Dotty Ferrigno has truly embraced the “Mary Kay Way.”
At 80 years old, the Fairfield resident recently earned the use of her 15th consecutive Mary Kay car — a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox — since she began working with the company in 1981 as an independent beauty consultant.
“My family was in retail, so I knew early on that people had to get up and go to work,” said Ferrigno, who began selling Mary Kay Cosmetics while raising two sons after a divorce. “I did well because I had to make enough money to stay in my house.”
The cosmetics company offers its sales staff another well-known incentive, one that often can be seen prowling the roads.
“When Mary Kay said I could get a free car, I went out and earned it,” said Ferrigno, a former Bridgeport school teacher.
Mary Kay Cosmetics is a multi-level marketing firm based in Addison, Texas, that last year achieved $2.5 billion in worldwide sales with a work force of more than 2 million consultants. The company was founded by Mary Kay Ash in 1963. The cosmetics are sold at “Mary Kay parties” in people’s homes, Ferrigno said.
A Mary Kay consultant must have a sales team of at least five members and earn sales of at least $18,000 within the first four months of the fiscal year to earn use of a Mary Kay car as a “grand achiever.” The consultant, whose pay is entirely commission, is responsible for paying a part or all of the car’s monthly two-year lease payment if her team’s quarterly net revenue falls to less than $19,500.
Logo from Mary Kay