When a Woman Joins a Group Just to Sell Mary Kay
Written by MommyMindi
At a loss for what to tell the woman who joined your Mom’s group, church, or organization just to sell Mary Kay?
Dear New Independent Beauty Consultant:
Thank you for your interest in joining our club…. but we don’t want you here.
I know that you are excited about your new business. I know that your Director has told you that joining a playgroup or group for stay-at-home-moms is a sure-fire way to get new customers. Your Director is wrong.
You see, we have enough problems with our existing members who join MLM/Party Plan companies. Next thing you know, our monthly Moms Night Out isn’t dinner & drinks at a local restaurant but an invitation to a “pampering session” or to see the latest innovations in plastic food storage. We don’t like telling our friends that they can’t use our club roster as their very own Preferred Customer list……. we don’t need some stranger trolling our roster like a shark smelling fresh blood.
Don’t get me wrong….. if you are a consultant who just wants to join us to get their children involved in a playgroup and meet other moms, we will welcome you with open arms.
Just do us a favor: leave your Mary Kay pins at home. Don’t pull out your Satin Hands handcream at a playgroup and while massaging it in proclaim “Oh – I just LOVE this cream!”. Don’t “accidentally” leave a Look Book on our kitchen table. Don’t use your Go Bag with a copy of the Look Book in it as a diaper bag. Don’t look at us, squint and say “you know, I hate to say anything, but I know something that will minimize your pores. I can bring it to playgroup next week if you want to try it!”.
You are not being subtle when you do this. We are onto you and your tactics. We aren’t going to point out that your pin is upside down. As a matter of fact, we start to avoid you because we are just waiting for you to ask us to host a party or be a “face model”. As SAHMs we are constantly assaulted by you and your other Party Plan comrades. We have quite enough face cream, oak baskets, food containers that burp, scrapbooks, pizza stones and overpriced toys, thankyouverymuch.
Oh – and don’t try to tell me how much money you are making as a way to recruit me. You never come to any events that cost money and your ATM card was rejected at the McDonalds outing 2 weeks ago. Yes – I was happy to lend you the $10…..b ut it does sort of contradict your claims of making “gobs of money”, doesn’t it?
If you just want to target SAHMs – head to the local Target store and stay out of our club. At least if I run in to you at Target I can make a quick getaway when my baby starts crying (even though he is crying because I pinched him) and then report you to Store Security for soliciting on private property.
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A bit harsh… but I get it. I used to carry my catalogs in my purse. If someone told me they liked my lipstick, I told them it was MK and that I sold it. If they said, do you have a catalog, then and only then, would I give it to them.
I hate it when people approach me just to sell something. Get to know me first and let me know what you do. If I want something, I know where to look for it. (same with the facebook groups, if you Add me without asking, I am leaving and not buying from you ever).
I didn’t use my playgroup to solicit but a lot of my customers came from there (probably because I didn’t push the sale and recruiting). I just told them what I did (I sell MK) and left it at that. No pressure, no parties, no nothing, if they wanted it, they knew where to get it.
That’s how I figured I would sell MK also. Until I realized there was no way I’d make any money. My sales director tried to get me to use really corny/annoying sales tactics, and I had to tell her that that wasn’t me. So I get where this article is coming from, because they can be downright obnoxious. I’ve heard from family members that they just stopped responding to my sales director because she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Not harsh at all! Complete and total truth. My biggest complaint is this:
Being a stay at home mom is HARD. Especially if you’re a new mom. Your body is certainly not the body it was 9 months ago. You don’t feel pretty, you don’t feel rested, you feel like crap. A tiny human is clinging to you constantly. You don’t get to talk to other adults. Your new purpose in life is to change diapers, feed a baby, and do mountains of spit-up laundry. You’re constantly wondering if you’re “doing it right” and comparing yourself (either consciously or subconsciously). It truly can be an identity crisis.
When that new mom gets the courage to venture out in uncharted territory to make new mommy friends, she’s vulnerable. She’s putting herself, her new body, her new hormonal emotions, her parenting choices out on display. Imagine the damage that comes when another mom “courts” her to be her friend and then realizes she’s only a sales opportunity. That’s tough. That hurts. I’ve been there. And quite frankly, it shouldn’t be happening. If you’re only looking for a group of women to prey upon, leave new moms out of it.
Where have I see this?
Omg. Look what I just read http://thepinkcadillacacademy.com/blog/2015/02/07/qualitymarykayteamandunit/
Oh my dear, I took a peak at the website, I will just drop the link here, I would love for Raisinberry, Tracey or whoever to respond to this. Please.
http://thepinkcadillacacademy.com/blog/2015/02/03/marykayconsultantsanddirectorsemails/
So her “I only want serious people” strategy costs you $1.50 a day, but returns $10,000 a month in sales? What part of “too good to be true” are we missing here? Honestly, if the risk/reward ratio is that good, why is she shilling it on a cheezy website?
The she promises she can help you replace your big barn full of 500 low quality recruits with a small stable of 100 high-quality, high-producing recruits. Right. Who has 500 recruits anyway? Besides, if you’ve already recruited anyone who can fog a mirror, don’t you think you’ll have some gems in that heap of manure?
Chalk this one up to another lying, overpromising, witch who’ll be happy to blame you for “not working your business hard enough” when you lose. Again.
There really is absolutely no where to sell MK products and most are tired of these mlm’s ruining the lives of women. Enough already with companies targeting women and especially stay at home mom’s. MK, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Amway, Stella and Dot, Cutco, Avon, Arbonne, etc
Yikes, that link is full of terrible grammar and spelling. @_@
They can’t go into Target anymore. Christine Peterson’s area ruined that as a place to get names. Her area would follow women through the store and not leave them alone.
Is anybody else out there that’s as happy as I am to to have to carry business cards everywhere and watch women from a distance to see if they were “sugar sharp”? To think how many waitresses got my cards! How icky!!
Looks like another NSD has been dodging taxes. Christine Peterson. Did she ever run an ethical business?
http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2016/may/self-employment-tax-for-consultants-201614534.html
Isn’t Christine’s daughter, Shannon Andrews, also a NSD?
Yes, Shannon is her daughter.
ROFL … I check any people who want to join the local Fale and Trade group. If I see signs of MLM, I ignore the request.
UGH! My Director and recruiter constantly wanted me to follow people around in Safeway, Target, Rite Aid etc… to recruit and make a sale. When I mentioned that that tactic is called “soliciting” and gets you arrested, they were all, “No, just make more friends and then you can sell them things….” Sheesh. I told them I couldn’t afford to get arrested/fined/banned from store for soliciting.
Everytime I’m in Target, I think of how embarrassing I made myself by looking for the courage to give a stranger my business card. So glad those days are. Over, and I can now be a regular, happy customer of Target’s!
“Just make more friends”?? By chasing shoppers around the Target? Oh yeah, that’ll work.
“You never come to any events that cost money and your ATM card was rejected at the McDonalds outing 2 weeks ago. Yes – I was happy to lend you the $10…..
but it does sort of contradict your claims of making “gobs of money”, doesn’t it?
Let me guess. She never paid you back. Or she paid you in product.
“it does sort of contradict your claims of making ‘gobs of money’ ”
I saw a video where the NSD told SDs they could “save money on prizes” by awarding coaching-calls instead.
So, the SDs, the supposed cream-of-the-crop, top 2% (or top 1 %, depending on which NSD is speaking) aren’t making enough money to buy prizes for their folks. Maybe that’s why some NSDs also give private Voxer coaching messages as awards.
That’s EXACTLY why they’re doing that. We were constantly taught to reward workers with our time more than a gift. But, with Seminar attendance at an all-time low, it’s not surprising to see more and more of that.