Here’s a flyer that compares selling Mary Kay and Avon. I can’t guarantee the figures are current or that the information is accurate. PLEASE NOTE: This flyer is out of date. It is provided here because it was a document, like the others we have on the site, that were distributed by directors and other consultants in Mary Kay. If you have a more current version of the AVON commission structure, feel free to pass it along.
I never thought avon would have a plan like this, it looks worse than MK. I like MK’s plan much more.
I am having a nightmare with Avon. I sold Mary Kay for awhile, but made the mistake of sending items back. I am no longer selling Mary Kay but would like to. I just having a hard time getting back in.
With Avon I had cancelled an order they sent anyway and told me to refuse it. That sounded good so I was prepared to tell the driver I did not want the package. He delivered the package not only to the wrong house but the wrong street and neighborhood. I had to find the package, get the label
send it back and now they tell me I owe them the money for the box I sent back
I know they rec’d the box because I have proof of receipt from UPS. They said it would take up to 8 weeks to credit my account ( for thier mistake)
meanwhile I cann’t order anything. When I called Customer Service they could
help me. What a joke !!!!! I am sorry I ever got involved with AVON. I
never had this problem selling Mary Kay. I had to get out of MK because my
husband was not happy putting money out, and did not see the reward.
Between the 2 Mary Kay is a Better product, better reward, and easier to deal with.
In MK… if you start DIQ and do not achieve directorship in the 1-4 months, you do not lose your personal team… just the team members of your personal team who were brought into the company during your qualification period. You can, however, lose your team members if you go to an inactive status (I2 to be exact). Even if your team members aren’t active, you won’t lose them unless you go inactive or they go 12 months without placing the minimum $200 wholesale order, in which case, the team member has dropped off the consultant list.
As a comparison… MK is actually similar in many aspects as to being a independent financial representative (I used to work for a broker/dealer, which my experience is where I am getting my information) As a independent financial representative (IFR), you could place ads, but if you used the company logo, it had to be approved by Compliance AND Corporate Communications. No company logo or mention of the name of the broker/dealer… then no need for approval. As an IFR, you DID NOT work for the actual broker/dealer (at least, not at the one I worked at) but you either owned your own business or worked for the person who did own the business. The broker/dealer I worked for is huge world-wide… but I worked for the actual broker/dealer in the Corporate Communications department
“I had to get out of MK because my
husband was not happy putting money out, and did not see the reward.”
Kathy i’d like to tell you to be careful and make clear decisions. I am a MK IBC and in no way shape or form will i “put out” money for a reward. Now don’t take that personal or anything just make sure you are making a clear decision. If you buying huge inventory please make sure you are actually selling and not buying yourself into debt. The amount you can put out for a bag that says MK you can go to Macy’s or Bloomingdales and get some very nice bags and pick out a few diamonds for the same price. Im just looking at other womens mistakes and it seems that they were buying themselves status and the prizes when they werent selling anything is a big problem. ( not saying its the main problem but a problem none the less.) I love my MK business because i love working with women and making them feel good about thereselves i was a former Beauty Consultant at Macy’s and the idea of doing it on my own is great. As my fellow pinklighters say don’t get sucked into the Pink Fog.
Anyone want some rum punch? lol
Cynthia, your comments are very true. I saw lots of women buying their prizes.
I’d also like to point out that it is hard for many women to NOT be convinced to buy inventory to get a prize or special recognition. The pressure is extremely high. That’s one of the things that most people who want to defend MK and other MLMs fail to appreciate. The hype and motivation is meant to sell. It’s selling consultants on buying more MK products for their shelves.
I have sold both Mary Kay and AVON. I sold Mary Kay for like 6 months and lost alot of money. I still have boxes of cosmetics in my closet. I joined MK in September 07. I bought $4,000 worth of skin care and cosmetic items to get started. Then they changed the design. My recruiter told me that I should sell those items 1/2 off my brand new items I just got!!! What was the point of doing parties, skin care classes, and walking around like a giant poster board to not make a profit. I tried really hard but just couldnt keep up with all of the crazy stuff they did. I went to the meetings and sometimes even had alot of fun but when they started making us change words to country songs and singing them about how much we loved MK I though OMG they are freakin nuts. So I bailed and glad too! I sold alot on ebay and made some of my money back. The products are great but with the economy the way it is Im glad I got out Its so hard to sell. Now I sell AVON. Avons products are cheap a plus right now there makeup and products aint have bad. Their foundations completely SUCK though. I tell people this. I agree completely about them not sending but half your order. They NEVER send a complete order. I am only selling to pay for my stuff right now so its not a big deal. After the horrible MK experience and being pressured all of the time to recruit I decided not to go that route. BUt it wouldnt surprise me if you did lose your downline. THats the way this crap works. If anyone is really reading this out there Do Me a Favor. DONT SELL EITHER MK OR AVON FOR A FULL TIME OR PART TIME JOB. Like the girl said flip a burger or something. I sell avon so I get my stuff free dont go beyond that.
hey im not really into selling eith avon or mk, but i was wondering with mk, just how much do you have to sell to get one of those pink mary kay cadillacs? is it mainly just a company car that is loaned to the people who have the most sells or what? or are you buying it, just wondering.
It’s not sales that count. It’s recruits and what they buy from the company. You have to be a sales director to qualify for a caddy (I believe) and you have to have X # of recruits to be a sales director and you and your team have to purchase $ X from the company each quarter to “earn the privilege of the use of” your choice of caddy’s. Of course, if you don’t make production, then you get the “privilege” of making co-pays for any company car. The amount the SD can “contribute” is limited and the team must make up the difference.
Just to add to Tam’s post: To become a SD you must have a minimum of 31 active recruits within a 4 month period, then to achieve Caddy status you must have $96,000 wholesale between your unit and yourself during a 4 month period and you must maintain that production or make co-pays…IMO if yiou want a Caddy, buy one in your choice of colors and buy it yourslef…it will be cheaper in the long run and you can keep it!
And if you can’t make production, they only allow you a certain number of months to get back on track while making co-pays and if not back on track production wise they will come and get the car you “earned”. It is not a one-time deal and you have to requalify every 2 years to get a new Caddy.
As Tam said, you don’t earn the Caddy yourself you earn it from the hard work or debt of your unit members, IMO you have to be a frontloader and pretty cold-hearted to get and keep the Caddy! So much for” Go-Give”‘ and putting “God 1st, family 2nd and career 3rd”…you’ll have to work almost 24/7 to “earn” the darn thing and keep it!
Hi everyone,
Happy labor Day!!!
Well, just to blow off steam, I wanted to tell you the latest news on the AVON SOGA!!!
I quit ordering any and all products from AVON, got online and did a return for every item I purchased and did a return for everything I used even and need to send it back.
I am still getting charged the 7.50 every two weeks for the website though, as they told me not to cancel that as it would take up to 8 weeks for everything to be refunded etc and it would be in my best interest to keep that active. Sighing hard here, my car got repoed wednesday night at 9:30pm and I am never getting it back, my cable, phone and internet were cut off that night as well.
I got the internet and stuff back on but it just ticks me off they couldn’t wait 8 hours to get paid. I told that woman, my ex gets paid on Thursday could you wait until morning, she stated NO!!!
My life just sucks right now, and to top it off AVON just added another problem to my growing list of problems.
For women that wish to make money doing AVON or MK think twice, you have to spend money to make it, and trust me unless you are the go getter, have hundreds of friends, and just plain enjoy things like this, you will NEVER EVER MAKE ANY MONEY DOING ANYTHING THAT IS A MLK! I MEAN EVER NO MATTER WHAT THEY TELL YOU. It is all about recruiting, and more recruiting, so to me it isn’t about a great product, it is about how many suckers you can get to sign up. Numbers lady is the game.
And personally if I see one more AVON Book that states LOWEST PRICE OF THE YEAR again I WILL LOSE IT. LOWEST PRICE MY ASS!!! Their advertisement is so false. Not to mention how they charge people for stuff.
Lucky for me(or unlucky for me) I think I am almost through with them.
Send the stuff back Tuesday and wait for the final bill in 8 weeks.
Geez something to look forward too!!!
Later you all
Mary
Mary, sorry you had such a bad experience, we are hearing more and more from Avon reps that Avon is getting worse all the time. Please step into the forum..click on the word “Forum” in the tan tool bar and join us.
You will find a very supportive bunch of ladies who had similar experiences with MK or other MLM’s and we talk about a lot more besides, family, cooking, current events, children, hobbies, you name it!
Let the healing begin…we welcome you with open arms!
Hi,I am doing other things on the internet besides Mary Kay,After the fire I lost everything.It taught me a lot of things,I got into the internet and learned that you can make money in what you like to do.I still like my Mary Kay,but if you like to do something else you can,I learned how to build blogs,websites,connect with people,even become an affiliate and make extra money selling someones product.You have to connect on a different level,join Twitter and social networking sites,Twitter Mom’s,these will all help you.I am on Google,and I do lots of things.Life can really Suck sometimes but having faith and friends is what gets us through. I Know I lost Everything And Got It Back,Well Not Everything,I lost my parrot Pepper,that I had for 13 yrs.in the fire,and pretty much everything I owned,but I did not loose my life.Take Care Girls…Lori Van R- Powerpink P.S. Here is a secret! budurl.com/4byj
Kathy,I was a sales director,I know how you can get back in if you want.I have Mypowerpink.com and check the links on the sidebar to the right,there is a link to my site to get my #cell. You see husbands are not to happy if they don’t see the money,My husband too! I had a 5000 dollar week before my house caught on fire by our Christmas tree.My husband now is telling me come on,do your M.K. I took a break to find myself again.Now I am still in M.K. but I also do other things on the internet.I created Mypowerpink .com for the women who want to get back in or if not I can help you do something else.Hope This Helps!..Lori Van R-Powerpink…My Secret…budurl.com/4byj
The more I read about these two companies the more they look like cults.
I totally agree with you!
I’ve been buying Avon from myself for over a year. I’ve made zero dollars. My sister quit being my customer because she didn’t usually get her full orders. When I missed a campaign, someone would call me and tell me so. Harrassment. So I called to quit. Oh dear, what happened? I’m still in. Recently I ended up re-enrolled in the E-Rep program without realizing it. I’m tired of talking to the people from India about problems I have. Time to quit? You bet! Thanks for the reminder of how irritating this stuff is. Now back to my marketing homework, which is how I landed on this page anyway.
so sorry to hear about all your problems. some things are just not for everyone, I have been an AVON rep for about 8 months now, and I see what you mean about recruiting people, in my district yes they want you to recruit but I am happier sticking to just selling to my clientele, my clientele is growing by word of mouth that I am a rep that does not pressure customers to buy or sign up this has actually helped my sales! and I am not in it to get rich, yes I do make a profit, but what I like best is getting products at discount for my personal use, because I love the products, so I am doing it to get what I want cheap, and making some money too is nice, like I said, I’m not getting rich, but I am happy with it
I didnt know Avon had customer service in India! Avon was never really big on recruiting I see them running commercials now like MK. Hmmm looks like recruiting is down everywhere. When they call you to let you know it is the end of a campaign I dont really see that as harassment because there are tons of reps (Avon and MK) that will claim nobody told them anything or they didnt know and that is why they do that.
Just to cover themselves.
One thing I have to give MK credit for though at least they have the cash option if you dont want to take the car. You probably make more money in the long run doing that anyway if you dont want to keep up an image or dont want to recruit enough or devote enough time to production. I have to say that is one good thing about them if you can keep up the production the car is the way to go, but if not you can always take the cash,
but I guess when you get to be a director you want to show that IMAGE and there is pressure (in some areas) to take the car.
hi,
i was looking for info on mk & avon when i found your post. i buy avon & mk but i don’t sell it they have tried to get me but for some reason gut i never have. i will tell you that after reading all these posts i’m glad. i will say that i am a stay at home mom my husband owns his own auto repair center. i am part of a company that doesn’t sell any of those products & basically all the things you guys have mentioned hasn’t happened to me or anyone i know. our company doesn’t have a guzillion products, it has 5 thats it. we don’t loose are downline if we don’t recruite more people in a set time, we don’t have to spend massive amounts of $$$$$, our upline is more than willing to help in any way they can to help if we need it. best of all we don’t have to convince,sucker anyone into buying it, the product does what its suppose to do thats it they come looking for you, after they try it. thats how my husband & i got involved at 1st as just customers for health reasons my husband suffers from asthma, his mother from diebeties,cholesterol,high blood pressure. we tried it for 2 full months to see. even stopping just to see if there was a difference. my husband & i know alot of people who we didn’t even know were taking it too, until we went to a meeting. these people all already had there own bussinesses they didn’t need the extra money or hassel. none of us have college degrees, alot of good those will do you in todays economy. all of these companies have things in common it’s how they go about treating those in the company that makes the difference. i don’t want to call a u.s. company and get soemone on the other side of the world if i didn’t call that country. i have not had 1 person tell me they didn’t get there order when they placed it with the company, yes they place there own orders not you, they pay the company not you. everything is done on computer or phone. if you’d like you can contact me rlopez2132@aol.com
I’ve been an Avon Rep for 5 months – have sold over $10,200 worth of products so far. At this point, I keep 40% of my sales. Returning products has never been an issue. Customer service has been outstanding. Online training has been wonderful. My District Manager has been helpful and informative.
I have three recruits in my downline. The first thing that I tell them is, “You are NOT getting a job with Avon. This is YOUR business. You need to run it like a business. You need to make SMART business decisions on what to buy, what to pass on, and how to manage your own time and money. I can help teach you that, but if you’re looking for a job that pays you for just ‘showing up’, this is not for you. You need to have a bit of entreprenurial spirit.”
Just by being honest and up front, my DL team is doing great. We share supplies. We motivate each other. And we’re all pocketing a few hundred bucks per month.
Nick,
how on earth did you sell that much in 5 months? Did you just go out and hand out catalogs? What was your primary advertising method?
I am a MK lady but also signing up for Avon next week to compare the two.
Glad I found this site. I needed to explain the comparions between Avon and MK. I used to sale Avon and never made nothing. I bought more stuff for me to try and people would tell me to come back later for the payment of the products. With MK I get the payment upfront unless I know you are good for it. I don’t do a large inventory. I leaned from Avon. I only keep what I need for display or for my repeats. I enjoy MK and I like the personal touch and being able to know about what I am saleing. So far for me its paying for itself. I came in at a good time too. I got my kit money back in a rebate. I get my products back in about a week or less, we are online now. My daugher got me into the business. She did lose the red jacket but that was because the folks under her didn’t work. Not looking to recruit unless the person is really wanting to work MK. I just do this for a little side money. I’m not fooled into the side money and not giving up my day job either. Again, thanks for all your comments I am glad since I decided to go back in to some kind of business I choose Mary Kay.
Are there any male Mary Kay consultants? If so, what advantages or disadvantages would they have?
There are very, very few male Independant Beauty Consultants. I, personally don’t believe there are any advantages in trying to build a business with Mary Kay whether you be male or female.
One of the major disadvantages I could see a male Mary Kay consultant encountering would be lack of credibility. When a woman is considering the purchase of a skin care line or colour cosmetics they’ve never tryed before, it can be a daunting task. It makes the decision easier if the seller is someone they can relate to and more importantly, someone who uses the products themselves. When the consultant can achieve this common ground with a customer, there is a level of trust and credibility established.
Since Mary Kay’s skin care products (with exception to the MK Men line – which is very limited) are geared to and formulated for women, it would be hard for a male to pitch the products to the target market. The same goes for the cosmetics. If the man had a background as a makeup artist, it would be much easier, however, the odds would still be stacked against him.
The Mary Kay business model is extremely flawed. Anyone going in expecting to gain an income, whether they be male or female, will be shown the harsh realities of multi level marketing.
, Sorabotka .
It’s a pity that some have had bad experiences with Mary Kay– everyone is entitled to their own opinion and there are some bad consultants out there who lack integrity; however, after selling Avon years ago, and being extremely hesitant to become a Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay, I decided to go on a leap of faith in June of 2009. It was THE smartest thing I could have done. I went in a skeptic and am now entirely convinced that with enough heart, this company can be everything you need to reach your goals. I am in a mid-leadership position, have tons of loyal customers, and feel so good about sharing products that not only do I personally use (and used prior to becoming a Consultant), but statistically speaking have some of the most loyal customers (in the top 10 in a recent study, and the only cosmetics company in the top 10 for loyalty). I will be going on target for my first car, and although I never thought I’d say it in a million years, my eye is on becoming a director. There have been some who zoom to Directorship in less than a year… You can do it too if you want it.
Does deciding on a Mary Kay career require work on your part? Yes. Does it require 40 hours a week? Absolutely not. This is your own business, People. If you opened a restaurant or floral shop, you would need to advertise, network, talk to people, and nurture your dream until it provided the satisfaction you want out of it. The same goes for your Mary Kay business. It truly can fit into your existing schedule, and as I said, after being laid off twice since Dec. 2008, my MK business has paid my bills so I did not have to panic once the steady paychecks from my regular job ceased to come.
To anyone who has thought about giving this a try, I would urge you to do so. It is a small investment to see if it is something you enjoy– no one has a crystal ball and it is not Mary Kay’s job to ensure you succeed– that lies in your own hands. Mary Kay does offer the very best support and training there is, though, and in my opinion, being a part of this company has been the best self-improvement course imaginable. It is all about making women feel beautiful, empowered, and feminine.
There is a very good reason Mary Kay’s business plan is studied at Harvard Business School, and there is a very good reason why Mary Kay Ash herself has been named The #1 Female Entrepreneur of all time. These are accolades that only back the company’s good name, so for those who look to tarnish it, I must say that I’m sorry you had an experience that made you feel that way. The company’s philosophy is God first, family second, and career third, and the only rule is the Golden Rule. I am proud of my business and what it has done for me. I only look forward to my future because I am in control of it– not some boss who sits behind a desk all day barking orders. If that works for you, great! It doesn’t work for me. I’d rather treat people the way I’d like to be treated.
OH and one more thing… Mary Kay is not an MLM– we are not multi-level. We are dual level. There is a difference, just fyi. And we certainly DO NOT encourage high-pressure sales or recruiting. Personally, I share information and product knowledge, and should someone try a product they want to use or if they feel the Opportunity can fill a need they have, then they make an educated decision on whether or not they want to become a Consultant. For those of you who have felt pressured, that is a shame. Again, not the Mary Kay way.
Sorry B Phillips…you are WRONG! Mary Kay IS MLM and that’s that. There is NO such thing as dual level. It’s a made up term. If you read anything on this site you would know this. But I’m sure your mind is closed anyway.
But if you could explain the difference between MLM and dual marketing..in your own words, it might be entertaining. 🙂
B Phillips I agree with everything you have said except for the fact that once a person becomes a director there WILL be pressure and a quota to maintain.
B Phillips, I think you have had too much of the pink koolaid…research some of the “facts” you hear in your MK unit meetings. For one the MK business plan is not taught at Harvard business school.
Although the company literature and recruiters will tell you the business is based on God first, family second and career 3rd, you will be encouraged to leave your children with babysitters or your family to attend “training” events, Career Conf and Seminar.
You will also be told that short term sacrifice is necessary for long term success, and to “fake it till you make it”. Does that sound like something God would have you do? Does MK Corp do anything about unscrupulous recruiters or SD’s who push inventory and lie about the minimum order required? NO…does that sound like an ethical way to run any business?
Believe me I worked my business for 8.5 years and I too believed I could become a SD.
When you were unemployed did you collect unemployment? If so that is illegal and you could be discovered and required to pay back every cent + penalties and could even do jail time.
And there is no difference between dual marketing and MLM. Believe me your upline is making money from your orders and each level makes more…hence multi-level marketing is what MK is. Don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors. I’ll bet nobody told you if you don’t make production you will make a co-pay on that pretty shiny car and that they will come and get it if you fail to get back into the production requirements within the specified time. I bet you never checked out how much it would cost you to lease the same vehicle did you? A lot less than that co-pay or what MK will quote you as the “cash value”.
Open your eyes and think for yourself, check your own facts, you will be surprised at what this “God first ‘ company misrepresents (lies about).
That flier is definitely wrong. Maybe that’s how it used to be– but it isn’t now. There is no 40% in Mary Kay. If you don’t place a $400 retail order every 3 months your discount is no discount. If you are inactive and you place less than a $400 retail order, you pay full price.
And you are only terminated from the company after 12 months. (But it’s $20 to sign up again.) After 6 months of inactivity you go to T status (terminated) but you have another 6 months to place an order and reinstate active status.
I have sold both AVON and MK. Currently, I sell only AVON and have been very happy with it to date. I stock up on sale items, demo’s or items I can get for under book retail value then put them into my store and sell them for retail. I do not worry about recruits I just take orders from customers as they come into my store and keep a stock on hand for people to grab and buy.
So far its working and seems to be going well I’ll keep ya all posted!
Suzie
That document was not published by MK. It was published by a consultant. Look at it, I could make that on my computer using Microsoft Word. Pretty sure a Multi-billion dollar company doesn’t make their fact sheets using that. Here are the facts, coming from someone who has been in MK for 3 1/2 years and has become “inactive” during a quarter and needed to place a order. If you aren’t active (place a $200 wholesale order every 3 months) you don’t get the 50% discount after the 3rd month of that quarter unless you are placing an order of $400 retail or more. As soon as your order hits $400 your order total will be cut in half and the rest of the items you order are at 50%. I have no idea where the 40% thing came from…. I’ve never seen it. But that’s not to say that wasn’t made before I joined MK.
Oh boy Trudie. You obviously aren’t speaking from experience with Mary Kay. Therefor you should not be speaking at all. I have not recruited anyone and I don’t have to in order to make enough to support myself. Last year I made over $4200 selling MK on the side. That year I put in a total of 12 hours. The company gives you so many avenues to sell the products and make money (parties, website, reorders, one on one facials) and none on them require you to have anyone beneath you. You make the highest commision from selling MK over any other home based business. This is a matter of fact, not opinion.
Jess, I don’t believe for a minute that you “made” $4200 with only 12 hours of work…get real and show us the proof. We weren’t born yesterday! Your statements about MK are repetitive of the rah rah drivel sold at “unit” meetings. Surely there were expenses related to your “sales” that should be deducted from your profit.
As for your comment about Trudie, you are wrong!
‘This is your own business, People. If you opened a restaurant or floral shop, you would need to advertise, network, talk to people, and nurture your dream until it provided the satisfaction you want out of it. The same goes for your Mary Kay business”
Ugh, I would have to disagree! First of all, you DON’T own a business – you have the right to sell MK based upon their requirements! You can’t advertise or sell any way you want, only pre-approved MK advertisements and websites. You also can’t display products in shops.
For investmenting in “your business” – if you owned a resturant or flower shop, you could sell it or hire others to work for you. You can’t do that in MK! You also can’t sell it or leave it to family if you pass.
Ok Jess,
I don’t know who you think you are to be coming on here and accusing me of not having any experience in Mary Kay. I’ve told my story here several times. For you to just drop in and tell me I have no right to be speaking here is extremely offensive.
Anyone that has ever done Mary Kay would know that $4200 is not achieveable in just 12 hours of work. If that were the case, everyone would be doing Mary Kay and succeeding. The majority of us here were very serious about our Mary Kay businesses (myself included), have put in those hours and experienced, first hand, the outcome. Your claim is a flat out lie.
I’m done with you.
Trudie.
p.s. Lipstick, thank you for the back up.
NP trudie! You have had my back several times!
I just noticed Jess posted on April 1st, her “stated” income for the year is not outstanding, ($4200), but with only 12 hours of work must have just been an April Fool prank. I just hope the real joke doesn’t end up being on Jess!
12 hours a week
Tam, she said she put in a total of 12 hours, I assumed she meant for the year?
That’s what I assumed Lipstick because that’s what she said. 🙂
Well 12 hours a week or 12 hours a year, making a PROFIT of $4200 in a year is hard to believe with that small amount of time…just sayin!
I assumed she mean 12 hours per week and forgot to mention the per week. Even if she did make $ 4200 in PROFIT (after ALL expenses, including gas for vehicle, samples, etc.) while working 12 hours per week, that averages about $ 6.75 per hour, which is still under minimum wage.
you guys got me confused, i started reading the posts from the very beginning. i think i might go ahead with Avon since its only $10.00 to sign. a woman from my area has already called me last week about this, i know the products are cheaper than Mary kay. i just need to make an extra $200 to 300.00 a month since i’m a returning college student and just started a minimum wage part time job this week. i think i will try that natural wellness that someone mentioned and a ciara product i’ve been hearing rave reviews about. thanks for all the info.
It is only $10 to sign up for avon then they show you the starter kits that you can buy, one is 49.99 the other is 99.99 and its products THEY think you will sell. They are optional but not worth it. I sold avon for only 3 campaigns and lost alot on each. Everytime i had a question i had to call the directors assistant and hope she would call me back. She never did. I joined MK shortly after and i love it! I average about $100 profit a week but i just started. Everyone has a differnet experience with each company so i wish you luck!
I have looked into AVON and Mary Kay, but my neighbor got me interested on selling Zermat. It is a Mexican company and at first I thought it was going to be really low quality, but I am surprise the turnout of people who actually want to purchase the product. I even buy stuff from them. So to answer the question, neither Mary Kay nor Avon are better, you make much ore money by selling Zermat hands down.
Ann, I have never heard of Zermat and Googled it with no results, is it spelled correctly?
I’ve been a MK consultant and used MK skin Care products since 2001 with no problems but NOT all MK products are favorites of mine. I tried selling them but was not very successful at it. Many people didn’t want to pay $13 for a lipstick. I must say their product quality are very good though. I’ve also used AVON products and let me tell you that at first I was not to thrilled about using AVON products, just because it reminded me of OLD folks. Once I started using their ANEW skin care products they worked just as great as the MK for ME! Now again, NOT all AVON products are great either. But I have found many good and less expensive products that I now just love. I am very pickey when it comes to my face and so far, AVON good too. So I went from using a very expensive skin care and Makeup from VERSACE products to MK and now to AVON. They are all great I just keep using the ones that I really like from all three. I am very up front with my customers when they order something from me and I tell them what works for me and what I like most. AVON so far SELLS it’s SELF !!! AVON has been easier for me to sell and share and it’s been around for many years. No problem in getting repeated orders with AVON. Both MK and AVON have their Postives and Negatives, just be wise on your decision and investigate first to see which one works best for YOU. Keep in minds that you won’t become rich but at least you can make extra $$ on the side. One thing that I liked about my District Sales Manger with AVON is that she told me up front the $10 I can make it small or as BIG as I wish to make it. It’s a Very small amount of money to invest but you WON”T GET RICH! Yep she said it. She didn’t paint a pretty picture with Mansions and Fancy Cars like some others do. It’s what you make of it and the effort you put into ANYTHING is what will determine the outcome of your SUCCESS with WHATEVER YOU DO! . Sure they offer you things you can purchase but that’s up to you if you want to spend it or not. You buy WHAT YOU can afford. There has been NO pressure of what I NEED or SHOULD purchase with AVON they are merely just suggestions. Now I did experience NOT getting some of the things in my order when it arrived and the reason was cause they were on BACKORDER. I tell my customers up front that their orders will arrive unless there is an item that they picked that was not available at the time of placing the order so they are aware of it. I don’t like surprises and I treat my customers as I would like to be treated and informed. I have returned some products and I was recieved IMMEDIATE Credit as fast as I press the Submit button. No problems in the Return process and it was VERY EASY! Just make sure you return the items within 10 days some items don’t even need to be returned. And about the $7.50 per campaign it gets waived if a customer makes a purchase via mywebsite either for Direct Delivery or Representive Delivery. So far I havn’t had to fork over the $7.50 yet. ALL my customers place their orders ONLINE and depending what I set their profiles too, either it goes Direct delivery straight from AVON or I brink it to them!
Any MLM opportunity is pretty much like following a franchise business. You still have to deal with regulations and compliances from the top people before you place an Advertisement or sell their products. It’s just as if you were purchasing Business like a McDonalds or Burger King Restaurant. It’s all about how YOU want to view and look and the opportunity that’s presented.
I think that both AVON and MaryKay are two great companies but it’s NOT made for everyone. NO BUSINESS is perfect. “THE GRASS WILL ALWAYS BE GREEENER ON THE OTHER SIDE” So if your looking for that perfect business you’ll NEVER FIND IT!
This is a very common, reoccurring problem with AVON. IT’s one consistent complaint I’ve heard from AVON reps. And many times products will be on backorder through several campaigns, only to finally be reported as unavailable.
I love Avon products so I enjoy my discount. I have been selling it since Aug. 08. I haven’t made a lot of money, but I believe it has saved me some by getting my own products plus gifts for family. You have to be careful or you will end up in the hole. At the beginning of this year I converted a bedroom into a home office. I’m hoping this will help with income taxes this coming tax year. I sold MK a short while a long time ago, there is a lot more pressure to sell with them. I haven’t been hassled at all with Avon & you don’t have to keep inventory. I wish they had a better way to let top decision makers know how the reps feel about the business. I think they both charge way too much for demos, bags, & samples to their reps. Avon is much more affordable for the folks in my area. Most folks would rather give $3 than $13 for a lipstick. I also don’t like having to charge each customer an order processing fee of $.75 for each order. If they really want to empower women they should make it a little less expensive for their reps. In my experience, Avon is a lot less pressure than MK.
eightylady, be careful and consult a tax professional before claiming your room as a tax write off. You can’t write off more than you made!
Whether you are talking Avon, MK or any other MLM, the company is all about their profit and you will find they always get theirs right off the top! They like to pretend they care about the reps, but all they care about is keeping reps ordering because this is how they make their money.
My Mom has been selling Avon for around twenty years, but she’s never done it in hopes of making a profit. She’s always done it for her own personal use and for gifts for other people. She brings catalogs to work with her and I know she often gets some good orders from doing that. She also gives catalogs to a few of her neighbour ladies that she is close with and does well with that as well.
From what I’ve seen growing up with an Avon lady as my Mom, I’d say that the pressure to sell and try to make it big is nowhere near what you get with Mary Kay. My Mom has never blew thousands of dollars to go to seminars that were all hype about the business. She’s never stalked people in malls or tried to recruit the soccer mom next to her at my brothers games as a kid. She had no problem leaving the house in a sweat suit and no makeup. She never claimed God to be her business partner.
I’m not promoting Avon or any other multi-level marketing company for that matter, but I definitely think that Mary Kay is in it’s own category when it comes to MLM. That’s just my two cents.
Hi, there! Just spent the last hour reading all these posts. I have been an MK rep as well as MK rep (even a few others). Both are fantastic companies.. IF… you know people!! MK consultants will find it very hard to make any sale if the market in the area is flooded with reps, which was my situation. My friends and neighbors treated me like I had the plague and ran when they heard I was with MK. My first meeting was a real “cult” experience. Im sorry but very true. I was young and was driven by the red coats and the women wearing too much mk makeup telling me I will sell a million dollars a year but I needed to have the products there. They helped me order what they TOLD me people wanted. Ummm no. They said people wanted the skincare line. So I ordered tons. Only to find out most ordered eyeliners, eyeshadows a few variety items. Then found out from a large percentage of my customers that the skincare line made them break out horribly. I went to my Upline who said “oh it makes them break out because its cleaning out their pores” dont think they care, break out is break out. I never made a penny with MK, I was bugged at work, home emails by my upline. YES she called me at WORK!!! I love some of the products, however I’m not spending all that money in 3 months for button that says ‘team leader’. Avon I also did, had a great woman help me. She forced me to go door to door, do the challenges. I was a team leader in less then a month. Again they did focus on recruitment like MK. With Avon the orders are low, because the prices are low. Therefore your profit is low as well unless you have a downline. The difference. Instead of them running from me in MK, I got “OMG!! Ive been looking for an Avon rep for ages!!!” most snagged the books out of my hands. Avon sells itself. You will find a lot of women have been looking for avon reps. I was very suprised at the response. However, sorting out the boxes of goods for customers was a nightmare, and I ended up spending any profit on myself. With Avon, customers love the fact there are new things every 2 weeks. Women love change, they love to shop, they love makeup. For them it’s like getting a christmas toy catalog every few weeks. The reality? MK is a great product, however I think the majority of the revenue comes from the consultants themselves forking out large inventory orders. 400-several thousand to be exact. Look on ebay at the number trying to get rid of the products. Amazing. Avon- No inventory, less expensive. Profit margin low unless you have 1265165 people under you. Avon is great to do for your own uses. Making a business out of either with no inventory is your challenge. Spend the same amount on each, see which sells itself.
I am a former Avon rep (4+ years) who is now considering selling MK. I have several thousand $$ of Avon inventory in my house. I was pressured every campaign to buy product to keep the DM’s sales up.
I worked hard, but never saw any reward. I got tired of the backorders, and when the economy tanked, so did my business. I recruited a couple of people, they didn’t place frequent enough orders, and when I didn’t get and maintain the required 5 “active” team members, I lost my downline. Does this occur in MK?
If I join MK, I am NOT going to by a lot of inventory. I don’t want to be left hanging the bag if I am not successful.
I am not badmouthing Avon, they have some great products, but I am concerned about ending up like I did before – a lot of hard work and nothing to show for it, except a lot of unwanted product.
Ann, the same thing happens in Mk, maybe not all SD’s pressure you to order every month, but if they are not where they need to be the pressure is on and dependingo n the size of the unit you will get a personal e-mail, call or her assistant will call to try to drum up orders.
Unfortunately all MLM’s are the same. The idea is that the Company makes money not the consultants.