Flying to the Top

When Mary Kay pins a diamond-studded bumblebee on the lapel of one of her top sales producers, the awards ceremony has more psychological meaning than the multiple reflections of the magnificent present.

First, there is the symbolism of the bumblebee. According to aerodynamic engineers, the bumblebee cannot fly. Its wings are too weak, and its body is too heavy, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that and it goes right on flying.

The bumblebee, writes Mary Kay, has become the number one symbol within her organization of women who have “flown to the top.”

The second wonder is the high level of productivity of the Mary Kay sales organization. Knowledgeable sources indicate that by the end of this year, over 150,000 enthusiastic salespeople will have produced approximately over $600 million in retail sales ($300 million wholesale).

A truly amazing result created by a sales force with no assigned territories, no regular work hours, no formal reporting system, no sales managers with the authority to fire, to demote or transfer salespeople.

Third, it’s a small miracle to see thousands of Mary Kay salespeople (95 percent are women) dedicated to pursuing a common goal and to helping each other succeed.

Mary Kay’s incentive system (she recently received an award from the Incentive Marketing Industry) reflects a deep understanding of human nature by tapping into salespeople’s needs for recognition, self-fulfillment and pride.

But the glamour of the incentives should not lead us to overlook the motivational force of Mary Kay’s subtle “guiding philosophies” and “positive affirmations.” Handled from the top down, they encourage and motivate every level of her organization.

Borrowing Mary Kay’s metaphor, we could label her motivational software “beehive-motivation,” where a number of queens (top award winners) instill a special sense of belonging, identification and a feeling of achievement in the many bees working in their individual groups.

Direct selling companies like Mary Kay send two special messages to sales executives in other industries. First: The motivational techniques of direct salespeople are several years ahead of those employed in industrial selling. Second: The “outlandish” prediction of one direct selling expert that “by 1990, over 50 percent of all products will be sold by direct salespeople” seems to have a greater chance than ever of becoming reality.