Skincare Class Truth
This story was shared by one of Pink Truth’s members. It is an excellent story for anyone thinking of getting involved with Mary Kay Cosmetics. This story is not the exception. It is the rule!
I must share my story with Pink Truth, because it will help some women out there lurking on this site… trying to make a decision whether they should stay in the pink fog or whether they should get out and never look back.
A few weeks ago I did my last skincare party. I did it because this person was a bride that I met at a bridal show. I tried to cancel and I advised her that I was no longer doing Mary Kay. Well long story short she had invited people from out of town for this “pampering session” so I felt really bad and off I went to pamper her and her guest.
It was so not what she expected. She actually thought that I was going to actually facial her like some sort of spa session. Little did she know she would be washing her own face and applying her own makeup with Mary Kay products! I felt SO bad.
I took my daughter with me because she normally tags along to assist me with large groups. I did the normal presentation… you know the one with the flip chart, gave everyone the dash out the door look and did my table close.
One of the ladies said to me that she’s been thinking about doing Mary Kay and I read her the facts as to why people do Mary Kay. I also told her a lie as I’ve been trained to fake it until I made it… I told her that I typically sell anywhere from $200 – $400 per party. OMG… if looks could kill! My daughter gave me a look that was out of this world! Needless to say, I left the party without selling a penny’s worth of MK as always!
Here’s the kicker….my daughter (a high school student) says… “Mom, the only way someone can be successful in this business is to LIE and TRICK others. “ She also said, “You also have to be a good actress
and become animated to believe and project the LIES you JUST told!”
I wanted to crawl under a rock because my 16 year-old daughter had put me to shame! Then she said,” I went with you to your last party and you didn’t sell anything there either. I’ve only seen you give away this Mary Kay stuff but never sell anything!” RIGHT AGAIN!
Not to mention we had a 30 minute drive each way. I actually lost money as I wasted gas along with time and energy!
I felt so low because I began to think about all the lies that I’ve told to make a small sell or to gain a new recruit. It’s morally wrong and I refuse to fake it until I make it anymore! I have told everyone about Pink Truth including the woman who showed interested at the party. I forwarded her the link and shared with her why I could no longer do Mary Kay, and even more importantly why I could not be responsible for getting her involved with a business that could financially destroy her life!
Visit the
Yes about the 200-400 sales average…that didn’t happen to me either. But that’s what I was taught to say. And when it didn’t happen, I sold $0 of products and gave away free products to the hostess. My director said that there are $0 classes once in awhile but that the next class would be good-that I’d sell a lot…that I’d have to have a $0 class every once in awhile. I often got $0 classes because women didn’t want to buy.
Thank you for sharing what your daughter said. Yes, lots of lies that I got involved with. I got duped and parroted the words I learned. Isn’t it wonderful that mk didn’t brainwash your daughter? Along my path getting out I had those clear moments when I thought I needed to get out also. I’m glad you got out and were able to warn that woman who wanted to join.
I’ve sold lots over the years and had over 200 customers are some point but the sales could be zero at some parties. I’d be told that the next one could be great. That there are zero classes sometimes but that was unusual. And that if I booked a class or recruited that would be great also. Basically forget the zero class, the next one could rock. I’ve had outliers of classes that did really well but after all the time and expenses that were spent I wouldn’t have much of a profit. Years of losses in mk. Years over all.
So true! I did ok (if minimum wage is ok). But I often drove to Detroit from the suburbs or from my place to other suburbs spending time and gas – let alone rush hour traffic. I know I could sell because I eventually became an artist for Dior, and later Chanel. I easily sold $100 per hour and sometimes more. It wasn’t my ability that was lacking but the quality of the product and reputation of MK.
Didn’t you feel guilty knowing your MK customer could just sign up and buy for 50% off, especially if they were big spenders; or the fact they could buy from eBay for much cheaper? I know I would.
Of course, working for Dior and Chanel is a different matter. I expect to pay retail as the company has sales clerks, advertising, and retail space to rent, etc.. Also, signing up directly with those companies and buying at wholesale just isn’t an option. Obviously, their products are viable in the open retail market unlike MLM product companies that need to dangle the “opportunity” to get the majority of their orders.
Side note: Chanel just discontinued my favorite foundation “ ULTRA LE TEINT VELVET”. So bummed.
My favorite foundation is concrete. With lots of steel rebar.
What, there’s a different kind of foundation? Who knew?
(Just kidding, Char. I know the sting of a favorite product getting discontinued. I’m still bummed about Motorola discontinuing the MC33181/2/4 series of operational amplifiers. And I’m not kidding about that.)
If you are having a bad sales week, you can always order product more to entice your customers. And on and on……it will make you fell better. SMH.
Any sale made in Mary Kay is usually driven by pity this way. First, the consultant’s “customers” are friends and family who buy to help her out. The guests come out of friendship/pity to the hostess. They usually know what they are in for. Listen to the spiel and try not to roll their eyes. Buy something out of pity or obligation. Lather, rinse, repeat until the consultant runs out of people willing to do her favors. She blames herself and quits, thinking she, alone, had this experience. Unless, the light bulb flicks on and she realizes that this is not about sales, but recruiting. Then, she jumps on hamster wheel #2.
“Unless, the light bulb flicks on and she realizes that this is not about sales, but recruiting. Then, she jumps on hamster wheel #2.”
Yep. And for some reason these recruits think hamster wheel #2 won’t have the exact same limitations as hamster wheel #1. They actually think selling the opportunity will be easier than selling the product, when both come with the same strong fishy smell.
Selling retail out of your home can never be profitable when there are literally millions of other folks trying to sell the exact same product at the same price. Selling the (much more expensive) opportunity is even harder. Warm selling ends when pity purchases by F+F dry up. Now it’s on to cold selling, which is very, very difficult…especially when what you are peddling comes with an odor than can be detected from such a great distance.
“First, the consultant’s “customers” are friends and family who buy to help her out.”—
Yep, which makes selling at full price to them all the more slimy.
Wanna rip-off friends and family (and yourself), join an MLM company.
I’m extremely antisocial and the idea of a “skincare class” or “makeup party” sounds horrible to me! The last thing I’d ever want to do is invite a total stranger into my home, or go to a stranger’s house! Come on, who the heck is willing to let someone they don’t know into their house?! I wouldn’t do this for a legit Dior or Chanel salesperson either, but most definitely not for some broke stay-at-home-mom with zero skincare knowledge or makeup skill. Most of these people have no qualification to “teach” anyone about skincare or makeup.
If I’m forced to personally meet and/or interact with a person (especially some MLM loser) to buy a certain product, I’ll go find a different product! There is no need for this unnecessary hassle.
I remember reading about someone holding a skin-care class in a rough neighborhood and getting their car stolen.
I have noticed on Kristin Sharpe’s social media that she is conducting skin care parties in her mommy’s home. Isn’t this unusual for an NSD?
Yes cause usually the NSD house is only available to consultants who’ve won a visit as a prize!
But also it’s cheaper than renting a studio
I was kind of hoping since the Cove thing that skin care classes would become a thing of the past! I often wonder how much Covid truly affected MARY KAY. Does anybody have any idea if it affected that part of the Mary Kay scam?
When someone is showing up for something “free” LOL think about it. get what they pay for? Kind of thing. It’s like accepting a groupon(er) to go back into the store and spend full price.
$ 200 – 400 per skincare class/party (whatever) isn’t even that great either. Suppose you held three of these events a week and did it 50 weeks a year (extremely doubtful) and actually sold $ 400 at each event. That’s $ 60,000 gross per year. Assuming you charged the full markup to everyone and didn’t give away anything (also doubtful), that’s gross profit of
$ 30,000. Take out your overhead costs and you are better off spending all those hours working at a fast-food restaurant, more or less, and your shifts are booked for you.
Well, I don’t know what my sales would have been. I never could get anyone to BOOK an appointment much less KEEP THE APPOINTMENT. Nobody wants the mess.