Selling Mary Kay products can be the perfect career choice, especially for people who prefer flexible hours and enjoy connecting with customers. But to move your business from a sideline hobby to a profitable career requires attention to some key factors. This article provides fundamental guidelines that can make the difference between success and failure, from why Mary Kay products are a good choice to effective customer service techniques.
Your business success starts with the company and products you represent.
When you choose selling Mary Kay products as a career, you are choosing a reputable, high-quality product line from a stable, ethical, and successful company. Mary Kay has been providing high quality skin care and cosmetic products since 1963, and is a well-respected global leader in direct sales. Mary Kay as a company and Mary Kay executives have been directly involved with the Direct Selling Association (DSA), an established trade association that requires its member companies to follow best business practices and adhere to a strict code of ethics. And Mary Kay products stand on solid scientific research in collaboration with dermatologists and medical experts worldwide.
Selling products you use and love makes your job easier and much more fun!
Unless you’re a good actor, it’s hard to fake enthusiasm. But it’s easy to be genuine and passionate about products you use and love. If you have been using Mary Kay products for any time, you’re an excellent candidate for a successful career selling Mary Kay. Your knowledge and experience with the products as well as your passion for them is infectious, and will give your customers confidence that they’re buying tried and true products.
Treat your business with professionalism right from the start.
Success as an Independent Beauty Consultant requires you to keep track of myriad details regarding customers, inventory, time, and money. Computers have streamlined such tasks, and a professional-level software program that tracks the details for you is worth its weight in gold. Find out what software tools are available, especially programs that are designed for the Mary Kay industry. Then pick the right one, not the cheapest. Look at the reputation of the company, the software features, the frequency of upgrades and improvements, and customer service. A professional business management software program with excellent customer support puts a winning team on your side right from the start.
Get to know your customers as individuals.
Find out when their birthday and anniversary is. Pay attention to their likes and dislikes, what products they buy and how often. Then keep track of all these details meticulously in your software program. Personal service is one of the reasons customers like to buy from you rather than a department store, and the key to great personal service is anticipating your customers’ needs before they know they have them.
Manage your inventory effectively.
Besides your customers, your Mary Kay inventory is the next most important aspect of your business. Carry too much and you’ll tie up too much money on your shelf. But carrying too little means you may not have what your customers need when they need them. If you’re tracking your customers’ buying preferences, you’ll notice trends. This helps you set the right inventory levels and decide which products to stock. A good software program should allow you to look at your inventory and your customers’ product usage and give you the exact information you need.
Automate as many aspects of your business as you can.
You make money by servicing your customers, not by figuring out what you should be doing with your time or counting the products on your shelf over and over again. Notice the amount of time you spend on each aspect of your business and look for ways to streamline by using your computer and mobile device. Does the Mary Kay software program you chose have a calendar feature? Does it sync with a PDA? Can you generate invoices electronically? How can you better use web tools? Let your computer and PDA do their job so that you can concentrate on what you do best: interact with your customers.
Follow up with leads and customers.
You never know when you’ll meet a potential customer. Carry your marketing material with you and develop a way of recording information about each meeting or interaction. Remembering and recounting details about your first meeting and all subsequent interactions with a person tells them they are important to you, and indicates your dedication to customer service right from the start. Follow up on samples and, later, purchases to see how they like your products. Send them birthday cards and offer special discounts during their birthday month. From lead to customer, show them they are special. Chances are, they don’t get that kind of treatment from a department store.
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This is the time of the year that we start booking 
June has come and gone and with it the hustle and bustle of launching 
Main Street Software, Inc. is always looking for the next possible way we can help our customers manage their Mary Kay businesses. Two years ago, we launched a new series of DVDs, Boulevard Extras. The purpose of Extras was to take your business combined with tools in Boulevard software and give you that extra edge. In Volume 1, LuAnn Darling, President of Main Street Software, shares three specific ideas to increase your sales. In Volume 2, she focuses the training on customer follow-up. Now you can buy both of these awesome DVDs together for a savings of 20%! Make the most out of your Mary Kay business and Boulevard software in one great package with these DVDs.
If you pay a household employee cash wages of $1,700 or more in 2009 or $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter of 2008 or 2009, you must pay employment taxes. 
