New Price Comparison Sheet Attempts to Show Mary Kay Products Are a Bargain
L J
Filed under Mary Kay Training Documents, Product Info
I received the latest Price Comparison sheet going around now in Mary Kay. When I was a consultant, such sheets were common, as directors were always comparing the prices of Mary Kay to other “department store” in an attempt to show how inexpensive Mary Kay products are.
Yes, many Mary Kay products are cheaper than their competitors’ similar product. But I’ve always been a little skeptical about comparing Mary Kay products to those of companies like Clinique or Lancome. To me, Mary Kay isn’t quite at the same level of quality as those department store brands. I think Mary Kay products are more closely comparable to brands like Maybelline, CoverGirl, and Loreal.
In fact, Mary Kay is LESS on trend than any of those three companies, yet such drug store brands are usually looked down upon by the Mary Kay community as being inferior.
This latest sheet is supposedly trying to show how, in these penny-pinching times, Mary Kay is a better choice than the popular drug store brand Loreal.
Unfortunately, it fails.
Loreal beats Mary Kay on price for 16 of the listed 19 products. One product that Mary Kay makes doesn’t have an equivalent in Loreal, so we can just throw that one out. Therefore, Loreal wins the price contest for 16 of 18 products.
And I’ll be the first one to argue that for the quality, price and timeliness, Loreal is the CLEAR winner, not Mary Kay.
Here’s the document so you can check it out yourself:
Color Cosmetic Price Comparison Sheet
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Did anyone else notice how on the top it says for Beauty Consultants only, don’t show it to your customers? So then what’s the point of the sheet if you can’t show it to your customers (if you even have any). Oh yeah, it’s just to convince consultants that Mary Kay is a good buy, so that they’ll keep stocking up on inventory.
Yes Maggie! I forgot to mention that.
It is funny, isn’t it? I mean, supposedly the whole point of it is for consultants to be able to show their customers what a great buy MK is.
But as you point out, it’s probably aimed at a different customer: the MK consultant herself.
Ladies, I was one of those consultants but thank goodness I didn’t sink my lifesavings into it like all those poor other women who were mis-informed or too gullible to realize what they were actually getting into. Ok, I read over the pdf price sheet and even though it says not to show to your customers, it’s really meant for your customers to see. I had plenty of sheets just like this one in my Recruit, Hostess and Guest packets. I don’t sell for MK anymore and it’s a good thing but I do happen to use and like some of their products. I have tried the Cover Girl, Maybelline, Clinque etc. and had a hard time using them with my skin. Although, I did encounter customers that could not use MK products or just didn’t like them. To each their own and what works for them. I do think MK is overpriced on a good bit of their product line but so are alot of the Cosmetics these days. Let me tell you that when a company is losing money because no one is buying, they change ingredients, quantity, packaging and price. Sound familiar? It should, cause everyone is doing it, just take a good look at the foods you are buying from the grocery store these days. I am not sticking up for MK but if an objective comparison is going to be made, you might as well throw all of them in the fire because they are all guilty!
PS- I like this website, lots of info for those who are wearing blinders coming into MK and potentially other “non profit” corporations and companies.
Mary, thanks for your post. You make some very valid points. I would like to point out the diference between MK, Avon, Arbonne and other cosmetic skin care lines. With the 3 companies noted, for the most part customers do not come to the IBC, many are either friends or business associates od the IBC’s or are “warm chattered” and solicited.
These practices have led to many people being turned off to the companies and their products. People do not want to be harrassed or “attacked” in public and they do not want to be called every day for 2-3 weeks until they finally cave in and agree to an apointment…many of which I might add never hold, because the prospect agreed just to keep the IBC from calling.
Also , nobody disputes that some changes are necessary to keep up with market trends and developments. MK however makes many changes just in the packaging or design of the containers products are in, that is purely a ploy to generate sales from the IBC’s. Every customer wants the latest and greatest, many times the formulas have NOT changed.
The changes MK does make in their product lines are usually behind other on-trend companies, so they are not a leader in the technology of skin care or color cosmetics.
We appreciate your point of view and your respectful comments. We hope you’ll join us in the forum where we talk about many topics other than Mk. We discuss, our hobbies, homes, families, children, jobs, health, fitness, cooking, current events and other topics. Please join us! You will meet many interesting ladies and they all have hearts of gold!
Lipstick, thanks for the invite. I would love to intermingle with you ladies. Alot of what these women are saying about MK is true. I was told a lot of lies also and for a short while I was clouded also. I put seven years into it but I was able to see through alot of their bull early on and didn’t invest too much of my money into it. I would sell enough to stay active only because my director and I were friends before MK. That made it very hard to get away from the company but I eventually just told her that it’s not about the company any more, it’s about me and my family and it’s time for me to move on. We are still very good friends and respect each other.
Anyway, I could go on forever but everything that happened to me has already happened to so many other women and it begins to sound like a broken record. I look forward to each day like it’s my last and Praise God that I’m not where I used to be…I am truly Blessed, I have a husband and a fifteen year old daughter and everything to be “Thankful” for and I’m not looking back. Yesterday is gone and today is a new day!
Talk to you soon!
What a great post, Mary, it brought back memories of when I told my SD after 8.5 years that I was returning my product. She was not nearly as supportive and understanding as your SD. But in the end I said pretty much what you did. There comes a time when it’s not about MK, it’s about what’s best for me and my family and it just isn’t working!
Anyway, I could go on forever but everything that happened to me has already happened to so many other women and it begins to sound like a broken record. I look forward to each day like it’s my last and Praise God that I’m not where I used to be…I am truly Blessed, I have a husband and a fifteen year old daughter and everything to be “Thankful” for and I’m not looking back. Yesterday is gone and today is a new day!
Mary, I love your wonderful positive attitude, come on into the forum and join us, you would fit right in. You’ll never meet a nicer group of ladies. We laugh together, we pray together, and we support each other…it’s a great place to land after MK! I’m looking forward to chatting with you inside!
First of all, this is a great website as it seems to help educate others. I am currently a consultant, but I must say, I look at things from a different perspective — I do that with almost everything I guess. First, on the comparative pricing…. prior to MK, I have used Clinique – for about 15 years actually. I must say I do think MK is quite comprable in quality to Clinique and Lancome but less expensive (but still pricy).
With regards to what is being told to the consultants — this is the regular Kool Aid that is passed around in most companies. Smart people however, need to know not to drink it or at least take sips vs. gulps. I just left the corporate world where I made a six figure salary and trust me, it’s no different —except that we weren’t dealing with cosmetics.
As a new consultant, I can already say that I truly do feel sorry for some of the women that get into this blindsided. Ladies, this is a business. It may be about makeup and girly prizes and all the sparkly stuff, but this is a business. It’s not easy and you get what you put into it. You need to make good decisions and provide good service — honest service. It means educating yourselves on the market so that if the Cover Girl product is better, don’t pretend the MK is. Just promote the products that you can honestly feel good selling. It also means marketing YOUR business the way you need to not simply what MK is telling you. And the recruiting of team members? Please, that can be done more honestly as well. Not everyone can run a business, so why would we assume so by coercing a naive woman to do so.
I have an undergrad in Business Management and a Masters in Business Administration — and I do love the MK products and am quite passionate about what I do. It’s probably why I am one of the few that are actually seeing profits. This is not for everyone and although I would like to build up my team, I am quite selective with prospective team members. I get no satisfaction with blindsiding someone.
And that’s it I guess…..It’s a business, and not everyone can hang. Even some good business people end up closing their establishments. I don’t think it’s necessarily a MK thing, it’s just life in the business.
Anna, glad the effects of that pink koolaid you drank have worn off. You were quite rude and condescending in your post on another thread! Is this the same Anna or do you have multiple personalities? LOL
Welcome! I hope this site gives you some valuable information that wil prevent you from making some of the mistakes others have made. Good luck to you in your business and if it isn’t all you thought it would be, we’ll still be here and will welcme you and even support you!
Thanks, Lipstick…Will definitely be checking in from time to time just to make sure I stay real. As far as other threads, it’s got to be another Anna. Unfortunately, the corporate world has desensitized me from caring enough to be rude. I just found this site and this is the first thread I’ve read –And again, I really do like it! — Not sure what the other Anna was upset about, but someone should pass along to her “It is what it is”. I actually have a sign that says that in my office to remind me to build a bridge and get over it!
Anna feel free to join us in the Forum by clicking on the “forum’ button in the tan toolbar at the top of the page. we really do talk about much more than MK. We discuss current events, politics, health, fitness, cooking and eating, children, family, hobbies, humor, and we have a section dedicated to active MK consultants.
You will find women who are warm, witty, smart and make wonderful friends for a lifetime!
PS…I do believe there are 2 Annas and I apologize for confusing the 2 of you. You are definitely the nicest of the two and very respectful in your posts. I hope you will come back and read more!