Pink Truth: Dreams, Drive and Deception in Mary Kay

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Dreams, Drive and Deception in Mary Kay Jan 31st 2012, 12:00 Written by Raisinberry From the day you start with Mary Kay, you are exposed to deception on multiple levels, and expected to accept that if you want to “move up.” There are times when I think I have no more to say about this world of Mary Kay. Today I was even feeling sorry for [...]

Raisinberry... " Today I was even feeling sorry for all those women in MK who have checked in here at Pink Truth, and have become convicted, and have begun to make changes. " Think about that for a second... why would you 'feel sorry for' someone who is being helped?  If you are really doing this to help people, you would be excited and energized for them. While some of the points that Raisinberry is making here are valid - and kudos for pointing them out (even if it is just a repeat of things that have already been said) - it is hard to hear the good over the overwhelming roar of loathing towards all things Mary Kay. Also, the way that she combines things that are legitimate with things that are actually deceptive and manipulative creates the illusion that there is overwhelming evidence and the way she repeatedly suggests that ALL of this happens to EVERYONE in Mary Kay makes that overwhelming evidence seem systemic instead of isolated... both of which conveniently back up Pink Truth's so called "Truth" that Mary Kay is evil and should be rallied against with all sorts of malice, envy and slander. For instance, telling someone that you are in your first year instead of saying you are my first customer.  You want to set a person at ease and exude confidence.  You don't get up to give a speech and announce that this is the first time you are giving a public speech, neither do you need to tell someone that this is your first time presenting the product.  "I'm in my first year" is honest.  In sales, semantics are EVERYTHING. A director telling you that she is there to help you build your business when in reality she is there to build her business.  Well, duh.  Obviously if she builds your business, her business is built up.  This is a win-win.  That does not mean she is being deceptive.  In fact, that is something she will probably tell you up front.  I am going to help you, because the better you do, the better I do. In fact, as I am re-reading this, it is hard to find anything that Raisinberry hasn't twisted with Pink Truth's own brand of deception to make Mary Kay look bad.  Of course continuing to refer to Mary Kay as a cult kind of solidifies my point. I strongly believe that there are things that one must beware of in entering into a Mary Kay (or any network marketing) endeavor.  Certainly Pink Truth has stumbled on to some of these.  I just wish that they were more of a resource and guide to HELP people avoid mistakes.

Pink Truth: Caption This Mary Kay Photo: The New NSD Suit

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Caption This Mary Kay Photo: The New NSD Suit Jan 29th 2012, 16:25 It is supposed to be a privilege to wear the NSD suit. Let’s caption this photo accordingly!

All I hear when I read comments like these making fun of the way someone looks in a suit is the collective sadness and jealousy they all share mixed in with a healthy dose of pride and arrogance. Calls to mind those sad Elemetary and Middle School days where the 'mean' girls sat around taking turns picking on someone because of their clothes while everyone else forced out the loudest, meanest laughter they could find. I don't much care for this particular suit, but if I were an NSD, I would be proud to wear it to events.

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Directors: Don’t Place That Big Personal Order to Meet Minimum Production

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Mary Kay Directors: Don't Place That Big Personal Order to Meet Minimum Production Jan30th 2012,12:00  Written by JTA Well directors, the end of the month is coming again.  For those not in the know, Mary Kay directors do have quotas and must have total unit production of at least  $4,000 per month.  If they miss a month, that is okay but they must make it the following month.  So directors, [...]

If there is one thing about Pink Truth, it is their stamina.  Over and over again, they repeat the same line.  Kind of like how they accuse Mary Kay of! (Sorry for the atrocious grammar, just thought that sounded best that way...) Another thing they consistently accuse Mary Kay of is stretching the numbers and making the best case scenario sound like the worst case scenario.  Is it just me, or does this article seem to imply that ALL directors "buy" their production ($4k) every other month and MOST spend upwards of $3700 to do it? Also how about the "Harvard Business School" line they like to knock.  Notice that JTA says "MOST make poverty level or below". Fundamental misunderstanding of "Poverty Level" aside, she clearly does not have statistics to back this up. So, what is Pink Truth, really?  Everything they claim to hate about Mary Kay - but this time there REALLY isn't any product to sell, and the "off the charts hype" is palpable.

Pink Truth: Is Mary Kay About Selling Products or Recruiting Distributors?

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Is Mary Kay About Selling Products or Recruiting Distributors? Jan 27th 2012, 12:00 Written by SuzyQ As sales directors we are continually taught that our job is to bring in new recruits. New recruits mean new inventory purchases and more production means a higher monthly commission check. For those of you who are laboring under the assumption that we are taught to be concerned with your customer sales [...]

I find it interesting that SuzyQ: 1. Refers to herself as "we" as though she is still a Mary Kay director and 2. Gives the impression that because SHE ran her business the way she describes (and notably failed) then everyone else that is a Mary Kay director must be doing so also. Looking at the 'blurb' from InTouch that she posted, there is absolutely none of the unethical things that Pink Truth preaches about Mary Kay in there.  If anything, that document 'blurb' disproves everything that Pink Truth claims regarding Mary Kay. It encourages making the husband a part of the decision.  It encourages NOT applying pressure if someone is not interested.  It challenges you you be sincere and honest. My view of the time line of MOST of the people on Pink Truth: Signed up for Mary Kay Decided to try to be 'sneaky' and 'cheat' the system either because someone else in Mary Kay encouraged them to, or out of their own brilliant invention, thinking this would be a shortcut to fortune Said plan did not work Slowly (or quickly) crashed and burned Found Pink Truth Now post daily about how awful Mary Kay is Can anyone tell me how this makes Mary Kay sinister and evil?

Pink Truth: Mary Kay and Market Saturation

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Mary Kay and Market Saturation Jan 26th 2012, 12:00 Written by Lazy Gardens Explaining the concept of market saturation, and why it’s next to impossible to build a viable retail selling business with Mary Kay. I’ve noticed some Mary Kay training material that misuses the term “market saturation,” probably out of ignorance rather than malice. The materials claim that since Mary Kay users are [...]

Oh, Lazy Gardens... where to start? First of all, her definition of market saturation is correct.  Her evaluation that the cosmetics market in the US is saturated makes sense. However, her "statistic" that it is 99.999% saturated is questionable, dubious and she does not cite a source for that fact. She then explains market share - also correct.  However, in referring to Mary Kay's market share, she dismisses their claimed 10% market share as "way too high", but goes on to say that this means 90% are available.  If their current market share is less than 10% then the % of the market available to reach is even higher than 90%. But that's all to-may-toe/to-mah-toe stuff, because her real point is that Mary Kay consultants can't succeed in capturing more market share because of the "cost of switching" and because Mary Kay doesn't invest money in advertising. This point of view absolutely drives me crazy.  The whole point of this style of marketing is to avoid spending money on advertising. The idea is that you pay real people to talk about and demonstrate your product and gain "mindshare" that way.  I always hear (and think it myself) people saying how much they hate misleading TV ads, radio ads, billboards, etc.  And we all know how ineffective these mediums can be.  When was the last time you saw a commercial and said, "I'm going to buy that brand instead of my brand because of that commercial.  It takes a lot of views to change a mindset and there is never a guarantee. But let's take a look at what that advertising costs.  L'Oreal (who Lazy Gardens mentioned) spent $1.1 Billion (with a B) in 2010 and Ford (who owned Volvo - also mentioned by Lazy Gardens - from 1999 until 2010) also spent $1.1 Billion in 2010 to pick up that elusive mindshare.  Some other numbers - just for fun - Verizon: $1.8 B, AT&T: $2 B, GM: $2.1 B, and Procter & Gamble: $3.1 B. These numbers all come from Kantar Media and can be found here. Lazy Gardens makes it sound like not dropping a billion dollars on advertising is Mary Kay "damaging" consultants ability to sell.  This is simply not true.  It is what makes Mary Kay able to pay the consultant in the first place. Her ridiculous line about Mary Kay not caring as long as consultants keep ordering wholesale is just more of Pink Truth's insane brainwashing mantra.  Should Mary Kay really be expected to monitor adults to 'make sure they are selling what they order'?  Can you imagine?  Hi, just calling to make sure that you actually sold all that stuff you ordered last time.  I can't ship you any more until you clear your shelves.  I know you really want to get this award, but I can't give it to you until you show me pictures of you handing the product to customers and getting money in return.  Oh, and I need to talk to all of them to make sure that you didn't just stage those sales pictures.  It just gets ridiculous.  The alternative is to leave that up to the consultant. (Novel, I know...) which Mary Kay does. This article concludes with a special "note from Pink Truth" about the added negative of being constantly hounded if you are a Mary Kay customer.  If you feel that you are being constantly hounded, find a different consultant.  Or let your consultant know that it is becoming a barrier to you buying your product from her.  I didn't leave Verizon because they kept playing the same commercials over and over again.  Most people will put up with and even appreciate a certain level of 'brand awareness' updates.  Everyone's threshold is different and you can't really know it unless they tell you.  They certainly aren't going to call you and say, "you aren't calling me often enough, please call more."  They will (sometimes) let you know that you are calling too much.  This is why it is generally agreed that it is better to do too much and let someone tell you to back off a little than do to little and never know that you were not giving them enough.  I can hear an ad on the radio sitting in my driveway, and think, "I should look up that website" and forget by the time I get in the house.  Just because Pink Truth says that everyone hates you because you sell Mary Kay does not mean it is true.  Time and again, we see that Pink Truth's "Truths" are not really so true.

Pink Truth: Mary Kay Skin Care Class: 12 Women, 30 Minutes, $500 Sold (Yeah, right.)

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Mary Kay Skin Care Class: 12 Women, 30 Minutes, $500 Sold (Yeah, right.) Jan 25th 2012, 12:00 Where do I begin with this email to one Mary Kay national area? I believe that she may have had 12 women there. I believe she may have sold $500. But there’s no way it only took 30 minutes! The only way she could do that is to spend about 6 minutes on the class, [...]

Is it just me or does Tracy seem to be giving up?  Or at the very least lost some of the 'passion' for antagonizing Mary Kay?  "Where do I begin... " gives the impression that she has a lot to say about this.  What she ends up saying is that she doesn't think this women claims to have accomplished in 30 minutes could be done in 30 minutes.  Whew! Scathing!  Also, Tracy's math seems more dubious than the NSDs math.  Tracy says, "The ONLY way..." and proceeds to offer her mathematic interpretation.  It seems to me that she could have spent 1 minute with each guest and 18 minutes on the class.  Or, she could have spent time with just 4 people in the class (say 5 minutes) and 10 minutes on the class.  Maybe she spent 30 seconds with one guest, 2 minutes with another guest (etc.) and the "class" was literally just her putting the skin care on their hands. Is it possible that her time investment was more than 30 minutes?  Sure.  Especially if you use Pink Truth math and add in the time it took her to get ready for the class (showering, brushing hair, getting dressed, putting gas in the car, looking up directions...)  But really, I think that anyone who reads this email and thinks, "wow, I can get $500 for 30 minutes of time... that's like $1,000/hr!" is going to struggle in any line of work.

Pink Truth: Deja Spew: Mary Kay’s motto is “God First…”

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Deja Spew: Mary Kay's motto is "God First…" Jan 24th 2012, 12:00 Written by The Scribbler It’s a line that’s quick to be fired off at church, particularly post-service when recruiters are scrambling to grab sharp women and cart them off to the Golden Corral for their unit’s weekly “Onion Rings and Opportunities” event. “Mary Kay puts God first,” you may have heard them gush. “How many [...]

I felt like I recognized this.  Sure enough, here is my write up on this barely a little more than a month ago. Pink Truth repeat and here is Pink Truth's version Pink Truth's copy of Pink Truth's rewrite. I knew they recycled their old material, but am I the only one that thinks this is pushing it a little?

Pink Truth: Trapped By the O Word in Mary Kay (Opportunity!)

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Trapped By the O Word in Mary Kay (Opportunity!) Jan 23rd 2012, 12:00 Written by Raisinberry Year after year, as new consultants signed on, and old consultants disappeared, I started getting used to having heightened expectation for them, my unit, and my goals, only to watch all that crash and burn months later. It became apparent that of the independent beauty consultants that were going to attempt the [...]

Raisinberry rants and raves here for a while.  Of note is that now it is a 98% failure rate (as opposed to the 99% that Pink Truth used to preach).  Also, in a shocking confession, Raisinberry admits, " because Mary Kay never promises “Success.” Mary Kay doesn’t even promise good results! Mary Kay makes no promises whatsoever. " There you have it from Pink Truth directly.  Mary Kay didn't promise you that you would succeed. The rest of the article... from what I can see is just the normal Pink Truth nonsense about how Mary Kay 'makes' people order even when their not selling.

Pink Truth: Caption This Mary Kay Photo

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Caption This Mary Kay Photo Jan 21st 2012, 12:05

Gear up for another day of Pink Truth making fun of someone because: A. They are with Mary Kay and B. They made the mistake of having a picture taken of them.

Pink Truth: Money Madness in Mary Kay

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Money Madness in Mary Kay Jan 20th 2012, 12:00 Written by SuzyQ I read with irony the new ordering contest and bonuses offered by Mary Kay on a regular basis. Order more and convince your team members to order more and earn a bonus, starting with $100. Order more and get a dollar store trinket. In previous days, I might have jumped all over [...]

SuzyQ seems to think there are 2 people in Mary Kay that are doing Mary Kay right.  The rest are just like her and the small handful of women on Pink Truth that spent money to earn recognition instead of selling actual product and recruiting actual new consultants. I don't agree.  Do you?

Pink Truth: Just Say No to MLM

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Just Say No to MLM Jan 19th 2012, 12:00 Written by Black Nova Just keep saying "no." I have learned when my friends invite me to MLM engagements of any sort to tell them that I have a personal rule of not supporting any form of MLM because I don't believe in the business model. Regardless of the quality of the product, if it [...]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and if Black Nova dislikes the direct selling business model enough to not want to even buy product from a company that uses this model that is her decision and she has the right to make it. Her method of communicating this personal decision to people that invite her to try their products is also quite appropriate, although offering unsolicited advice about how to protect themselves does come off a bit sanctimonious. I do have an issue with this comment though -  Real businesses have Grand Openings and don’t need to beg people to support them. For one thing, whether or not you agree with the business model, direct selling is a real business.  For another, whatever so-called "real" businesses she is referring to still need to "beg" people to support them.  Whether it is advertising on billboards, TV, radio, signs out front or a guy/girl twirling a sign on the sidewalk, you have to (as she calls it) beg people to come in and see what you have to offer. There are a few exceptions that I can think of: 1. Laundromats.  Open a laundromat and your advertising is built in.  You drive by a building with huge windows and see a bunch of washers and dryers, you know what that is and if you need a laundromat, you know where to go. 2. Actually, that's all I can think of... and honestly if that isn't begging people with dirty clothes to come in and wash them, I am not sure what is!

Pink Truth: Demoting your Husband from “Leader” to “Mary Kay Cadillac Coach”

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Demoting your Husband from "Leader" to "Mary Kay Cadillac Coach" Jan 18th 2012, 12:00 Written by The Scribbler What is a husband’s place in the Mary Kay venture? Should he stand quietly by, allowing his wife to do whatever he wants with his family’s finances? Should he be actively involved in running the Mary Kay “business”? Or should he just be a cheerleader? I pondered whether or not this [...]

This is just getting more and more laughable.  "I pondered whether or not this article would offend our readers;..." Yeah right!  It doesn't matter and you know it. A. None of Pink Truth's "readers" will be offended by anything Pink Truth says. B. Even if they were offended, they would never say anything about it, because C. If you express a disagreement you get kicked to the curb so fast no one will even know you disagreed. Additionally, this article is simply garbage.  The relationship between a husband and a wife is extremely unique and deeply personal.  There are husbands and wives that follow strictly the "man is the bread winner and woman is the housekeeper" tradition and are content and happy with it.  There are others that completely flip that and the wife makes the money and the husband stays home with the kids and keeps the house running and they are content and happy with that.  There are also a myriad of combinations between (and on either side of) these two. For some, submission means that the husband makes all the decisions with little or no input from the wife while others have active and energetic conversations with the ultimate responsibility of the decision resting on the husband.  Still others don't believe in or agree with the concept of one person being submitted to another. Mary Kay is open to ALL of these people and they are ALL allowed to run Mary Kay the way they see fit.  If someone's belief in the way their marriage operates is weak enough that someone can come along and convince them otherwise, than that someone (be it Mary Kay or someone/something else) will either cause their marriage to be stronger or destroy it. Do some in Mary Kay 'preach' marriage principles that are different than what I believe?  Yes.  Does that mean that the whole company and the opportunity is a 'rattlesnake taking potshots at your wife's legs'? No. Whether you are a husband or a wife dealing with Mary Kay and how it fits in your marriage, prioritize what is important to YOU and your spouse, see if Mary Kay can fit within that paradigm and make your decisions about Mary Kay based on that.  Or, if Mary Kay is more important than your relationship (I hope not) than you will make your decisions based on Mary Kay and decide what to do with your relationship based on that.  There have been women that have come out of abusive relationships as a result of the empowerment that Mary Kay offered.  Submission and being abused are NOT the same thing. Shame on you Pink Truth for seeing fit to preach at people while claiming to only present the truth.

Pink Truth: Real Numbers on DIQ from a Former Mary Kay Director

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Real Numbers on DIQ from a Former Mary Kay Director Jan 17th 2012, 12:00 Written by Pinkslipping Why do I share this? Because I’m not an exception to DIQ – I was the standard!! Not to make excuses, but I was being led by my senior and her senior by with sayings such as “you are a find a way, make a way gal“, “you’ll never work as hard [...]

It breaks my heart to read posts like this.  I don't think I even need to say anything about it because Pinkslipping spells it out.  She used her own money to "buy people in" to her unit.  This is not recruiting and not selling. In my mind (and I am sure Mary Kay Corporate as well) this is not (or was not) a director.  Yes, she held the title, but she did not recruit team members.  It is quite obvious why this was not a money making venture. Also, (and I hate to add insult to injury) I don't see in her quotes from her directors any mention of using her own money to "find a way make a way".  I am sure her recruiter did not use HER personal money to get her started. Side note, I have wondered (when presented with opportunities like this) why this person that is making tons of money couldn't "spot me" the money needed to get started. There is a whole discussion line there! Pink Slipping, from all of us here, I am sorry this happened to you.  I hope that you are able to find ways to recover what you lost.

Pink Truth: Blast From the Past: 26,000 Lazy Mary Kay Consultants

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Blast From the Past: 26,000 Lazy Mary Kay Consultants Jan 17th 2012, 04:48 We frequently hear from Mary Kay supporters that those who are not making money selling MK products either don’t work hard enough or don’t want to make money. Five years ago, Lazy Gardens took on this idea in her article Can 26,000 Mary Kay Consultants All Be Lazy? The data and the results are still [...]

Okay, let's see here.  Tracy, ironically, is re-posting about the whole 'lazy' thing, while being too lazy to actually write (or have someone write) a new article.  Not only that, but instead of creating a new post, she just links back to the original location.  (Nothing wrong with that, per se, just sayin') So, on to the actual article. "Lazy" Gardens wrote it.  It is about "lazy" consultants, and how Mary Kay people call Mary Kay 'has beens' "lazy". In it, we find that Lazy Gardens is too "lazy" to research who actually said, "the definition of insanity..."  A quick internet search reveals that it most likely came from a 1983 Narcotics Anonymous publication. Also, we discover (I think) the source of Pink Truth calling themselves "lazy".  Apparently, Mattie Dozier, at some point, said, "Too lazy, too evil or too slick..." and they have been running with it ever since. In terms of the content of the article itself?  I don't know.  I got confused trying to understand how Lazy Garden's comes to her conclusions.  As we mentioned before, not everyone enters Mary Kay for the same reasons. To take everyones numbers, mash them all together and then average them across the whole spectrum is simply not good math. But Pink Truth will forever hold this up as PROOF that 26,000 Mary Kay consultants make minimum wage or less. I will agree with the overall sentiment that you need to take a step back and analyze whether you are making money or losing money.  If it is the latter and you don't have any plans or objective ways of changing that, time to find something else to do.  I don't agree that this proves how terrible Pink Truth thinks Mary Kay is.

Pink Truth: How to Make $100,000 a Year as a New Director

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

How to Make $100,000 a Year as a New Director Jan 16th 2012, 12:00 Mary Kay nsd Cheryl Warfield tells women they can make $100,000 a year as a brand new Mary Kay sales director. Cheryl uses a little Mary Kay Math to come up with her $100,000 figure, and of course, she pays no attention to the fact that the sales director has expenses that must be paid [...]

If Pink Truth were primarily made up of posts like this, I would not have a problem with Pink Truth.  Ironically, this post is like the equivalent, multi-millionaire, Mary Kay Director that the post is referring to.  Sure it exists.  Sure it is possible.  Sure it proves something, but it is the exception rather than the rule. So, what am I saying?  Mary Kay is as bad as Pink Truth says?  No way.  From what I have seen myself and read on different sites, there are three (primary) ways to "do" Mary Kay. 1. Recreation Style.  This approach is for those who like the product enough that they can benefit from the discount by placing higher volume orders and making some cash on the side.  The trade off here is that you will have to put more legwork into your skin care/makeup order than just calling your consultant and placing an order.  You probably will not order enough for yourself to make the discount, so you need to find other people that also like Mary Kay and deal with their idiosyncrasies.  Also, don't plan on any 'quick' refills of individual items as you will probably be ordering every month, two months or more.  The benefit is obvious.  You pay nearly half for your makeup/skin care and you have the chance to make some extra cash which could help bring down your cost of makeup/skin care even more. 2. Aggressive Career Style.  Here is what is outlined in this Pink Truth post.  If you really read what is required, you realize that you are going to be hitting the phones and the streets pretty darn hard.  This is a, 'plan on installing a multi-line phone system in your home office' level, take no prisoners approach.  Personally, I believe I COULD do this, but I have no desire to and I know I would burn out in a week or two.  I would probably spend most of my day messing around on the internet, trying to come up with some secret or shortcut approach and although I would claim I was "working" 60-80 hours a week, it would honestly be more like 10-20 minutes... at best. 3. Slow Build Career Style.  From everything available on the magical world wide web, this seems to be the best plan. This plan is NOT instant cash.  If you are broke today, this will not make you wealthy tomorrow.  This plan can't replace your current income.  Like number 2, this plan requires focus and determination.  It requires solid, achievable goals with a time line that can be regularly referred to and progress carefully monitored.  I think anyone that wants to can do this. The key here, as with the other options is that you must absolutely love and believe in the product and the opportunity. I think Pink Truth is fair in their criticism of this handout because it does seem to imply that this level of income is 'easy' even though even a glossary reading reveals that it would be anything but easy. However, even peppered in this article are little "pink truth 'truths'" that are not as true as Pink Truth would like you to believe.  Like their " Because Mary Kay is an MLM which means that 99% of women in it will fail to turn a profit. " claim

Pink Truth: Mary Kay National Sales Director: The Impossible Dream

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Mary Kay National Sales Director: The Impossible Dream Jan 13th 2012, 12:00 Written by Personal Use Recruiter As an award winning top personal recruiter in another multi-level marketing company, this was my experience. For every SEVEN new customers I added to my customer base: I signed only ONE new recruit. (I know, I know… make-up MLM is an easier sell. You all kicked my butt at recruiting!) [...]

Pink Truth accuses everyone involved in Mary Kay of being brainwashed goons.  As long as you follow the party line, it doesn't matter who you are, you will be accepted.  Apparently, Pink Truth likes this concept so much they have adopted it themselves.  This article is written by someone that was never involved in Mary Kay.  I doubt we will see any "shut up and don't come back until you have Mary Kay experience" comments on this one though... she follows the party line. Okay, on to the article.  This actually gives you a good picture of what it will likely take to "make it" in any network marketing, recruiting based sales situation.  You gotta get your boots on the ground (or heels).  There is clearly still a lot of confusion between the easy, laid back (relatively) option of making some small extra cash on the side and making a career of this with a team. If you think you can put together a team and make millions, consider the implications of this article.  You are going to need to get in front of a lot of women (or men) in order to find that team.  Personally, I would try to be a little more selective in who you recruit.  Yes, you could do the high pressure, recruit everything that breathes in a 10 mile radius, but why?  You will probably need to put some pressure on some people - as I've mentioned elsewhere, you are changing peoples minds... and the ones that will be your best, will probably put up the most resistance.

Pink Truth: Another Mary Kay Sales Director Lying About Her Income

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Another Mary Kay Sales Director Lying About Her Income Jan 12th 2012, 12:00 Here's what a current Mary Kay sales director posted on her personal website: I also am an Indpendent (sic) Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I quit my full-time job more than 2 years ago and I’m making an executive income while working from home with my Mary Kay business. It’s amazing and more info [...]

Tracy, probably the biggest liar on Pink Truth, tries to call a Mary Kay director out for lying.  On the positive side here, Tracy did not post any personally identifiable information and she appropriately "quoted" this girl instead of just plagiarizing her entire work.  Kudos for that Tracy. However, there is the issue here of perception.  Although, I will admit that calling $20k, $30k or even $40k 'executive' is misleading, it is not exactly lying either.  In fact, many a CEO of a small company may make LESS than that, especially when they are first getting started.  And that is not to speak of many of the other types of executives.  An "account executive" salary can be as low as $32,000 - and that is not because the company is "just starting up". I do agree that there is a bone to pick here though.  Calling your salary "executive" gives most people a picture of 6 figure income, rolling in a high end car and being close to having a personal driver.  If you are going to talk income, you need to talk numbers.  And those numbers should include take home amounts.  What money is actually going in your pocket?  Your retirement account? Etc. But, speaking of Tracy, how much money do YOU make?  You seem to really enjoy deriding Mary Kay people as not making any 'real' money.  How's business for you?  How much money are YOU putting in your pocket at the end of the day? Hey Pink Truth, don't feel bad that none of you are brave enough to actually ask her that on the site.  After all, we all know you would just be deleted and your IP address banned!

Pink Truth: Recruiting a New Consultant With Manipulation

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Recruiting a New Consultant With Manipulation Jan 11th 2012, 12:00 Written by The Scribbler This script has all of the finesse of a vacuum cleaner salesman inching his way across the porch, inching his way over the threshold, and finally through the front door. how the consultant softens up the prospect by initially utilizing manipulative body language and flattery.  The prospect gets the informational tape/video [...]

Pink Truth's protest over recruiting (and sales) technique training like this really makes me wonder: 1. Is Pink Truth's idea of selling or recruiting something like this - "Hi, do you want to buy this (try selling this)? You probably don't right?  I mean I don't blame you if you don't.  I probably should have never brought it up.  I'm sorry I even brought it up. Well?" 2. Has anyone there ever had their minds changed to a positive outcome?  I have a really good friend that was dead set against 'natural birth'.  She wanted the hospital, the meds, the works...  She ended up giving birth in a birthing center with a midwife and no meds at all.  She LOVED it.  How was she convinced?  Someone she knew used a birthing center and had a good experience (even though she ultimately needed to be transferred to a hospital).  She watched a video that the friend recommended (or the birthing center... I'm not completely sure which, but the point is it was a video).  Now, she can't imagine having that experience any other way.  There will still be "Pink Truth Types" telling her the "Truth" that she shouldn't have done that and shouldn't encourage other women to consider it.  In my opinion, they would be wrong. Certainly, there are 'militant' anti-hospital types, but my friend (and her friend) are not like that.  If you are interested (or pregnant) they will enthusiastically convey their experience and their knowledge on the fact.  But they also respect your ultimate decision. So, is this training manipulative?  No way.  Does it go a little to far by not taking the first "no" as a completely closed door?  I don't think so. What do you think?

Pink Truth: From Independent Beauty Consultant to Production Cow

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

From Independent Beauty Consultant to Production Cow Jan 10th 2012, 12:00 Written by Raisinberry You never saw this coming.  This one is going to be painful. This is one for the "career path" consultant.  You are sitting down… that's good. This is a recap of your life in Mary Kay. Some of the facts will vary, but the general "technique" should open your eyes fully. Hopefully, [...]

Raisinberry lost me when she 'rationalized' $1,500 on the second month.  I know the Pink Truth crowd is really sensitive to being called names, so I won't use any mean names, but PLEASE if you are in Mary Kay and reading this... DON'T SPEND $1500 to "save" anything.  If you don't need inventory, don't order.  If your unit is not ready for you to be ____________ (whatever your next level is), than wait until they are. Sure, it is frustrating to find yourself having spent money you don't have for a title you haven't earned and ending up at the a painful dead end, and sure, there are people in Mary Kay continuing traditions like these and putting inappropriate pressure on people to do these things, but seriously, this is NOT Mary Kay's fault. I am a huge proponent of personal responsibility.  This smacks of 'blame someone else' to me.

Pink Truth: Who’s Selling Mary Kay Products? Not Kim Sabourin’s Unit!

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Who's Selling Mary Kay Products? Not Kim Sabourin's Unit! Jan 9th 2012, 12:00 From time to time, I like to take a look at who is actually selling Mary Kay products, and what kind of living they’re making from it. Pink Truthers are often told that it’s easy to sell MK products. The products “fly right off the shelf” or “sell themselves.” We’re told that if we were [...]

Well, on the one hand, I would like to commend Pink Truth for putting out actual numbers to back up their rants. Unfortunately, there is no way I can do that. For one, I do not see anywhere that they got permission to post this information.  This may seem like a small detail, especially since this information is probably on the web already, but knowing how famous Pink Truth is for filing DMCA's, it is ludicrous that they have no problem putting this up without obtaining permission. Second, they don't actually put two and two together here.  They refer to Kim as a top director (and with nearly 300 unit members, there is some evidence that this may be true.  However, their own evidence of her not being a top director refutes their claim that she is one.  Yes, you can find a lot of people in Mary Kay that are dreaming of being NSDs one day... that doesn't mean that they are big performers in Mary Kay. Pink Truth has done a good job making fun of a unit that is not out there making millions.  That is about all they have done in my opinion.

Pink Truth: Same Play, Different Audience

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Same Play, Different Audience Jan 6th 2012, 12:00 Written by SuzyQ Why do we keep doing what we do at Pink Truth? This page explains why Pink Truth exists in the first place, but I wanted everyone to know a little more about why it’s important for me (and so many others) to continue to discuss Mary Kay day after day. There are [...]

If you need proof that Pink Truth is delusional, sanctimonious and completely fogged into their own pink bubble/mist/fog whatever you want to call it, look no further than this gag inducing attempt to convince themselves that they are doing "this" for the people. Let's just look the other way, shall we, and pretend that they are not a small, bitter group of angry, vindictive women that, knowing they can't "bring Mary Kay down" as they would like to, content themselves instead with mocking and slandering women they don't even know.  If we do that then maybe we could see where they are 'helping' women with their information.  Problem is you have to dig through the copious amounts of aforementioned slander and mockery to find it.

Pink Truth: Caption This Mary Kay Photo

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Caption This Mary Kay Photo Jan 5th 2012, 12:00 This is a blast from the past. Allison LaMarr – - prior to becoming a Mary Kay failure (the only way you fail is if you quit!) – - wore this t-shirt on Mary Kay’s “top director” trip in 2006. It seems no one cared about this blog (yes, Pink Truth was the new hot [...]

Pink Truth making fun of Allison Lamarr.  Can anyone update me on why they hate her so much?

Pink Truth: The Gold Leaf Close

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

The Gold Leaf Close Jan 4th 2012, 12:00 Written by The Scribbler Mary Kay nsd Pam Shaw shows you how to close a recruit while you are at the event or at the unit meeting by using a leaf dipped in 14 karat gold. Scrib’s note: Are you a guest at your friend’s unit meeting? Beware – the directors have something extra-special lined [...]

I have to say that this training material that PInk Truth claims is from NSD Pam Shaw is unsettling in a few areas.  I personally don't go in for any high pressure treatment, and this is just oozing with it in my opinion. "Wimpy is asking people you trust for advice"  Now there is some truth to not asking 25 people as this piece points out... if you are getting ready to do anything new and you ask 25 people, you are bound to get some people who try to discourage you... even if it is something that you should do.  And that negativity can really put a damper on the enthusiasm you have for a new venture.  So, be selective in who you talk to, but not talking to anyone is ill advised as well.  A consideration here is the $100 buy-in.  You may have a relationship (and financial standing) where you can make a $100 decision without talking it over.  In that case, this really can be a "just go for it" and let your husband know when you get home.  However, you may be at a place where anything over $20 (or $5) needs to be discussed.  If this is the case, this is bad pressure. The stuff about setting the right environment is fine in my book.  When you are in the sales field, enthusiasm is everything.  And no matter how exciting the product you are selling is, you will always be susceptible to fatigue and boredom.  These things can only be overcome by 'forcing' yourself to get excited again.  Helping your unit get there is wise. I just recently discussed the fact that if you are convincing someone to do something then they 'don't intend to do it'.  If they were ready and eager to do it, they would have done it already.  You ARE taking people that 'don't want to' for some reason to a place where they 'want to'.  As I mentioned then, make sure that you are talking them into something that you truly believe they will enjoy and benefit from. I find it funny that Scrib continues Pink Truth's theme of picking on the relatively small value of the prizes in Mary Kay. They miss entirely the point.  Which is fine... not everyone is motivated by recognition and gimmicky prizes... but enough people are and really enjoy small, symbolic things like a gold leaf pin that it is worth using for staying enthusiastic about what you are doing.  I routinely 'reward' myself with whatever snack I am eating while I am working.  "If I finish xyz, I can have another piece of cheese (or chocolate or sip of coffee, etc...)  Pink Truth, I am sure, would be horrified... "But you could go get a whole block of cheese from the store for like $3... why would you work so hard just to get one slice...

Pink Truth: The Mary Kay Pyramid is NOT Like a Normal Corporation

Pink Truth Facts, opinions, and the real story behind Mary Kay Cosmetics.

The Mary Kay Pyramid is NOT Like a Normal Corporation Jan 3rd 2012, 12:00 Written by Raisinberry The Corporate Rationalization… Recently I have been hearing about a comparison of Mary Kay and normal American Corporations. The ones who put forth the analogy want you to see the realistic and understandable scenarios of corporate structure and how Mary Kay mirrors the same structure. In many organizations, there are only a [...]

Raisinberry does a great job outlining the argument that I most agree with about why Mary Kay is just like any other company or income situation (alike but different obviously) but then does (in my opinion) a horrible job trying to explain why the argument she just detailed is flawed. Nonetheless, I will give it a little attention.  First: Since when do American Corporations require their employees to turn over their paychecks in order to have their JOB next month? Since when does Mary Kay require you to turn over your paychecks?  Am I missing something? She does accurately point out the difference between being an employee and a business owner, namely that employees don't take on any of the risk of moving product -- the company they work for does (see Honda in her illustration). She concludes by saying that this difference is what makes Mary Kay a fraud and not a legitimate corporation.  So all you small business owners and entrepreneurs out there, take note... by taking on the risk of carrying inventory, and spending money to hold your own merchandise, you are participating in what Pink Truth considers a fraud and can never be considered a legitimate American Corporation. Let's all take a moment and give thanks that Raisinberry and the friends over at Pink Truth are not in charge of setting up corporate practice laws! Those of you that are considering Mary Kay, here is what you should take away from this bit of information.  Pink Truth is right in pointing out that you take on RISK when you join Mary Kay.  YOU choose how much product you order and YOU are responsible for making sure it moves into the hands of retail customers - YOUR RETAIL CUSTOMERS.  Mary Kay does NOT take care of this for you, nor for that matter do they much care.  Obviously it is better for them if you are growing your client base and their training and material aims to accomplish this, but they are paying YOU to go out and find their customers.  The money that they could be spending with Network and Cable television, print, radio and internet ads (and so on and so on) is being spent on encouraging you to find new clients for them.  If you choose to create fake clients to get the prizes, that is your choice.  You are trying to cheat them, but really only cheating yourself.