How to get more information about becoming a Mary Kay consultant

Have you ever given any thought to making money on the side by selling a product like Avon or Mary Kay? I've never sold Avon, but I have sold Mary Kay so I can give you some real advice about the positives and negatives of selling Mary Kay through my own experiences. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments section. I would be happy to help you make an informed decision.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• pen and paper

1. Check out the Mary Kay website and review the information about the Mary Kay products and the career opportunity. (www.MaryKay.com)
2. Email your friends, family and colleagues to see if they know anyone that sells Mary Kay. Consultants get recognized for recruiting new people and eventually can earn additional commissions on the amount that the new recruit sells. So, I think it would be great for you to help out a friend of a friend if you are considering getting into this business rather than signing up through a complete stranger. However, if you cannot find anyone that knows a Mary Kay consultant, then you can find one through the website. (www.MaryKay.com)
3. Once you find a consultant, give them a call and request an appointment to try the products and learn about the Mary Kay career opportunity. I think that the products are really great so it would be wise for you to make sure that you like them before you decide to sell them. It can be difficult to sell something that you don't like yourself.
4. Once you hear about the opportunity and are pretty sure that you want to sign up to be a consultant, take at least a day to think about it. Mary Kay consultants are sales people and they get really excited about the opportunity, which in turn gets you really excited. When you receive company information, you will hear about all of the potential perks like the consultant discounts, commissions, bonuses, prizes, trips and free cars. While all of these things are very possible, they still might be harder to obtain than they are portrayed to be.
5. When you are thinking it over, please try to be realistic and weigh out the pros and cons. I will list some of my own to help you out.
   PROS:
   a)Extra money
   b)Consultant discount on the fabulous Mary Kay products
   c)Meet new people and make new friends
   d)Other consultants are extremely supportive and motivational. They work to boost each other's confidence and never act jealous or competitive.
   e)Potential bonus, prizes, trips, free car, etc.
   f)Tax write-offs
   
   CONS:
   a)It can be very difficult to find new customers. Sometimes you can waste hours on the phone or traveling to different locations or events to find customers without finding a single lead.
   b)You need to dedicate more time than you might realize. If you already work full-time, do you really want to come home and make a few sales calls? Even making just one sales call can be a big enough chore in my opinion. Mary Kay consultants stress that you don't need to be a sales person. That is partly true. You don't have to be pushy or have sales experience, but you might not be successful either. Each person's situation is different. Some people are just lucky and fall into the right customer base and their business will really explode.
   c)You need to be able to handle rejection or disappointment when customers choose not to purchase from you or host a party
   d)You need to order $400 retail value of product $200 (wholesale) each year to remain active.
   e)Startup fee of $100
   f)Minimum order of $200 wholesale/$400 retail
   g)Not having the product the customer wants in your inventory
   h)Expense for supplies
   i)Commission is not 50% like portrayed when you account for hostess gifts and discounts, supplies, traveling expenses, etc.
6. Do an online Google search for Mary Kay information. Try to find forums and chat rooms of former or current consultants to see what opinions or experiences they have had with the Mary Kay opportunity. There will be many people out there that will be negative and tell people not to do it. I admit that I failed royally with my Mary Kay business and am no longer a consultant. However, I recognize my mistakes and that it just wasn't a good fit for me. I also have seen many people that have been extremely successful so I am not so jaded that I would tell people to stay away. It is just like any other job. Some people will like it and be successful while others will not.

Tips & Warnings

• Give it a try. If after a year you decide it is still not for you, then keep your consultant status so you can order products for yourself and your friends and family at the 50% discount.
• IT TAKES TIME, HARD WORK AND PATIENCE. Most people sign up to be a consultant part-time to make some extra money during the evening and weekend hours. This can work out well or be a complete disaster. It depends on the person. What I can say is that it does take a large amount of motivation and time to get your business started. Finding new customers is the hardest part and eventually your friends and family might get annoyed every time you ask them to host a party when your sales are low.
• DON'T GET AN INVENTORY TO START OFF!!! Once you decide that you want to be a Mary Kay consultant, your first order of business is to decide if you want to start with an inventory. The consultants and directors that are signing you up are really going to persuade you to purchase an inventory. They will point out that for your first order you will get extra bonus gifts that will not be available again. Also, there is a one year guarantee and you can return your inventory and get a 90% refund if you decide this wasn't the opportunity for you. However, what you don't know is that they won't take back limited edition or discontinued items at all. Also, you lose your consultant status and lose your 50% discount. So be strong and say no to an inventory!!! Make sure you try out the business and gradually build an inventory as your business grows. Only keep things in stock that your current customers will reorder or the items that you will use yourself. That way if you get stuck with the products you can use them yourself or sell them at a discount to your customers. If you order an inventory, then your local unit director will select the products for you to give you a variety. The problem with this is that you will get stuck with many of the odd products and colors that you will never be able to sell. This wasn't just a problem that I had personally, but I have heard from many consultants. For example, I have some fuschia lipsticks that never sold and some dark bronze foundations that never sold because my customer base all had Ivory or Beige skin tones and would never wear fuschia lipstick. Also, regardless of the size of your inventory, you always seem to get orders for things you don't have and you have to place a special order. There is a $200 minimum wholesale order ($400 retail) and any order after that in one quarter does not have a minimum. Once the new quarter begins, then you are back to the minimum order requirement. So, if someone orders a $13 tube of lipstick that you don't have, then you might have to place a $400 retail order just so this customer can have their product. Will you have that kind of money or do you really want to put that on your credit card?
• The main point here is that many people fail when they decide to start their own business. Mary Kay gives you a better chance to succeed because you have great training and support with low start-up costs. However, if you invest in inventory, then you could be setting yourself up for failure and future financial problems. Is it worth getting yourself in debt to get a few extra bottles of lotion as a free bonus gift when you order an inventory? Of course it is not, but the opportunity is so appealing that you might not see it that way. The Mary Kay opportunity can really be a great way to make a few extra bucks and meet some new friends. However, it is important that you enter with all the facts and make an informed decision.