Am I Out of Line? Do I Have the Right to Say "NO".

Yes, you have every right to say No. And you should have communicated that after the first email. As you know, having been in marketing, it is nice to know who is interested and who is not. A simple communication of that in the beginning would have gone a long way.

Hi N.. I would say to her exactly what you posted. "I don't want our friendship to be hurt because I did not want to participate - I feel like my not wanting to participate might have offended you and it was not my intention - I'm just not interested in Mary Kay products."

Just be up front.
Of course you have the right to say no!! And if she gets mad at you about it, then you'll have to let her deal with that issue and get over it. Sounds rude, but really - it's true.

YES you have the right to say NO. Maybe you should ask her to help you buy another car...please..no, Pleaseeee...no! PLEAAAASE!!!! It will only cost you $70 and 30 minutes of her time! REALLY! (yes, I am into sarcasm)
Make that point, give her a hug and tell her that you appreciate what she is trying to do but the easiest turnoff for people is having someone pressure them. If she doesn't understand then ask her what she has done when she gets one of those annoying phone calls asking her to switch electric companies. She is being a THEM.
Tell her..."Sue, I love that you are so excited about your business and you know that I support you (your $70 in MK says that) but you have hurt our friendship AND your business by pressuring me so much. If you want my continued support as a customer I will buy X from you and be willing to try something new once in a while but honestly I am not very knocked out by most of the products. I will help you if you have a show but look at me AS a help, not a sell. Please step back and look at what you are doing, if I feel this way so are other people that you are dealing with. How about we sit down and talk about marketing strategies and better ways to approach people? I really want you to be successful but I don't want it affecting our friendship."
It is hard when you are in businesses like Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Amway, ect. The expectations are high and people run the opposite dirrection because of people like your friend. The successful people in the business have been hard hitters, spending thousands of dollars of their own, approaching anyone and everyone. (been there, done that) She is learning the lesson the hard way.
A real friend will realize what you are saying and eventually thank you for it. Good luck. =)

Absolutely you have the right to say no. This really bugs me. I would have treated the email the same way - an unsolicited piece of marketing that I ignored. I also suspect that if you would have said no thanks to the first offer, you would have gotten the hard sell anyone. An acquaintance of mine who also sells MK pressured me quite a bit to attend dinners, etc. with her. I told her that while I was happy for her success, I wasn't interested in pursuing a career with MK as I didn't think it was a good fit for me, and that it wouldn't be a good use of either of our times to attend these things together or talk about trying to recruit me. Of course, highly offended response, how could I make such a snap judgement without ever hearing what they had to say, etc. etc. Easy answer - I don't want to be like you! Anyway, hold your ground, and if she is miffed, I think that is very petty. Most people would have gotten a clue instead of sending a 3rd email.

No, N., you are definitely not out of line. I have dealt with the same experience with my sister and we got in a huge fight last week because I got tired of her trying to sell me Monavie juice. I refuse to buy it and told her so a couple of months ago and ever since then she just keeps going on and on about the wonderful results that people have experienced drinking this juice and how much she's been selling, blah, blah, blah. I'm happy she's doing so well, but I have no interest in it. I just recently joined a direct sales company as well, but I don't say one word about my shows or the products. She knows all about it, but I know she won't support me by buying anything because I won't support her. We are talking now, but it has definitely caused a strain in our relationship. I think it's best that you tell your friend exactly how you feel and tell her that you really can't afford it and hope she understands. You could tell her that you're willing to support her in any way you can and mention that you will tell your friends and family about her business if the opportunity presents herself. If she's a good friend, she will completely understand. You've already supported her once by buying $70 worth of MK and she should be satisfied that you did that and quit bothering you to do more for her.

Yes it is ok to say no. I have a friend who also sells Mary Kay. I established boundaries from the begining so not an issue. If she is your friend she'll understand where you are coming from. I think it is ok for her to ask but not nag. Once you say no the answer is no and any business person whether friend or family should respect that.

You have a right to say no.. but you really should have responded to her first email instead of waiting for the third time! Even after the second email you could have replied and said not interested right now. you definitely have the right to say no and your friend should not be offended but I bet she is feeling really weird now because she thought you might join in and kept sending you email and you did not even bother to reply. You need to be the one to call her and clear up things here if you are interested in continuing to be her friend.

I agree with Kim M.. I just started reading the responses but hers was straight and to the point. I know, I used to have a home based business and I never pressured friends or family to buy. I knew I wasn't going to do it forever and still wanted to have my friends and family when I was tired of doing it. It was good while it lasted. Many home based businesses if you are going to move up the ladder, you have to recruit and often times put pressure on friends and family. I wasn't comfortable with that and as a result I did okay for a couple of years but didn't go up the management ladder. I totally believe you have EVERY right to nicely say to a friend or family member who is in direct sales.. that you aren't interested in the product and wish her the best of luck. She put too much pressure on you. I agree. And my understanding is with MK products if you aren't happy with them, you can return them for a full refund. I mean for the $70 you spent, you should love the products. Maybe pick out something else so you get your money's worth.
have a great holiday!

I agree with you completely, and you have every right to say No. You even said no in a nice, respectful way, so you didn't do anything wrong. She is in the wrong by trying to take advantage of your friendship. I hate to say it, but this person does not sound like a good friend if she is doing this and is not talking to you as a result. Good friends stand by each other, and don't put more stress on each other. She should know that you don't have tons of money lying around to buy that stuff. I own a side business that sells makeup, and most of my friends have no clue I sell it. I just don't believe in pushing friends to buy stuff. I only mention it if someone mentions an issue or comment that I think the products I sell would help them. Anyway, if you would like to continue this friendship, I would call her and ask her if she is upset with you. You should be upright and honest. If she says she is, then tell her you are sorry she feels this way, but you don't have the extra money and don't like to be tempted by listening to all the great products they offer. Then tell her that you would like to continue the relationship, but it's best that you not discuss Mary Kay. Good luck!

oy yoy yoy. I've many times had to say "I hope you do well with that... It's not my thing and I can't afford to do things like that but if i have a need or someone I know does I'll give them your name". I recently ended a friendship with someone who all they would do was try to sell me their product after I over and over said "STOP. I am not going to buy anything from you" and even more direct/rude responses (of course, I didn't start that way). Good luck.

I FULLY agree with how you handled it!! A legitimate business is NOT begging from family and friends to support you financially (the family and friends need to support their own immediate family who they ARE responsible for...and make their own choices financially). Selling to those who want to buy is fine, but I absolutely do not agree to pushing it on family and friends. I've never done sales and have always been turned off for that very reason as well. (Asking family and friends if they are interested in children's school fundraisers are different and understandable, but making a business out of trying to make friends and family feel obligated to support your personal business is not okay with me...I choose to have nothing to do with it.) Be firm now that you are not interested because if you give in, the asking will just continue. Needing an income is understandable, but pushing your need for income on family and friends remains unacceptable.

Hi N.,

Yes...you absolutely have the right to say NO. It may have gone a little more smoothly if you told her NO right away in response to the first invitation. But...she should respect your wishes and not put your friendship on the line for a side business of hers. I hope that you can speak gently about it to her. You are just not interested and THAT'S OKAY!
I was under the impression that Mary Kay had a money-back guarantee. She can return your unwanted product and refund your money. You tried it, it didn't work for you, end of story. Good luck with this. If she is really your friend, everything will work out.

J.

You should just say you do not like the product and that's that, she should understand.

Hi N., you do have a right to say "No" but you went wrong at not saying anything in the beginning. Your assumptions that she knows your feelings are completely unfair.I have learned that assumptions are always a way of causing trouble. Also, pick up the phone and talk to her. Emailing back can be taken completely wrong on the other end. Remember, she may have just thought you forgot about the email. She kept asking and received no response. Wouldnt you atleast expect a response if you were in her shoes? Even if the response was a "no". But, you didnt you never responded and then you sent a direct email back, that could have been taken wrong depending on your wording. You have all of these exectations of how you dont bother friends and family etc. with your work. Your friend is just asking if you would help her out. If you can't or won't then explain it to her. Explain to her that you have a lot on your plate and you don't ask these things of friends and family and would really apreciate it if she did the same. Have this conversation over coffee in a laid back atmosphere and she may not like it but as your friend needs to respect it.

Good luck!

I think you have a right to say "no", but I think because she seems to be a good friend you should have responded to her first email. Maybe you could tell her you are sorry for not responding to her first email, along with telling her you don't want your friendship hurt.
Cheryl