In response to Mandie Sue pillow shopping.

Guest Writer: Fire Monster

I paused and got myself a tasty beverage and sipped it while staring out my back window at the beautiful mountain in my backyard. It’s gorgeous this time of year with the fall leaves and the wild animals starting to drop down to a lower elevation. Most people don’t know that I own the whole mountain; in fact, no one does exclude a few bow hunters that access the land through our yard. To walk up to someone and brag and boast that we live on a mountain in a big beautiful home would be so tacky and arrogant. Even here I have crossed a line. Regular people don’t boast of their blessings, their income, and their possessions. It is not a standard practice, and when people do brag, they are typically met with an eye roll. I took another sip of my icy cold drink and realized that this is who I am dealing with! Someone who has to validate herself by bragging about her tax bracket, and the car she drives. I decided to simplify my post.

KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid, KISS works for the Navy; let us hope that it works here too.

Professional products being sold at the local Marshall’s or Kroger by non-professionals. Arriving at your local grocery store shelf for a number of different reasons; How dare they! This is an outrage keeping our stylists from earning an income.

If I can get my Redken from Kroger at a lower price why should I spend more money buying from my stylist? Its simple, from my stylist they are guaranteed. Yes, that's it. If I purchase any professional product from a salon or stylist, it is guaranteed. If I don’t like it if it makes my hair fall out……..

……wait, shampoo can’t make your hair fall out. But if it did, I guaran-DAMN-tee that the company would apologize and give me my money back.

I decided that I can’t just assume that other companies would refund me, so I decided to make a couple of phone calls. I called three different companies, two of which helped me right away and one I was put on hold for less than a minute. With all three, I was met with spectacular customer service and an explanation on how to get my money back for the product that I didn’t like. Never once was I called a liar, a hater, or that I must have used their product wrong. Again, it was SIMPLE. “Ma’am I am so sorry, what can We do to make this right?”

It sucks that our clients can walk into just about any store and buy the professional products that we should be selling them. Mandie, you are appalled and disgusted by this, and I get that. This is what you love about Monat, you will never see Monat being sold at a Marshalls as they are strictly an MLM company. Monat would never undersell their reps, or at least one would think. But then I went to eBay, I scrolled thru Amazon, Facebook marketplace, Poshmark, Local classifieds, even a local thrift store. All flooded with ads selling brand new bottles of Monat at a discounted price. New bottles of Monat being sold by whom you ask? Disgruntled customers? The haters? Yeah, sure maybe a few, but most of us wouldn’t wish the side effects of Monat on our worst enemy, so we chose NOT to sell. Most are being sold by Market partners, AKA your downline. Market Partners who have somehow ended up with way too much product, so they are trying to liquidate. I find this very interesting because when I asked my local Kroger how they acquire the professional product, he told me that it is typically salon owners liquidating.

Kroger selling Professional Products is akin to Market partners selling Monat off-site. Same thing, different platform.

Will someone remind me of the difference between buying Redken from Kroger vs. buying Redken from my stylist? What was it?

THE GUARAN-DAMN-TEE

Now, will someone explain to me the difference between buying Monat from a Market partner off of her Monat website vs. buying Monat from one of the sites mentioned above? I’m sorry, what was that? I can't hear you. Mandie, what is the difference? If I buy Monat from amazon how is that different from buying from you? Again, it’s simple.

It’s NOT guaranteed!

That Monat 30 day guarantee is a HUGE selling point for market partners right? 30-day money back guarantee………..Bwahaha sorry, I just spit my icy cold beverage out my nose and all over my keyboard. All of us “haters” know exactly how well that money back guarantee works.

The next time you are walking thru Marshalls; disgusted by the professional products on the shelf that are keeping stylists from making money out of their salon I want you to remember That Monat is being sold in the exact same way. It’s just Not brick and mortar, it is online and peers to peer.

That's why stylists aren’t able to make bank selling products as the products are being sold out from under them. Right?

Or is it.

I sat in my stylist's chair for years, never once did she offer me any professional product. If I asked, she would tell me what it was, but she never pushed it. Enter Monat……..the product hits me in the face as I walk in the salon. Facebook, Instagram, the mirror that I am supposed to be looking at my reflection in. All look like a giant Monat Monster threw up all over them. Ads everywhere. A two-hour appointment and all we can seem to talk about is this revolutionary hair care line that will make my hair grow (I was a VIP back when Monat claimed growth). I left my appointment that day, and for the first time EVER my stylist called me to see how I liked my hair and the Monat that she used on it. Then I got a text with a link to her very own Monat website. I collapsed, it was too much. My gut said NO but my heart said YES. She is my friend, I should support her.

Of course, she is making more money selling Monat, with this kind of heroic sales efforts.

Mandie, how hard did you try to sell your salons product before it was Monat?

Did you mention it to every single person that sat in your chair?

Did you talk about it on Instagram, Facebook, and youtube?

When you bumped into a stranger on the elevator, did you pull samples of professional product out of your designer purse?

Did you even carry samples of your professional product?

Do you see what I am getting at? The percentages that you earn with Monat are much higher there is no denying that. They cost a fortune for the buyer and cost very little to manufacture. For you to compare your Monat sales with your previous product sales is not an apple to apple comparison. Maybe apples to dehydrated apples, which would be more appropriate given the products.

Are professional products being sold out from under stylists REALLY the reason that you weren’t selling? Or is it that the same effort wasn’t applied? Let us not create a plot where there isn’t one. Your downline is motivated to sell to keep that Cadillac check coming. If they don’t sell, then they don’t get the check. That leaves THEM to foot the bill.

When my husband first started in technical sales, his boss came to him and suggested he go get a nicer car. The hubby drove a Subaru Outback; paid cash for it. The boss wanted him to own a higher end car. As weeks went by the boss kept trying to talk him into a BMW, AUDI, or Mercedes, and even took him to a dealership one day after lunch. My husband finally asked why he cared so much, to which he replied, “ I need my sales guys hungry 24/7, and if your cars are paid for, and your mortgage is low then you won’t be motivated. I need you afraid that you aren’t going to make that next payment. Sales guys who live beyond their means are the best sales guy. They NEED the sale.”

Monat isn’t stupid. They know exactly what they are doing when they issue that first Cadillac check. They want you hungry, they want you motivated to sell, and guess what, you are! That’s why you carry samples with you everywhere you go, and everyone is now a prospect first, friend second.