Amway - The Tools Have What Value?

When I was an IBO and even now, I see IBOs and others claiming that the tools are vital. That tools are necessary to achieve success in Amway. When I was an IBO, and I suspect even now, that uplines tout tools as a defacto mandatory part of being an Amway business owner. That nobody can succeed without tools. That tools are optional, but so is success. Noone has ever succeeded without tools but you can try to be the first. But if an IBO stops and turns on their critical thinking, one should ask, what value is in the tools?

For hardworking and dedicated IBOs, the tools are likely to cost on average $200 a month of more. If you have to travel by plane to attend functions, then your cost may be even higher. Driving the miles to show the plan, standing orders, voicemail, website fees, books and other materials basically become the business. I would bet money that most IBO spend more time listening to cds or voicemail than they ever do selling and/or promoting products.

Can you learn from some of the tools? Yes, I believe you can, but what value do they add to your efforts as an IBO? If you are a real business owner, you don't spend more on tools than your monthly income for very long unless the tools will directly result in your ability to make more profit. Most IBOs don't even make enough income from Amway to cover the cost of their monthly voicemail bill, let alone the other materials and the functions. Most IBOs never sponsor anyone, which is the key to attempting to achieve the residual income that many are chasing but few (if any) have ever achieved.

I mean if you handed out 6 cds and the result was 6 people sponsored, I would say you had a great deal. But I personally don;t know of anyone who ever handed out a standing order or any tape or cd that resulted in sponsoring a downline. I don't know of anyone whose business was profoundly affected positively because of the tools. Those who achieve in Amway appear to be natural leaders with a degree of charisma. It is why people gravitate towards them and are motivated by them. Lacking that, most other IBOs simply play a game called Amway that becomes expensive over a period of time. It is why there are stories of people losing tens of thousands of dollars in a business where there is "low risk". Your moneyis drained on function at a time, one standing order at a time. Thousands of people spending $200 a month on tools equals a nice income.

But do the tools have value? I don't see much there, unless you are selling the tools.