One thing Amway promoters and apologists like to do is to paint a best case scenario when promoting Amway. I can't blame a promoter for wanting to show the best case scenario, but in my informed opinion, it's a matter of whether there is deception or outright lies in displaying that best case scenario. For example, when other "financial" gurus air their infomercials, they have a disclaimer to explain that success testimonials are a "unique" experience. Many Amway promoters apparently do the opposite and make it seem as if financial success in Amway is the norm and not the exception. But what is the more common or likely experience for an IBO?
I am not going to discuss the IBOs who sign up and do nothing, even if this may be common. (That's because there may also be reasons for this, such as deception or harrassment used by the recruiters).
I believe that for many, they will see the plan, usually the 6-4-2 plan which is to show how you can become a platinum. The speaker may slide in how all you need is six of these groups and you will be a diamond and make hundreds of thousands of dollars and walk the beaches of the world.
The reality for many is to sign up full of excitement, and thinking that certainly, some of their friends and family will agree that this is viable. So the new IBO will buy or consume 100 PV and may try to sell a few items. Eventually, this same IBO will talk to family and friends and many of their friends and family will show sour faces as they already had, or know someone who had a questionable or bad experience with an Amway IBO. I myself got tricked into a meeting at one time. They may listen to the standing orders and attend the meetings with the intent of succeeding as per the plan.
But after a few months, not many people are interested in registering, not many want to buy the products and it becomes increasingly harder to make contacts and to get new people to see the plan. The expenses start to add up. You have products such as laundry detergent or LOC that you don't need to replace but you have your defacto 100 PV quota, so you end up buying other things to reach that all important 3% bonus bracket. By now, you have a cache of household products and goods that you never really used prior to Amway, you notice that your checking account is shrinking as the products and the other expenses such as voicemail and functions are starting to add up.
You finally quit, in some cases with the now former IBO feeling embarrassed or ashamed that they even got involved in all this. They disappear and all of their former "lifelong" IBO friends could care less. They won't bother to complain about their experience, but may feel the need to vent if someone discusses Amway again.
In the final analysis, the bad experience and financial losses likely came at the hands of an AMO such as Network21, WWDB or BWW, but the attachment of a bad experience will be tied to Amway. This is a more likely experience than someone quitting their job to walk the beaches of the world.
Walking on the beaches of the world! My working up line called one of my downlines after many months of me quitting and also the down line of mine. That downline was not 100PV default IBO he was doing some work being an Amway IBO but not substantial enough from my up line's point of view that time. MY downline neatly negated the purpose of the call saying I am not interested. But question here is, after six years in Amway, my up line has not even become a platinum! The same guy talks about financial freedom investing in tools and products and so on. Joecool, I really recommend you to go through my latest post - "I Already Have a Big Business Coming Up!", this can make you laugh. Fortunately I never used that sentence when I was IBO, may be because of that I did not get Amway success, is that correct?
ReplyDeletei dont know you so cant comment on why you were not sccessful , but in anycase i will giveyou my view; I joinrd amway 30 years ago ,showed the plan , sold a few products but always gave the message i thought was right, this is a tough business few people make it but some do and you could be one of them, but dont spend money unless you earn it amway; I went direct in about 6 months and held my first real meeting of my 100 strong group; I paid for the hotel , small fee, and of course I did not allow any more than 1 book and 1 tape per person to go to the group. My upline who helped me a lot went emerald and I had met his upline the diamond, who had stopped working, drove a used mercedez but had a pretty large group, maybe 1500 people; I had my free visit to hq , very lavish and when my flight got i, too late to get the tain Amway paid for the taxi ride; Then I just decided to quit but to keep the dream; I worked a job, a good one , some decent stock options and also bought some property on debt I could not afford which I rented over the years; I retired youngish last year, started a small consulting activity 2 days a week and try to cycle, golf, garden and help my kid at school, ( taxi etc) the rest of the time. I am not rich , but debt free , a net worth of 3 m$ and a residual income of about 7 k$ monthly before tax from my investments and property. So my conclusion now and when I was in is I think I could have gone furhter in amway but would have worked harder for a lot less; I think you need to be diamond with a number of diamond legs to have a reasonable middle class income and you need to keep building all the time unless you get to double diamond and above; I think the tools is an important part of the income and I could never accept to be part of the fraud on innocent people being recruited who have no hope of success in amway or probably anything else.You could have been successful maybe if you showed the plan ofte enough with belief and eventually recruited a number of go getters who can take it and build themselves; But that takes effort and quite a bit of luck; very few will do it but it is doable; I see now that leaders who left Amway to go to Monavie build that business just as quickly as they had in Amway; I may be wrong but it is these type of go getters you need to be and you need to recruit; The ordinary guy will never do it and with this tools stuff will lose a small fortune if they stay at it long enough;
DeleteCORRECTION: The *smart* guy will never do it and with this tools stuff will lose a *large* fortune if they stay at it too long. :)
Delete