Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Amway - Broken Dreams?

One of the things Amway promoters use to entice prospects into joining is to get them to think about financial dreams and goals that they would like to accomplish. After all, who wouldn't want to be retired at age 35 and walking on the exotic beaches of the world? Or who wouldn't want to live a life of leisure and excitement with unlimited barrels of cash rolling in to finance all of the fun and frivolity?
Of course most people get excited by this.

Sadly, the things that people get excited by, or the things that people join for, often become less accessible because of people's involvement in Amway. Not due to Amway itself, but because of the leach organizations that attach themselves to the Amway business. These organization will promote their materials as the key to success in Amway, but in reality, these organizations reap handsome profits while basically bankrupting the downline IBOs. What is also sad is that the system does not deliver the success that is touted. Less than one half of one percent even reach the platinum level, which is allegedly the level where you break even or make a small profit.

During my tenure in the business, uplines taught us to buy all the materials. Books, standing order tapes/cds, functions, and other materials. In fact, in addition to standing order, upline wanted IBOs to purchase an additional 5-7 tapes or cds each week. Afterall, you should be listening to new material right? In fact, upline wanted people to "invest" or spend all of their income on these materials. In an open meeting setting, a diamond said that your famioly could skip a meal to get another tape/cd because the information was so valuable that you might hear the one thing that propels you to diamond. Almost as if buying a tape/cd was like some lottery ticket.

And sadly, some IBOs did go "all in". They bought tools like there was no tomorrow. In my crossline, there was a couple who went bankrupt and a couple whose home was foreclosed. Now was this financial difficulty all due to their involvement in Amway? I don't know, but certainly, buying hundreds of dollars of materials on a monthly basis cas certainly contribute to someone's financial problems. And these IBOs did this on upline's advice. Thus upline advised this even when they likely knew that these IBOs were in financial difficulty. If they would tell you to starve your kids, then surely they will not be concerned about your other issues. I also sat in a function where a diamond taught about how long you can put off paying a mortgage before foreclosure would occur. Probably so people could go in hock to attend a major function.

It is a sad thing indeed when uplines will try to sell you dreams. What's worse is when they are actually selling you broken dreams.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll break something of yours but it won't be your dreams.

Joecool said...

*Yawn* Yes, I am shaking in my boots as we speak.

Anonymous said...

hey anon, shouldn't you be out there promoting your business instead of wasting your time on here???? get to crackin'!

Shaun said...

Sounds like some bad upline for sure. Cannot blame Amway Global for that. Not that I want to disrespect anyone, if your upline told you to "skip dinner" that would have been the first sign to get out. I've never once been told what I should or shouldn't buy with my tools. I choose what I participate in and what I buy from the tools.

Like I said sounds like you had a bad LOS which is more than likley why you have such a sour taste in your mouth for Amway Global

Joecool said...

Hi Shaun!

I was in WWDB and leaders like Greg Duncan and Brad Wolgamott taught a lot of stuff when I was an IBO. They told us things like Amway saves marriages or that getting a loan of any kind is stupid. They told us that we should invest all of our disposable income into tools. They told us it was okay to go in debt, but only to attend functions or to buy more standing orders. I find that to be unethical. What do you think?

Anonymous said...

Well somebody could'nt believe "skip a dinner" advice, my uplines have told several times that when they both (husband and wide) did not have jobs and they had notices for non-payment of rent, they never missed a standing order or an open meeting or going to function.

One of the crossline had the story, when they did not have money to buy food or clothes, they would feed their children with food bar and shop at salvation army/thrift stores for suits to not show what they are going through to their team.

If you get a chance, listen to J.P and Ritu Kapoor's story, they both lost their jobs and for 2 years did hourly rate jobs, went in debt, but never missed an association, got baby sitters for their kids when they themselves were earning the same rate as that of the baby sitter in their jobs- they did not care abt all these and went emerald.

Well, all these stories are motivating and tell u that if u invest in your business no matter what, you will make it- but amway statistics itself says only <1 % make it to platinum level and even at that level only if you have enough width(atleast 6 legs doing volume), you will make some profit considering all the expenses with a platinum level business.

Only with these motivating stories all these systems manage to keep people in and make them to spend sometimes money that they dont have in tools, functions and driving/flying miles.

Shaun said...

Well what I do agree with is that if you can pay for things in cash then do so. That's not something WWDB or Amway Global has taught me, that's something my parents and many people have taught me. It's common sense to live within your means. Does that mean getting a car loan is stupid or a house loan is stupid, I don't think so. However there are ways to make it so you don't have to. Not just the Amway Global business, but many other ways.

I've never ever once been told by anyone to invest all our disposable income into tools.

Nobody has ever told me to go into debt for anything relating to the business in any way shape or form.

Joecool said...

What group/LOS are you from Shaun? I am guessing WWDB? Well, I was in WWDB and that's what I was taught and I have reason to believe that it is still taught today.

Anonymous said...

I know how they became emerald. Don't write based on the stage talk.

Anonymous said...

They are Diamonds now, btw....