Mary Kay Recruiting Numbers Falling
In 2006, Mary Kay Cosmetics told the FTC in a letter in opposition to the proposed Business Opportunity Rule that it brought in 40,000 new recruits per month in the United States:
In the first six months of 2011, Mary Kay reported to ABC’s nightline that it brought in 200,000 new recruits, or 33,333 per month:
This may include recruits all over the world, which would mean that the U.S. recruiting figures are a smaller number.
And in the most recent quarter of 2012, Mary Kay reported 94,000 recruits, or 31,333 recruits per month:
Again, Mary Kay does not specify a region, suggesting this is a worldwide figure, and that figures in U. S. are therefore lower.
Mary Kay reported in their 2012 press kit that there are wholesale sales of $3 billion (this represents sales to consultants, at wholesale pricing) via 2.4 million consultants worldwide. This means that on average, a consultant purchases $1,250 of products at wholesale pricing from Mary Kay.
The 2011 Mary Kay press kit reported wholesale sales of $2.5 billion and 2 million consultants worldwide. This again averages to $1,250 of products purchased by consultants at wholesale pricing.
If we go back to 2006, we see Mary Kay reported 1.6 million consultants and $2.2 billion of wholesale sales, or $1,375 per consultant. This means purchases by consultants are falling, on average, so Mary Kay needs to recruit more consultants than in the past to keep up their sales figures.
Recruiting is obviously down in the United States, although Mary Kay won’t come right out and tell us that. If Mary Kay is like other multi-level marketing companies, it is safe to say that they are relying on large overseas markets in countries like India and China to fuel their growth.
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And then there’s that pesky little additional figure that can be considered, regarding new recruits. Those magical “T” consultants that get “re-upped” with whole new consultant numbers. What percentage might they be, I wonder?
Incidentally, you can see why they would rather have consultants than customers.
I just found your site today, after meeting with a DIQ yesterday and her Director who were recruiting me. They were very nice, but something about the premise felt wrong. It sounded too good to be true to me because it sounded too easy. My husband and I were skeptical. I prayed to God for guidance and, low and behold, NPR had a program today about MLMs and Mary Kay that scared the big girl pants right off my soon to be pink bottom! I started researching MLMs and stumbled onto your site. All Glory to God is right! This stuff is scary and thank goodness I found out before getting in even one inch deep into this mess of a company. One question: I am reading the word “looser” thrown around a lot in regards to women who have quit MK, and am wondering if that is actually what MK actives really call people who choose not to continue their relationship with the company?
Thanks for all the great info!!!
The indoctrination of the Mary Kay consultants teaches them that the only way to lose is to quit. Never give up! Keep spending money!
Never mind that knowing when to quit is the mark of a smart person – after all, the Donner party did NOT quit and look what happened to them.
So yes, “lazy loosers” (deliberately spelled that way, because it’s correct spelling is LOSER not lOOser) is a common epithet.
http://www.pinktruth.com/2007/08/mary-kay-nsd-mattie-doziers-comments-about-pink-truth/ is a great look at how Pink Truth is viewed by NSDs.
Laura,
Be prepared to be told you are ‘negative’, for merely questioning the business plan and digging around the internet in an attempt to be an informed consumer. Also, if your recruiter is a friend she will drop you like a bad habit. Knowledge and critical thinking skills are the equivalent of felony behavior in MK.
Thanks for the insight. I declined the “opportunity” to become a “kaybot”promptly upon receiving a follow-up email after my “interview” telling me what a fabulous person I was and how perfect I would be in MK. Honestly, these people don’t know the first thing about me- my work ethic, character, sales experience, credit history-any other responsible company wants this information before allowing people to represent their name on the street. Every objection I threw out there as to why this just wasn’t a good thing for me was met with an arguement using those same objections to spin why it actually WAS a GREAT thing for me. Then the kicker was they told me how many great friends I would make. Seriously?! I have friends-lots of them. Real ones-ones who don’t use acceptance to manipulate me or others. And when I said “no” so many times that they actually began to take me half-way seriously they informed me that if I was still wondering about what could have been after some time had passed, to call them because that just means I am meant to be in MK. These girls are brainwashed! Obviously! If they feel entightled to high-handedly inform the rest of us what is truth and like we aren’t capable of judging for ourselves then they are clearly being given a corporately endorsed message that they are enlightened individuals who are special and above the common fray. I’m surprised many of you aren’t more provoked- I am offended in the extreme after doing my due diligence and discovering the primrose path to hell those two she-devils had the nerve to tell me I belonged on.
You said it girl!! That is textbook marykay!! I am so glad that you found us and did your research. Even if you are the last person saved by Pink Truth that learns from our experiences and MK debt it is worth it! Lol,…I was offended and very angry for awhile. Now I just want to help other people avoid the pitfalls of MK that I fell into.