Interview with three skin-care specialists of Mary Kay

By Grace Han

People in many countries of the world make their New Year wishes at the outset of the year--and Korea is no exception. At the beginning of this year, The Korea Post had an interview with three Korean ladies whose jobs were to make people, especially ladies, look attractive.
Here are the questions and answers of an interview which The Korea Post recently conducted with three beauty-care specialists, namely Senior Sales Director Ms. Teresa Kim of Mary Kay (a leading cosmetics company), Senior Director Ms.Christina Kim and Sales Director Ms. Helia Cho.

Question: Now shall we begin with Christina? Please introduce how you came to have this job?

Answer: When I was in the early 30s, I used Mary Kay cosmetics for about a year. Ms. Helia Cho offered me good advice on beauty care and my skin. She had wonderful skin and that is how I started taking interest in Mary Kay cosmetics. Fully satisfied with the quality of the products, I wondered if I could sell them in a side job. Soon, I became increasingly attracted to the job, and now it is already nine years since I started selling the Mary Kay cosmetics. I also got promotions, and now I am a director.

Q: Now Ms. Teresa, I see you three ladies wearing the same attractive uniforms with interesting numbers and logo. Do they have a special meaning?
A:
When the late Madam Mary Kay Ash designed the uniforms of Mary Kay she emphasized three points: (1) Whoever wears them the uniform must look attractive, (2) the uniform must not have wrinkles, and (3) the Mary Kay beauty consultants wearing the uniforms should always look better than others.
Only the sales directors are entitled to wearing the Mary Kay uniforms. The Mary Kay directors are professionals and they have a good image both inside and outside. The figure, 450 million, on the badge represents the total amount of sales achieved for one year by all the units. It is a 14k gold pin. When I wear the uniform, I feel as if I and Mary Kay were one.

Q: Helia, how and when did you join Mary Kay and what are your relations with the two other ladies?
A:
I started attending the skin-care classes thanks to the good offices of Director Teresa, which led to my forming relations with Mary Kay. Then I met with Director Teresa and, with the passage of time, I realized that Mary Kay was the source from which they developed the exceptional energy. Then I told myself that I, too, should join Mary Kay.

Q: Christina, what is your impression of Mary Kay?
A:
Mary Kay for me is my love. I also love my customers and clients. The insatiable love I have developed for Mary Kay, my customers and clients have made it possible for me to come all the way to where I am now.

Q: Now Teresa, you are married, have children and work. How do you manage to do all three things?
A:
It is by no means so easy for a woman to be a wife, daughter- in-law and a mother. Three things help me do all the work successfully. Firstly, it is my faith in God; secondly, it is my love for my family members; and, lastly, it is the satisfaction you get when you have done a job well. I try to maintain good balance among all three things and I think that it is the secret that helps me do all three jobs well.

Q: Now Teresa, what does Mary Kay mean to you?
A:
For me, Mary Kay is my life itself. I experience all the ‘Four Attributes to Life,’ e.g., delight, anger, love and pleasure.

Q: Helena, how do you view your dream in connection with Mary Kay?
A:
Mary Kay is where I can extend my good influence on other people. Thus, Mary Kay is my mentor in a sense. At Mary Kay, I can demonstrate my ability and express my passion to the fullest possible extent. It is where I can demonstrate to others and give them a sense of confidence in what they do and that they, too, can do as well as I do. I always try to tell them that there is nothing they cannot do if they try hard enough. Whenever I see a job well done, I never grudge rewarding them with the fullest extent of appreciation and praise. I would say that so doing is part of the Mary Kay culture. Mary Kay helps me realize my dreams and that helps other people realize their dreams, too.

Q: Christina, what is the most valuable thing in life to you as a Mary Kay director?
A:
I would say that it is the ‘trust.’ I have full trust in what I do and I show the customers and clientele the trust I repose in Mary Kay. Trust forms the basis of what I do as a member of Mary Kay.

Q: I think you are right. I believe that trust is the most important thing in life. Now lastly, Helia, how would you describe Mary Kay in one sentence?
A:
I would say that Mary Kay is where you can do everything and where you can realize your dreams.

Writer’s note: All three ladies interviewed were wearing violent- color uniforms which showed the overflowing energy of professional women. The two of the interviewees were sisters and the third one their cousin.
At times they were competitors with one another but at other times they were members of a same family clan. They all looked so nice sipping tea together on a cold winter day. After the interview, we resumed our gossiping looking forward to tomorrow when I was sure I would look nice--thanks to their cosmetics and skin-care skills.

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지