CLASS
MaryKayAsh
in positive
/f ^ty Kay Ash wasa big believer
people,
thinking.
She
liked
to
tell
"If you
l\ / I
I Y lthink you can.vou can.And if vou think
you can't,you can't." Wiih a salesforceoi sso,OOo
and salesin the billions,the founderof Mary Kay
Cosmetics
Incorporatedhad ampletime to spreadher
positivemessage,
and plentyof peoplewho want to
listen,but that was not alwaysthe case.
I
AnotherCareer
For many years,Mary Kay Ash, a divorcedmother
with threechildren,worked hard sellinghomecare
productsdoor-to-door.Shefound that shewas good
at it and eventuallyacquireda betterpayingjob with
a home accessories
firm in Dallas,Texas.In 1963,
after 25 yearsin the workforce, Ash-who by that
time had remarried-decidedto retire. But shesays,
"I wasn'tvery good at retirement."Soonsheand her
husbandweremakingplansto usetheir $5,000life
savingsto form their own companysellingbeauty
careproducts.Ash choseskin careprod.uctsbecause
sheknew of one suchproductmadelocallythat she
liked herself."To start a directsalescomoanv."she
said,"first of all you needa productthat peopielike
so muchthat theywill comebackto you for it. That's
importantbecause,
when you'retrying to sella product, peoplecan tell if you're not really sold on it,
yourself."
Almost a month beforethe new companywas
scheduledto open, Ash's husbanddied of a heart
'V(ithout
attack.
her husband,saidAsh, "I only had
half a company.I knew nothingaboutthe administrative sideof business,
all I knew was salesand marketing." But Ash'sdirectsalesexperience,
combinedwith
her 2}-year-oldson Richard'stwo years'worth of collegemarketingclasses,
got the fledglingcompanyoff
the ground.
Ash believedshehad a betterdirectsalesstrategy
than otherspeddlingcosmeticsdoor-to-door.Instead
of talking to prospectivecustomerson their doorsteps,Mary Kay consuitantsofferedto conductskin
careclasses
in customers'homes.Shereasonedthat
althoughmany women hesitatedto try on lipstick
or eyeshadowat a departmentstorecounter,they
would welcomethe chanceto samplemakeupand get
adviceon skin carein the privacyof their own homes.
The company'sexpandingsalesand profits proved
her right.
Ghapter
3 MaryKayAsh
MaryKayAshfoundedMaryKayCosmetics,
thesecondlargest
directsellerof beautyproductsin the UnitedStates,and
remainedcommittedto thegoalof providingfinancialand
careeropportunities
for women.
Keyto Motivation
Ash's direct salesexperiencealso taught her the value
of motivating her largely female sales force. She
rewarded top sellerswith what she calls "Cinderella
gifts," items they would not be likely to buy for themselves,such as jewelry or luxury cars. The highest
achieversreceivedMary Kay's signature prize, a pink
Cadillac fondly referred to as the "trophy on wheels."
After three years in business,the Mary Kay cosmetic line was going strong. Today, with the addition
of ftagrancesand men's skin care products, the company is the secondlargest direct sellerof beauty products in the United States;only Avon sellsmore. Mary
Kay Cosmetics has continued to expand globally
sinceL971, when it began operations in Australia. As
of 2001, it boastedoperations in 37 countries, including Russia,Mexico, Japan,China, and Hong Kong.
Throughout her career Ash remained committed
to the goal of providing financial and career opportunities for women. "I always knew," she said, "that
women could be very successfulif they were given the
opportunity." Her own skills as a marketer, a motivator, and a manager made it easierfor that idea to gain
acceptance.
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