Since that night in December, Celeste continued to attend the weekly Mary Kay meetings. She decided to do Mary Kay full-time, quit her job as an administrative secretary at an elementary school and boosted her personal team from three to eight recruits. She is now a Sales Director-in-Qualification and, if her team meets wholesale ordering goals, she will be able to drive a company-provided red Pontiac Grand Am.
Everyone in Mary Kay’s sales force begins at the same level: Independent Beauty Consultant. At this and all other levels of the sales hierarchy, Mary Kay product is purchased at a 50 percent discount from the company and resold for retail price. To remain “active” and receive commissions, all consultants must purchase at least $200 in wholesale product from the company each quarter.

When a consultant recruits one or two others, she becomes a Senior Consultant, and the company pays her 4 percent commission on her recruits’ wholesale orders. When she recruits up to four, she is promoted to Team Leader, wears a red jacket to signify her rank, and earns 9 percent commission on her personal team’s orders. At eight recruits, she becomes a Future Sales Director. If she chooses to reach for the Sales Director position, she must first prove her talent for recruiting and selling during a period known as Sales Director-in-Qualification. During that four-month period, she must grow her team to 30 consultants – at least eight of which are her personal recruits – and her team must have wholesale orders of at least $16,000. If she has at least 10 active recruits, she’s also eligible to drive a Grand Am.

More than 13,000 women have worked up to the Sales Director position, which is considered management level. Sales Directors earn commission on their personal team members and their 30-plus-member unit. A Director is also eligible for sales and recruiting bonuses, paid in cash, jewelry, or luxury trips. And she earns the use of a pink Cadillac if her unit orders at least $96,000 in wholesale product during a four-month period.

The hierarchy grows even more complex past the Sales Director platform. A Sales Director may have a personal recruit who eventually becomes a Director herself. In that case, the Sales Director is promoted to Senior Sales Director, and the successful team-builder becomes her “offspring” Sales Director. The Senior Sales Director makes 4 percent commission from her offspring’s wholesale orders, on top of the typical Sales Director’s earnings.

About 250 women have earned the highest position in the sales force — National Sales Director. National Sales Directors are guaranteed a Cadillac, luxury trips, and a retirement plan. National Sales Directors may also serve on company advisory boards.

The Mary Kay hierarchy is so complicated that it may take months for new consultants to understand it. But Celeste has memorized the company’s “Steps to Success.” She wants to be in management, and she wants to earn her title by the end of July, when the annual Mary Kay convention is held in Dallas. She wants to walk across the stage as a new Sales Director, with 15,000 consultants from around the world cheering her on.