Written by The Scribbler

When your sales director or NSD “believe” (or in Mary Kay-speak, “bee-lieve”) in you, it is easier to get you to order products you don’t need. The “business” of MK is based heavily on emotional manipulation. If you believe in yourself, you’re going to order products to “finish” a goal, even if you don’t need the products and you know in your heart you can’t sell them.

A few sample quotes from the pyramid toppers:

• Believe in your ability to create what you want and know that you deserve to have it…abundance is God’s plan for us.
• Sooner or later, I always get everything I really want.
• I deserve the best life has to offer and I claim my share now.

The Mary Kay upline teaching of “You deserve it!” is more widespread than the latest fad diet. It’s a justifier, as in “I frontloaded 10 women with Emerald star orders this month, therefore I deserve to go buy myself a new soul from Target.”

We know that Mary Kay claims to be about enriching women’s lives, but let’s face it; obtaining wealth makes up about 98% of that enrichment. If an consultant has a down day in MK, she’s not advised to go take a walk with her children or soak up the sun on the back porch. She’s advised to “Think about the suit, the big paychecks, the Cadillac, and the diamonds.”

It’s all about the stuff. Why is that? Why put such a heavy emphasis on what one supposedly deserves to have?

Sociologists will tell you that people often spend money to buy things that increase their self-esteem and project the right image. They think they’ll be accepted and loved because of it. Is it possible that a major way of gaining self-esteem in Mary Kay means looking (and spending) like an NSD, otherwise known as “Faking it until you make it?”

Here’s a wild thought: Do you think large inventory purchases might fall into that category? Do consultants ever make inventory purchases so they’ll be “accepted and loved?” Mind you, if you need to order because you sold enough foundation this week, good for you! But if you’re ordering product because your director says that you’re “only” $600 away from earning yourself a quick jaunt across a stage, it’d do you a world of good to rethink your motivations. We’re not supposed to go into debt buying things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.

There’s nothing wrong with having dreams of a larger home or a better car, but when the “I deserve it!” mentality muscles itself into your life and props its feet up on the backs of your husband and children, it’s time to do some “negative” (i.e. ponder a view that does not glorify MK) thinking.

NSD advice like “Surround yourself with your goals – be obsessed with it!” isn’t so much for you as it is for them. If you’re obsessed with getting into a red jacket, driving a pink car, and living in a house with massive square footage, that pretty much guarantees fat commission checks for the folks at the top of the pink pyramid.

If you’re not obsessed with MK goals, however (i.e. staying content as Personal Use or only ordering what you need when you need it) your NSD probably won’t pay any attention to you. Are you okay with that? You should be.

A phrase commonly heard in MK is that “Women love choices!” You’re no exception. You have the choice to call out your upline’s materialistic motivations, turn your back on them, and encourage your peers to do likewise. You have the choice to refuse to tie your self-worth to a suit, a car, or a low-grade gemstone. And you have the choice to make business decisions that are for you alone.

For some, that could mean returning unsold product and boldly choosing a fresh path that doesn’t involve Mary Kay. For others, it could mean striving to focus on honest sales and good customer service. And for some women, it could mean something as simple as allowing oneself to question an aspect of MK and subsequently ask a fellow consultant if she ever felt likewise.

Make a wise choice today, girlfriend. You deserve it.