Mary Kay Ash CHOSE to incorporate God, people feel they have the right to criticize this company when things are said or done by IMPERFECT people. I am NOT perfect and will not be perfect until I go home to my Lord and Saviour BUT I CAN run my business to the best of my ability and put the needs and feelings of people first!

Enough said about that...let's talk briefly about the errors that I read in Opinion 67 and I may not get to all of them. Car: YES you can LOSE your car...of course!!! Why in God's green earth would Mary Kay allow us to keep a car if we quit working! ANY job you could get would do that and Mary Kay is NO different. The second you know you are On Target for the car, there is information sent to you AND it's Online AND in the Advance brochure. For goodness sake it's on our literature that we show to our prospects! It SHOWS the quarterly requirements. I don't think anyone should act surprised, shocked or be embarassed about this...it assures us and our team/unit that we will continue to work and lead by example. Human nature is LAZY and if we just sat back and could stop working that WOULD make us a true MLM, which we ARE NOT. I may not have time to get into the fine details of that but there are LEGAL documents that prove this. I had to get proof so my financial planner, who spent a whopping $700/qtr. on MK from me, could join for Personal Use. This business COULD NOT be an MLM for her to join because of the agreement she signed for her employer when she began working for them and the legal documentation that we had to get proved that Mary Kay was NOT a MLM. If you don't know the difference, please contact me. This is a good thing to know when you are in this business.

There is a performance account that you have when you win the car (Grand Am). This performance account stores up "points" (if you will) each month you go over the required amount. If you fall below, then it takes from the account. If you have a Zero balance in the account, then you get a copayment and the Insurance is DIRT CHEAP...$35-65/month! I have NEVER had to make a copayment so I am unsure about an Insurance Co-Payment but I do know it's very cheap. What's the incentive if you miss and have to pay a copayment? Get to work and do better next month! Here's another thing that Opinion 67 forgot to mention...we DO NOT have to take the car and I have NEVER taken a Car! I have taken CASH because I have a very nice car! I have never had to make a copayment, therefore have always received my $350/mo for the Grand Am that now pays $375 (Mary Kay raised it!) and currently get $500/month for the Grand Prix and that has since been raised to $525!

Where do you find a company that will INCREASE what they are already doing/paying!?!

Does it show up in a 1099 like Laura said? Of course it does but is that Mary Kay's fault? That's a legal/tax issue that you have to think about anytime you get a large amount of money from any kind of source in a year. Again, my other deductions have always offset my taxes and if you get to the point of a car, you DO have other deductions.

Directorship: You do need 30 active and that includes you. A few years back, Mary Kay decided to change the career path and make it even easier to become a Director and help consultants take their focus off the car and focus on Management. It used to be that you had to earn the car first, now you can be a Director and earn the car at the same time. So you become a Director and have 30 Unit Members by HONESTLY presenting this business...but you end up missing production a few times...Opinion 67 is WRONG because Mary Kay lets us miss and miss and miss AS LONG AS YOU CALL SALES DEVELOPMENT AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!!!!!!!!!! Now, does that mean they will let it go on forever? No!

I missed for 2 months and because I did well the other months and had my performance account, my car was Okay but I was worried (because I was getting married and went on my honeymoon and just got distracted and missed production) that Mary Kay may take my Directorship. I called Mike Strong who is in Emerald Sales Development and HE told ME that I should not worry that I missed 2 months and that life happens, just try harder next month and keep in touch! I was SO IMPRESSED and felt so relieved and I went on and had my best month, up to that point, the next month!

Expenses as a Director: Here the REAL truth, and I don't know how long Opinion 67 was a Director but here's the "expenses" that I have. Meetings: Zilch! You can use a church or apartment complex, your home, etc... I use the activity room of a Senior Residence and it's GORGEOUS...we are so lucky! They do it as a way to service the community. So my meeting room is $0. I do not have a housekeeper and I have thought of getting one because after selling $1,000/week, I think I deserve it. We are taught that YOUR SALES pay for your assistant or housekeeper. My assistant is my husband because it's a tax deduction and when your spouse works for you, you can deduct ALL family Medical expenses and some other things. My other assistant is 15 and she gets $5/hour and is thrilled. I give her 50% off her products too and it's a good thing! Dinners/Lunches: I don't understand this one. I would need clarification. I am in a Director Association and we pay nothing to be in it and those are the only dinners/lunches I have been to. Newsletter: $30/month and it's WELL worth me paying my college student gal to do it. I lose money doing it and this way she gets a little something and I get to make $$ holding appointments. Travel: Seminar & Leadership...these are both optional as is everything in Mary Kay BUT when I attend, I come back and become more productive. First of all it's a tax write off, secondly with the exception of airfare we room together so we spend maybe $90-120 for 3-4 days and most the meals are provided in our registration which is $130-170. Yes, it comes from us but if you really look at most business Seminars, they are well over $150 and I've heard up to $700! I wouldn't go if I couldn't afford to go and that's the truth but my sales ALWAYS pay for my Seminars and AGAIN they are a tax write off. You learn so much from them and it's a shame if you can't go but it really is your choice. Postage: I don't use that much postage to even complain about it. I spend maybe $160 every quarter on postage and I find that good. Suit: Our suits are again, tax deductible but when we order them by a certain time we save 20% and it costs around $240...I am not the clothes buying type but these are really nice suits. I would never spend $240 on a suit but it's ALL I wear to the meetings/functions all throughout the year. The nice thing is that the $$ comes out of my commission checks if I choose that option over a period of 3 months. So it's roughly $80/month and again, tax deductible! When I was a nurse, I bought my attire and deducted it on my taxes and I went through those highly priced uniforms quicker.

My commission checks and sales for a month are pretty close to the same. I sell around $3-4,000 and my commission checks are around $3,500-4,800. I order about $1,200/month to restock my store. My expenses are quite low and my income is wonderful. I just started making quarterly payments into taxes this year because all the previous year I have had so many tax deductions and now I am getting to the point where my income is exceeding my deductions.

I have seen gals come into Mary Kay and fade away and it hurts my heart, especially when they are in my unit. I do all I can do for them and with them to make them successful. Some people come in at the wrong time and there would have been no way to know that and some come in and take their time and become successful (that was me) and others do it quick. You cannot compare yourself to anyone! You are YOU and YOU have your own obstacles to overcome and personal growth issues to overcome.

All I can say is that this business is certainly not for everyone. I think $100 is not that much to give it a shot but I will agree with many others that YOU have to begin your business the way YOU want to. Don't EVER feel pressured...there should be no pressure. Let me also add something that no one else has mentioned...including Opinion 67...there is a 90% buyback guarantee but what no one is telling you is that there is another option that goes beyond the first year. You have 1 year to get 90% but you DO get a percentage back if you go over your year. It is correct that you can never sell MK again but everyone I have ever spoken to has already been told that. I don't know all the details about the other option but you can call Mary Kay and they will tell you. This company IS here to help you and they will bend backwards for you. They have nothing to hide. I have talked to Legal and Sales Development and they are quite aware that there are individuals out there who are misrepresenting the company or not giving all the facts. Call Mary Kay Corporate when in doubt and talk to someone there.

This company has a heart of gold and they would be sick to know that all this commotion is going on. PLEASE don't listen to all that is said on here but go straight to the source. I am willing to be a source of information for you. I do run a Unit of 105 and my grandmother does live with me and I am her caregiver so the best way to contact me is by phone (612) 588-1569. Otherwise, email takes a little longer but I will do my best.

A very proud and excited Sales Director!

Wendy Turnidge 612-588-1569

WendyTurnidge  - 31 Dec 2003

If all directors were like you there would be fewer unhappy women in MK. My director is nothing like you. Unfortunately, my director was only interested in the amount of my initial inventory purchase, and after that, my monthly MK purchases. I attended several meetings but received little training. From my point of view MK was all about helping my director make her monthly sales quota. I think the point of this message board is to warn women to beware of investing large sums of money in their intial MK product purchase. Not all women have the potential to become proficient in selling MK products, but it is fine to give MK a try and see what happens. Contrary to what MK directors say, most customers do not mind waiting for their orders.You do not have to have products immediately on hand. It is not necessary to have a MK store in your home. There is nothing wrong with taking orders from customers, then buying only what you need from MK to fulfill paid orders. No inventory, no debt, and no worry.

MaryWard  - 01 Jan 2004

Thanks, Wendy

BettyJones  - 27 May 2004

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