Tuesday, May 29, 2012

8-12 Hours A Week To Freedom?

One of the myths that upline used to, and likely still perpetuate is the claim that you can build an Amway mega empire on 8-12 hours per week. I'm venturing an educated guess that this number is used because while it still represents time, it is probably less hours than working a part time job. But let's take a closer look at this 8-12 hours per week.

If you listen to one (1) cd per day as recommended by upline and read one of their "success" books 15 minutes each day, you are already close to nine hours of time used and neither of these activities produces any income for your Amway business. In fact, both activities cost you money and produce no tangible result. If you spend another 15 minutes a day contacting people, you are close to 12 hours per week. Where will you find additional time to show the plan and to expand your name and contact list? What about servicing customers, at least for IBOs who actually may have some customers.

What about attending meetings and functions? These are also non income producing activities. It's no wonder the vast majority of IBOs don't make money. Their upline has them running around participating in activities that produce no income for their businesses. Ironically, these non income producing activities such as listening to a cd, produces a lot of income for certain iplines who produce and sell them. To me, it is just an elaborate game of bait and switch played by upline. They tell you that their system is foolproof and that you will make it if you don't give up. Not true.

You sell the prospect the dream of financial freedom. You tell that that Amway is their best chance. You tell them that you can help them and that the tools of the business (standing order, voicemail, books, functions) are the key to their success. Those who are serious enough to commit to the system likely won't quit without making some effort and will allow uplines to earn some nice profits before these downline eventually realize they aren't profitable and quit. Because many IBOs are sponsored by family and friends, you don't see too many formal complaints about the business. Most people chalk it up as a life lesson and do not complain.

But IBOs and information seekers, do not be fooled into thinking that you will create a financial empire by working 8-12 hours a week. That would be far fetched. The number of highly successful Amway IBOs versus the number who sign up can be compared to lottery winners.

18 comments:

lendrp84 said...

The truth is a dedicated business person can be successful with amway but there has to be a lot of time and some money dedicated to the business and that's where the scheme is but the truth is a person can be sucessful!

Joecool said...

And a person can also win the lottery if they have a ticket. That is also the truth.

Jonathan said...
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Anonymous said...

Being that the odds are pretty much the same, I'd take the lottery ticket. Better to be out a buck than thousands of dollars with the same odds.

The whole Amway myth of tying "hard work" to success in the business is bullshit. There are thousands of stories of those who got into the business gung-ho, plugged into the brainwashing, did everything EVERYTHING that their upline and so-called "tools" told them to do, only to find they were getting nowhere. The odds are too great to make it in the business by "hard work" alone. Overpriced products sold in pity purchases to family and friends, as well as self-consuming, won't bring "success". The whole game is to be a good enough liar and have no conscience for dragging in other people who will lose money so that you can step on their backs trying to climb out of the pit the "business" puts you in. That is hardly what I would call "success". No more so than calling the drug cartels or the mafia "successful businesses".

The big money in this business is in selling the "tools" and "functions" to fresh suckers with the same old lies that they bring success. And only a select handful are allowed to do that.

~Dave

Joecool said...

Jonathan, based on what you post, you earn less than minimum wage for your efforts. If you are attending functions and buying cds, etc, then you are making even less or taking a net loss for your efforts.

Jonathan said...
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Joecool said...

Jonathan, I wish you well, but I also urge you to monitor your income and expenses. I was in your shoes at one time and I had a pretty big group. Attrition takes its toll and many people don't do much and then the expenses start to mount. It's easy to have best case scenario projections but what happens if it doesn't come in as projected? I eventually made a business decision to quit because the time, money and effort didn't make amway a good return on my investment.

Jonathan said...
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Joecool said...

Jonathan,

How do you know if anyone in Amway earns $150,000 in residuals? Has anyone opened their books and showed you their financials or have you seen copies of checks and slides of someone's porsche or mansion? If people could earn $150,000 and "walk away", aren't you curious as to why nobody seemingly does it?

Truth be told, there might be a few old timers who earn a nice income and could disappear with a nice income. But what is the prospect that you will be one of them? Amway's own numbers indicate that less than one half of one percent ever reach platinum and the platinum level is where people begin to break even or make a small profit, depending on how dedicated they are to the system of tools and functions.

There are many other options that are more lucrative. In fact, for the vast majority of people, a second job is a better option. Cutting back and living a more minimalist lifestyle might help you bring your wife home if that's what you desire.

There really isn't much in this life that will allow you and your wife to stay home and do nothing while money rolls in. What makes you think that Amway will allow you to do that?

Anonymous said...

Jonathan, I admire wanting to keep the wife home, and to build a future... One thing to consider though; If you saw how much platinums and ruby's really work, they aren't all that "free." Board plans every night on top of all the other things going on, just to keep their business intact. You can't make platinum,ruby or emerald then go sailing off into the sunset, every one of your downline would quit. They ALL depend on you. It's a job, there's no way around that. They don't vacation or anything, because they have to be "all in." There's ALWAYS a price to pay no matter what.

Anonymous said...

Joe,

The Diamond "kingpins" such as Ron Puryear, Terry Felber, Bill Hawkins, Brad Duncan, and Bill Britt, are paper tigers - charismatic liars and blowhards, each in their own way, who cannot substantiate their representations about "the business." They will answer to God one day for their actions - maybe not in this life, but they will answer. (Maybe one day in this life in a deposition?) In the meantime, I am thankful for resources like yours for people like Jonathon and I.

--Daniel

Jonathan said...
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Joecool said...

Jonathan, seeing checks means nothing. Someone can have a big check and spend the whole thing on expenses. So you know someone who retired at the age of 33? Really? Retired because of income from Amway? And he's not working the business? How would that work, given that Amway's retention rate is so low? Less than 5% of IBOs are around after 5 years. That doesn't sound residual to me.

Yes, some people do make money in Amway. but being in the top one half of one percent might make you a platinum, where you work hard and don't make much. I was right below platinum and my net was zero. What about all your downline? You would be okay making a profit while most or all of your downline suffer losses?

Yes, Amway will pay you as per the compensation plan. So will other companies that pay their sales force. But you are also restricted by Amway's rules such as no advertising. How do you build a sales empire person to person?

If you broke 6 platinums legs, they will pay you. But you can't retire. Platinums quit and lose their groups with great regularity. Even diamonds have quit. That tells me that there is no residual income. Why would a diamond quit otherwise?

Hey, if you want to build Amway, go for it. But just know that there's about 1 diamond for every 20,000 IBOs or so. Have you even sponsored downline yet?

Anonymous said...

Jonathan, there is no such thing as residual income in Amway. If there was residual income like Brad Duncan or Dean Kosage or other Diamonds talk about then why aren't they retired.

People who are retired or have a residual income don't need to speak at major Functions or speak at smaller Amway gatherings, let alone make money from tools, if they have residual coming in or retired.

Jonathan said...
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Jonathan said...
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Joecool said...

Hi Jonathan,

I wish you well. I hope you will watch your expenses. My upline (same as your upline apparently) will raise the bar on you and expect you to spend more on tools as you make more. Amway is an opportunity, yes, but it's a poor one. If you read the fine print on how many people go diamond, it is closer to 1 in 20,000. So 1 in 20,000 earn six figures? That's nothing to get excited about. More people earn 100K working a job.

If you make it to diamond, that will be great for you but your downlines will be losing money so you can "make it". I for onoe could not live with myself under those conditions.

I wish more people were successful in Amway. But they aren't and many uplines lie and deceive people in the process. It is why I started this blog.

Joecool said...

Jonathan from Indiana, why did you remove all of your comments? Something to hide?