Comments on: Can you make money with Mary Kay?

By: sarah

sarah — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:16:19 +0000

hi i am a mary kay consultant i just started and i enjoy this job a lot i don’t put pressure on people to buy the products every consultant works differently. i haven’t invested any money. i simply just sell. i introduce myself to men and women and a talk about my products and let them try it and if they like it ’s their choice to buy them, and if i see that somebody is interested in becoming a consultant i talk to them about and like i say its their choice to get in, i dont put pressure. i love doing this because i like meeting new people and i always tell them that any products work you just have to use them the right way. i know a couple of women that have been in this carreer and have their own cars that have won trips and they get awesome gifts from marykay it’s great and life is way easier like this, you just have to put 100% on it or on anything you decide to do to succeed.

By: Tracy Coenen

Tracy Coenen — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:29:45 +0000

Krissy – Sounds like you’ve had luck with the products. Just wait until they get you to try all the other steps that they like to call the “miracle set.” You’ll be just as busy as before!

By: Krissy

Krissy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:16:00 +0000

I have to disagree with the comment about the quality of the product.
I have tried several brands of skin care products over the years. Some from drug stores and some from the ‘higher end’ stores in malls and major department stores. I started using Mary Kay TimeWise about 2 months ago, and have noticed results that I had not seen with any of the other products. I also found that because Mary Kay has combined a cleanser, toner and exfoliater into one product, as well as includes foundation as part of the skin care line, I am spending far less on Mary Kay, than I had been on a drug store line that I had been using previously.

I understand that all products work differently for people, but after 15 years of oily, shiny skin, I am now getting compliments on my skin and my complexion. To me, that’s money well spent!

By: Tracy Coenen

Tracy Coenen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:43:39 +0000

The numbers in the article that are sourced are linked directly to the sources of information. I invite everyone to follow those links and read those articles. Next thing readers will want is for me to telephone them and actually read the articles to them!

And I don’t expect anyone in mainstream media to “help my case” when it comes to MLMs. They generally do fluff pieces that lack any substance, and there is certainly no verification of any of the earnings claims that are made.

By: tudza

tudza — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:21:24 +0000

Perhaps Doug is not aware that the bold type in your article points to other bits of information? I say that, but then I follow most of them and don’t find any pages of figures either except for the one with a table on “executive incomes”. I came straight to this page from a Google search, perhaps I by-passed the figures you refer to?

I can’t promise I’d understand the data once you put it in front of me, but perhaps a link or two to the statistics Doug wants is in order if another reader says they can’t find them easily?

The folks at USA Today aren’t helping your case much. Another link I ran into doing a search on “can you make money selling Mary Kay”

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-05-13-direct-sales-jobs-recession-unemployment_N.htm

By: Medifast and Take Shape For Life: Weight loss pyramid scheme? | Sequence Inc. Fraud Files Blog

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:55:01 +0000

[...] Like all other MLMs that I’ve looked at, the product or service isn’t really the focus. It’s simply the bait to get someone in and make the company look legitimate. The real focus, however, is the recruiting of new marks into the [...]

By: Tracy Coenen

Tracy Coenen — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:37:49 +0000

Doug – As I’ve told everyone else, you can find the source of my statistics on this page. (And that’s “cite”, my “fellow academian”.) I invite you to read the page before launching more ad hominem attacks.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:40:42 +0000

I was skimming your profile, I was impressed by your credentials. As a fellow academian, however, I must say that I am appalled by this article. You site specific numerical statistics, but you never site any sources. I have not read your other articles, and I hope this is an oversight. As for MLM’s, they are truly not for everyone, but I hardly see them as a scam. Especially the larger companies like Mary Kay, Shaklee, and the like. Some of these companies have been around for years, and don’t you think if they were acting fraudulently, they would have been shut down? Okay, perhaps a very small percentage of people actually get to the “executive level” income, but again that doesn’t mean they’re scams. I have no allegiance to any of these companies, but I “get it” when it comes to how to run these businesses. In my opinion, your one sided article is riddled with logical fallacies and the same half-truths that you accuse these companies of.

Doug

By: Noted

Noted — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:40:24 +0000

Nice Diane, very business like. You sure showed me the caliber of woman that’s involved in Mary Kay.

By: Linda

Linda — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:58:53 +0000

Sir, I’ve been in this business for 32 years, I started when I was 19!
This business allowed me to stay and home with my children…got me through 10 years of single parenting and now allows me to work around my husband’s teaching schedule.

What you are saying is very misleading.

You never mention the 90% buy back policy that Mary Kay provides to EVERY consultant! That is unheard of in business! If you opened a storefront and decided it wasn’t for you, you wouldn’t get to change your mind in a year and get 90% of your investment back!

The women that decide to become consultants love this product! That 10% they don’t get back would be recouped by what they used personally that year should they decide to get out of business!

And I have never and will never PUSH women to order. Everyone starts differently…we give them the options and they choose. Inventory is NOT required and never has been. As a matter of fact, my brand new consultant is 20 years old (she needs to make extra income)…her husband wanted her to “prove” herself before he’d let her order any product to sell. She has such an awesome attitude…she sold over $200.00 at her first one on one appointment. Her profit was $100.00 for that 1 hour of work. If she wants to continue to run her business that way, it’s her choice!

My customers love our product and have reordered from me for years! They love the personal touch and the fact that I help them with all their cosmetic and skin care needs…like choosing a lipstick for that special outfit, delivering to their front door and our 100% money back guarantee. They love that we work with them until they are loving their skin! And for some, they love the fact they can get their products free my being a hostess.

Unlike many other direct sales, we do not need to do “parties” to make money in our business! The majority of my sales are one on one because that is what I choose to do! Women love the fact that I sit down with them one and one and help them with their needs. Many professional women are my customers.

I am my own little store and I love the fact I don’t have to sit and wait for people to show up at my store!!!! I meet women everyday and offer them my free service to check out my product. And they love the fact that what they want they can have that day! Isn’t that what you like when you go to the store to buy something?

I am so sorry that you had a bad experience. I have found that the women who have quit and complain about their experience are those who just didn’t have what it takes to be their own boss. They let little obstacles get in their way. They didn’t show up for the free education and didn’t apply what they did learn.

This business works when we do…just like anything else in life.