Friday, September 6, 2013

Amway Friends?

You hang out with friends, generally people you like and have similar interests. You have good and bad times, but your true friends are there for you when you need them. You move residences, your friends are there to help you move. They may play a round of golf with you, or watch some sporting events, dinners, backyard barbeques, etc. These are folks you will likely end up retiring with and enjoying your golden years. Sure, circumstance may break apart some friendships. or moves made out of necessity. But these folks will likely remainas your friends for a long time to come.

But suddenly, you get enticed to join Amway. You see the "chance" to get rich, with a shortcut (not get rich quick, but a "shortcut"). You sign up and your sponsor is your new "best" friend. Most of the people you enjoyed being with think Amway is a questionable venture to get involved in. Suddenly, because of what you have been told or taught, you view these same nice people as "broke" or "losers", simply because they do not share the same ambition of untold wealth working 12-15 hours a weeek. Suddenly, you friends become prospects, or people you want to sponsor so you start recruiting them. Some may join, but most won't. Suddenly you are immersed in recruitment meetings, functions, and avoiding "negative", which is people and events that do not support your Amway business.

Now you are missing birthday parties, barbeques, and other social events. Your social events are now recruitment meetings, seminars and Amway business related events. You are taught that these events can be put off and your gratification delayed. You can do whatever you want when you go diamond. (Even though there me be only one (1) diamond out of every ten or twenty thousand IBOs) Your dedication will pay off right? Sadly, for most people, even very dedicated people, all they will see is losses on their yearly tax returns, mainly due to the purchase of cds, books, voicemail and function tickets. But these are your "friends" right?

Here's my take on it. Try missing a few meetings or functions. Stop buying cds and see how many "friends" remain from the business. It is likely that your upline will claim that you walked away from the friendship by slowing down on the "system". If that happens, then you have conditional friends, or fairweather friends. They are your "friends" while you are pursuing the same cause. They are your friends when you are attending functions. Are they there for you in bad times?

A short while after I attended my last function (I was still an IBO, just not a business builder), my dad passed away. Not a single one of my IBO "friends" bothered to attend the memorial service. Not a single one of my IBO friends called or dropped by the home to pay their respects. All of my "real" friends, who saw through the AMO smoke and mirrors called to talk to me and/or attended the memorial service.

Are your IBO friends conditional friends? Mine were.

1 comment:

Rbot said...

the very first FED we were supposed to goto (for $10) we were SO CLOSE to going through the door and paying, I am talking like next person in line to pay, my fiancé and I looked at each other and just stepped aside to get water, then hoping we wouldn't see anyone we just slipped out and went to have a decent dinner for the $20 bucks we would have spent lol. I IMMEDIATLEY got a call/text from all of my uplines the moment the event was over. I could hear them walking to their cars in the voicemail. Asking where we were etc.

That next day I texted back and said I wanted out. I Wanted to say so much more (he was a 'long lost college friend')like I cant believe I got suckered into this I knew it was bad and I am smarter than this I set myself back intellectually 10 years, if any of my associates knew that I got suckered into this fail of a business it would have set me back professionally as well (I am an accountant). Within 24 hours of joining I already regretted it, I had no idea how much I would have to spend on stuff I never really buy at all. All of that time I thought I would be able to buy food to fill the pantry and etc.

a few days after my Kate lapsed/disconnected I got a call from my former uplines asking what happened with my kate number lol. Sorry $40 for facebook status updates is too expensive. 'Plugging in gets you ahead' My ass

I am out only $500 from this ordeal, half of which was just the initial sign up cost the rest for actual goods, so it is not a complete loss I did get products out of it.