Hello to those on this board... I've recently found this site and find it very interesting / enlightening. I have a question for you all... since most of you have seen this done the wrong way, what is the right way. I've been a consultant for 2 years - initally i signed up as a personal use consultant, but really like going to the meetings - mostly to get out of the house. I'm a mother of 4 and when i started i was working full time and didn't really have any hobbies to speak of. Since then the business i was working for closed and my DH and i decided to save daycare expense and for me to stay home - working my MK to suppliment our income. I only have one team member - she pretty much signed herself up. I don't hate MK, i don't  Love MK (definitely not a ). Just looking for some people with a variety of opinions that can give some input. I like my recruiter and am ok with my director - was actually thinking I might like to be one, but keep getting sidetracked. I've decided that i'd just like to have some customers and if there are some that would like to join, i won't push inventory on them. I certainly know what a mess that can be if you aren't going to hold the appointments. any input? 

I'm not set on making 10,000 a month - pretty sure i don't have the "drive" to do that. I'd just like to make 100 - 200 a week so we can buy groceries and clothe the kids! I have inventory, so that really isn't an issue - just thought i would see if anyone has any ideas as to how to gather just a small to medium size customer base that orders (sort of) regularly.  thanks for the input    i appreciate it!

I had a great customer base. I know I had one of the largest of all the consultants in my unit and from the responses of others when I talk to them, I take it that it is true.

I had over 250 customers. MK was still a losing proposition. Why?

1. You are ALWAYS ordering because you never have enough of an item or you don't have the item. Yes, I traded with other consultants, but it was still a problem. You have to have at least 10 of everything.

2. You really aren't making 50%. It's more like 20 if you're lucky. When you consider that you have to pay for PCP enrollment then you have to pay for the PCP gifts, samples, meetings, conferences, driving time....

3. There is a consultant on every corner competing with you for customers. There is a limited population of women who are potential customers. Just because MK tells you that they don't have a big share of the market so there are plenty of customers to be had doesn't make it so. A lot of them aren't interested in the first place.

4. You end up discounting the product and/or giving it away. The little sales gimmicks that directors come up with, like the travel bag set, cost YOU money and reduce your profit.

5. Impossible, in my opinion, to do anywhere NEAR the 3 classes they say you should every week. And if you did, you'd have no time for your family or anything else. Their earnings are all based on "for instances". They give you examples of how much you'd make IF you did such and such. Problem is it is difficult to impossible to do what they hold up as an example.

Those are just a few I can think of.

In THEORY, you COULD make 100-200 a week. But I'd bet a lot of that would have to go back into product because you wouldn't have a satisfactory inventory. It's impossible.

Now if the company WERE really great they would let you just order as you sold. In reality, although MK pounds it into your head that women want their stuff NOW, most women I met up with knew that if they were purchasing during a class or sale environment like MK that they would have to wait a week or two to get their stuff. And you know what? They didn't care. In fact, a lot of women like it--when they get their order it's like a surprise gift.

Laura J.

My problem was definitely in finding a customer base! I don't know how on earth Laura J managed to find 250 loyal customers - that boggles my mind! I couldn't get anyone to return phone calls, hold appointments, or even reorder once they had purchased something!

So it really depends on your local situation. And where I lived, people definitely did NOT want to be "bothered" with hosting home parties. It's funny, because I was the same way before I got into MK! How ridiculous is that? I HATED home parties before, so why on earth did I suddenly think other people would want to host them for me?? I don't know - I was seriously delusional. But I guess I thought MK was different than all those "other" MLMs. LOL

If you have a full time job -- many times your company will not let you sell on their premises.  However, I was able to and had lots of customers.  Now that I have changed jobs and have a management roll -- there is no way.  Finding customers is very tough.  When I started my business, I only kept enough inventory to support my customers -- so I never got into real debt ... but I never made any real money either.  Therefore, my MK career is over and I shipped my products back.

Another thing to think about.  When you run a business properly, you need to invest some of your profits back into it.  So -- if you are really only making 20% after all of the overhead, etc. as the posts above reflect, how much are you really giving to your family after re-investing in your business?

Just some thoughts.

The responses here have been great, so what I'm about to say probably won't add anything new...I believe there is no "right" way to do Mary Kay.  In the end, this company is not about helping you with your goals, it's about keeping you afloat so the company can profit.  I used to think there was a way to do it on the side to make some extra bucks, but now that I'm actually making some extra money doing other things, I realize that most of my energy was spent "In Search Of" those extra bucks and not putting it in my bank account.

I especially agree with UYC's post, and that should speak volumes, because as a former director myself, I know for a fact that VERY FEW women have a customer base over 30 people.

Not sure about the other companies you mention.  I do know that with Pampered Chef you never carry an inventory -- you order as you get orders.

Have you thought about being one of those secret shoppers for customer service purposes.  I think there was a post about it.  You didn't have to work all the time -- you sort of picked and chose which ones you wanted to do in the evenings.