This page is here for you to post what you would like corporate to know. I have no idea if MK corporate reads my blog or not, so if you are serious about a suggestion, please know that this page is not a replacement for the In Touch system of submitting suggestions. There are no guarantees that anything written here is actually read by Corporate. But I thought it might be fun and educational to post things here for discussion.
My Pink Truth (and other stuff)
Mary Kay, Life, Pursuit of Happiness, Frustration...you know...
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February 22, 2008 at 5:51 pm
mkhonesty
MK just sent out an email over Yvette Franco’s byline regarding the new Cosmetic Display Tray (CDT), the replacement for the Shade Refill Display Tray (SRDT).
To put it bluntly, I think that the email below is horseshit and Yvette either knows it or has been placed in the position of having to candy-coat it for the sales force because of someone else’s piss poor planning. The company either (a) contracted for too small of a production run, (b) had production problems that resulted in substandard products that had to be refused, or (c) the Company really wants customers to buy the new Compact Pro, but hasn’t adequately informed the sales force of the advantages & disadvantages to the customer of Pro versus the CDT.
The Compact Pro, obviously the replacement for the Color Palette (aka “Texas Compact”), will have 3 squares for holding products, as compared to the single square in the regular compact. I will assume that the Pro will have the magnet base that the regualr compact has. I know that the CDT does not have any magnets, only a clear cover that goes over the top, same as the old SRDT. My wife uses two of the SRDT’s to hold her personal use eye and cheek colors, and has big rubber bands to keep the covers on them while traveling. I don’t know whether this will work with the new CDT.
I don’t think that there would be a mass-run on CDT’s for customers right away, mainly because there are only six eyes and two cheek colors being released in March.
Someone in Corporate is “thinking small”, probably a bean-counter. Both the mineral powder brush and the CDT probably have minimum-size prioduction run requjirements, but neither item has a shelf life, and they are both lightwweight and easy to warehouse.
Here’s the email that went to directors.
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As you know, we’re heading into the biggest color launch in Mary Kay history. We’re excited about what’s just ahead and we know you are too! One piece of the excitement is the new Cosmetic Display Tray (available soon for ordering on Section 2 for $3).
You and your unit members are going to love this tray designed to professionally hold your color and foundation products at your classes and events. After witnessing the excitement at Leadership Conference and discussing with the NSD Advisory Board, there is concern that because it is such a great value, some members of the sales force may purchase this tool for resale to customers. Because this item was developed as a Section 2 business tool only, inventory levels will not support such retail activity.
We now foresee a much higher than anticipated demand for this new item from all members of the independent sales force. In an effort to ensure as many sales force members as possible may obtain this business tool, there are new temporary criteria on how this item may be purchased:
All Independent Sales Directors and above who place a $600 wholesale Section 1 order beginning Feb. 26, 2008, will qualify to order two display trays. For each additional $600 wholesale Section 1 order placed, two more Cosmetic Display Trays may be purchased.
- For example, a $2,400 wholesale Section 1 order placed on Feb. 26, qualifies for ordering eight Cosmetic Display Trays.
For Independent Beauty Consultants, (including those who qualify for the Preferred Customer Program Early Offer, March 10-15), the same ordering limits go into effect.
- For example, a $1,200 wholesale Section 1 order placed on March 10, through the Preferred Customer Program Early Offer, is eligible for the purchase of four Cosmetic Display Trays.
- For example, an $1,800 wholesale Section 1 order placed on March 15, is eligible for the purchase of six Cosmetic Display Trays.
Inventories and demand will be re-evaluated going forward and we will keep you posted on any changes to the criteria. We appreciate your understanding in giving everyone the opportunity to purchase this wonderful new item.
You heard from stage at Leadership Conference that the new, larger
Mary Kay® Compact Pro is coming Aug. 1, 2008. It’s also wonderful and exciting. That is another reason for encouraging all sales force members to use the Cosmetic Display Tray as a personal business tool only. Please keep in mind, the Cosmetic Display Tray is not intended for resale–not only would this impact the inventory of the Cosmetic Display Tray, it may jeopardize the future success of the Compact Pro. A Beauty Consultant also could miss out on Seminar retail credit as well as profits from sales of the Compact Pro.
Finally, please note that the Cosmetic Display Tray will not be offered as the Spring 2008 Month 3 BizBuilders bonus (May 16 – June 15, 2008), as printed in the March 16 Quarterly Power Plan. The Month 3 BizBuilders bonus will feature each of the two Summer 2008 Color Cards (pk./5). Please also note that the printed Spring 2008 Early Ordering and Consultant order forms do not reflect these new ordering guidelines.
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March 8, 2008 at 12:23 pm
LookingforAnswers
I agree MKHonesty. I honestly don’t know why they would do this. If the CDT is as flimsy at the old ones, no one will want it to use as a compact anyway.
March 8, 2008 at 2:43 pm
LookingforAnswers
To help stop the chronic problem of Directors (Team Leaders & DIQ’s) placing orders to activate unit/team members for whatever reason, MKC needs to look at only allowing the person placing the order to use their credit card.
For example, if I was placing an order to activate one of my team members, then the MKC system wouldn’t allow it to take place as the credit card of my team member would be on file and would not match with mine that I would be using.
I also believe that all orders should be cumulative. For example, instead of a new consultant coming in with $4500 w/s in inventory and getting the big prize and product bonuses for that order, that the new consultant get some classes under belt and then start placing her orders. If in the same month that she started, she placed a total of $4500 w/s in orders of product that she actually sold then this would also qualify for the prizes and product bonuses.
This would ensure that you have the right amount of inventory based on what you sell and not for the prize that you wish to achieve or what your Director believes you should have based on her own experience and what she needs to make production.
Just my two cents.
March 8, 2008 at 6:12 pm
foreverpink
yes but not everyone has a credit card for it to be on file with corporate. Some directors do this and have the consultant give them the cash, at least the honest ones do.
March 8, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Me
I think the better course of action is to recognize the term “independent” in our various titles and to recognize the fact that consultants, directors and up are ADULTS. Adults with their own minds and their own values. If you are dishonest, you will find a way around whatever plan anyone can come up with to keep everyone honest. Locks are to keep out the honest people. Plans to keep people honest only backfire–criminal minds think like criminals.
Every lesson I have ever learned, I learned the hard way. If someone is buying their recognition, they will either learn they cannot do it long term or they will go broke. And if they are the type of person that blames others and never accepts responsibility, then they will end up on PT.
I am growing weary of all the various ideas that people have for MK corporate to implement that will only inconvenience those of us who have morals and values.
As for the display tray, I have seen it and it is awesome. It is not flimsy and I can honestly see why some would want to offer it to customers. I think the better course of action would be to wait and see the Custom Pro compact and offer that. But again, we are independent members of the sales force and those that want to offer it to customers WILL offer it to customers. Limiting its availability will help alleviate that, but it won’t eliminate it.
March 8, 2008 at 8:57 pm
MKShay
There is a saying - “You cannot legislate morality.” I don’t know where it originated, but it certainly is true.
You can make laws, rules and guidelines, but a dishonest person will either break the rules outright or simply find a way around them. Period.
Laws to protect us from others are great. They keep us safe.
Restricting the use of credit cards, etc. is simply penalizing the honest, IMHO. What about someone who has a card in a different name? What if you just get a different card?
If someone is going to “buy” their recognition, their issues are a lot deeper than MK. Sorry, I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for that kind of foolishness. Buying product month after month when you are not selling is simply beyond common sense, IMHO.
March 8, 2008 at 11:02 pm
anonymous
I have seen the new Color Display Tray as well and it is actually quite difficult to get open. AND I do believe it is magnetic after setting up my director’s trays for use at our meeting last week.
I also can see how consultants would might use it as a hostess gift, gift with purchase, or sell it. Let’s face it, if our customers could buy that from us for $3 or $6 (so we’d make a profit on it), why would they ever buy a New Compact for $18 that only holds 1 Color 101 look? 1 CDT tray holds both Color 101 looks plus all of the bronzers and highlighters plus applicators (or instead of the applicators, it could hold a sheer pressed powder).
I, for one, am grateful that MKC is taking this pro-active step with the CDT. I get to order on Monday, so I’m sure to get my trays. But given that I currently have Mineral Powder brushes (ordered with sets) on backorder, that puts me in a real bind with my business. I wish they’d put a moretorium on buying up brushes earlier than they did.
March 9, 2008 at 1:02 am
Rebecca
LookingforAnswers wrote, “I also believe that all orders should be cumulative. For example, instead of a new consultant coming in with $4500 w/s in inventory and getting the big prize and product bonuses for that order, that the new consultant get some classes under belt and then start placing her orders. If in the same month that she started, she placed a total of $4500 w/s in orders of product that she actually sold then this would also qualify for the prizes and product bonuses.”
The Ready, Set, Sell! inventory options brochure for New Consultants says,
“The initial order must be received and accepted by the Company in the same or following calendar month that the Independent Beauty Consultant Agreement s received and accepted by the Company.”
The new consultant ALREADY has the month she signed up and and the following month to put together that initial order. So it’s one order and not several cumulative orders. So what? She still has one to two months (depending on when she submitted her Agreement) to hold appointments and sell product. Then she can place that initial order depending on how much she has already sold. And she still will qualify for the prizes and product bonuses for that particular order amount.
March 9, 2008 at 11:41 am
Shades of Pink
Rebecca makes a great point about the one to two month option for ordering. The problem isn’t with MKC’s policy. The problem is again with overzealous recruiters and directors who try to make inventory a 48 hour decision. Let them take the 30-60 days. If they are serious about working this business, they’ll get started. If they aren’t doing anything, you can see what kind of team member/consultant they are going to be.
March 9, 2008 at 12:20 pm
anonymous
I agree with both Shades of Pink and Rebecca BUT the one thing a new consultant loses out on is that Free Color 101 set if her order doesn’t go in within 2 weeks.
Personally, I would like to see some sort of program for new consultants that they get the Color 101 set after they complete a Perfect Start AND place a minimum 600 order.
I know the argument about us all being independent, but I have friends in Partylite who have told me that they get incentives from the company when they hold x number of parties w/i their first 30 days. And they do it. I think other companies do something similar.
I think a lot of pressure comes from that from Color 101 set w/i 2 weeks. Heck, depending on where a consultant lives and what part of the month she signs up, she might not have that starter kit within 2 weeks!
March 9, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Shades of Pink
I never got excited about that Color 101 set. If they take their time and do appointments and wind up placing a Star order, they’ll have Color 101’s in there that they can access anyway–and they would still get the biz-builders bonus products.
March 21, 2008 at 11:27 pm
mkhonesty
It’s amazing that Mary Kay has been working on the new mineral colors for at least a year, but MK Connections still doesn’t have the containers to easily organize them. And what about new inserts for the Color Slip-On case, or is MK Connections thinking that consultants will just have to buy a whole new case?
March 22, 2008 at 8:39 am
Me
That’s a very good point, MKhonesty. I just went to InTouch to see if the current case shown there has the ability to contain the new product. Nope. It’s the same as it always has been. They dropped the ball on this one. I must admit I had not thought about consultants starting from scratch with their cases (whether new consultants or seasoned who just did not have one yet) but this situation is shameful. They are offering an item that does not accomodate their current products.
March 22, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Pink Biz
Happy Easter Me!
Perhaps they’re waiting for the June product release?
That wouldn’t make sense though.
March 24, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Zen Diva
Is anyone else concerned about the use of Talc in the new mineral products? I’m not so conerened about it in the items that go in the compact, but the original mineral powder foundation goes airborne and I am always coughing after I apply it. I have to be very careful not to inhale it.
This is an excerpt of what I sent MKC:
-Talc is similar to Asbestos
-Talc is not regulated by the FDA
-Talc can cause ovarian cancer (not an issue with MK products, I know)
-Talc is not safe for babies–inhalation risk
-There is an inhalation risk in general of Talc. This particularly concerns me because I do feel that I breathe in a little bit of the powder when I apply it. I don’t know if it is significant enough to cause worry.
These are the links I sent MKC:
http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/talc.htm
http://www.morefromlife.co.uk/talc.htm
http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/harmful-chemicals.html
March 24, 2008 at 1:58 pm
foreverpink
that is very interesting, I would like to know how they address it. Please keep us updated
March 24, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Zen Diva
foreverpink, I sent the email in December or January and have yet to get a response.
March 24, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Zen Diva
p.s. Zen Diva = Shades of Pink
I have two accounts.
March 24, 2008 at 5:09 pm
foreverpink
thats messed up, did you try calling them? I called with a medical question once and they did call me back and gave me an answer
March 25, 2008 at 7:31 am
Shades of Pink
I haven’t called yet. That was the second email I sent to them. They replied to the first email via phone call. My first email wasn’t as detailed. The message MKC left was helpful. The woman said that they use safe levels and it is FDA approved (but then I found out the FDA doesn’t regulate talc–and perhaps it should).
It was a week or two after they responded that I found those sites with that info. So, I sent a second email to show them the info that is out there. I wanted to see if they had some sort of response such as, “yes, we are aware of these studies, however our studies show this.” No response.
If I ever have a minute to get away and call them, I will. It’s just hard because their hours are my office hours and where I work, there is no private place to go make a personal phone call. Blah!
March 25, 2008 at 9:30 pm
mkhonesty
Shades et al - In addition to the one inhalation study done on rats and mice in 1993 that is cited by all the “talc causes cancer” websites, I am finding papers arguing the opposite.
I have not finished my research, but here is the 1993 study results
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12616290?dopt=Abstract .
Note that the rats and mice were exposed to the tals aerosols for 6 hrs/day, 5 days/week, for a minimum of 104 weeks (2 years).
I personally do not think that the “Talc is carcinogetic” argument passes the common sense test. Given the massive amount of asbestos litigation, I cannot imagine that MK would manufacture something that could conceivably put them out of business. Note also that Johnson’s Baby Powder is composed of talc and fragrance, and Johnson’s is alive and well. In a short search of “Talc” and “lawsuit”, I found several hits, but they all had to do with talc miners who claimed that there was asbestos in the talc. (BTW, did you know that the term asbestos is not a mineral definition, like quartz, but a commercial definition of several different minerals, not including talc. see http://health.usgs.gov/inhalation/asbestiform.html .)
Obviously, the argument is that commercial interests have prevailed over various government agencies to prevent listing talc as a carcinogen. The other argument is that industry-controlled standards (i.e. “cosmetic grade”) are not sufficient, and therefore the public needs the FDA to “regulate” this standard. Ok, why?
March 26, 2008 at 8:40 am
Shades of Pink
That’s great info, mkhonesty. Now why couldn’t MKC say something more concrete like that in their response? That’s my main issue. If talc is harmless, I want something like what you have just put up here.
March 26, 2008 at 8:43 am
Shades of Pink
Oh, and mkhonesty, I would LOVE it if you would copy and paste that comment here: http://shadesofpink.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/utilizing-the-current-display-trays-with-the-new-products/
Thanks!!
March 26, 2008 at 8:44 am
Shades of Pink
No, wait, that’s the wrong link! Post here: http://shadesofpink.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/mary-kay-mineral-foundation-a-critique/
ME, you can delete the previous link. It’s the wrong article.
March 26, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Shades of Pink
Thanks for gracing my blog with your presence, mkhonesty!!
March 26, 2008 at 9:32 pm
mkhonesty
Gee thanks, Shades.
I’m looking for a new theme song. Do you think this will do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmCFQMxw2w4
Now where did I put my plumed hat and cape?
March 27, 2008 at 6:33 am
Shades of Pink
LOL!
May 18, 2008 at 8:43 pm
gingerpeachy725
My suggestion is for MK InTouch to add a feature to the Party Planner & E-Vites.
How many times have you had a Catalog Hostess do a Catalog Party for you, and earn hostess benefits just as if she’d had a home party? Have you ever run a Fundraiser for a couple of weeks to raise money for your daughter’s cheerleading squad or your church’s VBS? Problem is, InTouch doesn’t give us any help with these type of ongoing events. The system only allows you to pick from a set list of “event types”. They should add “Fundraiser” (you would add the organization to your customer list and use their name as “hostess”), and they should add “Book Party” or “Catalog Party”. InTouch only allows you to pick a start and end time for one day for your event, and this is not workable for ongoing events like Catalog Parties or Fundraisers. They should also add a feature to put a DATE RANGE for the event, to cover book parties, which can run about a week, and fundraisers, which can run 2-4 weeks.
Then, each IBC can send e-vites to greatly boost sales in these events. For Book Parties, your hostess would provide emails/info on lots of her friends & family so you can send e-vites to remind them to order. For Fundraisers, you would request all your sellers to provide emails/info on at least 10 friends/family for you to send e-vites to. You can even send them multiple times throughout the duration of the event to encourage sales, keep the event front & center, and drive additional traffic to your web site.
May 18, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Me
Ginger, I encourage you to contact corporate with your idea! They MIGHT read here, and if they do we do not know how often (I never check sitemeter) so send them an email! That’s a great suggestion!
May 19, 2008 at 5:58 am
Pink Bren
I think that is a good idea Ginger. I would like to participate in fundraisers however I haven’t if anyone can tell me exactly how to do about it. My daughter made mascot at JR High this year and our fundraiser is Home Interiors. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
May 19, 2008 at 8:40 am
Darci Consultant
I might reconsider the Home Interiors fundraiser. They recently filed for bankruptcy. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-HomeInteriors_30bus.ART1.State.Edition1.462b483.html
Just FYI.
May 19, 2008 at 9:48 am
Shades of Pink
I think gingerpeachy’s idea is excellent! I wish we had more fundraising options. I’m participating in The Breast Cancer 3 Day and a friend in my unit also sells Pampered Chef. She is doing a Pampered Chef fundraiser for me and has a specific email from them for me to send out to invite people. I agree taht we need more options like this in MK.
Ginger, I’m with ME–contact corporate. I will, too!
May 19, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Pink Bren
Darci,..really well they already decided it and gave us the stuff. So we will see what happens. Anyway any help on this will help out. I don’t know how to do it. So any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks