Success and achievements. It is what most IBOs strive for. I know that Amway apologists are famous for justifying fake success, which is why I decided to write this blog post. By "fake success" I am talking about how apologists will say an IBO sold a can of XS for example, and will proclaim success. Now sure, selling products can be a step in the right direction, but the way IBOs act and the way their actions are reinforced, suggest to me that IBOs are given questionable ideas about success.
Prospects who attend a formal board plan or open meeting will very likely see a 6-4-2or 9-4-2, or some version of a plan. The plan generally will talk about going platinum where you make $40 to $50K annually, and all you need is six and then you are a diamond, etc etc. It all looks easy on paper. Duplicate yourself and you will be diamond in 2-5 years.
In real life, many IBOs cannot even find people agreeable to seeinng the plan, much less be able to sponsor others. Thus it would seem that uplines need to create "success" milestones that will help to retain an IBO in the business, and in particular, the tools business. So you might hear that meeting new people is a success, or showing someone the plan is a success, or showing up at the function is a success. When I was an IBO, I heard that the most important person to bring to the function was yourself. IBOs were edified for selling some personal items so they could afford a ticket to the function.
On our voicemail system, I heard all kinds of testimonies of success. Looking back, it was all just fluff by upline to reinforce an IBO's efforts to build and stay in the business, even if the bottom line results were futile. For example, I recall one IBO being edified when he ran out of satinue and used LOC to wash his hair. Or someone selling their car to make sure they could buy a plane ticket and attend the next major function. One IBO was called dedicated because she quit her job to attend a function (her boss would not allow time off).
Folks, fake success is easy to achieve. But at the end of the month, when you look at your Amway bonus, and then you subtract the cost of your voicemail, website, standing order, and function tickets, do you have a loss or a surplus? If it's a loss and your volume is not growing, I hate to break the news to you, but you are not succeeding. Fake success is easy, real success requires applying real business principles.
JC - that subject did make me think a bit....
ReplyDeleteI certainly do remember the fake "acheivements" that paraded as success. Such as:
Whoever had the most contacts that night got their meal paid for at the night owl - or - whoever drove the furthest to attend a function was applauded. Ordered the most tools,books, etc.
I won the "farthest drive" more than once due to I was in a long-distance group. Sure, driving a long distance did show dedication - but did it mean my business was expanding or profits were increasing???
I now realize the "acheivements" were just a way to distract us from the fact that the business WASN'T exploding and none of us were raking in the bucks. And that was my fault for not discerning it.
So IBOs - don't pretend we don't know how the game is played - we do - and you'll wake up one day, too. Hopefully, in a quicker time-frame then some of us critics did.
Yeah. I remember at one function where Crown Kenny Stewart was the speaker. He was talking about the importance of having extra tapes to give away to your prospects and to your downline.
ReplyDeleteHe held up a crisp $100 bill and said that whoever counted the largest number of tapes in their trunk was going to get the money.
At the break I eagerly went to my car, counted the tapes and came back in and reported my results.
I can't remember how many boxes and boxes of tapes I had in the trunk, in the wheelwell, under the seat or in the player. But there were hundreds of tapes. And I "won." (Hundreds of tapes at $8 each. Do the math)
Yee ha! I got $100.
MichMan, that sums up the Amway business, tools and all, in a nutshell. Spend $800 or more, get back $100 and think you are a smashing success!
ReplyDelete