Written by Raisinberry

One lie leads to another, leads to another, leads to another… Kind of like Mary Kay boiling a frog without the frog noticing.

Back in the day, my earth science teacher told us that the way a frog is wired, being a reptile and all, you could toss him into a boiling pot of water and he would sense the differential in water temp to body temp and spring out without getting burned.

But then there was this other method for cooking a frog. Just place him in a room temperature pot of water and slowly turn up the heat. Because his body adjusts to the rising temperature slowly, he never notices he is beginning to boil. Voila! Fresh frog legs.

This, to me, was a glaring example of the technique by which we all got cold-cocked in Mary Kay. Below, is a series of lies, omissions and distortions that set up the consultant to be drowning in hot water.

“You don’t need inventory.”

This appears non-pushy and takes off pressure. It is a throw off line to make a director appear casual instead of on a mission

“A typical appointment is under 2 hours.”

If you knew your first class would take 4 hours, you might not sign up. Let’s face it; even the best of the best can’t always control the length of classes, especially when Aunt Clara comes an hour late.

“Women do not like to wait for product and a customer buys more when she knows you have it there.”

Since it is impossible to know whether she bought more because she saw your box in the trunk, we’ll never know. Even telling her you carry product is not quantifiable in terms of dollars spent. Many consultants have completely forgotten their inventory at home and sold similar amounts, so waiting to receive an order wasn’t a deterrent. The lie here is to make you think you will lose a sale because you can’t service her immediately, when what is really happening is the director is making you fear you won’t be successful without it.

“You definitely want to be in the Consistency Club… it shows your commitment to your business.”

This contest to get you to order monthly is designed to give the Unit a base production. You will hate to screw it up after 3 months so you will order a minimum just to keep it going. It is just a $200. If you screw it up, don’t worry. There will be a mid year chance to be in the MIDYEAR Consistency Club. (Anything to get you back on track. Consistency is everything! To the director, that is!)

“You are Number One in sales!”

Well no, what you are is number one in orders. You will head up that Seminar Year to date RETAIL SALES list, knowing you didn’t sell ¼ of it yet. Getting credit for double-plus of your wholesale order just doesn’t sit right, but the water is starting to bubble now, with the sound of distant applause…”I guess this is how Mary Kay keeps records.” You say to yourself, and your director says, “Isn’t it great that they give you credit for all your wholesale?” “Yes” you say…,”is the a/c working?”

“You are almost on target! You only need $600 more to be official! Why not finish your star now, you will sell it!”

By this time your director has become your just about best friend! You are a mover and shaker in her unit! You will be introduced at guest events as a ON TARGET CAR DRIVER! Everyone will know who you are and look up to you! Its Only $600…and even though there is a whole lot left of that initial $2,400, you can just get skin care- the staple of the business and always move that! Starting to sweat yet?

“You can order for another consultant to finish your car but not in DIQ. Once you start DIQ, every order needs to be paid for first by the consultant… that’s the rules. But there are exceptions when she is far away or won’t be paid till the weekend. The company kind of expects this, they make a joke out of all the “illegal” or bogus consultants at Director- in- Training week.”

Yes, they definitely make you read the DIQ rules and they definitely laugh about everybody breaking them in Dallas. And here is the secret “meta-message”. The under the surface “wink wink” that will characterize your career as a Director. If you can get away with it, go ahead. Just so the numbers add up and we can applaud your success!

From the smallest insignificant lie to the “find a way – make a way” lessons of heading up the career path, you never noticed the temperature rising and the blisters forming because the ”tricks” were never learned or discussed until you were already acclimated to the temperature of your new position.

Had you known before signing your agreement that a Ruby star order of $2,400 would be where your “points” were, that you would charge up orders activating team members on your own credit card, as necessary, that Consistency Club is a production ploy, and Number One in Retail means number one in accumulated debt, you may have bounced in to Mary Kay and bounced right out again, very clear on the danger.

Most consultants, similar to our reptilian friend, never sense the danger, never see the danger, because of sensory overload. Slow subtle additions, distortions and omissions of information carry the consultant along not even noticing that things do not add up. Her analysis of what she does see is called “paralysis”, and stopping to test the temperature of the water is producing wilted “laurels”. “Keep moving…Fear is false evidence appearing real!”

When an organization requires you to stop listening to your senses, stop evaluating what you see and requires you, instead, to blindly believe in the system surrounding you, without question and most definitely without voicing your “negative” concerns…you are slowly being indoctrinated . You are a victim of fanfare, and glorious distraction designed to never let you perceive that while the sauna is warm and comfy, soon you will be cooked alive.