Wednesday, June 1, 2016

The Facts Don't Matter In Amway?

One of the things our group was told in Amway was that "If your dream is big enough, the facts don't matter". WHat I took this to mean was that no matter how overwhelming the odds were, you needed to keep going so you can be a winner and go diamond. I also heard on some tapes/cds that "so and so" made a decision to go diamond. Well, regardless of what anyone says or decides, the facts do matter.

A diamond group has at least 6 downline sponsored groups that qualify at the platinum or direct distributor level, When I was an IBO, we had to actually phone in orders, pick them up and then distribute the products. We also had to track volume and issue bonus checks to downline. In that regard, things are easier now as Amway ships products to you and issues checks to qualified IBOs. An IBO's work is much easier in that regard.

But let's look at the facts again. 100 PV is equal to about $300 in product purchases. If an IBO is unable to sell enough product, then to qualify, that IBO must end up purchasing their own volume to qualify. That is why so many IBOs rack up debt and often get stuck with products they can't use, despite what people claim is a good return policy by Amway. And the fact is that Amway products are generic in quality but premium in price. That is a difficult issue to overcome. People are not interested in paying premium price for household commodities. It's also why WalMart is incredibly successful.

Sponsoring people is difficult. Most people never sponsor anyone. And even if you sponsor people, there's a good chance they'll do nothing and quit. How can anyone build a business under these circumstances? The prices of the products are too high, you have a minimum quota to qualify for a bonus, and sponsoring people to leverage your volume is difficult to impossible given Amway's name reputation. These are facts. Even if your dream is big enough, you are unlikely to be able to overcome such daunting problems.

The statement that the facts don't matter if your dream is big enough is BS. It's a ruse to get people to continue and persevere even when the facts simply don't add up. It's as if Amway is some lottery ticket and people get hooked into the system, thinking success is right arond the corner or that they will succeed ifthey don't quit. But the reality is that Amway for some, is like a person with a gambling habit. They will only go deeper in debt and will not get better until they quit or their funds get cut off. In business it is only the facts that matter.

Let me repeat. In business, only the facts matter. Your dreams and wishes are nice, but there must also be a dose of facts tossed in. For example, I can "dream" of playing in the NFL. But if I'm 5'7 and I run a 5.1 40 yard dash, that dream will not come true no matter how much I want it. The measureable facts tell me so. It's no different in Amway.

I'll end with a funny story. An IBO some years ago told me he wanted to wager that his upline diamond made more money taking a crap in the morning than I earned in a whole year. I generously allowed his upline a full hour to take a crap and when we did the math (facts), his upline's one hour didn't come close to what I earn in a year. That's a fact. Of course the IBO never paid up. LOL

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Saying that "the facts don't matter" is a way of saying that you don't live on this planet, and that its laws and structures don't apply to your living and working situation.

It's also like saying that you believe in miracles. Well, if you are religious that's a defensible position, but even devoutly religious people don't believe that God will perform a miracle to help you get a higher PV.

It's all part of a sick American syndrome -- the compulsive need to be wildly enthusiastic about something even in the teeth of all evidence. The favorite song of Americans is "To Dream the Impossible Dream," from Man of la Mancha. If you try to tell someone to calm down, be rational, and consider things coolly, he will angrily respond that you are an evil "dream-stealer." Heard that one before, guys?

Even worse than this is the American tendency to want to "feel good" about things. The entire last fifty years in America have been a mad rush to generate hoopla and hype and "feel-good" policies for everybody. Have you heard of the "Special Olympics," for persons who are physically or mentally disabled? They compete to generate for themselves the illusion that they too are Olympic athletes and champions. It makes them "feel good" about themselves.

All of this goes way beyond Amway and its nickel-and-dime pyramid scheme. It's a psychological distemper.

Joecool said...

Yes, the upline are crafty enough to make their faithful downline "feel good". They will reinforce behaviors that make them rich. Such as edifying their attendance at functions, or bringing guests to see the plan.

They also try to remove the negative people from their world (don't associate with dream stealers).

It's all part of a cleverly crafted scam.

Unknown said...

Amway. Give everyone the OPORTUNITY to have a financial freedom but you have to work for it.

Joecool said...

The lottery gives everyone the opportunity to have financial freedom but you only have to buy a ticket. You don't have to work for it.

Anonymous said...

To Peter Ramirez --

Yeah, Amway gives you the opportunity to perhaps be in the one percent of IBOs who make a profit. Isn't that a great opportunity, Pete?

How much money have you lost in Amway so far?

Joecool said...

One percent success in Amway is being generous. It's a small fraction of 1%. If we rounded it, we could effectively say 0% succeed in Amway.