PinkLighthouse.com

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.

Mary Kay Ash founded the Company on the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”So let me ask you this: Do you like being lied to?

You see, a lot of women who were in Mary Kay had a big problem with the fact that they had to tell little and not-so-little lies just to get appointments or recruits. For instance…

• We found ourselves calling customers and telling them we were in a contest or our Director had challenged us to do 30 faces in 30 days. Yet we knew we weren’t. We knew that it was just a script; a gimmick to get our customer to hold a class with some new people so we could increase our customer base and maybe get a new team member.
• We told potential recruits that it only cost $100.00 to join Mary Kay. We knew that technically this was correct, but that our recruits would be “encouraged” to purchase large inventory packages after they signed that agreement.
• We knew that when we invited guests to meetings that it wasn’t just about having a “girls’ night out” or trying out the latest Mary Kay products. We knew our Directors were going to do a marketing presentation, just as they did every week, with the intent of getting our guests to sign up as a Consultant.

Is it any wonder that we dreaded calling our customers? Is it any wonder that we felt just a little bit dishonest?

Name: Kim

Date Joined MK: July 2007

Highest Level Achieved:

When Left MK Or Are You Still Active: September 2007

Initial Inventory Purchased: $5,000.00

How were you recruited?
Newport Beach Mary Kay meeting. My 17 year old daughter wanted to sell Mary Kay, but couldn’t. The director explained that I should join then my daughter could take over the business when she turned 18. So, without talking to my husband and not praying about it, I foolishly joined Mary Kay again.

What about Mary Kay appealed to you most?
I was a consultant in 1987, and had to quit because of a move. I still used the product because I LOVE IT. I just hate selling anything, but thought it would be a step for my daughter.

Tell us about one of your most memorable or embarassing situations while in Mary
Kay
I really have none that is either embarassing or memorable. I have had nothing but grief.

What did you learn from your Mary Kay experience?
I learned the new products are wonderful, and I will still use Mary Kay products. However, I learned that I am not a “sales person”. I don’t like script-read presentations done to me and therefore following the Mary Kay Golden Rule I will not do that to others. Also Too much HYPE at the meetings.

What are you doing now? Working full or part time? Working from home? etc.
I am a stay at home mom. I will be going back to doing the things I love to do such as my writing, sewing, and volunteering.

Additional Comments
I would like to caution on the “Risk-Free” opportunity. I am finding out that there is a risk to everything. I failed to do the most important step and that was to PRAY. When I told my director that I didn’t take time to pray about signing up, she informed me that Mary Kay is a Christian based company. Hmm, again, just because a company makes such a claim, things aren’t always the way it appears.