If you live in America, chances are you’ve seen those exclusive pink Cadillacs with the Mary Kay emblems driving around. And maybe you’ve thought about becoming a consultant so you can drive around your dream car.
But should you become a Mary Kay consultant?
Whether or not you should become a Mary Kay consultant is a personal decision. You can earn up to 50% commission on all you sell or more if you have a downline. Although, it might be hard to make a lot of money selling makeup.
In this article, we’ll look at what it’s about, how much you can make, and if it’s worth it.
Mary Kay Overview
Mary Kay is a direct-selling company that specializes in selling cosmetics.
It was founded in 1963 by a woman named Mary Kay Ash. She had decided, after experiencing inequality in her workplace, to create a business that would empower women to take control of their own future.
She also wanted to shake up the traditional idea of business, wanting to make a shift away from “male-dominated” businesses.
The company has always been grounded in the ideas that are at the heart of modern female empowerment movements, which is perhaps why it is still so popular today.
In 1969, Mary Kay unveiled its characteristic pink cadillac as a way to reward and publicly symbolize the success of her consultants. And in 1976, the Direct Selling Association presented Mary Kay Ash with the Hall of Fame award.
Twice – in 1985 and in 2004 – Mary Kay was named one of the most influential women, as well as multiple other, similar awards.
As of 2018, Mary Kay Inc. was the sixth-largest network marketing company in the world, reaching revenues of $3.25 billion. It’s currently based in Addison, Texas and is still privately owned.
What Do They Sell
Mary Kay offers many different types of cosmetics and skin care products, such as:
- Skincare: Moisturizers, cleansers, face masks
- Make Up: Blush, eye shadow, foundation
- Body and Sun: Body wash, sun screen
- Fragrance: Women’s and men’s
Their main focus, however, is on makeup, which coincides with their mission to make women feel beautiful. Which is similar to other network marketing companies like SeneGence, Monat and Neora.
How To Become a Consultant
According to Mary Kay’s website, there are three easy steps to becoming a consultant for them:
- Connect with a consultant
- Sign and submit an Independent Beauty Consultant Agreement
- Get your Starter Kit and start selling
These follow the same basic steps similar multi-level marketing companies follow. But still, let’s take a closer look at what each one consists of.
1. Connect with a consultant
To get started, you’ll need to connect with a consultant (if you don’t already know one).
On Mary Kay’s website, you simply click on the “Sell Mary Kay” button and hit “Start Your Journey.” Then you’ll be asked to enter some information.
If you already have a consultant who introduced you to the company, this is the point where you’d be able to enter in their information.
If you are new to the company and don’t have a consultant, you can pick the language you’re fluent in and enter in your ZIP code to find a consultant close to you.
The reason they make you deal with an established consultant is the same as other MLM companies. They’ll help you get acquainted with the process, as well as introduce you to the whole selling process, and give you tips!
They’ll also help you submit your consultant agreement, which is the next step.
2. Sign and submit an Independent Beauty Consultant Agreement
This part will be done with your established consultant. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can do online. But some information that will be asked for on it will be things like:
- Name
- Address
- Driver’s License Number
- Social Security Number
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Date Of Birth
When you submit your agreement, you also submit payment for your $100 starter kit.
3. Get your starter kit and start selling
Once the agreement is all completed and submitted, the only thing left is to receive your starter kit and get selling! Your starter kit will include things like:
- Magazines
- Brochures
- Product Samples
To sell the products through Mary Kay, the main way is just the same as most other direct sales companies. You have people over for parties, show off the products, and try to get them to buy by showing them how good the products are.
This is not the only way to sell, but is the most recommended way to. However, you could just try handing out catalogs to friends and family, or even going door-to-door to try selling the products.
One thing to note is that any products you sell, you have the responsibility of delivering them to the customer. That’s definitely an inconvenience, and something to consider when thinking about the costs involved.
How Much Can You Make?
How much you can make is a pretty easy number to determine, although it is still based upon how much you sell.
You can make up to 50% commissions. This is a pretty good number, especially when compared to other companies.
This is made by you purchasing the products from Mary Kay at 50% off and then selling at full retail price. The difference you make is how much profit you earn!
While that might seem like a high commission, it is important to keep in mind that if you wanted to make $30,000 a year, you’d have to find customers to purchase a total of $60,000 worth of products from you. Which can be a high number when you realize that most of the products are makeup.
Now, as most other MLM companies, this is not the only way to make money. You can also recruit consultants under you and earn 4% to 13% of commissions off of your team.
If you gain enough consultants under you, you then get the title of “Director,” which means you will be earning 9% to 13% commission.
And if you get 12 consultants under you, and your team has a minimum production of $18,000 within four months, you then receive the title of “Grand Achiever.” This is where you can receive the notorious Mary Kay Pink Cadillac.
To clear up some misconceptions about this, however, if you do receive the Cadillac, you have to keep up your sales or Mary Kay may make you responsible for the lease – and it is just that, a lease.
You do not own the car or get to keep it if you decide to stop being a consultant. So, keep in mind that if that’s your long term goal as a Mary Kay consultant. You would have to keep up a lot of work to maintain that level.
Conclusion
Overall, whether or not you become a Mary Kay consultant is a personal decision. If you are a sales superstar chasing after that pink Cadillac, then Mary Kay may be a great fit for you.
However, if you are introverted and do not have a sales mentality, becoming a Mary Kay consultant may not work out.
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