What's Wrong with Mary Kay

The title is a little misleading. There is nothing wrong with Mary Kay. Incredible skincare, amazing make-up, beautiful fragrance and some great products for the body, too! Mary Kay gives back by donating money to research the cancers that affect women as well as domestic violence shelters and teen dating violence. Not to mention that Mary Kay gives amazing prizes and compensation to its sales force. I really find nothing wrong with the company. I even know a lot of self-made women millionaires. Did you know Mary Kay has more women millionaires than any other company in the world?

What then is the issue with Mary Kay? Mostly, the issues are in how Mary Kay is received. Most people think lipstick when they hear Mary Kay. Some even think of pink Cadillac cars. If you have not checked out Mary Kay's product line in a while, you should. It is so much more than lipstick. You name a skin care concern on your face and I'm certain Mary Kay has something that can help. I think the only thing Mary Kay cannot do is remove a mole. :) I can brighten your skin, diminish dark circles, even out skin tone, clear up your complexion. I can also moisturize, exfoliate and reduce oil. I have environment friendly products, everything is tested for sensitive skin and let's not forget that Mary Kay has a buy back guarantee. If you don't like your purchase for any reason, return it. You lose no money and neither does your Consultant. Check out my website here to see all of the great things I have available.

Most people think that Mary Kay Consultants sell as a hobby. None of our friends, family, co-workers or neighbors will believe we are selling Mary Kay to support ourselves. Most assume we are going to be pushy, force them to buy things they don't want and are more concerned about ourselves than our customers. I can't really speak for everyone. But, I have seen the pushy Consultant. And no matter how much make-up she puts on, she's just not pretty. I like to do exactly what I signed up to do--consult people about their skin. You tell me what you want to keep, what you want to change and what you want to learn. I'll pull out those products so you can try them. It's up to you to buy them. If you don't, then you won't see the changes you want in your skin. That is on you--not me!

Many don't want to host a party. They assume it's going to take a lot of time, that I will telemarket their friends or they just assume since it's my hobby, it's not really a big deal to say no. If I conduct a party correctly, the hostess will spend less than 30 minutes putting the party together. It's my business; I should do all the work. I don't trust anyone with my money. Parties fall apart when I leave the hostess in charge. Then the hostess is discouraged thinking that it's just too hard to host a party. The only thing I need from my hostess is a date, time, location and a guest list. After that, I will do all the invites, get people excited, make sure they know what I plan to do as well as show up on time, ready and with the right materials for that class. Remember, I am there to CONSULT, not push sales. If they don't buy it that is their problem.

Many buy only a few things because they are on a tight budget. But, I do offer a way to help customers earn products. The only way I can grow our business is to meet people. I do not have a retail store and I am not allowed to have one by my contract. I do not know everyone in the world. You know people that I don't. All I ask is that you introduce them to me. If they don't want to come, they will tell you. Do the Consultant and the Guest the favor of not deciding for them. Just ask and see what happens. Host a party and you get free Mary Kay.

I guess a round about way of rambling is that I just ask you give your Consultant the benefit of the doubt. If she asks you to host a party, there is a reason why. She likes you; she thinks you will like the products she has; or she just really needs your help. We are all struggling with something. Yet is so easy to minimize something like Mary Kay. Trust me! It's so worth looking into. :)

Take care!

Why I Love Mary Kay--Cars!

I do have people ask me from time to time, "If you win a pink car, are you going to drive it?". I guess since I am a male Mary Kay Consultant, this would seem to be a surprise answer. But, my response is always, "It's free. I'll drive it whatever color it is". Why not? Why would I say no to a free car. I've never driven or owned a "brand new" car. I purchased a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser in 2007, which means it was already a year old. That was the newest car I ever owned.

In short, yes, I would drive a pink car. It's the only new car I will most likely every drive. I know it's a vehicle that is in a lease in my name, but that does not bother me in the least. And if I keep up production levels, Mary Kay will take the "old" one and give me a new one every two years. I don't see the downside to this.

Let me share with you some of the cars Mary Kay has in its Career Car line-up. In my opinion, they are amazing.

The first is a Consultant Car. It's a Chevy Cruz 1LT. How many companies do you know that allow "Consultants" who are not Directors earn a car? They Chevy Cruz is white, not pink. A Consultant earns this car based on her (or his) personal production and the production of personal team members--or those first line recruits. Downline does not count in the Consultant car prize. The qualification period is 4 months long. Some people may decide that they do not want this car, so they can choose to take $375 per month instead. Get whatever car you'd like or use that money to pay your current car payment.

Directors have a bunch of car options, but they are all based on the level of production. Mary Kay has a Premier Club, Premier Club Plus and the Pink Cadillac Club. To earn any of these cars, you must be a Director first. Production levels are based on your personal production, personal team member production and whole downline production. Basically, everyone who belongs to the Director's unit helps the Director earn a car (while earning their own Chevy Cruz).

The Premier Club options are the Chevy Equinox 1LT and the Toyota Camry SE. Both of these vehicles are black. The Director can choose either one, since they both belong to the same level.

If the Director and the unit do a little more production, the Director can choose another vehicle if they are part of the Premier Club Plus. This would allow the Director to choose a black BWM 320i. This vehicle joined the Mary Kay Car Program in January 2014. So, not many have earned this car yet.

The qualification period for all three of these Premier Club vehicles is six months and if none of these vehicles strike your fancy, you can opt to take $500 a month instead.

The top vehicle prize, the one everyone associates with Mary Kay is the Pink Cadillac. There are two options, the Cadillac SRX and the Cadillac CTS. Both are PINK, of course. These have the highest levels of production required and the qualification period is six months. Those who do not want to drive a Pink Cadillac can take $900 a month instead.

I would like to point something out. Every Consultant who has taken the Career Car instead of the Cash Option said it was easier to become a Director since they had physical proof that Mary Kay does give out cars and "regular people" earn them. Also, every Director who earned a Premier Club Car often earned the Pink Cadillac for the same reason. And my personal Director, Kerri Bunker of Denver, Colorado, stated that she makes more than $900 extra each month because she drives a Pink Cadillac (as opposed to the Cash Option). According to her, people take pictures of her car, leave notes on her car for product orders and know that she has the products they want since she is a Cadillac Driver. So, be cautious about taking the Cash Option instead of the free car. :) Let's not forget that Mary Kay pays for approximately 80% of the tax, title and insurance for your vehicle. You pay the balance, which comes out of your commissions (which you have since you are winning a car). Other than regular maintanance (oil changes, etc) and gas, you are truly driving a free car.

Anyone want to earn one with me? If you do, I want you on my team. :)

www.marykay.com/dmanor

Take Care!

Why I Love Mary Kay--Commissions!

I've had many people ask me why I sell Mary Kay, as a man. I mean, men don't wear lipstick, so why would I sell it? First of all, take a look at the Mary Kay website sometime. Mine is here. You'll find out that Mary Kay is more than just lipstick. Second of all, men sell everything from ladies lingerie to yachts. Does it matter if I make a living off of "just lipstick"? It shouldn't. Besides, the company is amazing.

I would like to share with you the marketing plan from Mary Kay--the commissions and prizes we earn from Mary Kay. Ask yourself, does your current job or Direct Sales company do the same? It is worth a shot to earn some of these? What I love about Mary Kay--the company posts the minimum requirements. ANYONE who meets the requirements earns the reward. If the company needs to give the same reward to a million people, they will.

You start out by signing your agreement and becoming an Independent Beauty Consultant under someone. For most, they start out under a Recruiter and a lot of others start out under a Director. Neither matters since everyone has a Director somewhere.

As a Consultant, you earn 50% off of everything that you sell. You buy the product from the company first (say a lipstick, for example at $7.50). You then sell it for the suggested retail ($15). This is no secret, so nobody in Mary Kay is going to be upset with me for sharing this information with you. The more you sell, the more you earn, but your commission is always 50%. You can choose to give away some of your commission by giving away free product to those who help you find more customers, but that is an individual thing. We all love doing it!

I know a lady who sold $100,000 in product each year. She was the Queen of Sales every year. That means, she was making $50,000 just in her commissions alone. She was not a recruiter. She was a retail seller. You can do this if you which. Nobody will make you recruit anyone. I have no idea how long it took her to generate such sales, but I do know she had done it for years by the time I met her.

If you choose to recruit people, you will start to earn bonuses off of their wholesale purchases to the company (the lipstick we buy for $7.50 and sell for $15). You make nothing off the $15. Your commission comes from the $7.50, which the company sends to you. We do not buy products from each other. We all buy straight from the company (to ensure everyone is getting a 50% commission). You will never give any commissions to your recruiter and none of your recruits will give you any. Like I said, it all comes from big Mary Kay.

If you recruit one or two people who start selling product, you become a Senior Consultant. You are eligible for 4% commission from everything they buy from the company. We call these "love checks" since they are not usually huge. Every $1000 in product they buy from the company, you earn $40. It is in YOUR best interest to make sure your team knows how to make money and sell product. The more they sell, the more you earn. So, make sure your team members are hooked up with your Director. It's her job anyway to train new people. That's why she earns the big checks.

If you have 3-4 personal team members, you continue to earn 4% commission, but you are now a Star Team Builder or a "Red Jacket". We call these people Red Jackets, because they get to wear one as a symbol of their status. You even get it nearly free the first time you buy one. The company gives you a voucher to get one at a big discount. You also earn a $50 bonus on the 4th team member and EVERY ONE after that, forever! Okay, not forever. As least as long as you are alive and in Mary Kay.

After the 5th team member, you are now a Team Leader. Your commissions move up to 9%, depending on activity. So that $40 commission just jumped to $90. Depending on your team's orders and your own personal orders, that 9% can jump to 13%. If you do it right, you can jump from $40 to $130 overnight. :) Also depending on production levels of your team, you can start to earn the use of a FREE CAR. At this point, the car is a white Chevy Cruz. We'll talk about how to win a car later. Just know that 5 personal team members is the minimum to go into qualification to earn a car.

At 8 personal team members, you are a Future Director. Commissions are the same at this point. Remember, it's 9-13% commission off of purchases of your team members from the company, plus $50 off of each one, starting with #4. At 10 personal team members, you can go into Director Qualification. We call these, Directors-in-Qualification or DIQs. You are not required to become a Director, just know you need at least 10 personal team members to consider it. Director Qualification is another subject, just like Car Qualification.

But, just so you know, once you become a Director, that $50 recruiting bonus jumps to $100. And the 4-13% bonus, jumps from 4% to as much as 36%. So your $40 commission off of $1000 jumps to a $360 commission, depending on levels of production and individuals (your personal team member commission is going to be different than your down line commission--which is also another topic).

Directors are the individuals who earn the Chevy Equinox, Toyota Corolla or AS OF JAN 1, 2014, a BMW 320i (all 3 are black) OR, if they are top Directors, a Pink Cadillac (SRX or CTS). Directors can also earn the Top Director Trip. For 2014, the trip is to Maui, Hawaii, with a bonus (if you earn it) to San Francisco--all paid for by Mary Kay (on top of all those bonuses and free cars you've earned).

This is why I love Mary Kay. And it only costs $100, plus shipping and tax to get started. Is it worth it to you? Mary Kay posts the monthly commission checks of many of the Directors each month. I know some National Sales Directors who earn $100,000 a month in commissions. Now, these are rare ladies indeed (and no men have ever achieved this level--but I will). Don't you want a shot at it? I know, I do!

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. But this marketing plan is why I LOVE MARY KAY!

Take care!

I'm very flattered

Well, it has been well over a year since I posted anything on this blog, made a video on Youtube, tweeted much, etc. Yet oddly enough, I still have people reading this blog. I even get emails, comments on my blog and a phone call or two from people interested. I'm very flattered that I have a following of some kind. My sole purpose is to assist those who have questions. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as I can.

So, it's a new year and some changes have happened in my life. Mostly, I plan on building my Mary Kay business. I want the things I talk about in this blog. I want to be able to drive a free car from Mary Kay (yes! I will drive around in a pink Cadillac if I earn one--why not? it's free!). I've never owned a brand new car before. Even though I won't technically own this car from Mary Kay, it's still brand new and I get to drive it. And I love that I get a new one every two years, so long as I meet the requirements to earn one. Where else can you go where they'll take your "old" car back and give you a new one every two years? I don't know of many places. Feel free to let me know where these places are. I'm sure others wouldn't mind working for such companies.

I want the trips around the world, the jewelry, the cash bonuses, etc. I am looking for people who want that as well. I want to be a Director, where I can inspire many people to achieve their dreams by teaching, coaching and guiding. I know many ladies who I think would be incredible Directors, if they would just give Mary Kay a chance. I can see them as powerful business women who mentor other ladies. I also know there are men out there who understand the opportunity. I want to inspire them to know that men can sell skin care and make-up just as well as ladies--and the ladies don't mind at all.

I want to find people who want free products from me just for being my customer. I want to spoil those who introduce me to new customers. The only way I am successful at Mary Kay is if I have customers who enjoy the product. I am not a pushy salesperson. I am a CONSULTANT. I consult with you on your skin care needs and help you find the products and tools that help you achieve those needs. And if you can't afford some of the products I have, I am willing to help you earn them for free. What would you buy from Mary Kay if you could get $100 worth of product for free? Contact me and I'll let you know what we can do together so you can earn this $100 shopping spree. I love to give away product (see, I'm not a pushy salesman or I'd not give you anything for free).

In short, I am going to be more dedicated to social media. I am actively interviewing people who want a job. For now, I can only interview those in the United States and its territories. International will come, but one step at a time. I am looking for hosts who want $100 in free product and I am looking for customers who want top customer service and expert consultation.

Feel free to share this with your friends.

Take care!