Warm Chatter = Soliciting
Written by L J on July 8, 2008 – 2:35 pm -One of the ways that Mary Kay Consultants are encouraged to find new customers is by “warm chattering.”
The consultant spies a woman in the cosmetic department of the local Wal-Mart, for instance, and casually comments on her lovely skin. The consultant then tries to get the woman’s name and phone number so that she can set up an appointment with her to “try Mary Kay products” or be a “face model” at a girls’ night out, which is really a Mary Kay sales meeting.
I don’t know many consultants who were ever really good at this. Most tried it a few times and gave up because of the negative responses they received. Many people couldn’t stand approaching people in a way that they, themselves, would find irritating and offensive. (Hmmm…sounds like the Golden Rule to me!)
I know of several consultants who got thrown out of the mall or the drug store for “warm chattering.” Some of them were actually surprised that the businesses would do that. They didn’t think they were doing anything wrong.
Why would they? Mary Kay Inc. produced at least one video that I saw showing consultants how to properly warm chatter. The one I remember featured two women in the greeting card isle of a grocery store. Woman A is picking out a card. MK Consultant Woman appears, wheeling her cart down the isle and stops to look at the cards. Consultant Woman glances over at Woman A and makes some conversation starter regarding the cards, then offers her helpful card suggestion. Somehow this syrupy, unbelievable nonsense leads to Consultant Woman talking about Mary Kay and getting Woman A’s phone number. The video continued, showing how to book Woman A for a facial, then turn it into a class, etc.
Here’s the problem: Warm Chattering is Soliciting.
That “No Soliciting” sign in the window of the store means no warm chatter. No trying to solicit business for yourself on the premises of another business.
That’s all there is to it.
If you’re a consultant, be advised that you can be asked to leave a store for this.
If you’re an unsuspecting shopper and you get caught in one of these “warm chattering” incidents, politely tell that Mary Kay consultant that she is soliciting, then find a manager and report her.
Tags: face model, Golden Rule, mary kay consultants, warm chatter
Posted in Articles & Commentary |
July 8th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Great post.
I find it embarrassing when people do that. What is crazy is their upline is teaching that stuff.
I get prospected (not for MY) all the time in book stores because I “look like a sharp guy”.
Crazy…lol
Dave
July 9th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I find that SO irrating and it is soliciting! Plus, why would you approach someone you don’t know anything about? I’ll bet there are some “sharp looking” serial killers out there somewhere!
The reason they teach that, over and over, is because IBC’s run out of friends/family and have to attempt to come up with fresh meat new people.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Warm chattering is so unrealistic, lol.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I hated warm chatter and I was never good at it. I guess in my mind even if your complimnet was sincere the idea of approaching somebody you didn’t know with a sincere compliment just to get their name and phone number so you could sell them MK felt dishonest!
9 times out of 10 if you did book an appointment, it didn’t hold! Just calling trying to make a contact several times, seemed to me like harrassment.
I’m glad I got rid of the pink glasses and can clearly now. Life is so much better.
Life lived honestly without trying to trick somebody into a “free facial”, being a guest just so you can try to recruit them and “faking it until you make it” is so much more fun. I’m finally “Free to be me!!!”
Oh did I forget to mention, that I can dress comfortably now…no suit, hose and closed toe heels!
July 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Lipstick, it felt dishonest because it WAS dishonest.
Even if your compliment were sincere, the motive for the compliment wasn’t. That’s why people weren’t good at warm chatter. They knew it was a lie.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:43 pm
My director who recruited me was so good at warm chatter. She used to work the financing side of an automotive co. so she must of picked up the car salesman’s tricks. It makes me wish I was dressed like a slob the day our paths crossed in the grocery store instead of like a “sharp” real-estate agent with “such great sense of style.”
BUT she never once mentioned MaryKay until I saw her card. Then she called me and never even told me it was a salesmeeting I was invited to with her “2 extra tickets to a ‘Women in Business’ event that just came available” and told me to use the same technique when trying to get my friends to come to the Hyatt. “If you make them think there is limited space and don’t let them know it’s every Tuesday and Thursday, they are more likely to show up. “ How’s that for deceptive?
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 am
Amanda,
A friend of mine had the same experience - she was invited to a “business women’s brunch” and was appalled to find out, after she had arrived, that it was a MK recruiting event! Apparently that is on a “script” somewhere!
I agree it is deceptive!
July 26th, 2008 at 1:43 am
lipstick - wondering how long you’ve been “free to be me?” the company changed the policy on hose and close-toed shoes over a year ago. apparently, your “free to be me” is being bitter for a long time; how truly sad. i have heard directors/consultants talk about some of the warm-chatter approaches that some of the commentors have mentioned, and i would agree it is soliciting when the sole purpose was to get a name. i have just always made a practice of sincerely complimenting someone without looking for a potential customer and not even mentioning mary kay. this brightens both their day and mine.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Lisa,I was just going through old comments on the PLH site and happened upon several of yours.
I just had to respond to this one in particular. When you are sincerely complimenting somebody without wanting to get their name and phone number for business purposes (whether it’s a MK facial or something else), that’s called being friendly and I do that quite well!
Being friendly often brightens my day and I hope it brightens others as well.
I have been out of MK for a year and stopped attending meetings 6 months before that, but I still have many friends, including a few SD’s in MK and if MK Corp has changed it’s policy on wearing hose and closed toe shoes it is news to me and to them.
Perhaps your SD and your area loosely follow the MK Corp policies…but I don’t really know, it could be that those I know that are still in the business are holding on to the rule for reasons unknown to me!
It was refreshing hearing your opinion, if you never mention MK when you are sincerely complimenting somebody, then I assume you have another plan for getting names for bookings and I applaud you on your success!
July 31st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
the changing of wearing hose and closed-toed shoes happened right before seminar ‘07. i know several directors who have said they didn’t care what new policy was, they were going to stick to the hose and closed-toed shoe rule.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
lisa, you are so RAH, RAH about MK, yet you avoid the obvious…tell us more about how you have been so successful in MK for 28 years, incurring no debt, paying your bills with MK, be a little “go-give” and share your success…it’s the Mary Kay way.
The hose and close toed shoe comment is irrelevant…let’s face it there are always going to be women who don’t follow the dress code..but they wouldn’t be called “negative” unless you say so.
I looked it up on In-Touch and there is no statement that recants the closed toed shoes and pantyhose rule…If they changd it right before Seminar ‘07, show us the proof from MKC!
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Go to InTouch and search for “closed toe”. The first result is “Just the FAQ’s”. That has the revised dress suggestions published 1/1/2007. There’s your proof.
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Lipstick…as much as I dislike MK, Lisa is right on the dress policy. I joined in April of 2008 and my SD told myself and my sister in law that we did not have to wear hose or close toed shoes anymore. Of course, it still didn’t take me long to see the light…I did MK for all of 3 months. I sold a lot of inventory and was doing ok with it. But, I stumbled on here as I was thinking about quitting and this was the straw that broke that camel’s back. I quit after I went on this site. I’m still trying to sell down my inventory before I send the remaining stuff back. As of today, I’m no longer using any MK junk on my face. I was to going to finish what I had already started using prior to quitting, but I can’t stand it anymore! I felt like a hypocrite! I don’t like the product, it does absolutely nothing for me, and the whole MK thing really makes me angry. Especially after getting that cheesy dream catcher thing and the pic. How cheap can they get?!?
August 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Thanks PinkMe and id girl! I found it. I was searching under dress code and didn’t find anything.
I’m glad to see them modernize the dress code, I’d like to have them include pant suits as business attire. The whole business world accepts pant suits as professional attire.
But, it doesn’t really matter to me any more as I terminated my contract in Sept 2007.