Mary Kay Lies: Cynthia Ruccia, Senior Sales Director Makes Six Figures?
Written by The Scribbler
After Virgina Sole-Smith’s insightful article, “The Pink Pyramid Scheme: How Mary Kay Cosmetics Preys on Desperate Housewives” was published in Harper’s, it didn’t take long for Mary Kay supporters to ride in and angrily denounce the piece as being one-sided, imbalanced, and other knee-jerk accusations that contained exactly 0% forethought before being expressed.
One of these violently vocal supporters was Cynthia Ruccia, a 28-year Senior Sales Director with Mary Kay who – among other things – claimed she “made a 6-figure income for many years.” Naturally, I’m not one to take Mary Kay leaders at face value, and so I promptly set out to uncover the truth. Join me on this journey and before the end, you will see that it’s easier to put lipstick on a shark than it is to get a Mary Kay Sales Director to prove her income claims.
It all started when Ruccia left a windy tirade on Virginia Sole-Smith’s Facebook page which blasted Sole-Smith, defended Mary Kay, and included the tidbit that Ruccia “made a good living doing Mary Kay.” Ruccia would later continue this pattern on her personal blog, trumpeting her “wonderful income” while dismissing naysayers as “disgruntled” consultants.
One of the first things I wanted to know was why Ruccia hadn’t made it higher on the Mary Kay career ladder after almost three decades in the business. I had a theory that the reason was due to Ruccia’s inability to keep her shanghaied selectees from jumping off her sinking ship per a blog post by Ruccia dated 19 July 2012: “Plenty of people come into my business and discover that it’s not for them, but so what?” Ruccia later insisted, “I am right where I want to be!” then changed gears, played the Cancer Card, and admitted that she “had to take some time off for 18 months.” That’s fine, but we still need to account for the other 26 ½ years of Ruccia’s Mary Kay business.
Before I go any further, I want the readers to understand that I am not unsympathetic towards anyone who’s ever had to stare into cancer’s dark eyes; God forbid, my husband is a three-time cancer survivor himself. However, when the telling of personal tragedies has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand, I see them as little more than tools to elicit emotion and draw attention away from the real issue. Providing proof of one’s income has absolutely nothing to do with cancer, and yet the potential is great for directors to use such a story in recruiting interviews as a means to swing the odds in their favor.
The crowning moment came when Ruccia dropped this bomb: “I still have won 16 pink cars and made a 6-figure income for many years.”
When I pointed out that Ruccia hadn’t been featured among Mary Kay’s top 500 commission-making directors in Applause magazine, Ruccia replied with, “I have a HUGE customer base and I move tons of product. THAT figure isn’t reflected in the Sales Director commissions and as such, you can’t get an accurate read on what anyone is making in Mary Kay…you look pretty stupid making the claims you make.”
Since my facts came straight from an official Mary Kay publication, Ruccia might as well be calling her Mary Kay bosses stupid, too. But they’re not stupid, as they’ve managed to con Ruccia (and countless other women) into trading their birthrights – consistent money from a real job, insurance benefits, and retirement benefits – for paltry bowls of pink pottage: decades of blood, sweat, and credit cards put into a business that never belonged to them in the first place and as such, cannot be sold or willed to their kin. “Enriching Women’s Lives,” indeed.
A poster going by the name of “Stevie” offered this thought-provoking breakdown:
“For Seminar 2012, Marsha Morrissette’s top producer (Cynthea Herreid) is in the Top 5 of the Diamond National Court of Sales with a retail total of $96,906 – this makes her wholesale total $48,453…Ruccia would have to have an annual retail sales total of at least $98,020.40 to hit the “six figure income” that she so proudly boasts about…Cynthia does not even appear on the Queen’s Court of Sales, let alone at the top of the Court…[Ruccia] isn’t mentioned once [in Applause Magazine] from April 2011 to March 2012. So we know that she earned less than $5,000 per month in the last year…if I’m very kind and assume that Mrs. Ruccia JUST missed that $5,000 per month mark, and that each commission check was $4,999 for the 12 months, she would have been at $59,988 for the year – before any charge backs, car co-pays, or expenses of running her business. If I am again, kind, and assume a very low expense rate of 15%, totaling $8,998.20 for the 12 months, her net income from commissions is $50,989.80. Cynthia would have to now add $49,010.20 of retail sale profit to her commissions total to get to her “six figure income”…I highly doubt she had $98,020.40 in retail sales in this 12 month period. Also – that would have to be $98K in retail sales before ANY product discounts, etc.”
Ruccia’s gave Stevie the typical blow-off: “You might think yourself thoughtful and intelligent, but you really don’t come across that way…you just sound disgruntled…”
Ruccia’s consistent failure to divulge information (a talent undoubtedly developed and honed by both her Mary Kay business and her adventures in politics) had posters asking for Ruccia to pony up tax returns and a Schedule C. Ruccia wedged herself into the corner like a rabid cat and hissed, “You show me yours. It’s clear that you are a bunch of sour, unsuccessful bullies. Go back under your rock and bitch among yourselves…your “facts” are wrong, skewed, made up, with holes bigger than the big black hole in outer space. It is beneath me to hang out with such vengeful hags.”
Ruccia would later add that “It is improper to ask someone to produce their tax returns…to make someone cough them up by request is bordering on rude.” But of course, it’s not rude for Ruccia to demand that others show their tax returns and Schedule Cs.
I was amused at Ruccia’s defensiveness for two reasons. First, I marveled at the fact that Ruccia was quick to tell people they were wrong, yet refused to say what exactly was wrong or provide specifics. Second, Ruccia had stated on her blog “…when young folks can’t win on the facts, they resort to ridicule, name-calling, and character assassination.” Wasn’t this exactly what Ruccia was doing when she called her inquisitive audience a bunch of “vengeful hags?” For crying out loud, nobody was asking Ruccia to strip down and do the hula at a major intersection while blaspheming the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. All she was being asked to do was give a straight answer.
One frustrated poster asked, “Why is [giving the complete truth and facts] hard in the MK world? Personally I think MK people don’t actually prove their income claims because they know it isn’t as good…they need women to think they are making the money so they will sign up.” Ruccia intelligently replied, “Boring. Yawn….”
“Dana” had also had enough of Ruccia’s games. “When pressed for true income facts you continue to lash out. Why? If you are SO proud of your executive-level income, one would think you would be shouting it from your rooftop.” Ruccia reminded everyone how bored she was and told Dana to “…go ahead and continue on your bitter path.” Wait, what?
Do you see how the Mary Kay mentality works, friends? If you challenge or offer any view that does not glorify Mary Kay Cosmetics, you are accused of having been unsuccessful, sour, having your facts wrong, being bitter, and a host of names ranging from the humorous to the profane. I have written for Pink Truth for over five years and I can tell you that this behavior is not rare. It happens frequently. Mary Kay leaders are not used to being challenged; they are steeped in a culture that rewards blind belief and ignorance. It is what keeps the company going, and the people (and their credit lines) perish for lack of knowledge.
And so our journey brings us to an examination of Ruccia’s commission numbers (again, as found in Applause magazine) only this time we’re heading clear back to the 1990s and early 2000s. Note that Ruccia joined Mary Kay in 1984, so these figures offer financial snapshots of Ruccia’s Mary Kay business at 7, 9, 12, and 19 years into the game. Note that these are GROSS monthly commissions; the amount listed is before the subtraction of any business expenses, chargebacks, and car co-pays, so in reality, her personal income is lower.
Jun 1991: $3,800.30
Oct 1991: $3,383.65
Feb 1993: $4,035.32
Mar 1993: $3,048.94
Aug 1993: $2,789.22
Jun 1996: $3,714.48
July 1996: $5,421.76
Sep 2003: $6,525.41
Remember that these are her best checks. The other checks in these years were undoubtedly lower. Most months Ruccia’s name was not found in Applause and therefore, whatever she managed to pull in via her MK business was too low to be featured in the company magazine. Even if Ruccia is making substantial retail sales as she claims (and is her word really worth anything at this point?) that still doesn’t bring her into “six figure” territory. Even with her highest commission check listed above, Ruccia would have to make retail sales that would put her in the very top of the company’s “Court of Sales,” yet she doesn’t appear to ever have made it there.
Ruccia stated on her blog that she “…never made false income claims,” but as we’ve seen, these are not the numbers of a woman that has “made a 6-figure income for many years” by any stretch. Furthermore, it’s disturbing to see how easily the 6-figure claim slid right off of Ruccia’s forked tongue. If she’s lying about something as simple as this, what other lies is she telling the women who get roped into her recruiting interviews?
Cynthia Ruccia, here’s a bit of gentle guidance: If you don’t lie, you never have to worry about someone calling you out on it later. You may wish to keep that in mind for future reference lest it bite you in your rump. Again.
Visit the
Scribbler–Awesome Job! I read all of her comments on her blog the other day. She should be embarrassed. None of her responses were professional. She even tried to back out of the 6 figure claim. It is obvious that it is a lie.
Here’s your 15 minutes, Cynthia. Enjoy!
This pathological liar calls people who question her “vengeful hags.” This is an example of a representative of Mary Kay? The company must be so proud.
She’s been in 28 years and is only a SSD? Not mentioned in Applause for YEARS? What, deserve level not high enough? Or just a lazy loooooozer? Oh right. Time to play the cancer card which covers 18 months, but what about the rest of the time?
Waaaait… so she wants us to think she makes 6 figures selling product she already had? on hand? so what, she bought the shiz slowly over 20 years and is NOW selling it?? LOL talk about “looking stupid” there lady.. any way you dice THAT one, you look like an idiot 😀
Scrib- that was a masterpiece! Thank you for the logical breakdown of the income and all the falsehoods that Cynthia proclaims.
Once I quit the lying in MK- my life changed. Cynthia… my life is sooooo much better than it was before. Maybe you should try it?
Who cares what she’s made??? Y’all be bitching, bitching , bitching get a freak in life!!!!!!!! Mary Kay has excellent skin care!!! Y’all can’t sell it. Don’t be mad at others y’all think your just gonna make six figures when u don’t reach that level of success y’all cry boo boo, get OVER IT!!! Mary Kay has been in business for years and will continue to do so like any business for profit, if you ask me I’ve worked for McDonald’s several years should I cry boo hop the CEO is making millions while I make jack shit?? No I just move on, I’ve looked into the biz nobody is holding a gun to your freak in head forcing you to buy inventory and if they do, desperate yourself from that person YOU DONT HAVE TO ASSOCITE WITH THEM AS ITS YOUR BUISNESS OK peace I’m done!!!
Jon, have a Coke, a smile, and a few deep breaths. I mean, come on, man, it’s Friday! 🙂
It’s important to highlight Ruccia’s income claims because she can use that claim to recruit people into the business. If SSD Ruccia gives false claims, that means women coming into the business are doing so with false information. And THAT means Ruccia is not truthfully representing the opportunity, which is something she promised to do when she joined Mary Kay. The Consultant Agreement reads as such:
THE INDEPENDENT BEAUTY CONSULTANT AGREES: “When presenting Mary Kay career opportunities, to do so in a truthful and sincere manner…”
SSD Ruccia has refused to answer questions regarding this imaginary 6-figure income when she was asked. Jon, wouldn’t you be skeptical if someone told you, “Dude, I have a beagle that can sing; he is OFF THE HOOK!” and you were like, “Okay, let’s see it,” only to have the guy belittle you and call you names for asking while still insisting that they have a singing beagle?
That’s what Ruccia has done here. She swears up and down that she has a singing dog, but all I’m hearing is howling.
I’m sorry but I can’t possibly take you seriously when you don’t even know how to talk/type. There is a reason you work at McDonalds and in your own words “make jack shit”, it’s because of how you carry yourself. Sounds like you should get a “freak in life”.
You are correct. If you speak like “Jon” no one will take you seriously. You don’t need a college degree to speak proper English. If you want people to listen to your opinion and consider it then you don’t act like “Jon”. Sadly MK women act like “Jon” because of the lies they are caught telling. If you want someone to take you seriously learn to be respectful and say something of substance.
Jon,
Scrib’s response to your post is very well put. No one is whining here. Mary Kay uses deceptive practices to lure people. They tell you it is $100 to get started. Not really. That $100 does not activate you as a consultant. I wasn’t told that. No, I have to come up with $400 retail/$200 wholesale to become active and get the 50% discount that raved about. And you have to order at least that same amount every 3 months to stay active.
As I was instructed by my recruiter and SD I purchased the $25 personal website. But guess what, I don’t come up in the zip code searches. In order for that to happen I must be a star consultant. min. $1,800 a quarter.
Jon, I am not bitter. I don’t appreciate being lied to by someone so that they can benefit from dooping me. My recruiter was in DIQ so there was the dinner at chili’s to pressure me into buying inventory. They suggested a mk credit card, a bank loan, borrowing from friends/family, selling gift certificates and using the money to buy the inventory. No, a gun was not held to my head. I didn’t buy the inventory. I did separate myself from these people. But here’s a thought, when you are recruited into mk your recruiter and sd are your upline and lifeline to mk product information and so forth. the directors and sd’s are constantly informed by corp. you are supposed to go to your meetings which involve being around your recruiter and sd. In my opinion this is one of the reason for the high turnover rate. If they were just honest it would be different. But if they told the truth there wouldn’t be $40,000 signing up every month.
I’m one of those linguistic nerds so I thought “his” response was funny. It sounds to me like someone who is trying to sound “cool” or different in their writing styles but is failing miserably. For example the “freak in” phrase, I’m assuming that this person meant “freakin” and instead they typed what they thought it sounded like, it could of course be blamed on autocorrect but there are way too many other spelling mistakes. Then we get to the structure of the writing, Some of you who have known me for a while know I have a very specific writing style, all people do and it takes alot of concentration and thought to change your writing style. The structure of this paragraph, with the multiple exclamation points and question marks and the random caps makes me believe its someone who is very passionate about this topic and not just someone who has “looked into the biz”. Also the phrase “YOU DONT HAVE TO ASSOCITE WITH THEM AS ITS YOUR BUISNESS” focus on the last half of this phrase “as its your business” (sorry I had to fix the spelling LOL) this isn’t a natural phrase for someone who is into slang or young, in fact I’d venture to say the only time I’ve heard this particular phrase was during a MK recruiting event. Most people would have made this statement “You don’t have to associate with them because it’s your business” Then factor in the timing of this comment, the post was up for about an hour before this unfortunate soul decided to post. Not nearly enough time for it to make it’s rounds on FB, twitter and pinterest. Which leads me to believe that perhaps someone had a Google alert set on Cynthia’s name. hmmmm I wonder who would have done that?
Very interesting post, Moosemama. I’m also interested in the nuances of writing styles and language and on a lark, I submitted the reply “Jon” made to the GenderGenie:
http://bookblog.net/gender/analysis.php
“Inspired by an article and a test in The New York Times Magazine, the Gender Genie uses a simplified version of an algorithm developed by Moshe Koppel, Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and Shlomo Argamon, Illinois Institute of Technology, to predict the gender of an author.”
Here is the score:
Female Score: 354
Male Score: 153
Their analysis works best with wordier excerpts, but even with the smaller sample given, it leans very much towards being a feminine writer. Imagine that!
Again, Jon really exists and he’s really a man.
Sojourner – that’s a fun toy, but it’s not terribly accurate.
Anyone who has been trained to write clear English scores high on the “male” points … which I find insulting and sexist.
Here’s one of mine:
Female Score: 775
Male Score: 1270
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Who cares what she’s made?
If you were hired for McDonald’s and found out that the manager lied about the pay and the hours, resulting in you working far more hours for far less pay … wouldn’t you care?
That’s a major recruiting tactic in MLMs … they exaggerate the income, minimize the expenses, and minimize the work and recruiting it takes to make any money at all.
It’s a lie.
Hi, Cynthia! Er… I mean, “Jon.” So nice of you to stop by and scream impotent obscenities. Clearly we got under your skin and the truth hurts. have a great day, Cynth-, whoops! I did it again! Have a great day, “Jon!”
Heh. Jon is really Jon. I checked. 🙂
Can you check if Jon is single? that writing style.. makes my knees weak.. lmao
and what’s not to love about a dude who works at McDonald’s yet spends a Friday afternoon on a womens’ cosmetic blog? rawwrrr 😉
NeverWasPink you kill me!
and what’s not to love about a dude who works at McDonald’s yet spends a Friday afternoon on a womens’ cosmetic blog? rawwrrr
Hee!
Great article, Scrib, and very nicely done. Cynthia has done her share of mouthing off so you were able to quote her directly.
Classy AND eloquent… Jon, you are a gentleman and a scholar!
Yea, it is sad. As Directors we know the truth, but the denial was a huge part of living. You do not even realize that you have built this fantasy and in order to continue in it, you have to live in a future reality, where what you think about you bring about. Its the bee-lieve and achieve world where negative thoughts are your death! So, you imagine your best month is your real life, and your real conditions are where you are going, not where you are. Pollyanna’s on steroids.
Imagine the personal terror one would feel, when the veil is lifted and the real world is exposed? Kinda like now…for Ms. Ruccia.
Fess up and your world collapses. Mary Kay Inc. is facing the same thing, and they have many times before. They ride it out, and tread water until a new crop of recruits or a new country of them can keep them afloat for the next wave of financial abuse.
I wonder why it never occurs to them to just legitimize the business model?
Yes, they could avoid all of this by legitimizing the business model. Or just updating it to apply to the current times. Home parties started going out in the 90’s. It doesn’t work any more.
I am a 59 year old male, self employed entrepreneur – a technology consultant in business now for nearly 20 years. I am exceptional, I recognize that, both educationally and with respect to income.
I want to say, some of the products of these MLM companies are truly great. When I was in ROTC back in the early 70s (yeah, I told you how old I am), a woman – whom I was referred to by other older ROTCers – sold me a spray can of some kind of silicon shine, which allowed me to have the best looking shoes in the unit. Avon’s Skin So Soft is a very effective mosquito repellant, without the repelling aroma of other commercial products. (In fact, you can buy it from a shed at Tanglewood!) I even toyed with selling Cutco knives back in college, the summer before getting married. I was impressed with the quality, honestly.
The problem with all these products is that their niche is tiny or so flooded with competitors that their prices would have to plummet. Would you buy a steak knife set for $150 if it were available online or at JCP? Neither would I, or anyone else.
Realizing this reality (sic) means the manufacturers have to engage in a different marketing plan in order to make money. As it turns out, free door to door selling – particularly to relatives and close friends – accomplishes the goal of selling at a high price point while minimizing retail costs – no stores, no reimbursment of expenses, no inventory costs (to the manufacturer), etc. Not even insurance!
Amway, Avon, Cutco and (I presume; I don’t use cosmetics…) Mary Kay all make good products. They just can’t afford to maintain high price points and sell thru conventional retail.
They can sell dreams.
That’s what the “independent business consultants” or whatever buy.
It is possible to sell expensive products honestly by getting into high end stores and spending lavishly on marketing targeted at the rich. The mlms don’t even try this. Speculating about whether they could do so is about as relevant as speculating about whether Mafia bosses could run a legitimate business. Running legitimate businesses just isn’t their game. Mlm operators are crooks by inclination and choice. Dishonesty is their thing.
Pollyanna’s on steroids.
Nope … takes LSD to be tripping that far away from reality.
That was a wonderful post. It would be so refreshing if we at Pink Truth could have a respectful, civilized, fact-based debate with a Mary Kay Consultant, but it just continues to elude us. The pro-MK crowd either skirts the issue, talks in circles, resorts to vicious personal attacks as we have seen Cynthia do over and over, or uses the same old sound bites that never really get to the meat of the matter. (We’re lazy losers, nobody held a gun to your head, we’re bitter, yada yada yada…). Bottom line is that it is not a lucrative business opportunity for anyone that is not willing to cheat, lie, or manipulate others by selling them a very far-fetched dream.
Oh but I disagree with this statement:
“Bottom line is that it is not a lucrative business opportunity for anyone that is not willing to cheat, lie, or manipulate others by selling them a very far-fetched dream.”
I think it is very clear that this is not a lucrative business even for those who do cheat, lie and manipulate others.
Cynthia would give her eye teeth if she could have come back and said “well, scrib, as a matter of fact, after I got back from lunch smoking $100 bills in place of cigars, I made some copies of my income tax returns and there you can see my 6 gazillion dollar income”
But alas, she could not. And neither can any of the other financial hamster wheel contestants. That’s why she is so nasty. She can’t help it. She’s wasted 28 years of her life on a lie, and now her favorite magazine (that she saved from the chop block for cost containment) has outed her lie.
She’s lying to others about the money she is making – because she is lying to herself about the money she is not making.
“Y’all be”? “freak in”? “desperate yourself from that person”?
If you want people to seriously consider what you say, you’d better learn to say it correctly. It’s not that hard. Little schoolkids learn it every day.
Ms. Ruccia joined Mary Kay at about the same time as I made the career leap to technical writing as a contractor.
I admit to a chequered career – it was overall positive and enjoyable and reasonably lucrative, but there were also office politics, layoffs, industry declines, companies so badly run I had to quit or go crazy, clients who were so unreasonable I left their materials on their doorstep like a bastard baby …
28 years later, I’m already retired (I’m a bit older then she is) with maxxed-out Social Security checks, a modest 401K maturing a bit longer, I write for various websites under various names for, have a landscape consulting hobby/business …
… she’s too old now for any NSD “family security” plans, and probably had so little income after expenses that her potential Social Security is not going to buy catfood after she retires from Mary Kay.
No wonder she’s cranky and bitter.
Tracy you’ve done it again….great article. I have to say that the best that Ruccia has done is “skirt” the issue, something that many have done in the world of MK. Think about this too, even if she sold more than half of her product that probably was leftover on her shelves on EBAY, she still would not have been in the six figure zone. Perhaps she needs to run her numbers again :o).
This article is all Scrib. 🙂
Mea Culpa! Scrib has done an outstanding Job with this! Sorry about that LOL 🙂
Y’all be”? “freak in”? “desperate yourself from that person”?
Read and write much? When you’ve mastered the English language, then you can move up to critical thinking 101. It’ll save us from pointing out the obvious fact that you do not know what you are talking about in regards to MK.
Honestly,
Oh, Scrib. You are, to quote an oft-played cartoon in our house, Awesmazing.
Ms. Fib-A-Ruccia wrote an interesting letter to the president of Harper’s to complain about the unfairness of the treatment of Mary Kay as posted in her blog. Here is an interesting snippett:
“Even during the economic downturn a few years back when we were streamlining and simplifying like so many other American families, and although we cancelled some of our magazine subscriptions, we decided to keep Harper’s because we love the history of the magazine and because it wasn’t really slanted left or right or any other way. ”
Forgive me but I am confused. Wasn’t she writing to the president of Harper’s to tell him how successful she is in Mary Kay? And, yet, remarkably, this one comment has a ring of truth to it. Times were tough in the Fib-A-Ruccia household, and she went through her magazine subscriptions to save $16 a year here and there. Makes sense to me. She wasn’t making “bank” in Mary Kay, much to less the 6 figures throughout her career she bragged about. (Which has now been debunked by our brilliant Scrib).
Doesn’t it seem a bit disingenuous on the one hand to try to cajole the president of Harper’s with essentially “in trying to save a few pennies a day because of our economic hardship we cut our magazine subscriptions but somehow managed to scrimp and save Harper’s” and then on the other hand to boast about all the success she’s made in Mary Kay? Who does she think she is fooling!
I realize that it is as easy as playing “pin the tail on a new puppy” to get the truth out of Fib-A-Ruccia – and yet – there it is.
Ladies, lighten up on Jon.
He is up set.
When I first came to this site I was so emotional drained, confused, I could only curse. I swear. Pun intended.
My spelling was atrocious.
I am just now being able to put a centence together. 😉
He was probably raise by Mrs. ibc and he loves his mom.
He’s got a job.
More than what I got.
Micky-D wouldn’t even hire me.
Sincerely
gotheart
Curious claim: Ruccia claimed on her blog on 30 Jul 2012 that “I was on the National Court of Recuiting this year.”
Ruccia was in Ruby division for a while, then her most recent listings (Applause May 2010 issue) have her listed under Pearl division. I personally have not seen Ruccia in the Seminar photos for this year’s National Court of Recruiting, but hey, I’m just one gal with four eyes. Has anyone else managed to catch sight of her in the Jowdy lineups?
Hey all,
I was alerted by one of my PT buddies to the recent one-two-three punches from Harper’s, Forbes and NPR. I am thrilled that such prominent platforms are revealing the truth about MK. I hope that many people are saved from making an emotional decision to join. Thank you all at PT for tirelessly warning people to look at the figures objectively.
Duped
—became IBC in 2007, started living a lie
—found PT in 2008, and saw my situation for what it was
—returned inventory, got the hell out 3 weeks before Ist year was up, increasing the amount I was able to return
—the good folks of PT patiently helped guide me through all of the stages of grief, particularly anger
—got a consolidation loan at my bank
—five years later, my balance is $3,287.56~slowly but surely getting there
So, yeah, these women who prey on others in order to recruit, lying about their incomes, are steeped in sin. If anyone tries to tell me that those lies do not hurt people, I am here to tell all that oh yes they do. I was recruited by my best friend, was told these same lies, made an emotional decision to join based on lies.
Thank you PT, for saving me and so many others.
It is so good to see you again Duped! 😀
“So, yeah, these women who prey on others in order to recruit, lying about their incomes, are steeped in sin. If anyone tries to tell me that those lies do not hurt people, I am here to tell all that oh yes they do. I was recruited by my best friend, was told these same lies, made an emotional decision to join based on lies.
Thank you PT, for saving me and so many others.”
I have a friend who just completed DIQ and walked across the stage in Dallas this week. For those who say that MK is harmless are in deep denial.
I have seen her change in the last six months from a person who encouraged others and conversed about anything to someone I do not know. She can only talk about MK and does not allow others to talk about anything else. I’ve even heard her use the kaybot phrases “fake it until I make it”, I am not selling. I am ” enriching the lives of women”, and the list goes on.
I finally saw the light when she and her director hoodwinked me. My “friend” asked me to help her with a practice interview. I said yes because I wanted to help her. Little did I know that her director was interviewing me. They were recruiting me! It all seemed so dishonest.
Thanks PT for all you do.
Want to know how to report a “six figure” income in Mary Kay? Include the 2 “figures” after the decimal point 🙂
LOL. Same thought I had.
hoodwinked, you really do have to view Mary Kay like she was drawn into a cult. It operates exactly the same way. We honestly had no idea we were being brainwashed…but it became the only input we had. Over time and particularly going the DIQ route, the programming is incessant.
The little white lies (“practice interview”) are for your own good- don’t you know? Why if you KNEW that this was going to be a legitimate attempt to close you as a recruit, you wouldn’t even listen! And as we were told to say, ” I would never twist a woman’s arm to join, but I sure would twist it to get her to listen.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean? But we parrot the lines and move up the career path and lose our own souls.
If she just walked across Stage in Dallas, she is right now in bigger debt than she has probably ever been in her life. ASK her. Confront her. That might be the only way to crack the pink bubble, because it HAS to be a huge source of fear for her right at this moment. Every Director I know, had to use personal resources to complete DIQ requirements. We just didn’t think that the game would continue throughout Directorship…but, it only escalates. There is ALWAYS another goal.
Challenge the debt she is in. You will run the risk of being purged from her life! But maybe…you’ll reach her.
Tracy (PInk truth) Just a little something many or may I say most of the directors, consultants, Nationals LIE ABOUT THEIR earnings, they lie to the people so they can hook them up to MK PINK LIE, you did good KEEP IT PINK TRUTH, I will post my experience soon enough, one thing is for sure MARY KAY IS EVIL, THEY LIE, AND MOST OF IT THEY ARE NOT DOING THE WILL OF GOD.
Hi lady’s I am a gay dude that got sucked into the whole MK biz situation. I was in college working on my associates degree in occupational therapy, and working part time at Arby’s. I had approximately $650-$800 monthly income and I did make extra money with MK, albeit at the strain of some of my relationships. I still use the products because I love them. Basically I’m now just personal use with the occasional sale when people find out I am a consultant. I never bought “inventory” despite my SD’s encouragement that it would increase my sales. Frankly I had terrible credit and didn’t want the debt. I am not the kind of person that is easily manipulated and I definitely felt like they were attempting to pressure me into all of this. My best friend signed up under me and she is in the same place with MK that I am. We are now both Occupational Therapy Assistants and we make around $60,000 a year. I’m not hurting but I love the idea of a MK business that would offer me freedom from the beaurocracy of the healthcare system, I have discovered however that this dream is just too difficult to achieve. And many people that you tell you are a consultant immediately react defensively because they have been deceived and or pressured by them in the past. It’s really sad. I think that MK could have vast potential if they could somehow change the mentality of lying even if it’s just by omission which is still lying. My SD’s were fairly forthcoming with everything but just happened to leave out that nifty jazz about the qualifying first order and how much work it really is to make this happen. Idk it makes me sad that so many have such bad experiences with MK because I really do love the products people always think I’m 21-22 and I’ve been using MK since I was 22 lol it’s only been 4 yrs but I like to take my victories when I can 😉 the products rock but the people suck they should really work on that…
Jordan “I love the idea of a MK business that would offer me freedom from the bureaucracy of the healthcare system
The main problem standing in the way of turning your “idea of a business” into a reality with an income that could match your job is that the incessant recruiting, which is the only way they can get the cars and prizes, has created too many sellers for the number of potential buyers. They have strip mined, clear-cut and overgrazed their ecosystem.
Assuming 105 million females aged 15-64 in the USA, and about 600,000 active consultants in the USA (the last data I have). That is one currently active consultant for every 175 women of cosmetics-buying age. That’s the true size of your share of the market if it were divided up evenly.
Their 2.5 Billion in sales sounds huge – a big fat pie of money – until you divide it by the number of people trying to get a slice. With 2 million salespeople around the world, that’s only a $1,250 slice, if everything sold at full retail. For every person who makes more, someone will make less.
You are making $60,000 a year, which is far better than all but the top 500 or so directors in the USA. Look at the list in your Applause magazine … that shows the top 100 in each USA division. The other $13,500 or so are making less (often much less if they are making production every other month).
That’s before expenses, chargebacks, and car co-pays. They have no health coverage, no paid vacation, and no retirement benefits unless they manage to make enough money to put something in an IRA.
Assuming the ideal 60:40 split – 50% to replace product, 10% expenses, 40% pre-tax income …. you would need to sell $150,000 a year to replace your current income.
It doesn’t have vast potential. Door to door sales are a thing of the past. Mary Kay Inc couldn’t operate the business honestly and make a profit at the corporate level. A good product needs to be sold be professionals through major distribution channels where it can reach the whole potential market of consumers, not by amateurs in an ad hoc fashion.
The whole mlm industry is a scam and can never be anything else. It should be closed down.
The thing that gets me is that for all the secrecy Mary Kay Inc does publish enough information to prove beyond doubt that hardly any of its sales consultants and sales directors make a good income. The fact that the implications of the published information are ignored by so many just goes to show how financially illiterate vast numbers of people are. The information which proves that Mary Kay doesn’t work for consultants and directors is used as propaganda to prove that it does work, and so many people can’t see it for what it is.
I agreed with you 100% MK IS A TOTAL SCAM I WISH I CAN TELL THIS TO MY FRIENDS.