This was a comment loeft on this blog. It is a very good description of what many IBOs experience and how uplines manipulate them.
Amway is totally a mind game. Controlling your mind is the name of the game. Each and everything that is said from the stage, in the cd..is done for a reason. When you are in it, you dont think u are being manipulated. Rather you are made to feel like you are a winner..and you are exceptionally better off than the average outside(non-amway) people, whereas in reality you are loosing every day- loosing in the sense, you are not getting the results for the efforts u are putting.
Every possible negative situation that could happen is thought of and covered from the stage, and the cd. For eg: let's say u have been in the business for 5 years and not making profit. You will listen to a cd where the speaker says nothing happened to them for the first 5 years of business- so u will be like, this is so similar to my story..if I stay a little more time, it is going to work for me.
The job world and the outside people (non-amway people) is painted in such a negative color in the system, so u will be like business is not working..but jobs dont work either...let me stick it out and make it in the business...anyway i will not be able to even spend any time with people outside, let me stay in the business.
You are encouraged to have bigger dreams and get pictures of your dreams on your fridge or have a dream board. In a way this keeps u in the biz, b'coz it is your dream and u are like, how can i choose to leave the biz and these dreams.
Big time stroking of ego happens in all associations. At all associations, whoever that is getting results at that time is promoted through the roof. Sometimes when u are not getting any results, some of the big pins, wont even acknowledge ur presence. U will be like...i will show it to u, what i am capable of and will stay in the biz some more time.
The main goal of the system is to keep u in the biz for some more time, until that next function or seminar comes to pump u up or give u hope. In the meantime u will be buying 300PV worth of product and increase Amway's business and will be buying tools and be inncreasing your system's income.
If u have a few people in your group, quitting becomes even more difficult, u will be like..how can i tell these people, whom i gave dreams and got them in...that i am not going to pursue.
If ur upline is in the local area, if u tell them that u dont want to continue, they will come to ur house, spend hours with u and will use every technique in the book to keep u in.
For those of u who have read "How to win Friends and Influence people"- two main techniques are used from that book in amway business:
1) Appeal to Nobler cause- There is no real money in Amway for most people- so what do they appeal to - Impacting people, better marriages, great families, Free Enterprise, Intagible benefits like becoming a better person etc etc etc.
2)Dramatize your ideas- This is what happens in the function- whereas everything is dramatized--incredible fear about economy, job world is put in your mind and incredible rewards achieved by people in the business is constantly talked about( in a crowd of 3000 in a function, at the most 20 so called successful people talk-so there is your ratio of sucess.)
So, how does this business run? why do people stay in? for HOPE...HOPE of making it one day..HOPE of achieving their dreams...They stay afloat with HOPE
2 comments:
Hi Joecool,
I have been following your blog for quite some time now and I thoroughly enjoy it. I have some family that has recently started getting involved in Amway and it has been a complete nightmare (for my husband and myself). They are constantly trying to sell us products that we continue to say we aren't interested in. I was recently called by this family member asking for a "huge favor" which turned out to be asking us to buy something off their website within the next 2 days so they could meet their goal. I can't tell you how many times and how many different ways we have said we aren't interested. It has been over a year and it doesn't seem to let up. No matter how many questions I ask, I can never get solid answers about how amway works. That would be why I'm emailing you. How does this business work? I know that they get percentages of their PV but what are these percentages they are yielding? They are both planning to leave their jobs, which hasn't happened yet, but is that really possible? I feel crazy but don't they always have to work to keep their income coming in? How do you become a diamond? What is the progression up the upline ladder? They are convinced they are going to be retiring soon and bash those who have "JOBS." I just get more frustrated the more I get wishy washy answers about why they want me to buy products (that I don't want) so badly. I am running out of things to say to them because they have an answer for everything (but of course not to the questions I'm asking, just my refusals). I am hoping that you can shed some light on this business because I am at a loss.
Thanks!
Family member, it is unfortunate, but many IBOs fall victim to clever psychology. They suddenly "trust" upline and shun family because they truly believe that upline holds the secrets to vast wealth. Although called independent business owners, or IBOs, the Amway folks are basically comissioned sales people.
And IBO can earn about $10 if they sell about $300 worth of goods in a month. The income from Amway works on a sliding scale and if you "sponsor" people, then you get credit for their volume, which is why some people are rabidly recruiting new members. As you move more volume, you have the potential to make more.
The problem is that almost all IBOs who are "learning" Amway from their uplines, end up spending more on Amway education than they will ever earn from moving products.
You can't change your family or friend's minds about Amway. Just be supportive until they discover for themselves. You can ask if they are making a net profit. That might help. Good luck.
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