(There I go again, showing my southern roots!)
After the past week, I have made a HUGE decision. Everything seems to be snowballing for me, and that is definitely a good thing! There are moments when it is a bit overwhelming, because as I have said before, I am really the type that is most comfortable taking the slow and steady route. This is all just so fun and exciting that I just can’t help but embrace the spirit of it all.
I have mentioned in passing that my director has decided to have a guest event on Friday. Since I don’t have another job, I have been helping her with it A LOT! I absolutely love party planning, so this has been tons of fun for me, especially since it’s one of two big events I am planning for the week. (I know, it’s a lot for one person to take on, but I think just the fact that I have so much to do has given me more motivation than anything else could have.) Anyway, my director and I were discussing some of the details on Monday afternoon, when she made a suggestion that floored me. She said I needed to push to be a director. My immediate response was, “But I don’t even have 1 recruit yet.” She said she really just wanted me to think about it, because she felt like I would be a good leader. Well, not to sound full of myself or anything, but I’ve always enjoyed being in leadership positions and felt that I did well in them. I was captain of my high school softball team, editor of the yearbook, and SGA VP. I was also an assistant manager at one of the restaurants I worked at and the only certified trainer at another restaurant. I do have a love of helping other people to reach their own goals. I decided to think about it some more, and told her I would let her know before Friday.
Well, to sum up this long story….. after easily adding 7 more people to my guest list for Friday night (I now have a total of 10) in only 2 hours, I realized that this is something I could actually do. I have decided to set my sights on directorship! Wow! I told my director last night, and obviously she is excited. A part of me can’t believe that I have committed to something this big, but I really think I can do this.
For those of you who might be concerned about my unending excitement, I want to assure you that I will be doing this the right way. I am not a high pressure person. I would never push anyone to do anything they don’t want to do, or that is not good for them personally. I want team members who would truly get something from this. I want to help them be all the things they have dreamed they could be. I know this sounds cheesy, but it really is how I feel. I want to make sure that everyone I recruit, and even all of the people I simply share this with, come away with a positive view of the company and of me. I am determined not to ruin anyone’s perception of MK or me.
So, does anyone out there have any great words of wisdom? My director is great, and is also pretty low on the pressure scale, but it always helps to have some other input. Let me know what you all think!
You have ALREADY TAKEN ACTION to get the job done, just by adding more names to your Guest List for Friday! Of the “confirmed” 10 maybe three will come! (Life gets in the way, my dear) so spend to-day inviting a bunch more. And tell them you will have a gift for them. Kathy Helou always went early to these events and reserved the front row for her guests, by placing their gift on the chairs ready for them when they sit down! (A sample size hand or body cream and a look card tied up with lots of frou frou ribbon, and in a fancy bag, looks pretty special.) And it is light weight and easy to carry in a basket. wink wink
Let us know how it goes, my friend. kmh
Thanks KMH! I am really excited about tomorrow night. I have already put together gifts for the people that I have invited, and I am hoping that I don’t have enough! I will be helping my director set up, so I will definitely be there early. I know that she is a bit worried that we have this big room rented for the night and that we won’t have many people there, so I have been working hard to get as many people as I can there. I want that room to be packed! I will be spending most of my day today inviting more people. I have a list of about 30 more people I need to call, and there are still others that I need to go see. It will be a BUSY day for me! I will let everyone know how it goes. Thanks again!
Please, please be careful. I, too, was enticed into Mary Kay by recruiters who appealed to my track record of stellar success in every other field of my life. I thought that same characteristic would make me triumphant in Mary Kay, but I was mistaken. I gave amazing parties and knew the product thoroughly, but the market for it simply did not exist in my area.
Please truly consider whether this is something you actively enjoy, enough to take all the rejection and stigmatization that you’re going to encounter.
I’m not a bitter Mary-Kay hater, but as a personal finance blogger and board moderator, I’ve seen so many, many wonderful souls make drastic financial and family mistakes because of their involvement with Mary Kay. Please be cautious and, I urge, track your expenses TO THE PENNY. Do NOT tell yourself that “this doesn’t count as an expense.” Empower yourself. Be aware of what it’s costing you (I’m thinking of the gifts you refer to putting together in your comment.)
MD – Thank you for your comment, and your concern. This is something that I TRULY love. I am very careful not to step on toes and probably honest to a fault. Everyone that I have invited to the guest event is aware that they will presented with the marketing plan, but they also know that they can choose to ignore it if they wish. I do keep track of all my expenses, and I have a monthly budget for the gifts that I give.
For the record, I wasn’t “enticed” into MK. It was a choice I made, and I looked for a consultant to sign under that I was comfortable with. It was my idea, not hers. I feel like I am helping women (and men) and I am proud of my choice. There are so many things about this “job” that appeal to me, and it works for me. There is a market for this in my area, I believe there is a market for it in any area, you just have to find the people who are interested. You don’t have to be pushy, but if you open a business and don’t tell anyone, you will never get anywhere. (I’m not saying this is what you did, I’m just stating a fact.) I choose to put myself out there in a positive, friendly way, and it is working for me.
As far as being a director goes, it is something that motivates me. Even if I never get there, I will work my business in a fashion that would make me and my (potential) unit proud. My reputation means a lot to me, and I intend to keep it!
i think that that’s great turningpink. Just make sure you set clear financial and personal boundaries for yourself. Make sure your goals are yours and not your directors. It seems like your director presented the idea to you and gave you time to make up your own mind which is great on her part. Being pushed into directorship can sometimes mean that your director has her own needs in mind and not yours, but it sounds like that was not the case with you. We have all been taught that being a director is great, but it does come with a whole different set of responsiblities. I am sure you would be great at it. So I say go for it!!
I am not the least bit shocked or surprised that your director would encourage you to go for directorship at this time. It is very typical that they will strongly encourage someone to “go for it” while the consultant is still new to the business, and excited about it. That makes you much more effective as a recruiter, and since you’ve shown willingness to work hard and have a history of leadership success, she’d be an idiot not to start getting you thinking about directorship at the earliest possible opportunity. Even if you don’t make director, there’s a strong chance that if someone like you works hard at recruiting, you will pick up some recruits that she can make commissions from.
So much of what you’ve said reminds me of my own experiences in Mary Kay. I, too, made my own choice to start Mary Kay — I did not have to be persuaded by a recruiter. I had several friends who said very positive things about their expectations for my success, since I’d done so well at other things before, and I was very excited about it, and having a lot of fun.
My SD took exactly the same approach. She said to me, during a time while I was excited and helping her out with an event, “You need to push for directorship.” Then she saw my reaction (that was a bit pushy and patronizing — “You need to…” is what you say to children when explaining what you expect from them – my bosses have always said “I’d like to see you…” which is more polite and respectful, less manipulative), so she backed off and said she just wanted me to think about it, and went on to tell me about all the great qualities I had that would make me perfect for directorship.
I did not decide to go for directorship right away, for a lot of reasons, but it does sound like you may be better suited for it than I. Just be aware; being a sales director does not guarantee a good income, and most of them I’ve heard from found it to be more work (and they had less free time, including family time) than they’d ever imagined.
I am a bit concerned to hear this There are moments when it is a bit overwhelming, because as I have said before, I am really the type that is most comfortable taking the slow and steady route. This is all just so fun and exciting that I just can’t help but embrace the spirit of it all. It does sound like you’re being strongly encouraged to do more, and go faster than you’re comfortable with. Make sure you do only what you really are comfortable with, and don’t let excitement carry you away. There’s a lot to be said for slow and steady.
Rachel:
While I understand what you are saying, I do feel the need to clarify something. My director does not “push” me to do anything. Everything I have decided to do has been of my own free will. Anyone that knows me would tell you that I CANNOT be made to do anything that I don’t want to do. I’ve been this way all of my life. My director is not all about the commissions. Our unit was $2,000 dollars short of Grand Prix qualification this last quarter. She did not call any of us to place an order. She only mentioned it to me, in passing, when I had said something about me coming so close to making star and missing it. She has told me flat out that I shouldn’t order anything unless I have sold product. I have a small inventory, but we both know it would not be a sound financial decision to order more to simply make star consultant.
She does think that I would make a good director, but more importantly, I think I would too. While I do very much value what people think of me, I do not make personal decisions based on other people’s opinions. I have to do what is best for me.
I am the one pushing myself to do more, and I am actually enjoying it. Maybe a fast pace is better for me and I just never realized it before now. I have had more fun, and been more fun for people to be around, in the last two weeks. If I get to the point where it starts to feel exhausting, I will slow down. I know my limits, and I am comfortable putting on the brakes when I need to. I have a realistic view of what is going on around me, and I don’t have wild dreams of incredible amounts of money starting to flow in out of nowhere. I don’t do this for the money. I honestly do this because I love it. If it was all about money, I would go back to working collections for the phone company, where I made $20/hr doing work I hated.
“Rachel”:
Failing at something or choosing to stop MK does not mean you were suckered in. It was a personal choice. If Turning Pink chooses to be a director, that is also a personal choice, and from what I know of her, she really WOULD make a great director if she keeps up the level of activity she is currently doing. If you want info on how I feel about life or MK being a “hamster wheel” read my post on “Life is a Winding Road”. A hamster wheel is what happens when we as people choose to do the same thing over and over, not helping anyone, not enjoying the ride, just recruit/front load, again, again. That too is a personal choice. By the way, you said on the discussion board we talk bad about “you guys”. I for one do not, I just happen not to agree with you on most things related to MK. I have not seen anyone on this particular blog bad mouth anyone. It is a very positive site. I am sorry you did not have a good MK experience, but it is also a personal choice to live and learn, instead of live, learn, and dwell on the past.
Turning Pink, You would make an excellent director. Just always remember to do what you know is right and keep the bookings going, get new leads, and you will be just fine. =) MUAH!
Thanks MKR! You’re awesome!
I have more to say, but you’ll soon see it in another post!
mkrules said:
By the way, you said on the discussion board we talk bad about “you guys”.
Huh? What discussion board? Was this recently? Who is “we”? I’m pretty sure I didn’t say anything about anyone on this blog talking bad about anyone. I thought the discussion here was polite, honest, and reasonable.