The Difficult Part of a Mary Kay Business
By NSD Kathy Goff
As strange as it may seem, booking, coaching, selling, and recruiting are the easy parts of this career. Granted, unsuccessful consultants are not doing enough of these. In fact, successful consultants do not do as much of these as they could. However, those are not the difficult parts of this career.
The difficult, challenging part of our wonderful opportunity is image, ethics, and attitude. Those are the areas that we most often resist with a passion. Why? Is it because we have such a need to do it our way? Is it because we resist any kind of authority, even the kind that has walked the walk and learned that the right way really is the best way?
Attitude
Mary Kay always taught us that attitude determines altitude in this business. That is so true. Negative people, negative things, negative comments will surely come our way. In fact, the only reason you're not yet in your red jacket or red car or director suit is because you just have not heard enough no's. When you ask enough people, you get more no's and when you get more no's, you also get more yes's. Isn't it wonderful to know that while we cannot control the no's, we can control how they affect us and we can control the numbers so that we also get yeses?
It's o.k. to be disappointed, but it's not o.k. to allow disappointment to become discouragement and rob us of our dream. There is a difference. Disappointment is temporary and completely disappears as soon as we get back on the phone and book a class or sell something.
Discouragement follows us everywhere and clouds our thinking and robs us of the will to get back on the phone. Aren't you glad you're in control of discouragement?
Ethics
Sometimes it's so easy to justify doing the wrong thing. Sometimes it easy to slip it by and hope that no one notices. We all know the answer to the question, "Is it o.k. if your customer begins to buy her products from me?" But, we can always justify selling to her because she is our friend, our neighbor, or goes to church with us, on and on. But, the real issue is whether it is right or not. Our customers do not understand our philosophy of building our business on the golden rule. They've never seen another company do that. When we explain to that customer, that we would never take her from her consultant (who provides her service, has her on the preferred customer mailing, has paid for her to get free gifts) and that we would just die if in six months some new consultant came along and took customers that we had worked to build, they will understand. The responsibility to do the right thing rests with each of us. We don't take customers - EVER. We don't take recruits - EVER.
Image
This one gets tougher and tougher as more resist dressing like professional women in the business world of men. But, it doesn't matter how tough it gets, Mary Kay asks us to wear a dress to EVERY meeting, EVERY guest event, EVERY skin care class or facial, EVERY interview. The only time it is o.k. to wear pants is to a workshop that has been announced as a casual dress event.
Attitude, Ethics, Image - Mary Kay Ash was always a woman ahead of her time. Don't you suppose the reason why may be because of her stand on attitude, ethics, and image?
Let's be appreciative consultants. Let's be respectful consultants. Let's honor her wishes. Let's not try to justify, just to get our own way. The thing that makes people successful in this business is team spirit. One day you will build a team - what kind of team do you want - do you want people like YOU? We usually do get back exactly what we give out - it's the law of sowing and reaping.