Linda Farfalla’s Metamorphosis

Name:  Linda Farfalla’s Metamorphosis

Are You Active or Inactive?
Inactive (recently)

If Inactive, Date You Left MK:
Haven’t…..yet

Amount of Initial Inventory You Purchased:
$2400.00

How were you recruited? Tell us all the details.
The Director attends the church I used to assist, also knew my husband and step-kids for a few years before I met and married him. At the time when she approached me, I was feeling lonely: new gal in a new town, having left family and friends; missing my kids who were away for the holidays. I wanted friends, and was searching for a “ministry,” especially for women who had walked or were walking in the same shoes.
My schedule was free the day I attended a make-over event at a hotel and fell in love with not only the product (first time in about 15 years that my skin had cleared up), but also with the potential to meet the emotional needs of women.
The Director asked me if I’d like to become a Consultant, I signed the agreement three days later….and couldn’t sleep for weeks because of the excitement.

Do you have a memorable experience from your time in Mary Kay? If so, please tell us about it.
All the initial experiences are positive…I eagerly attended the weekly meetings, Career Conferences, other weekend getaways. They were all fun learning experiences.
I had earned Team Leader status, on my way to fulfilling the desire I had to really help other women….that is, until I started hearing that I shouldn’t worry about some of my Consultants that were slowing down; I felt like I wasn’t “allowed” to counsel them, in a way, to move their business.
Also, my customers got tired of me calling them constantly, even though they had already said “no” three times or more before…I was then told to “move on” to the “next face”…..a characteristic that is so not me. I don’t like using people.
As 2009 came to a close, I had lost all my team members, out of over 200 faces that tried the product, I can only count about 10 customers that purchase on a regular basis…….ME, my husband, my daughters and maybe 4 “outsiders.”

What are you doing now?
I am still working at my day job, which has to do with outreach. I am out in the field touching the lives of others and getting paid for it, which is what I was doing before starting MK.
I am also starting to get involved with Christian women’s ministries because I would rather go into a store or walk down the street and be aware of the spiritual needs of women than feel like I’m chasing them down to talk about their makeup needs; I would rather sit down with them for two hours and preach the saving power of Jesus Christ that is FREE than to make them feel pressured into buying a product that they probably won’t purchase again….or make them feel guilty for having me “wasted” my time.

Additional Comments:
The products ARE good…am overjoyed that my face cleared up; the foundation is great, the color makeup, too.
The overall idea of helping other women is awesome….but….the pressure to sell and purchase inventory, and constantly call customers (which, I don’t understand, because if I run out of something, I go out and get it…I don’t need another adult to remind me!!), the pressure to attend meetings where the same thing is taught over and over and over again…the lack of sisterhood OUTSIDE of Mary Kay (why not attend a Consultant’s wedding, babyshower, bbq at home?????? why does it ALWAYS have to be about Mary Kay????)….the inability to actually share your personal life with another Consultant or customer is frowned upon.

I just don’t understand that part….for that, I’d rather stay home with and give to my family instead of giving myself away to others.

I have made my request before the Lord, and if it’s His will to go forward with this business, I will….if not, it’s also ok. Like Paul, I consider it all loss/dung, for I’d rather be at my Father’s business.

Lisa Says You Should Take Ownership For Drinking the Mary Kay Kool-Aid

Your Name: Lisa

Are You Active or Inactive? yes. Started my business in 2006

Amount of Initial Inventory You Purchased: $1,800

How were you recruited?  Tell us all the details.
My sister-in-law gave me a pampering while I was on vacation visiting my in-laws. I feel [sic] in love with the product.

Do you have a memorable experience from your time in Mary Kay? If so, please tell us about it.
That would have to be my first Seminar experience. I recall dancing in a ballroom with a ton of other IBCs to Donna Summer’s ‘Stamp Your Feet.’ The energy, the hope and the excitement in the room was amazing!

What are you doing now?
I’m a double entrepreneur. So I spend my time primarily operating and growing my primary business (meeting planning) but still love connecting with women through my Mary Kay business.

Feel free to include any additional comments here:
Like many of you, I went into business myself as a way to stay at home and raise my daughter yet contribute to my household. I’ve been in business for myself successfully since 2000. You have to be SMART and really investigate an opportunity before you invest in it. This business is not for everyone. And unfortunately, there are a lot of women out there who are destroying the empire Mary Kay Ash built because of their thirst to be at the top no matter how they get there. I am very happy with my MK business. I still get a lot of reward from teaching women of all ages the importance of taking care of their skin and helping them to feel beautiful. I believe in the product we sell. And I believe anyone can succeed in this business with the right attitude and some legitimate mentorship. I feel sorry for all the women who find themselves bitter from the negative experiences they’ve had. But I wonder how many of them take ownership for drinking the kool-aid and not asking the hard questions you have to ask when making business decisions. So for those of you considering starting your own MK business, do your research, discuss the opportunity with your family, weigh all the options, and most importantly, pray about your decision. Remember, you always have the right to say “no” to someone regardless if they’re telling you to sign up for a special MK training or invest in a $2,400 inventory order. Mary Kay started this business to give you an opportunity. It’s up to the person accepting the opportunity to run it with the same style of class and decorum she did.

Em Learned That When You Say “No” To Joining Mary Kay, Directors Are Deaf

Your Name: Em

Date Joined Mary Kay: Didn’t Join

When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Totally left

Initial Inventory Purchased: $0 – Luckily

How were you recruited?: A friend brought me to the meetings and I was offered the 50$ deal for the month of October.

Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay: The only thing memorable was when I went to one of the meetings and there was barely anyone there. I thought there was going to be a lot of people there and that it was going to be a cute and fancy party, but I was wrong.

What did you learn from Mary Kay?: That when you say no, they don’t take it as an answer. I tried telling my recruiter who was the director that I couldn’t do this business and she went on and on about what she did when times where hard for her and about how Jesus when through tough stuff also. It made me angry because I believe in God and Jesus, but I rather not have them being used against me when have my problems seem minuscule compared to them.

What are you doing now?: I am working in retail. I think I rather work in retail and find a place to escape from customers than to have a one on one meeting with customers that are: A. Not interested, B. Only want one thing or C. Psycho’s in disguise.

Additional Comments: I think the way I was recruited was personally by manipulation, but at the same time, my foolish ambitions to get rich. When I sat there that night and thought about what the hell I was really doing in this business. it is time consuming. I am a college student and I already had enough in my plate. When I spoke to her about this, she went on, trying to convince me to reconsider, and even went as far as to talking about religion and such when I was only interested in talking about leaving the business. She tried to guilt trip me. To the point, that when I told her I couldn’t go to one of the meetings because of a family meeting that was very important, she told me to reschedule that for the meeting. Excuse me. But I didn’t have time as it is to see family, but to tell me to reschedule it, pushed me over the edge, thus made me change my mind to join.

Mary Feels Like Mary Kay Was a Big Con

Your Name: Mary

Date Joined Mary Kay: May, 1997

When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Summer 2004

Initial Inventory Purchased: 2400

How were you recruited?: I got a company mailer about the opportunity from my rep who was also a SSD and I called her about signing up.

Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay:
Going to my second rah rah session – about 3 months after my first and noting instead of 4 directors renting the space, there was only one.  Instead of a full room of people there were only 6 of us.  Two of those six were “guests”, sisters just out of high school who worked at a local factory and lived in the cheapest of trailer parks with their mother.  They were given make-overs and the more boisterous of the 2 was signed that night!!  RAH! RAH!

I showed up the next week – the one and only time I did 2 meetings in a row, and the new recruit had bought a $600 inventory package and thus got to read the MK quote of the week – umm – this was awkward – she couldn’t – she stood there and stared at the slip of paper and screwed up her face trying to decode the words until her sister looked over her shoulder and whispered the MKism into her ear.  I then knew this was a cruel con.  My director lived 200 mlies away and when I told of my new objections to the business agreed with me that having someone who could not read sign a written contract for a business that communicates primarily by written word was unethical – I thought it was exploitive, personally.  She gave told me this Director was an exception – most Directors she knew would never do anything like this.  She found another area meeting for me to attend – which on the few occasions I attended only confirmed that there was NO actual market for this product; this was a con and like cons preyed upon what you wishes were true rather than what you know is true.

What did you learn from Mary Kay?: I prefer MAC.

What are you doing now?: What I want without guilt.

Additional Comments: None

Kristen Almost Joined and Wants to Tell You Her Story

Your Name: “Kristin”

Date Joined Mary Kay: Didn’t! (Almost did recently)

When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Just a customer

Initial Inventory Purchased: Nothing, thank God!

How were you recruited?: OK, so I’d like to share my story, because I *almost* joined recently.

It all started when I was duped into “winning” a “facial” over a year ago by an MK rep who had staked out my gym. After this disappointing facial “party”, where I sat in a run-down building next to strangers and applied teeny bits of product to my OWN face, I was pressured until I caved in and bought a skin care product. Over the next year, I occasionally got catalogs in the mail.

Then one day, I got a call from a woman who had taken over the other lady’s customers. She invited me to a training session.

Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay:
So I show up to the training thinking that my new MK consultant is going to be there. The director asks me whose guest I am, and I tell her and mention that I’m wondering if the consultant will be there. Of course, the director says she knows her but she fails to inform me that this woman lives clear in another state and never had ANY intention of being there! The director asks me how I met the consultant, and I tell her that she took over for another lady who once sold me a product. Then the director goes, “Well, she must have thought an awful lot of you to invite you here!!!”

…wtf? Do you REALLY think I can’t see through that fake smile of yours? …I shrug it off and sit down.

Suddenly there appears another consultant next to me who doesn’t know that I’m “taken.” If we were in a bar, I’d say she was seriously coming on to me. Suddenly the director interrupts us and informs her that I’m already spoken for.

“That’s OK! No problem! Golden rule!” the woman next to me blurts out awkwardly.

So I sit through the meeting and listen to the director drone on and on about herself the ENTIRE time- how she’s been selling MK since the age of the dinosaurs, how this is her 50th free car, etc.

And then I watch as people compare notes on how much they sold. I see the cheesy pin prizes, and I watch as the director congratulates one of the consultants on her accomplishment of being eligible to… guess what… BUY an ugly red jacket with an MK logo. (No offense to anyone who particularly likes that jacket but seriously, it’s like having to buy a bridesmaids dress that you will never wear again.)

After the meeting they give me one of those facials. That’s right, the one where I actually give MYSELF the facial.

And then all of a sudden, the director is on me like a badger. “So which skincare set are you interested in purchasing?” Umm, didn’t I just say like 50 times that I like the cleanser I already have? Why are you trying so hard to sell me the ONLY thing I specifically DON’T NEED???

“Well, I really don’t need the cleanser,” I protest.

“They are all designed to go together,” she says, smiling.

After about 5 minutes of this, she gives up and starts trying to sell me the new EXTREMELY SPECIAL and RARE $50 kit. Everyone ELSE had to pay $100, you see.

“Well, what’s in it?” I ask.

Silence.

“I mean, you sort of need product up-front in order to sell, right? Is there enough in here so that I can start selling?”

You should have seen their faces! They looked like deer in the headlights. I watched them all look at each other and pause and not know what to say. So instead they just hand me a pamphlet which shows how much MORE I’d get with the $50 kit and why I shouldn’t delay. Of course, it fails to mention that the size of the kit is SMALLER than the $100 kit and isn’t even enough to hold a class.

Meanwhile, I ask, “Does anyone have a kit that I can see, so I know exactly what comes in it?” Of course, nobody does. One woman pulls out a few of those one-time use samples and says how I’d get a bunch of them and how there is enough in them that customers can use them 2 or 3 times each.

In the end, I bought ONE product- the one that I actually NEEDED.

I don’t have any hard feelings for any of the MK girls. I know they’re just doing their job and trying to get by. The director rubbed me the wrong way, but luckily I’m not her customer. I don’t mind paying full price for MK products when I need them. I simply don’t appreciate being badgered- especially when the person is wearing a totally fake smile.

What did you learn from Mary Kay?: I learned not to be afraid to ask the “hard” questions and to always check stuff out on the internet and talk to people if I have a funny feeling. And most importantly- to follow my instincts!

What are you doing now?: At the moment, I’m enjoying a nice glass of wine. 

Additional Comments: Good luck to everyone out there!

Your Name:                      "Kristin"
Date Joined Mary Kay:           Didn't! (Almost did recently)
When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Just a customer
Initial Inventory Purchased:    Nothing, thank God!

How were you recruited?:
OK, so I'd like to share my story, because I *almost* joined recently.

It all started when I was duped into "winning" a "facial" over a year ago by an MK rep who had staked out my gym. After this disappointing facial "party", where I sat in a run-down building next to strangers and applied teeny bits of product to my OWN face, I was pressured until I caved in and bought a skin care product. Over the next year, I occasionally got catalogs in the mail.

Then one day, I got a call from a woman who had taken over the other lady's customers. She invited me to a training session.

Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay:
So I show up to the training thinking that my new MK consultant is going to be there. The director asks me whose guest I am, and I tell her and mention that I'm wondering if the consultant will be there. Of course, the director says she knows her but she fails to inform me that this woman lives clear in another state and never had ANY intention of being there! The director asks me how I met the consultant, and I tell her that she took over for another lady who once sold me a product. Then the director goes, "Well, she must have thought an awful lot of you to invite you here!!!" 

...wtf? Do you REALLY think I can't see through that fake smile of yours? ...I shrug it off and sit down.

Suddenly there appears another consultant next to me who doesn't know that I'm "taken." If we were in a bar, I'd say she was seriously coming on to me. Suddenly the director interrupts us and informs her that I'm already spoken for.

"That's OK! No problem! Golden rule!" the woman next to me blurts out awkwardly.

So I sit through the meeting and listen to the director drone on and on about herself the ENTIRE time- how she's been selling MK since the age of the dinosaurs, how this is her 50th free car, etc. 

And then I watch as people compare notes on how much they sold. I see the cheesy pin prizes, and I watch as the director congratulates one of the consultants on her accomplishment of being eligible to... guess what... BUY an ugly red jacket with an MK logo. (No offense to anyone who particularly likes that jacket but seriously, it's like having to buy a bridesmaids dress that you will never wear again.)

After the meeting they give me one of those facials. That's right, the one where I actually give MYSELF the facial. 

And then all of a sudden, the director is on me like a badger. "So which skincare set are you interested in purchasing?" Umm, didn't I just say like 50 times that I like the cleanser I already have? Why are you trying so hard to sell me the ONLY thing I specifically DON'T NEED???

"Well, I really don't need the cleanser," I protest.

"They are all designed to go together," she says, smiling.

After about 5 minutes of this, she gives up and starts trying to sell me the new EXTREMELY SPECIAL and RARE $50 kit. Everyone ELSE had to pay $100, you see.

"Well, what's in it?" I ask.

Silence.

"I mean, you sort of need product up-front in order to sell, right? Is there enough in here so that I can start selling?" 

You should have seen their faces! They looked like deer in the headlights. I watched them all look at each other and pause and not know what to say. So instead they just hand me a pamphlet which shows how much MORE I'd get with the $50 kit and why I shouldn't delay. Of course, it fails to mention that the size of the kit is SMALLER than the $100 kit and isn't even enough to hold a class.

Meanwhile, I ask, "Does anyone have a kit that I can see, so I know exactly what comes in it?" Of course, nobody does. One woman pulls out a few of those one-time use samples and says how I'd get a bunch of them and how there is enough in them that customers can use them 2 or 3 times each. 

In the end, I bought ONE product- the one that I actually NEEDED. 

I don't have any hard feelings for any of the MK girls. I know they're just doing their job and trying to get by. The director rubbed me the wrong way, but luckily I'm not her customer. I don't mind paying full price for MK products when I need them. I simply don't appreciate being badgered- especially when the person is wearing a totally fake smile. 

What did you learn from Mary Kay?: I learned not to be afraid to ask the "hard" questions and to always check stuff out on the internet and talk to people if I have a funny feeling. And most importantly- to follow my instincts!
What are you doing now?:        At the moment, I'm enjoying a nice glass of wine.    
Additional Comments:            Good luck to everyone out there!

Angela Realized It’s Cheaper to Buy Your Own “Star Consultant” Prize

Your Name: Angela

Date Joined MK: April 30, 2009

When Left MK or Still Active?: Active

Initial Inventory Purchased: Just the kit

How were you recruited?: My friend sent a mass email telling everyone in January stating the commission was 50%.  I never knew this and I certainly didn’t want to keep paying full price so I asked for more info.  Her director called me up and kept houding me to sign, but I didn’t have the $99 on hand to buy a kit.  That’s when payment options were mentioned, etc.  Huge red flag!  I held off, but still wanted to give it a try if I was able.  The minute I did sign up I was asked to listen to a Calling Tree option about inventory purchase.  How did I miss that in the fine print??  I had just had a baby and wasn’t working and my husband was leaving the military so the money definitely wasn’t there and wouldn’t be there for a while.

Memorable experience you had in MK: The day my recruiter called to tell me she was losing her team because she wasn’t getting he sales in.  Our director, who is hell-bent on having a Cadillac by Christmas, told her to go sell plasma, have a yard sale, and take out a loan from the bank to buy some inventory.  It’s getting really bad because it’s close to the 15th- End of Quarter!  Oh no! *hearty eye roll*

What did you learn from MK?: People who really do want the best for me won’t pressure me into making bad decisions that really only benefit themselves in the end.  I’m so thankful for websites like these that help women though the toxic pink BS that’s heaped on daily.

What are you doing now?: Exploring other options.  I just emptied out my kit and am keeping things for personal use.  I’ll just quietly go inactive (hopefully it’s possible?)  I have no problem with the products just some of the people and their questionable practices.

Additional Comments:

The prizes.  Seriously?  Right now there’s a Motorola® Bluetooth® Speaker for the car in the Star Consultant brochure if you make 3,600 Emerald.  I just bought it for my husband for father’s day for $90.  I didn’t have to have inventory or badger all my friends or Satin Hands strangers at the mall.  I just went out and bought it myself.

Jen is a New Consultant Trying to Sell Enough to Place Her First Order

Your Name: Jen

Date Joined MK: July 2009

When Left MK or Still Active?: Active

Initial Inventory Purchased: 600 dollars or less

How were you recruited?: I had been looking to work at MAC or Sephora since makeup is one of my loves, but never got hired. Then, I met a consultant at Eat N Park, and knew it was a sign hehe.

Memorable experience you had in MK: My first party… I only had 2 women there besides my mother and sister, and I still made tons and tons of money!  And I got to do what I love- beauty and make up!

What did you learn from MK?: To be responsible and stop procrastinating in everything I do.

What are you doing now?: Trying to sell as much as I can so I can put in my first wholesale order.  I hope I can sell 600 dollars of product, but I might have to do $400 wholesale.  Either way, I wasn’t pushed into paying anything, my recruiter even paid for my starter kit because I couldn’t afford it! And gave me a whole satin hands kit to use, too!  She’s awesome!

Additional Comments: So far, everything has been awesome for me in Mary Kay.  I read other stories on here, and couldn’t believe that people would treat others that way… however, I don’t think that has anything to do with Mary Kay in general, it just has to do with the individuals you are dealing with.  If someone is a bad person in general, they are a bad person whether they work for Mary Kay or not.  Luckily, all the women I work with are so helpful and understand my situation as far as not being able to afford orders on my own.  So I am selling my way into making my first wholesale order.  Wish me luck!

Erica Was Drunk at Many of Her Mary Kay Meetings

Your Name: Erica

Date Joined MK: July ??? (guess it wasn’t that important since I can’t really remember.. LOL!!) of 2008

When Left MK or Still Active?: As of right now, I am considered “IN-active”.. And I don’t plan on becomming active again any time soon!  But I think I went inactive this last May??

Initial Inventory Purchased: $2600??  Yeahup.. Still pretty dissapointed in myself about that one too!

How were you recruited?:

Ugh!!  Well, I havta say that it all stemmed from me having the YEAR FROM HELL!  I was going through a crappy divorce.. Living in a new town (away from my friends and family) that didn’t even have a WAL-MART!  And I just felt so desperate and lonely.  I lost my factory job, I was humiliated, I had to fight tooth and nail just to get unemployment, and  I had also formed a nasty little drinking habit too by then..  This made me even MORE gullible and easy to take advantage of! =( So, I visited a nearby tanning salon and seen a little box encouraging customers to fill out their name and phone number to “win a queen for a day makeover”.  Silly me.. I assumed it was a makeover AT THIS PARTICULAR SALON!!  Well, needless to say.. I found out that I “won” when my future-recruiter had called to tell me all about MK and to set up a day for this alleged “badgering”.. OOPS.. I mean “pampering”!!  LOL!  And, hey.. Like I said.. I was in a dark place in my life at this time and really wanting to snap out of it and bring some positivity into my life, so I went for it.  I went to her house, had her try all these products out on me. And to be honest, YES.. I liked the product and I liked the consultant.  Alot.  And she picked up on it b/c I am just so damn “readable”.  Well, then she started inviting me to all these little “glamour meetings” and whatnot, and I had found them to be very uplifting.  It was a breath of fresh air in my life and I really felt like all these women were really terrific.  I don’t think I had ever been a part of such estrogen-fueled bonding in my whole damn life and I loved it.  Well, THEY all picked up on it.  Lo and behold, a week or so later, I am at a local restaurant w/ recruiter and sales director for the “gang-bang-initiation”.. OOPS.. I mean “coke or coffee”.  Miss Director didn’t even let poor Mz. Recruiter get a word in edgewise. It DID seem a little shady.. But I couldn’t say NO!!  These women were so damn geeked up on MK, that I wanted to snort 20 starter kits to get on their level!!  Hehe! And, seriously, like, it is ONLY $100 .. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOOSE?!?!?!  This is the opportunity of a LIFETIME!!

So after the paperwork was signed, fast forward through the next month or so, I attend my director’s director’s house (or I should say MANSION!!) and the “Black and White Ball” and a host of other MK “rah-rah” get-togethers and I really thought that given enough optimism and practice and endless pursuit of nagging the bejezuz outta my pals.. I could really turn this into a career!

Hmmmm…. It’s harder than ya think!

The MK girls always preached about “never giving up”, hanging in there, being strong… blah, blah, blah…

But when you are the only “girly-girl” out of all your tomboy friends (who don’t even know HOW to apply makeup).. Or your friends are so friggin’ poor that going from “Wet and Wild” brand to Maybelline is an UPGRADE for them… You KNOW your gonna have a hard time trying to get them to purchase let alone come over for a facial.

Fast forward over the NEXT few months.. I am now happily employed FULL-TIME at a new factory job that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, have LESS time for the MK, can’t attend the monday “glamour meeting” at my director’s house ~25 minutes away!!

So, now I am the “failure”.. That is how they were making me feel!!

Let me tell you the things that happened over the course of my short MK “journey” that made me despise mostly everything about my Director and recruiter (ok, so I STILL like the recruiter… but there were moments where she REALLY ticked me off!) If I have ANY negative feelings about this company, it is because I felt BULLIED and TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!

These women KNEW that I wasn’t planning on being a “full-time” MK girl.  They KNEW I was looking for a job.. So why PUSH ME INTO BUYING $2600 WORTH OF PRODUCT??? HOW STUPID IS THAT?? Absolutely RIDICULOUS!!

Plus.. what makes me even MORE upset, is that after KNOWING everything I went thru that year, and KNOWING that I was desperately seeking a REAL job with a GUARANTEED income, my MK recruit was actually UPSET when I had gave her the news that I had been hired at a new factory.  Yup.. She wanted me to “work my business” full-time just like her… BUT, I didn’t even mention this yet.. I take a $170-a-month medication.. And after being kicked off of my ex-husband’s insurance AND losing my old job, paying that amount of money for monthly medication is HARD!  I NEEDED health insurance.  My recruiter??  Guess what.  She gets MEDICAID! That’s right!  She milks the system!!  Lives with her “baby-daddy”, get’s free food and health care and she STILL struggles.  Hmmm… I guess she heard of that one saying that’s popular in MK~ “fake it til you make it”??  B/c she has the latest and greatest when it comes to computers and cell phones and gadgets, and her bf is remodeling the house they live in.  Who knew that welfare could look SOOOO GLAMOUROUS?!?!?!

Excuse me, but WHAT A CROCK OF B.S.!!!! How could she have so little sympathy for me? How could she be so self-absorbed?  Oh, I know the answer to that one!!  Because she was USING me to accomplish HER personal MK goals.. She wasn’t encouraging me to achieve MY GOALS!!!  Whatever my goals should have been at that time, the “hurricane Mary Kay” swept through, setting me back about a year or two!!

My recruit actually pressed me to apply for the MK credit card, and I did… Well, my initial inventory order was her key to the red jacket. At the last minute, I was starting to back out of making a HUGE inventory order and I told my recruiter this.. 10 minutes later the friggin’ DIRECTOR calls me and explains that she had this HUGE celebration planned for my recruitor and it ALL depended on MY inventory order.. ” Oh, but she is even inviting family from out of town for this event, and it would just be SOOOO dissapointing and embarrassing if you went back on this now”…  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!  You wanna talk “humiliation and dissapointment???!!!!  Watch the movie of my life this last year and you will see HUMILIATION AND DISSAPOINTMENT!!

There were also times when the director REALLY pushed my buttons.. Like, when we were at a big ol meeting, and I was talking to my recruiter.. the director came over to me and actually KNOCKED ON MY HEAD with a CLOSED FIST and piped, “pay attention”!!

Heck, I guess as long as you “say it with a cute little smile”, that makes it okay to physically assault someone…

Maybe next time I get ticked off at somebody I will kick them in the groin with a SMILE on my face and talk really cute.. Because that will make it legal and acceptable.

So, anyways, once I really start training at the new job now, I didn’t have time to return the annoying phone calls of my recruiter.  At first, I guess she thought that I’d be her “puppet” and place an order every MONTH (yeah, like I needed MORE product after ordering $2600 worth of it the month before?!?!?!)..

Later on that month, me and the bf go downtown to the bar because the town is having their annual Cruise Night celebration, and we bump into the husband of a gal in my unit.  The bf tells him that what HE thinks of the MK crap (and believe me, it aint positive!) So, the hubby runs and tells the wifey, then the wifey runs and tells my director, who in turn tells my recruiter at the next meeting, but does it in a way that could humiliate Satan himself.

Thus, the recruiter calls me in TEARS , ranting and raving.. while I’m driving home from work. And it took EVERYTHING I had inside of me to try not to laugh and/or freak out and hang up.  I eventually calmed her down and reassured her.  Ugh.  That was a “challenge” in itself!

After that whole ordeal, I think she finally realized that she cannot PUSH a human being into doing whatever she wants at all times.. Also, this was a time where I was finally starting to sober up as well.  I went from drinking from morning to night EVERY DAY (back when I first joined) ~ probably atleast 10-20 shots of vodka a day.. to just drinking like that on weekends.. to now, NEVER drinking!!!!  Truthfully, I almost want to say that I felt like I HAD to regain control of my life because whenever I got drunk, people knew it… Like they had “drunken idiot pushover” radar.  My recruit was one of them (with that particular radar).. And the only way to stand up for myself was to regain sobriety and, in turn, re-growing my balls in order to JUST SAY NO!!

Don’t get me wrong.. Along the way I DID bond with my recruiter.  We are around the same age, and I am perceptive enough to see that this is her living. MK is her everything.  She is not very happy with her personal life.  She hurts inside and her bf isn’t so nice to her.  The MK meetings are uplifting to her. It’s HER escape. But it is a costly and hard to maintain one.  Mary Kay is her “crack rock” and could very well be just as costly.  Sorry.  But I just happened to give up the crack when I gave up the vodka.. So to hell with it.  I’m BACK IN CONTROL BABY!! =D

Memorable experience you had in MK:

Uhm, well.. There were quite a few.  Actually, I am shocked that I DID remember them b/c I was drunk at many of them (even though MK frowns upon that sorta thing..) But I must say that the most memorable experience was throwing my “debut party”.. I called almost EVERYBODY in my address book.  Emailed EVERYBODY.. Made huge lists of ideas, people, suggestions.  I put 100% of my effort and focus into it.  I scrubbed this house from top to bottom.  Bought sushi as hors’devours.  Bought PLENTY of booze.  Bribed friends.  Did whatever I could to get people here.  PROMISED them a great time!!  Well, needless to say, it was a HUGE disappointment!  I felt so much pressure come “party time”, I ended up doing 5 shots of vodka in a row.  The director was being a bossy loud-mouth and interrupting my friends when THEY wanted to talk.  The recruiter stood there like a puppet for the director with one thumb up her butt and the other one displaying MK product.  Then, my poor mother calls in the middle of the meeting, UPSET because she got lost in this town on the way over here.. I had to leave the party to go and find her.. And the director acted upset about that!!!

Most of my friends LEFT in the middle of the party and it was OBVIOUS that they were ticked off about my director’s pushy and overbearing attitude.  I only made about 26$ in sales.  I had 4 bookings and followed though with only 2 of them.  After the party, I called my recruiter and she told me that the director was dissapointed with the party because nobody seemed serious about it.  HELLO?!?!?!  It was suppose to be a PARTY.. Not a Nazi meeting with Hitler!!  She also told me that I should be grateful because our director is one of the more “easy-going” ones… LMFAO!!  She said if it were any other director, they would have WALKED OUT!!  Can you believe that?!?!  It’s not like we shoved cheetos up our butts and danced around nekked!!  Granted, yes, we were drinking.  BUT, I was NOT sloppy drunk.  If anything, I was a nervous wreck because I had worked so hard for this party and did not feel like it was a success AT ALL!!

What did you learn from MK?:

Hmmm.. Numerous things.  If anything, it was an EXPENSIVE refresher course of important lessons in life that I learned before..

That people will tell you ANYTHING to benefit from you.  That you are nothing but a “rung on the ladder” for them to step on and climb over.  That as long as you ALLOW people to walk all over you, they will.  That I really don’t NEED to “belong” to any group or anybody… I am my OWN person!!  That vodka makes me susceptible to being taken advantage of.

I’ve learned that it is incredibly easy to be fake.  I’ve learned that as long as you have a fake smile and a sweet voice, you can hit somebody in the head and insult and humiliate them and make it appear of “constructive critisism”.  I’ve learned that no matter how glamorous people dress, look or act… They still have just as many (or more) issues than you.  I’ve learned that you will never get true sympathy from hardly anybody for unfortunate life circumstances unless you are suffering a terminal illness and laying on your death bed.  I’ve learned not to EVER give anybody a clue about my credit score or savings or finances WHATSOEVER because they will try to find a way to manipulate me into benefitting them somehow.  I’ve learned that beauty is only skin deep (Or that inch layer of MK Foundation deep).  I’ve learned that your TRUE friends won’t make you wear a skirt and “bring a dish to pass” in order to hang out with them… Because they want you for your companionship, not for increasing their commission.  I’ve learned that the more you push people, the more their feet are gonna be walking towards the door.  I’ve learned that there is nothing MORE SATISFYING than a 100% GUARANTEED paycheck (which is normally acquired through an hourly paid REAL job).  I’ve learned that health insurance is VERY IMPORTANT.. So up your pink cadillac if your packin’ the medicaid card!!!  Hahaha… I’ve learned that if your bf has a 15-year-old daughter, you should probably HIDE YOUR MK INVENTORY and/or keep very good track of it!!!  And last but not least… Probably most IMPORTANTLY.. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS.. (O.K.. AND BOYFRIEND..) IF THEY SENSE THAT SOMEBODY IS TRYING TO HARM YOU INSTEAD OF HELP YOU… AND DON’T INVEST MONEY IN THESE MANIPULATORS!!

What are you doing now?:

I am currently growing and learning every day.  My life has done a complete 180 within the last year (or ever since I got hired at my REAL job!!)  I work in a mill, I operate HEAVY machinery, I drive a forklift, I have a total MAN’S job and I put in over 60 hours a week… But I still wear my makeup and gel/acrylig nails!  I’m still a girly-girl.. Just one who actually MAKES (not loses) money now!!

I am staying sober.. I’m trying my hardest to make my bf happy. I’m trying to build up a good savings account too… One that nobody (no divorce, no Mary Kay) can ever grab and take away from me.   I am  trying my hardest to build up and regain what was lost during my “year of utter hell”.

Additional Comments: I know… I didn’t give it a chance to “work my business”.. I’m a “quitter”, I’m LAZY, I didn’t “BEE-LIEVE” (ugh, gag-me!!) OKAY.. Well, maybe some of you MK girls CAN make it work… But it’s just NOT for me.. What else can I say?!?!?!  I learned my lessons and I’m moving on. Best of luck to those out there who really know or feel that they can make a career out of it… Now… anybody care to trade any items?!?!?!  I HATE the bella perfume and I got stuck with a bottle of it (director ordered it for me)… But I LOVE the subtle tan lotion and the mattifying lotion, Clean cotton perfume, and all shower gels!!!

Anna Would Like Mary Kay to Be Decent Supplemental Income

Your Name: Anna

Date Joined MK: 5/2005

When Left MK or Still Active?: active

Initial Inventory Purchased: can’t remember if it was $200 or $600

How were you recruited?: I actually tracked down my director.  I worked with her daughter as a missionary and  had used the products a year and a half prior to that and LOVED them.  She told me her mom was a director and I decided I wanted to join before I even met with her.

Memorable experience you had in MK: My first great week. I worked my business hard and saw direct benefits from it.

What did you learn from MK?: That your attitude really does determine your altitude.  I used to have a tendency to think negatively but now I am learning to think positively and believe in my own abilities.

What are you doing now?: First and foremost a young wife and homemaker.  I am also working at building my Mary Kay business into the best I can make it.

Additional Comments: I started Mary Kay 4 years ago after returning from an 18 month mission in South America.  Another young woman I worked with and grew close to was the daughter of a Mary Kay director and answered all my questions about the company.  After returning home I knew I wanted to become a consultant at least to get my 50% discount.  Life happened and I was almost constantly inactive.  I barely ordered enough to stay in the company.  After my wedding three and a half years after signing my agreement I had to re-evaluate my position in life including if I was going to work my business into it or not. I decided that I want to be a part of this company and that it will help me fulfill my life long dream of being a stay at home mother while still helping me meet my emotional needs (seeing other women instead of being stuck in home with the kids all day, and feeling like I have some of my own money).  Part of the reason I’d never worked my business was because I was afraid that all my friends and acquaintances  would start seeing me as somebody who was constantly harassing them to buy something from me.  I have learned that this isn’t the case.  Mary Kay has helped me become friends with more people. I treat people like people and if they want to buy product that’s great and if not I’ve still made a new friend.  I love being able to use my creativity to it’s full extent for the first time since I was little.  I love using my business as a reason for making people feel good by doing things such as giving guests a gift at parties, sending thank you cards in the mail telling them I appreciate them.  These are all things I love to do and my Mary Kay business gives me a reason to do it.  Even if all I ever do is break even in Mary Kay it’s worth it just for me to be able to express myself this way.  However, I do plan on it making me a descent supplemental income.  I would like to become a director one day because I know I would be such an awesome, non-pushy, inspiring, director and help women develop self confidence.  It seems to me that most women who got burned by the company either made too great of an inventory investment, had a crummy director, or didn’t feel comfortable trying to do sells.  Mary Kay isn’t for everyone, but I’m sure glad that I have it.

A House Fire Cut Short Lori’s Time As a Sales Director

Your Name: Lori Van Ryckeghem

Date Joined MK: 11/2001

When Left MK or Still Active?: Still Active

Initial Inventory Purchased: 600

How were you recruited?: A facial of course! By my Senior MaryJo Dallen I was a Mary Kay Sales Director for 2 yrs.Until the fire.

Memorable experience you had in MK: When I went to Dallas and was in the Queen’s Court of Recruiting! I won my Diamond Bumblebee! That was Awesome! I love being a Mary Kay Sales Director! Or I was a Mary kay Sales Director,I will be again!

What did you learn from MK?: I have learned a lot in Mary Kay! How to be a better person and care more about others.I had a fire,my house caught on fire by our Christmas tree,we lost everything.I turned my fire into a blessing,I gave to the soldiers in Iraq,made gift baskets for the elderly,and gave to the women of domestic violence with my Mary Kay products.My product was smoke damaged on the outside not the inside,I did a 50% off sale to feed my boys with no kitchen for a year,people would come to my garage and buy product to help me.I would say that is turning it into a blessing.

What are you doing now?: I am still in MaryKay,but I had to step down from my Mary Kay Sales Director position,It was to hard to run my business while we were trying to rebuild our lives,my boys needed me since we lost everything we owned.

Additional Comments: Being in Mary Kay has helped me to overcome everything in my life! I have been through so many challenges,I am stronger! I have been through domestic violence my self,black toxic mold,skin cancer,loosing a close friend to Aids,my mother in law passing away, which I was very close to.And last but not least,my house catching on fire by our Christmas tree  that we just bought.People do not understand how hard life can be,I do.I hope my story can Inspire other women to never give up! And God will use me in a special way for what I have been through.Thanks For Listening To My Story,Lori Van Ryckeghem

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