Frontloading By Sales Directors
I think many Mary Kay sales directors have convinced themselves that they are “working ethically.” That they’ve made themselves believe that there is nothing wrong with the Mary Kay pyramid scheme and nothing wrong with the fact that almost all women will lose money in Mary Kay.
Here is an example of just such thinking. This Mary Kay sales director thinks she’s doing the right thing by “only” having consultants purchase $1,800 or $2,400 of inventory when they start. We all know that “part-time” consultants don’t need that much, and that’s frontloading. (Frontloading is the practice of getting someone to purchase a large package of inventory before they have sold the products.)
The email I received:
Tracy,
I stumbled on this site and found it interesting. I have been in Mary Kay nearly 28 years – a Director for 26. I have seen it all.
I do believe many the stories. The sad part is that you are painting “all” Mary Kay people with the same brush.
I sell Mary Kay products with ease and fun. So do my unit members. We do not frontload – a star order is plenty for a part time consultant. We trade inventory to help each other out.
I could retire but enjoy it so much I just want to take lots of time off and do business part time.
Have always driven a company car and NEVER made a car payment. You have to be smart – the years I had babies – went Grand Am – then Grand Prix was great when the kids were young – now driving a Cadillac but plan to take cash as going part time.
Why would you do this? What is your story? What is the point?
It is all so depressing!!
I am sad that you don’t allow any positive feedback. That could be interesting – don’t you think?
Anyways, please know that there are many, many hardworking, honest, sincere Mary Kay Directors out here.
I sent her this reply:
You wrote: “We do not frontload – a star order is plenty for a part time consultant.”
You just proved that you DO frontload. A part time consultant doesn’t need $1,800 or more wholesale on the shelf. Quit lying to them and lying to yourself.
She wrote back:
Are you confusing “part time” with “personal use”?. Of course someone that is doing Mary Kay as a small business needs some inventory. When I think “frontload” – isn’t that like 3000-4500 and encouraging orders when they are not selling? I stick to the fact they can’t sell from an empty wagon – remember my unit does Sell!!
This is a great product!!
And my reply:
No, I’m not confused. If you’re telling part time consultants they “need” $1800 or $2400 wholesale, then you’re frontloading.
This is why it is so important that sales directors see Pink Truth. I believe most of them have convinced themselves that they’re not frontloading, even when the objective evidence proves that they are.
Visit the
I stick to the fact they can’t sell from an empty wagon – remember my unit does Sell!!
Ma’am, that is literally the definition of front-loading.
I am sad that you don’t allow any positive feedback. That could be interesting – don’t you think?
If (general)you want a safe space to express the “positive feedback”, create your own. No-one is obliged to “spare your feelings” on the internet.
Not to mention the entire system is built around repeated frontloading. Until a consultant has reached $225 in a quarter, she either has to hold orders until she reaches $225, or she has to frontload the rest to qualify for the discount. And that threshold is even greater for directors.
If a customer needs a single lipstick that the consultant does not have on the shelf…boom: $225 order for things the consultant does not need (besides the one lipstick).
If they don’t get you with the initial inventory purchase, they will get you with the qualifying minimums…but they will get you, and likely with both. $1000 up front, and/or $1000 to remained qualified per year.
It is arbitrary and unnecessary, but provides a continuous stream of “over-ordering” revenue to fill Mary Kay Corp’s coffers, not to mention up-line commissions.
Mary Kay does not track all of this because they don’t care. But a forensic deep dive on Mary Kay downlines would likely show that Mary Kay makes far more money (in aggregate) from unsold consultant inventory than they make from ordered product that is actually sold outside the downline.
Note: Personal use, donations, giveaways and discarded inventory do not qualify as “sold”, but Mary Kay still profits from those orders, even when the consultant loses money. Given the bloated wholesale price, MKC probably still makes money even on returned merch. All of this at the expense of the sales force.
I would like to know how exactly she sells with ease & fun. Because that goes against so many other people’s experiences. Is she naturally a good salesperson with a fantastic, magnetic personality? live in an upscale area where the prices are affordable? Did she get in early & Is the only MK consultant for miles around?
She’s simply a lying liar who lies?
In the end it doesn’t matter because her
downline is guaranteed to lose money. But when hear of these women making money, I wonder “How? Answer honestly, please.”
Exactly! You can order $1000 and sell $100 worth “with ease” and still lose a lot of money from front-loading. Notice she didn’t say they sell it all, or even most of it…just that her unit “does sell”.
Selling at a loss still qualifies as “selling”, but is certainly not something to brag about. And remember they also lose money on returned items. Front-loading is real in Mary Kay…without it the system would collapse.
Ms. Director demonstrates her smooth skills of manipulation in her writing to Tracy, and how she works to deflect wrongdoing or lack of ethical behaviors. She sells with fun and ease because she sees the world from her own self-serving point of view. “Rose tints my world and keeps me safe from my trouble and pain.” She says her unit sells — well – at a profit? Anybody sell at a profit? And if they DO sell at a profit, that is unethical because intellectually the kbot should know that the lack of value versus the price they are gouging from the victim, umm, “customer”, does render the whole “sale” unethical. I realize the average kbot doesn’t intellectually analyze her “business” but that doesn’t mean she’s not responsible for the results of her actions whether she’s been responsible about them or not.
And Ms. Director is totally disregarding the fact that Tracy DOES provide an outlet for criticism of Pink Truth EVERY FRIDAY.
Rose tints my world….and cash fills my pocket from frontloading, by any name.
Classic RHPS.
It’s sad that Mary Kay (through its own website and related Facebook groups) doesn’t allow any negative feedback. That could be interesting – don’t you think?
And I got myself my very own downvote!!!! whoohoooo Frank will be so proud!!!
Wow mary kay is harassing people on youtube to take down their videos watch this https://youtu.be/4GIHmMPBQvM?si=8lVKo481MEZZJuFV
LoL ❤️ stay safe out there Y’all!
Take care.
AND I replied to the wrong comment! I am on a roll!!! Sorry Peggy L,, I am not trying to ride on YOUR downvote coattails! We each rightfully earned our very own downvotes, and I would not dream of stealing someone else’s glory lololol.
I was trying to respond to Destiny Angel recognizing the haunting words of insight even in to Mary Kay via Rocky Horror Picture Show. It just strikes me as so cruelly ironic that Mary Kay’s “pink” ties into the song so well. Rose tints come in every shade of human but universal coincidences are sure fascinating to ponder!
no more attempts! I promise! Congrats on the downvotes one and all!!