Mary Kay Selling Tips
Yet another document with various ideas for how to sell Mary Kay. 
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21 Responses to “Mary Kay Selling Tips”Speak Your Mind
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Tam on 
me on 
Makeba on 
This was a great article! All of these tips are so creative and sound almost effortless (and with great return)! I just started a new job and work a 40 hr work week so my business has been on hold lately.
One tip that I got from my sales director is to buy a plastic fishbowl and put a sign on it that asks people to drop their business cards in for a chance to win a free facial. Put these fishbowls at banks or laundromats, and then come by at the end of the month to pick out the lucky winner! I havent actually tried it (a lot of businesses are funny about that) but I heard it works well!
So then at the end of the month you might have ten people to call – most screen their calls and don’t answer – or say they’ll call you back (and don’t) – or set up an appointment for the facial (and cancel 1/2 hour before – or worse just doesn’t show up) – or have the facial, say they like it, but doesn’t order anything – worse yet, want to try 15 shades of lipstick and then just buys a lipstick – ultimately they just want to sell YOU something! You might get one repeat order customer, but they are probably 1 in 100. That takes up way too much time & energy & money out of MY pocket.
One tip that I got from my sales director is to buy a plastic fishbowl and put a sign on it that asks people to drop their business cards in for a chance to win a free facial. Put these fishbowls at banks or laundromats, and then come by at the end of the month to pick out the lucky winner! I havent actually tried it (a lot of businesses are funny about that) but I heard it works well!
Sarah Foster, listen to what Trixie says and save yourself a lot of time and disappointment. I even tried it offering a gift certificate for the place of business with a free MK facial.
People had the audacity to suggest I mail them the gift certificate because they didn’t want the free MK facial..that should tell you haow many people REALLY want a MK facial, free or otherwise. The fishbowl thing never worked for me.
If you haven’t invested in inventory yet, wait until you have some classes and facials and then order what you need. It will save you a great deal of debt and you’ll also find out if you have any repeat customers before you stock a few items for your loyal customers.
By the way, you will find very few customers that are loyal only to you. They don’t feel any obligation to buy exclusively from you, no matter how good your customer service is.
After servicing a “regular” customer for several years, I decidedto quit MK and I offered to give her the name of a consultant that would give her good customer service. I was shocked to hear that she already had a consultant, but was ordering from me and alternating between her regular consultant. I was shocked. because she orignally had called me looking for MK as she had been referred to me by a mutual friend.
“save yourself a lot of time and disappointment”
The thing that I keep remembering is “Activity builds courage…inactivity builds fear” so
even if the activity does not yield the monetary results I expect, it will still build my confidence if I look at the big picture. Now if fishbowl marketing is all I am doing, then I will fail but if it is just one of many activities I am doing, it will just be aanother rung in the ladder of success.
XOXO
Cheryl “the Mompreneur” Coldiron
UGH!
Now if fishbowl marketing is all I am doing, then I will fail but if it is just one of many activities I am doing, it will just be aanother rung in the ladder of success. XOXO - Cheryl “the Mompreneur” Coldiron
That was the most insincere XOXO I’ve ever seen…and after your comments, I would guess you missed the “Go-Give” classes and the “Golden Rule”. You obviously have not read any other parts of this board or you would know we didn’t just sit back and wait for money to fall into our pockets. We worked our business hard and with integrity!
“Coldiron” is a fitting name for you!
Hello, me and my fiance just started the business, and we need all the resources we can get to expand our minds and succeed. Mary Kay offers many opportunities that with HARD work will benefit us a lot. My fiance feels a little weird because mary kay is mostly for women so we decided he is going to sell the MKmen and colognes…
Hope all of you do great in your business and those of you that might be discourage pray and find encouragement within yourselves ’cause I know you have what it takes to become whatever you want to become.
Butterfly, this is an anti-Mary Kay site. I hope you will read around and enter the forum for information that may save you form incurring a lot of debt.
Contrary to what they say, all in Mary Kay do not put God 1st, family 2nd and career 3rd. For many recruiters and SD’s they put the focus on money 1st!
Do yourself a big favor and educate yourself on how the system works by reading of others experiences in Mary Kay. Most do not make as much money as a minimum wage job would provide, despite Mary Kay’s claims of making a 6 figure income. For most that simply does not happen. Good luck to you and keep your eyes and ears open.
Hey Butterfly there are two sides to this coin as you can see. I think the biggest thing is self motivation. Any business can be hard. Just make wise decisions. If you really feel like this is the right company for you than go for it! Hey I would say be careful on what you order if you order any sort of inventory. It is very true that many people get “sucked in to inventory” so be wise. If you want my advice, I’d say maybe a couple of sets of the skin care line and maybe a couple visibly fit lotions (something along those lines) I would NOT advise to go over $600 that is way too much and it is very hard to assume what make up people will want and what skin care products you will need(in my opinion) Your customers will all be different and will want different things. Any samples that you order don’t count for your MK Quota, but I’d advise to get some of them …I know you need at least a 200 whole sale order… In time if you both find that this is what you really want to do, you have set up some customers then you can start to stock a little, but just do one thing at a time. And if you keep the right heart, set goals, and work hard, with joy and patience anything is possible. God is GREAT! and does great things. Don’t get ahead of yourself *which is way to easy*, don’t spend to much money! Make some and then replenish and do that over and over and naturally let it grow. If you want other advice from me, just email me @ nickyvirtue@live.com… I’m gonna be real with you and try to be as helpful as I can. I am also doing the business as well… one step at a time is what I say.
Hi ladies,
I’m a married college student thinking of starting to sell Mary Kay. I was wanting to know if any of you would be confortable telling me how much you have to work at it and some ups and downs to the business. Thank you very much!
You have to work it A LOT to make any money! Yes, you would be able to pass out books on campus (provided it is allowed) but you will have to make calls regularly, once or if you can find customers, then you have to be available for classes – I know they quote 2 hours, but that does not include prep time, drive time, set up or breakdown, bringing it back home and putting stuff away. Personally, I’d say about 5 hours if the class is fairly close, then you may or may not make much money. You will be pressured to purchase inventory (of course there is a $200 min YOUR cost to get the 50% discount), supplies, books, gifts, bags, shipping on each order of apx $ 9, etc. – so you’ll need to have $ for the “investment” of your “opportunity”.
If you want to make a regular income, I’d say a part time job would be a better bet, it would provide a steady income and regular hours. If you want a tax deduction, then MK is the way to go.
Join us in the forum – there is a section about MK in there that may help you to decide. Just click “forum” at the top left hand side, and follow the instructions! Hope to see you soon!
lipstick.. you are totally rude..
butterfly.. high five..
i sell mary kay too an its an awesome opportunity..
the rules by the way lipstick, isnt to put God first.. they just let you know an tell you that mk is a business that allows you to do so, unlike most..
so listen.. an keep your ears open : )
I love you too Sabrina, is the go give attitude an option too? I didn’t say anything rude, just speaking the truth, have you read the MK literature they gave you? it says the company was founded on the principals of putting God first, family second and career third. I didn’t make it up.
(((HUGS)))
Butterfly says:
August 10, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Hello, me and my fiance just started the business, and we need all the resources we can get to expand our minds and succeed. Mary Kay offers many opportunities that with HARD work will benefit us a lot. My fiance feels a little weird because mary kay is mostly for women so we decided he is going to sell the MKmen and colognes…
Hope all of you do great in your business and those of you that might be discourage pray and find encouragement within yourselves ’cause I know you have what it takes to become whatever you want to become.
Lipstick says:
August 11, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Butterfly, this is an anti-Mary Kay site. I hope you will read around and enter the forum for information that may save you form incurring a lot of debt.
Contrary to what they say, all in Mary Kay do not put God 1st, family 2nd and career 3rd. For many recruiters and SD’s they put the focus on money 1st!
Do yourself a big favor and educate yourself on how the system works by reading of others experiences in Mary Kay. Most do not make as much money as a minimum wage job would provide, despite Mary Kay’s claims of making a 6 figure income. For most that simply does not happen. Good luck to you and keep your eyes and ears open.
Sabrina says:
September 28, 2009 at 11:09 pm
lipstick.. you are totally rude..
butterfly.. high five..
i sell mary kay too an its an awesome opportunity..
the rules by the way lipstick, isnt to put God first.. they just let you know an tell you that mk is a business that allows you to do so, unlike most..
so listen.. an keep your ears open : )
Ok, is it me?!?! Totally rude how exactly?
To all the “negative nellies”:
Mary Kay IS a business and like all business owners you must WORK! In a “regular” JOB, do YOU get paid for drive time? Neither do we in MK, THAT is why we say we make XX amount of dollars at a SKIN CARE CLASS….not getting dressed time/not drive time/not organizing the office time.
People that are SO negative are the reason MK women (& men) are SO positive. We don’t like listening to people that are SO negative. If you were to go to a bank and ask for a loan to start a business…..but by the way mr. loan officer, if I fail at my business, can I sell you all my inventory back and just walk away? That loan officer is going to LAUGH at you…..yes, having inventory is an option MK offers (and I bought AND PAID OFF my first ENTIRE inventory), HOWEVER, if you SHOULD decide that MK isn’t for you, MK will BUY BACK your inventory!! HOW is that a BAD situation Ms. Lipstick?
The truth is, some people get in to mary kay thinking they won’t have to work as hard….I know of people being downsized in this economy from corporate america; started an MK business and are making MORE than they did in their 80,000 per year job.
There is a marketing plan to follow…you MUST follow it. If you think you’ll be a success doing it YOUR way….you won’t. If you have a negative attitude, you won’t just fail at MK, you will fail at all you do….because THAT is what you’re setting yourself up to do.
Consistant Star…we’ve heard the “negative” baloney so long that your words have no effect.
Yes, if you want to run a successful business, you have to put forth effort. But MK isn’t a real business. It’s basically a home-based franchise at best, a pyramid scheme at worst.
Mary Kay Inc. doesn’t buy back 90% of your inventory because they have a warm fuzzy place in their heart: it’s required by law.
Most people getting into Mary Kay think they’re actually going to make the kind of money that the company and its directors present. They actually think they’re going to be able to work the few hours they’re told and make some decent money. So why shouldn’t they? That’s how the “opportunity” is presented to them. Then when they get in and realize all isn’t as presented it’s somehow their fault. THAT’S what I’m tired of.
And recruiting everyone in sight and getting them to order thousands of dollars of inventory isn’t a marketing plan. It’s how pyramids stay alive!
Ms Consistent Star….at a real job you get paid for organizing your office, putting away inventory, putting price tags on merchandise, making customer service phone calls, the company provides your supplies needed to work your job and most companies if you have a job that requires a business card, the company pays for that too!
You don’t know me, but I worked my MK business for 8.5 years, I wasn’t looking for a free ride, but I did expect to make enough to have some for myself and to make some kind of profit, sorry, you are wrong. BTW MK doesn’t offer the 90% buyback because they care ,they do so because they are required to, but don’t count on your SD , or your recruiter to tell you that you can return your inventory any time for 90% buyback of anything purchased in the last year. they keep that secret to themselves to protect their precious commissions.
Read your Agrement.
The 90% buyback is only for merchandise that is less than a year old.
It is not your business to do with as you please. The company can terminate YOU at any time.
ellenk says:
Read your Agrement.
The 90% buyback is only for merchandise that is less than a year old.
It is not your business to do with as you please. The company can terminate YOU at any time.
ellen, all I can say is trread my post and reread the agreement. It says you may return to the company any product purchased within the past 12 months for 90% buyback.
Most MK recruiters and SD’s will conveniently let you believe and even tell you the buyback option is only for the first year of your MK business. Just another way they deceive those joining MK.
Anyway ellen, you are right nobody owns their own MK business, every avenue of income and how, when and where to promote and sell product is dictated by MK for MK’s interests. You can’t pass your business along to your heirs and you can’t pass along all your hard work, recruits and commissions when you die either.
Take my advice and steer clear of MK and if you are so foolish to join then please enter the forum and read of the pitfalls and experiences of those who tried the business before you.
I wonder HOW Mary Kay could be restructured in order to stay in business and do what they say they are trying to do – empowering women.
Wrong-O! They want you to think that, but actually the 90% buyback is available for products purchased within the past 12 months. If you read here, you’d quickly find that.