Further Research: Mary Kay Ash

 As my continuation root is Media with Communication, I chose a project called ''The Psychological Influence of Advertisement''. In order to make my project as good as possible, I decided to do some research on different people who are related to the Marketing sphere and are or were successful in it. In this particular post, I would like to share with you some information about a person like Mary Kay Ash.

Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash (born on May 12, 1918, in Hot Wells, Texas) is a woman who started her cosmetics company in 1963 and soon became a dollar billionaire, thanks to her skills to sell the products. 

 Ash began her career as a salesman at Stanley Home Products. In order to bring the company as much as possible, she organized parties where people wanted to buy various items from the company for which she worked. In 1952, she was spotted and hired by another company, due to her ability to sell ( World Gifts). However, after ten years of hard work, she had to leave her place of work because the person she was training had progressed in his career, unlike his teacher. 

 Mary Kay Ashe started her own business at the age of 45. In 1963, she invested $5,000 for the first time, which led to her opening a small store in Dallas and hiring nine salespeople. Now Mary Kay Inc. employs more than a million people worldwide. 

The company’s original strategy was based on such rules: 

1) Focus on personal relationships 

2) Enable women to make full use of their skills and talents 

3) No geographical restrictions on sales 

4)Hold home presentations of their products for a small enough audience (5-6 persons) 

“Under her ‘frills and lace’ is a high-powered businesswoman who has built a skin care empire, and in a pioneering style,” suggested Marketing and Media Decisions, a trade magazine (cited in James W. Camerius, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Corporate Planning in an Era of Uncertainty)

Mary Kay’s strategy was based on the "Mary Kay Marketing Plan." Thanks to her previous experience with customers, the director of the company realized that it is best to organize demonstration exhibitions, where it is easier to raise information to customers. The marketing program was aimed at stimulating retail sales to end consumers. The consultant was to purchase a "showcase" of basic products and carry out an inventory. The consultants were advised to sell only Mary Kay products during skin care sessions to avoid confusion and separation of effort. The marketing plan had a distinct feature that involved arranging national and regional seminars, and conferences on careers and management, where people could attend voluntarily to gain inspiration, training, and further knowledge.

Looking at how Mary Kay developed her company using her marketing skills, I realized one of the main principles of customer service. It was very useful for the development of my project. Because Mary Kay is a person who could build an approach to every woman to buy her product. It was trust and close communication with clients that helped her achieve such success.

References:

https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/mary-kay-ash

https://www.sellingpower.com/2010/02/02/8037/successful-women-in-sales-mary-kay-ash#:~:text=Mary%20Kay's%20enormous%20success%20was,they%20won%20in%20sales%20competitions.

James W. Camerius, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Corporate Planning in an Era of Uncertainty

Catherine Egley Waggoner (1997) The emancipatory potential of feminine masquerade in Mary Kay cosmetics, Text and Performance Quarterly