(Reprint of a popular article)
There has been much debate by both critics and Amway IBOs and supporters recently over an issue regarding a WWDB Dream Night function. The issue was an honest question over the cost of a Dream Night Ticket. Well, needless to say, the IBO in question ended up deciding that his blog will no longer accept comments. And while that is certainly his right, he made a statement that IBOs may be told, but makes no sense. Here is the statement:
"Here is a tip when doing research, if you have a question about a company why not give the actual company a call? Wow what a concept."
While on the surface, that me seem logical. If you have a question about how a company works, that might make perfect sense. But the Amway opportunity, along with the attached motivational tools companies, make that a touchy situation. What are you supposed to do? Call WWDB and ask if they are a good company? Call WWDB and ask if they scam downline? What if you call and ask WWDB if most IBOs on their system make money or lose money? If you look at the average income of the majority of IBOs and factor in expenses such as voicemail, standing orders and functions, I can only conclude that the vast majority of IBOs on the system have to be losing money. The longer you stay in the system, the more you lose. Furthermore, I believe there are more people winning the power ball lottery in the US than the number of new WWDB diamonds emerging in the US in the last dozen years ago or so.
Imagine if you had questions and simply asked the person? Hello? Mr. Al Capone, I heard you were a gangster in charge of organized crime. But I thought it would only be fair if I got the answer directly from you. What's that? You're not a gangster and you go to church? Okay, I see. Well that clears that up. Mr. Capone is not a gangster, I confirmed that by asking him. Do you see the ridiculous justification of just asking the person in question? Isn't a better way to ask a neutral third party?
Many IBOs will also suggest that you check the better business bureau. Well, Amway has a good mark from the better business bureau. But Amway isn't selling you voicemail and other support materials right? That would be WWDB or some other motivational group, or a particular double or triple diamond, whose business may not have been registered or known to the better business bureau.
I believe IBOs, information seekers, and prospects can find a ton of information on the internet using google. Upline leaders discourage this because too much frank and disparaging information exists about the Amway opportunity. But much of that information is real life true experiences. I was an up and coming "mover and shaker" in WWDB. This blog reflects much of my real experiences and the realizations I came to after having left Amway and WWDB. Sadly, my experience was not a good one, but more and more I see evidence that what I was taught many years ago is still taught today, and by some of the same leaders. I hope my experience can help others.
I long ago realized that the least trustworthy source of information is from the owners of a business enterprise. They are congenitally incapable of telling the plain truth.
ReplyDeleteCorporations have no interest in either "truth" or "falsity." Those are categories that have no meaning for a businessman. For corporations, the only concept that has any meaning is profit. "Truth" and "falsity" are just things to be manipulated for the sake of profit.
That's why any statement from a business enterprise is what I call "corporate boilerplate." It is nothing but a vague, high-mindedly virtuous piece of self-congratulation that says nothing tangible, and nothing graspable by the human mind. All it does is make the corporation look good, in a kind of verbal cloud of meaningless mush.
Does a corporation ever admit its guilt? No, it just says "Mistakes were made," as if they happened by some uncontrolled natural source. Does the corporation ever say that "Business is pretty bad"? No, they say "We are heading in a new direction and look forward to a highly profitable next quarter based on imaginative new policies."
You can't ask Amway anything. They are incapable of telling you the real truth. That's why the name of their official website "The Truth About Amway," is such a fucking joke. Anything that Amway does is directed towards the achievement of higher profits at any cost, and they have zero interest in actually discussing the faults and crimes of their MLM enterprise.
But let's not single out poor Amway. This is an ingrained problem in all American business operations. They will not (and cannot) make any statement that might cause a financial loss.
Do you realize that we will never know the actual number of persons killed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906? The reason is that a united front of San Francisco businessmen actually forced city authorities to misreport the number of deaths, because these businessmen were afraid that a truthful accounting of the fatalities would "be bad for business." So, the number of deaths in the earthquake was misreported by over fifty percent. All to protect the profits of some goddamned businessmen.