How Many Cons Can You Run Trying to Recruit Someone Into Mary Kay
I got this email and was amused at the variety of creepy/dishonest tactics this Mary Kay recruiter used to try to lure someone into Mary Kay.
I sincerely want to thank Pink Truth from the bottom of my heart for the information posted on this website! I am a Pink Truth success story. My eyes were opened before any monetary or emotional damage was inflicted on me and my family. Based on the heart wrenching stories I read, I am convinced that you have saved me a ton of embarrassment and financial ruin!! I cannot thank you enough!
So here’s my story. I apologize in advance if it is long winded, I am just so “excited with this opportunity to share my success story”…ha, ha pun intended 🙂
About 3 weeks ago, I put my business card into a fish bowl at my nail salon to win a “spa package”. I never win anything so I was pleasantly surprised when I received a voicemail notifying me that I was the lucky winner of the month.
A week later I went to claim my prize at a residential address instead of the nail salon. Hmm, that’s strange I thought (small red flag…). Being that I was pulled in under the guise that this was a prize sponsored by the nail salon, I was a little disappointed to find out that I’d been suckered into a sales pitch for cosmetic products.
I sat through the whole two hour product presentation. I have to say that having lotions applied to half of my face and serums rubbed into the back of my hand is not exactly what I consider a “spa package”. However, I do love make-up and skin care products and I quickly purchased $167 worth of goodies. During this MK indoctrination, I got all of the scripted, ego-stroking compliments.
My new SD “friend” thought that I had such great people skills, natural sales ability, and she was so impressed that I already ran my own business. I explained to her that I am already a self-employed business consultant. I quickly shot down her attempts to entice me into selling MK. I explained to her that I already have a flexible schedule, working from home, making over $100K/yr.
I already have MY dream job. I told her that I’d have to peddle a whole lot of make-up to compensate for my current hourly rate of $150/hr. She didn’t seem fazed by this and continued to try to convince me that Mary Kay could offer me flexibility, happiness, and unlimited money potential. (Yeah, like my REAL job now.)
Well my sneaky little Exec. Senior Sales Director “accidentally” gave me an extra item that I had to return to her. Oh and she put two DVD’s in my bag that she needed back. Umm, okay…red flag!! That’s the trick that creepy guys try when they want a guaranteed 2nd date…ever see that Seinfield episode where George hides a hat in his dates apartment so that he has a reason to go back?
Sorry I digress. So she arranged for me to return the items on a Monday night, when she was having a little get together. She was so overly excited and bubbly about me coming on Monday night that she made me forget that I have a standing Monday night appointment for my son. Geez, she’s good I thought.
Since that didn’t work, she asked me to meet her at Starbucks yesterday. I brought her “accidental” product and DVD’s ready to return them and wash my hands of her. I knew that she was going to badger me into joining her team “so we all can have fun together”. I was armed with my reasons why it just isn’t right for me and my family.
Well I was just no match for her awesomely pink and bubbly selling tactics. She had the answer to everything. She brought her picture book with all of the women in their beauty pageant gowns at MK conferences. She brought the gaudy rings and cheap trinkets to entice me. I actually thought to myself, ‘you know this would be a good opportunity to have a small business on the side when my cyclical business slows down’.
I started thinking about all of the women I know from my sons school, the PTA, my current business clients, my family, and friends. I thought I co uld easily invest 5 hours a week and pull in extra cash. I finally broke down and said that I’d give it a try. I told her that I’d like to take any earnings and put it towards our current credit card debts. She was THRILLED! She couldn’t wait to help me realize my dreams with the MK opportunity. I left her feeling like I was high on pink.
My new SD “friend” wanted me to hurry and sign the agreement right then. But I told her that I needed some time to look over the documentation. I never jump into a contractual agreement without reading the terms and conditions. Before I got a chance to look into the terms and conditions she was calling me. I called her back today to let her know that I might not make the August promotion because I’m going to be really busy the next two weeks with my anniversary and sons birthday (family second right?).
She pushed and pushed for me to hurry and take advantage of a promotion, “tonight!” she said. She proceeded to tell me that I should consider purchasing my qualifying order out-of-pocket for inventory so that I could win her tacky little pink ring. I told her that it was probably a good idea but that I didn’t have the money right now.
She told me that it wasn’t a problem, that she would help me get a Mary Kay line of credit. RED FLAG!!! I told her the reason I was even considering this “opportunity” was to REDUCE my debt not incur more. What the heck?! (She’s a total Kaybot). I was still high on pink but my instincts were burning in the pit of my stomach.
I opened the email containing the link to register as a consultant online. I noticed the Terms and Conditions at the top of the page. I printed them out and read them. I thought the legal-ese and weasel clauses were interesting. I chickened out. A few hours later, I opened the link again and promptly chickened out again. Something just didn’t FEEL right.
I decided to check the Internet to see if I could find any negative press on Mary Kay. Just to reassure me that it would be okay and that the burning in the pit of my stomach was “just excitement about something new” as my new SD “friend” had told me.
Then I found Pink Truth…WOW! I was so shell shocked and nauseated to read the truth about this organization!! I am actually embarrassed that I came so very close to getting suckered. I think that the MK organization is a sick, disgusting, and manipulative farce. I can’t believe that the SD and NSD can be so soulless, selfish, devious and misguided. To be honest, I was immediately enraged at my new SD “friend” when I discovered her true motive.
She was going to use me for the qualifying order ($=food out of my sons mouth) and my potential recruits and then toss me and my MK credit debt to the curb. I am hurt and offended that someone could look me in my face, in my eyes, all the while knowing that she would hurt me, my husband and my son.
After some thought, I just feel sorry for her pathetic, phony pink little life. She is so out of touch with REAL people. M y mom always said “be careful whose toes you step on today because you never know if they’ll be attached to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow”. I’m assuming she’s stepped on a lot of toes in her “journey to the top”. Tsk, tsk…
Anyhow to wrap it up, I am going to drop a few “potential recruit” business cards in the fish bowl at the nail salon next week…the ones I’m downloading from Pink Truth. You never know Tracy YOU might win a free “spa package” 🙂
Visit the
Welcome to Pink Truth and thanks for a great article! Several years ago someone did put my name in the fish bowl as a prank. When I tried to explain that to the MK woman who called, she snapped, “Well, it doesn’t look like a child’s handwriting, so I assume it’s yours.” Yeah, now I REALLY want to claim that price I won – lol.
*prize*
Pink Truth for the WIN!
My mom got suckered into going to a MK party a few weeks ago so I gave her the link to PT and she loved reading everything here. At the party, the woman handed out survey cards (ie How interested are you in the opportunity on a scale to 1-5 – those types of questions). My mom crossed out the “1” on the piece of paper and wrote in “0” instead for each question. GO MOM!
I would have ignored her calls after that or just said there was no “extra stuff”
A friend of my sister’s recently “won” a similar drawing. The consultant told her it was a grand prize of a spa facial for six, never a single mention of MK. The friend and four or five others (my sister included) arrived at the address – a residence, it turned out – and were treated to a Mary Kay party. At the makeup part the consultant ran out of mascara wands but only after my sister had done her first eye, so she had to leave w/only one set of eyelashes done lol. The consultant tried to SELL HER a tube of mascara so that she could do her 2nd eye. AYFKM?! I’ve seen ineptitude and desperation but holy crap that was low.
That’s horrible! Goes to show how desperate they are to make a profit. I’ve had lots of experience with people not disclosing they’re with MK. If you’re that prestigious and “top” selling of a brand, why can’t you be proud of who you’re with and say it up front?
That would be because it’s an embarrassment to be with MK. No one likes it, no one wants it, and no one wants to sit at a kitchen table and play in makeup.
Saying you’ve sold so many of those new vitamin C squares is the same. Imagine if MK detailed how many were ACTUALLY sold to consumers?