Mary Kay Ash on Recruiting
Cleta Colson-Eyre, a never-nsd in Mary Kay once posted this fabulous letter from Mary Kay Ash to her. This letter was written back in 1990, which means Cleta has been a sales director for more than 32 years, and still no closer to being a national sales director. That’s sad, but beside the point here.
Cleata’s unit fell below 30 members and Mary Kay didn’t like it. She said “you must continually be adding new people to your numbers. ” Such truth. The only way a pyramid scheme stays alive is by constantly adding new people.
The recruiting piece provided by Mary Kay Wagner Rogers Eckman Weaver Louis Miller Hallenbeck Ash emphasizes:
Recruiting is truly the “lifeblood” of every Unit. Nothing keeps a Unit “revved up” quite so much as a constant influx of new recruits.
Yes, Pyramid Schemes 101, Mary Kay.
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For all the huns out there who think that Mary Kay Wagner Rogers Eckman Weaver Louis Miller Hallenbeck Ash was a sweet old thing who cared about her people and got into this business to empower women and cared about her people and yada yada yada, read this with the pink blinders off (not that that’s easy for a letter written on Pepto pink stationery) and look at the cold corporate numbers-driven businesswoman behind the image you idolize.
Dated Dec. 26, 1990. “Merry Christmas. You suck.” Note that there is no exchange of pleasantries, holiday wishes, or anything. It’s not a friendly letter offering advice. It’s a business communication, pure and simple, like a written warning from your boss for being late too often or getting a poor performance review. Cleta’s behind on recruiting; this will not be tolerated; Mary Kay Wagner Rogers Eckman Weaver Louis Miller Hallenbeck Ash will be watching and judging to make sure she brings her numbers back up.
Read the predatory recruitment document and realize what she’s saying, flat out:
They don’t tell the new recruit that only 50% (and in reality far less) of the take from the show belongs to her. They lie and let her think it’s all profit, because if they told her the truth from the start she’d never sign up.
Also, she wouldn’t send in the Agreement until she also had the new recruit’s order in hand and >wouldn’t tell her.< All the blah blah blah about getting all the resources you need and training and you don't need inventory blah blah blah is a lie. Unless you spend money, you don't get to be in the club.
Those are dishonest business tactics, encouraged by a dishonest woman who wanted to get rich at any cost. She didn't give half a hoot for the underlings who had to spend and spend and lie and make nuisances of themselves to earn the money for her.
“Those are dishonest business tactics, encouraged by a dishonest woman who wanted to get rich at any cost. She didn’t give half a hoot for the underlings who had to spend and spend and lie and make nuisances of themselves to earn the money for her.”
Exactly. I’ve recently stumbled upon this quote by L. Ron Hubbard: “You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”
We all know that if you want to get rich in MLM, you start one. And Mary Kay did. Consultants trying to resell her products and recruit for her company, and who also compare themselves and aspire to be her while being a minion consultant, are deluding themselves.
By all means dear lurkers, go ahead and start an MLM scam company, and then we can talk about any comparisons.
Written the day after Christmas !!
Yep, after what was probably a crazy exhausting month you get a letter from the head of your company only to be told “You’re not good enough. Do better or else.”
Thanks, Mary Kay Wagner Rogers Eckman Weaver Louis Miller Hallenbeck Ash SCROOGE!
At least Scrooge learned the error of his ways and became a better person.
This letter just goes to show that even in 1990, MK was old-fashioned and outdated. This letter looks like it was written in 1950, from the dated-looking letterhead to the reference to women as “girls” to the messy photocopy enclosed with the letter.
Also – the recipient was supposed to really believe (in 1990) that the CEO of her MLM looked over the reports, noticed her numbers were down, then had a secretary type this letter to her personally? Oh well, guess she actually did believe! Mary Kay was like Santa, she’ll send you a letter if you’re naughty!
I love the story on her marriages. I’d keep it secret too. She’s been married more than Henry VIII
On the plus side, she never had any beheaded. On the minus side, she put herself up as a semi-religious leader.
no one beheaded… THAT WE KNOW OF!!!
She’s PAYING for the privilege of being lectured to by this ridiculous woman. JFC.
Congratulations on the Ridiculous Downvote tm .
Ridiculous Downvote ™ times Two!
This little gem stood out to me.
“After the show, we did indeed take her around the corner and have a cup of coffee in some quiet place and always told her what the profit was that day, without telling her the percentage.(Should she not go to work, it is not good to “arm” her with the information as to our 50% commission rate.”
The entire letter lays out the entire plan which looks incredibly similar to what is taught today. But this little bit I quoted tells me that SDs are NOT doing what Mary Kay herself taught. Just look at Chelsea. She. is always running a sale of 40% off and yet tells people that she makes 50% commission. So why does Chelsea (and others) lie like this? Because they DO NOT MAKE A PROFIT from sales!
I believe that Mary Kay herself made a profit back in the day because she was a master of manipulation. Back then, women probably did pay full price since there was no internet for women to purchase for less online. But we know today, that you can join a FB group like Chelsea’s where sales happen every week and get your products for almost the wholesale cost.
How does Cleta, Chelsea, and other SDs make money from sales? They don’t. Sales through parties/shows is a means to find recruits, not a profit. It’s only through recruiting and frontloading that an IBC can have a minimum-wage income from Mary kay.