Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Defending Amway?

I got into the Quixtar/Amway debate back in about 2004 or so. I've seen many Amway defenders and critics come and go. I have thought about quitting but somehow, some new injustice perpetuated by some upline leaders resurfaces and Joecool gains a renewed sense of dedication to exposing the truth about the opportunity and some of the unethical upline leaders. The purpose of this blog is to provide information to those who seek it, whether it be an IBO or a prospect. The information on this blog is from my personal experiences, the opinions I have formed about the business and the opinions and facts that I have gathered as an experienced blogger on the subject.

There's one particular visitor here from Scarborough Canada, basically a troll, who wants to defend Amway, but he is unable to defend Amway on the merits of the business so he results to personal insults and idle threats. Unknowingly, these kinds of Amway defenders make themselves and the business reputation worse as the audience here will often associate the bad manners with the Amway opportunity in general. I believe it is because when you debate on sound business principles and common sense, there is practically no way to defend Amway and the tools system as a sound business opportunity. The vast majority of IBOs end up with a net loss, and those who attend functions and buy other training materials often end up with massive losses in the tens of thousands of dollars.

A common defense of Amway is to show one individual who may have overcome the odds to succeed. What is not said is that this individual may have all his or her downline losing money, or that the success they enjoy was not sustainable due to the attrition of IBOs. Or they may portrat thay success as the best case scenario and not tell prospects about what is likely. There is no unbiased documentation to prove that the system has any effectiveness. It's amazing how one's opinion of the foolproof system changes within a few months. So many IBOs have visited my blog to fight and debate, only to sheepishily email me later to say I was right on many points and that they have since quit Amway. As I said, this blog is not encouraging anyone to quit, but to please be aware of your business expenses and to look at the facts, not ignore them.

A business exists to make money. Some uplines will tell you that you are a nicer person or a better father. That the business is not about money. They would be dead wrong. You joined the business, presumably to make money. If not then you have just joined a very expensive social club. For those who wish to defend Amway and the systems, that certainly is your right and this blog welcomes all opinions, even those that are not aligned with my own. But defend the business and the systems base on facts and results, not on anecdotal stories, best case scenarios and photocopies of someone else's checks. Then you have something to stand on. If not, as I said in a previous post, try getting a business loan by showing the loan officer a copy of Bill Britts bonus check as proof that the business works. Or try securing a loan by showing the bank the 6-4-2 plan.

Seriously, a good debate is great but lacking facts and common sense, the defense looks feeble. Good luck if you are seeking information and I hope this blog provides what you are seeking.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'll admit it, I got into Amway to make money, not to become a better person. Your statement about joining the Amway business for any other reason than to make money is right on! It is an expensive social club for the average IBO. I quit over 2 years ago. I "de-amwayed" the house by using up all the products and replacing them with non Amway products. Yes Crest has given me superb results in managing what was once advanced periodontal disease. I also got rid of all the motivational tools. I don't miss having to prospect or any of the other phony bologna associated with being an IBO. Keep on blogging Joe, I'll check back from time to time.