How did a self-proclaimed shy girl from rural North Dakota come to lead a team of nearly 300 consultants, earn $500,000 in sales and get herself featured in New York’s Time Square?
She became a Mary Kay Consultant in 1996 and has never looked back.
Meet Rhonda
Rhonda’s entrepreneurial parents owned Schmitt Locker in Napoleon, North Dakota. https://www.facebook.com/Schmitt-Locker-1721202918133954/ There, she worked side-by-side with them after school and in the summer, observing their work ethic and customer service skills, which she now mirrors in her professional life.
She and her husband Joe of 31 years raised three adult children who’ve richly blessed them with three young grandchildren. “The most important thing to me is spending quality time with my family. I want to share as many experiences and fun memories with them as possible.”
Rhonda attended beauty school, worked for the Bank of ND, was a stay-at-home Mom and now has been self-employed with Mary Kay for 23 years. “I’ve always loved helping women look and feel better.”
Faith, Family & Career
Rhonda started selling Mary Kay because she always enjoyed skin care and makeup. Initially her earnings were tagged for fun, little family extras like taking her children to Chuck E. Cheese. “I took it one day at a time, day in and day out and as my customer base grew, I looked back and realized I’d created a mountain.”
She’d found something she loved doing. “It has never felt like work.”
Rhonda’s been an Independent Senior Sales Director for 20 years.
Business Model
Mary Kay’s business model and principles align with Rhonda’s.
- Faith First
- Family Second
- Career Third
According to Rhonda, Mary Kay is a company with a heart, always encouraging consultants to treat every person as if they have a sign around their neck saying “make me feel important” and treating others the way we would want to be treated.
The true heart of Mary Kay is Enriching Women’s Lives.
At Mary Kay, success is defined as “simply ordinary women with extraordinary determination.” She boasts the “organization attracts the kindest women with huge hearts. If you live your life in this order: faith, family and career, you can’t help but be successful.”
Achieving Success
Rhonda’s been splendidly rewarded for her Mary Kay success. She’s
- Earned the use of 14 career cars, including 9 Cadillacs
- Achieved a half million in sales and was featured in New York’s Time Square
- Named a Director-Top 2% in the company
- Received diamond rings and diamond bar pins
- And, earned the Director Miss Go-Give Award, voted on by one’s peers for giving enthusiastically, willingly and beyond what is expected of them
She’s striving to become a National Sales Director. “To achieve that I need to help more women have the life they want and deserve, using Mary Kay as their vehicle.”
Building a Successful Sales Team
Regardless of one’s chosen career, Rhonda strongly believes a commitment to never quit-determination-is essential.
As a leader she makes it her mission to figure out what matters to her consultants. “What is their ‘WHY’? She pours her belief in her team members and leads by example.
She’s had many consultants who’ve stayed on her team throughout her 20 years because they love the brand and the company. “It truly is a sisterhood.”
Her consultants must
- Have a genuine love for helping others
- Love skin care and beauty
- Know they deserve more and be willing to work for it
She seeks 5 key work habits in her Consultant team members
1. Determination
2. Self-motivation
3. Strong, independent work ethic
4. Self-discipline
5. Never give up attitude
Rhonda’s disappointed when consultants quit but understands that’s part of the process.
Those that quit often don’t believe in themselves or have had someone crush their dreams by telling them they can’t do it or they know someone who’s tried and failed.
“Our business is simple, but not always easy. Sometimes it’s easier or more comfortable to quit after a few disappointments.”
When it comes to fear of selling, she wants everyone to know that we all sell every day. “When we find a good movie or restaurant, we “sell” it to others. We “sell” our children on why having lunch now and snack later, is best.”
Selling is simply finding a need and filling it. There is no reason to fear it.
Measuring Success
Rhonda knows there is nothing more rewarding than setting a goal, working toward it each day, realizing the fruits of one’s labor and feeling a sense of accomplishment.
She believes all women have within them the power to control their life and future.
“I measure success when a woman in my organization realizes how great she truly is and uses my belief in her, and her God given talent, to achieve her personal and financial goals until she has belief in herself.”
Overcoming Barriers to Success
No one rises to the top of any organization without establishing good work habits and overcoming some barriers along the way.
Rhonda’s journey to the top is no different.
“Because Mary Kay has no time commitments or sales quotas, it’s very easy to put Mary Kay on the back burner and say yes to everything else.”
To reach the top Rhonda had to set a schedule for herself and commit to working in and building her business. She never felt like she had to make sacrifices to be successful. “I haven’t attended every game or school activity for my children, but I never missed any of the big ones.”
She accepts that life isn’t always going to be balanced. Instead, she believes it’s all about harmony. Sometimes you work 12-to-15-hour days, many days in a row. Sometimes you have days of relaxation.
Her motto is “Work Hard. Play Hard.”
She readily reveals the barriers she’s had to overcome to become successful.
1. Shyness. “I’m probably one of the least likely to succeed at owning a people business because, by nature, I’m shy.” Now she understands that shyness is sometimes a selfish trait-focusing on oneself. “Turning my focus on others makes everything work better.”
2. Limited Belief in Self. My National Sales Director always believed in me. I used that belief until I had it in myself.
3. Limited Faith. “If I couldn’t see how the goal could happen, I didn’t believe it could happen.” Today she keeps her mind in the right place by constantly reading and listening to motivational and self-improvement books, podcasts, etc.
4. Comparing Myself to Others. “I realize that when we do that, we always compare our worst traits to someone’s best traits. God made each of us perfectly, and he doesn’t make mistakes.”
5. Wanting to stay “comfortable.” Every success takes stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Rhonda has kept a magnet on her kitchen refrigerator since her early Mary Kay days. It reads, “Do one thing every day that makes you uncomfortable.”
About Beauty
Rhonda shares 4 insights about beauty.
1. Beauty comes from within. Skin care and makeup can enhance beauty. When we look good on the outside, we generally feel good on the inside.
2. Self-love, care and pampering are important. No one can be good to others if they are not good to themselves too.
3. Skin care is the #1 secret to a great, finished makeup look. If one doesn’t like how her skin looks and feels without makeup, she won’t like it with makeup. However, if you like how your skin looks and feels without makeup, you will love it with makeup.
4. Good skin care regimens, used consistently, help slow down the aging clock.
You & Mary Kay
If you’re inspired by Rhonda’s Mary Kay journey and would like to explore becoming a Consultant, reach out to her
Text or Call: 701.226.4545
Email: rkambeitz@bis.midoc.net
Website: www.marykay.com/rkambeitz
“It’s the best decision I have ever made. Endless possibilities and earning potential.”
And, as founder, Mary Kay Ash always said, “If just one more woman realized how great she truly is, it’s going to be a great day.”
Click here for other great Mary Kay Ash quotes https://succeedfeed.com/mary-kay-ash-quotes/
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Linda Leier Thomason writes freelance business and travel stories along with feature articles. Her work experience includes a Fortune 500 corporation, federal government, entrepreneurship and small business. Read more about her background and qualifications by clicking on the “Meet Linda” tab above.
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