Mary Kay Reviews

Pros

Good benefits. Family supportive. Positive professional work environment. Lots of training opportunities.

Cons

Managers with big egos and poor leadership skills are not disciplined. Teams can be territorial and not interact enough to synergize company offerings.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve internal leadership in order to improve growth.

Pros

MK offers excellent compensation. The facility is conveniently located and the parking is underground. Most rank and file employees are friendly.

Cons

A thick layer of middle management hampers production. Better communication between groups are to be desired. Contractors and employees are treated differently.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the thick layer of middle management for streamlining the process.
Value each employees' feedback.
Establish corporate culture of trust.

Pros

You set your own hours
Meet really fantastic ladies
Huge tax writes offs
Discounted products for personal use
Good support from others in the same business

Cons

Easy to get sucked into buying far too much product
Have to sell a ton of product to start actually start netting money
Pressure from your upline to buy more product
Constantly changing products that leave you stuck with discontinued items that you can't sell
All training, even weekly training meetings, has a fee
Tax write offs don't make up for the money you lose trying to keep up with your inventory

Advice to Senior Management

My advice is more for others who are thinking about being an Independent Beauty Consultant. It is a very small percentage that can actually make a living at this. To make it work, you really have to be able to devote at least the equivalent of a full time job to it. The idea that you can make full time income with part time hours is not true at all. Your upline makes money off of the product you purchase from the company (not sell) and off of everything that your downline purchases from the company. The stress of trying to hold down a full time job, take care of my husband, keep up with church responsibilities, and do Mary Kay is not pleasant. The motto is "God first, Family second, Career third," but the company doesn't give you a way to make it actually work. I wish the company was more forth coming about what it really takes to succeed with this. If you have nothing else to do with your life right now, it may be worth a shot. Otherwise, it's not worth it and you'll probably lose money like I did.

Pros

-Good benefits compared to other companies
-Fellow employees are for the most part easy to work with and very smart

Cons

-Half of middle mgrs in IST are incompetent and function only to keep the rank and file employees in line
-Cult like corporate culture can wear on you after awhile if the kool aid is not your taste

Advice to Senior Management

Streamline IST operations by getting rid of middle mgrs who bring nothing IT wise to the table. This would save money in salaries and make things more efficient.

Pros

Nice product, flexible schedule. Nice way to introduce yourself to the entrepreneurial realm. The support collateral is beautiful and professional. The starter kit is great and provides everything you needs to get started.

Cons

The Sales Directors are unrealistic at times. They want every consultant out recruiting for her downline (i.e., "sharing the opportunity"). The Directors also pushed the consultants to continually buy new product. Either way, Mary Kay corporate and the Sales Directors always made money off the struggling consultants.

In my opinion, if the Mary Kay consultant business were viable strictly as cosmetic sales (from consultant to consumer), then there's a valid business model there. As it is, a consultant will make very little money unless she's recruiting heavily for her down line.

Also, we were never allowed to wear slacks to a sales meeting because it wasn't "feminine". Yet, the whole Mary Kay philosophy is about "empowering women." Call me crazy, but the empowered woman needn't wear slacks to show that she's feminine.

Advice to Senior Management

Coach the Sales Directors on the newer sales techniques of building relationships, not hammering the customer for the sale. That kind of sales technique has gone the way of the Dodo. Consumers are much savvier now. Also note that Neutrogena products are a very good knock-off of Mary Kay cosmetics (especially the eye makeup remover) at a much more affordable price point.

Pros

Flexibility, Direct Sales Commission is 50% - the highest in Direct sales! Prizes, Recognition for Success, Friends, Mentors, Support, Training, Encouragement, Positivity

Cons

If you don't like women, you need not apply! The Mary Kay "way" requires building relationships with women and establishing excellent customer service for an enduring business. You can't be successful selling Mary Kay without this vital ingredient. So if you dislike ladies and their various personalities, this is not for you!

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work! I think you are doing a great job taking care of the independent sales force! I frequently brag about our company to my customers and friends because of the kindnesses you show toward us. You treat us with rerspect and dignity.

Pros

The work schedule is flexible.

Cons

The start up costs are extremely high. The managers always push, push, push sales consultants to buy more products. Yet, they do not guide you or support you when you are selling the products. You are mostly told what you can't do as opposed to what you can do. Also, I tested many of the products on myself and I would not feel comfortable selling products that I would not use on myself.

Advice to Senior Management

Some of the team leaders really do not give their best effort to help new sales consultants. They should be more willing to train or answer questions on product details for the sales consultants.

Pros

God first, family second, career third. Mary Kay is a positive environment where everyone has the ability to enrich women's lives in everything they do. Flexibility around my family life is very important to me. In Mary Kay I am able to earn as much as I want. I earn what I am worth, not what someone else says the job is worth. Mary Kay is all about opportunity - opportunity in relationships, family life, self confidence, helping others and earning money at your pace.

Cons

I was nervous - how can I make sales? I didn't think I would be able to talk with people that I don't know and I didn't want to become the "sales person type". With Mary Kay, there is no need to be scared, because everyone is there to help you along the way. There is no pressure to produce and training is available constantly. We are a family that is looking out for everyone to succeed and be happy. First and foremost, we are creating relationships, not sales. It's amazing what can happen sales-wise, when the number 1 priority is the relationship with the customer.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep the positivity flowing! It's what keeps us happy and productive and in turn, helps to spread positivity to the rest of the world, one relationship at a time.

Pros

I am an Independent Consultant, so I have the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I can work as much or as little as I like. The belief of God first, Family second & then work.

Cons

Not a traditional job, so no benefits package PTO, Insurance, etc.)

Advice to Senior Management

They are all so wonderful

Pros

Flexible hours, work when you want and as much as you want, earnings are based on the amount of work you want to do, good earning potential, 50% markup/earnings, can opt to keep inventory or not, no territories, no limit to the amount one can earn, make wonderful friends and relationships, help other women grow and gain confidence, can earn the use of a car or opt to take the cash compensation, wonderful prizes can be earned. Earn $50 anc $100 bonuses for qualified recruits after fourth recruit and $100 as director. Can resign for only $20 if one has been a consultant before. Can be a personal use consultant, not required to place more than $200 wholesale per year to remain a consultant.

Cons

Difficult to maintain directorship with a $4,000 wholesale requirement per month. If one is a director, cannot take time off and maintain directorship. Always need to find new recruits to maintain directorship. Conferences and Seminars require allot of travel for some consultants. May not like the director you are under and would have to set out for one year to be under another director.

Advice to Senior Management

Customers do not like the frequency that you change the color cosmetic products and compacts. They are forced to purchase new compacts to hold the new product. Bring back the Exquisite shower gel.