TWiki . Edumacation . MaryKayOpinion170	TWiki . { Main | Edumacation | TWiki | Test }
	Edumacation . { Home | Users | Changes | Search | Go }

Mary Kay can be and is a legitimate business opportunity - if it's the right person at the right time. Problems arise when someone is pushed and "persuaded" to join even if it's not the right thing at the right time, etc. Anyhow, here are my comments:

1. Most people I know run when they hear "Mary Kay" Most people I know have hosted a Mary Kay party as a favor to someone and don't want to attend another; most people I know have had an experience with a pushy Mary Kay rep; most people I know have had a rep try to push them into joining. Behind closed doors, everyone I know rolls their eyes when Mary Kay is mentioned - even if they have had some good experiences and/or have a nice rep.

2. Selling to friends and family is not a great thing A lot of people will host a party for you "as a favor" and will buy at a party because that's what you do (as a favor to you or the hostess or just so as not to be embarrassed). For me, this is extremely uncomfortable. If you are OK with this, can separate the two, or feel that selling is more important than friendship, then fine ...

3. There is such a thing as "Mary Kay Fever" A lot of the Mary Kay reps I know are so hyped by the company that they are blinded to how others view them. Per the point above, they just don't care if they alienate people as long as they "get the sale". Inside the company, there is so much cheerleading everyone gets sucked in.

4. I am unclear as to what is special or unique about the product I think Mary Kay products are good and they are fairly inexpensive. However, no one has ever been able to answer what is truly unique about the product - it's not "all natural" - it doesn't have special botanical ingredients or color properties or ... I wouldn't want to be a vacuum salesperson (for example) unless they had some revolutionary technology.

5. The right salesperson can be wonderful When the right person does Mary Kay, you want to bow at their feet and let them take care of all of your skin care needs. Sometimes it's just a match.

Have to run - to be continued.

MelissaDr  - 17 Mar 2004

Melissa - I really like all the points you make, especially the part about people rolling their eyes behind closed doors at the mention of Mary Kay. One would think that after all these years, the company would take note of the unflattering reputation they have made for themselves and do something to change their archaic system of distribution.

I whole heartedly agree with your second point, too. Consultants forget that they do not embark on a Mary Kay career alone. Directors make them pull friends and family into the process, oftentimes straining or even destroying relationships. People are tired of this type of sales, hence all the eye rolling behind closed doors. I've found this is not just true for Mary Kay, but for all other direct sales parties, too.
MonicaJ  - 17 Mar 2004

Great points Melissa!

I agree with everything ... especially the part about the rolling eyes. I even started rolling my eyes when speaking to my MK recruiter on the phone. This is not a good thing.

I absolutely refuse to sell to my friends/family. Only if they ask. Years ago, I had a friend that tried to recruit me for MK. She basically called me stupid for not wanting to do so at that time. I definitely believe that consultants become so 'hyped' during these cheerleading sessions that they fail to 'read' people properly.

Interesting point about the 'uniqueness' of the product. I've never thought of it that way. But that's certainly something MK should think about when developing these marketing campaigns.

Another thing that irritates me is the 'suspect' statistics being thrown around. I've heard many reps state that MK is the biggest selling cosmetic line, the #1 selling skincare line, has created the most female millionnaires etc ... I've yet to see documentation on this. I think the integrity of the company is at stake when recruitment pressures lead to unethical marketing strategies.

Topic MaryKayOpinion170 . { Edit | Ref-By | Attach | Diffs | r1.3 | > | r1.2 | > | r1.1 }

You must register before editing pages or using other extended features on this TWiki system.

Revision r1.3 - 28 May 2004 - 02:19 by JaneSmithJones  Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2000-2005 by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration tool is the property of the contributing authors. Collect email addresses here. Ideas, requests, problems regarding TWiki? Send feedback.