Upon graduating college, Jo Latham worked in corporate America as an engineering coordinator for General Motors and didn’t know that selling Mary Kay products would change her life.
“A friend of mine sold me products and asked me constantly. She pleaded with me in a room full of people so I said ‘if you’ll stop pleading with me, I’ll do it.’ Then I put it off for another three months,” laughed Latham.
In 1988, she reluctantly became a sales person and sold Mary Kay part time. She said at the time she believed corporate America was the “way to go” and never thought about working independently.
Eventually the profits of her modest work selling Mary Kay equaled her GM salary and she began to enjoy sales.
A financial slight at her full time job and a trip to Texas helped Latham further commit and excel at Mary Kay.
During a trip to Dallas, Latham took a tour of the Mary Kay headquarters and was able to meet Mary Kay Ash, the company’s founder.
When she returned to Indiana, Latham, who had quit her job at GM, completely dedicated her business drive into selling Mary Kay. In a year she became a sales director.
Since that time, Latham has become so successful at Mary Kay that she worked her way up in the company and is now the Indiana future executive senior sales director. She has also garnered numerous awards, recruited a multitude of women to the company, has a huge customer base and recently received her 11th Mary Kay company car – a 2012 Cadillac SRX.
Iconic in it’s own right, this month the Mary Kay Cadillac is celebrating its 43rd anniversary. The pink Cadillac is the most coveted incentive awarded by Mary Kay. The car comes in pearlized pink – a color unique to the Mary Kay career car program. Other cars offered within the program include the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Chevy Malibu and the Mary Kay black Ford Mustang.
Even more iconic is Mary Kay merchandise. The company’s skin care and cosmetic products are literally for any woman and have become a household name.
Sheryl Adkins-Green, chief marketing officer for Mary Kay said the company’s longevity is due to the employment opportunities afforded to a diverse array of women; it’s empowering work culture; exceptional customer service; and a high-quality product that women can “try before they buy.”
“We have products for all of the beautiful skin around the world,” added Adkins-Green.
Mary Kay is constantly perfecting the brand and relies on science to create its skin care products. Some of their most popular include “Botanical Effects” for sensitive skin and “TimeWise” an award-winning anti-aging product.
Mary Kay built its base on cosmetics, specifically its foundations and lip colors, and continues to sell billions of product each year. Their most popular are NouriShine Plus lip gloss; the award-winning Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover; and LashLove mascara.
This summer, women have been enjoying bright and vibrant colors – this fall, women will see deep blues, bright reds and rich teal colors in their upcoming “Hollywood Mystique” color line.
Adkins-Green said what also makes Mary Kay products unique are that it can all be customized and is very affordable.
“These are products that women want,” added Latham.
To learn more about Mary Kay, visit marykay.com. To order products from Jo Latham, call (317) 848-7515 or visit http://beta.marykay.com/jlatham/en-US. To find out about Mary Kay Inc. work in fighting domestic violence, visit marykayfoundation.org.
