Get It In Writing?

Here's something that IBOs can use when they see upline leaders making claims and guarantees of sorts about the system. Ask them to put it in writing and to ask what they are guaranteeing? It's easy to stand on stage and say the business is simple or a piece of cake. That buying tools and attending functions nearly assures success. Ask your sponsor or upline what exactly you will receive if you do what they advise and the results are not there?

Uplines will always use an out - that you did not do everything exactly and precisely as they advised, therefore any failure is your own fault. I find it humorous because these leaders are quick to take credit if they see any downline success. It's like playing a game of heads I win, tails you lose. The upline always has a built in excuse. This wouldn't be so evil if they uplines weren't making their fortunes out of the sale of tools and functions.

In fact, speaking of writing, have you ever seen a formal tools contract indicating how you qualify for and the compensation that will be received when you qualify? Why do platinums, as far as I know, get only a cut of the standing orders and not anything else? Why are some of these issues such dark secrets? It's like the legend of Sasquatch. Many have heard about it, some have claimed to have seen it, but there's no bonafide evidence of it's existence.

Amway supporters and defenders often decry my blog because it may deter people from joining Amway when prospects know the truth about Amway. But at the same time, who's held accountable to people who were deceived or lied to about Amway and joined only to lose money, regardless of the amount of effort they expended? As an example, my former sponsor spent over 20 years in the business hard core. I wonder what kinds of losses he suffered as a result of his hard work and sacrifices? He was involved before I was an IBO and back then, WWDB leaders completely lied and denied that there were any tool profits at all.

Upline making incredible claims? Ask for their guarantees and assurances in writing, but you won't get any.

Building Dreams?

As an IBO, I was a member of Worldwide Dream Builders, or WWDB. We often told prospects, when recruiting, that we were with WWDB and did not mention Amway unless the prospect asked. If the prospect didn't ask, then we didn't tell. Apparently, part of the appeal of WWDB was to appear successful, even if you were not. It is probably why in some functions, we were taught to "fake it till you make it". Basically, the premise was to appear successful until you actually became successful. Sadly, there were very few who were "successful".

WWDB also scheduled a major function called "Dream Night". This was a one evening function with a sit down dinner at a cost or about $65 to $75 per person. A major portion of the function was a slide show of he diamond lifestyle. We saw mansions, yachts, jet skis, sports cars and fabulous trips, jewelry and all kinds of extravagant luxuries not intended for the mortal man. But, all of this was yours if only you would follow the foolproof WWDB system. I thought it was real when I was an IBO, but I now wonder if these luxuries were really owned by the diamonds. I suspect they may not have been. The money these diamonds supposedly earned was unlimited, or so we thought. I know know that a diamond lifestyle isn't as rosy as they want you to think.

Diamonds apparently must keep working. Even if some of them might collect Amway income for a while without much effort, I believe their lucrative tools and functions income would stop the moment they stopped working the business. I know there are reports from Amway that sales are up and retention of IBOs is up, including the North American market. (I kinda wonder who true those reports are)

Anyway, getting back to the subject, I ask this question. How many dreams have been built as a result of someone's involvement with Worldwide Dream builders? David Shores apparently had his home foreclosed. Greg Duncan apparently suffered the same fate plus some involvement with bankruptcy. Brad Wolgamott is not with his wife or WWDB anymore, along with Dean Kosage (now Dean Grey). I don't see reports of many new WWDB diamonds and in fact, I believe there are fewer diamonds in WWDB now than when I was an IBO in the 1990's. Where are the diamonds? Where are the dreams? Whose dreams have been built? Conversely, I have seen people's finances wrecked with WWDB being a major contributor to that problem. Bankruptcies and homes lost chasing an Amway dream at upline's advice.

If you are being prospected or seeking information on WWDB or other LOS groups, ask them where the success is. Do not accept pictures of checks or pictures of sports cars as proof. Ask for bonafide financial records like real business owners do. If you need more information, my contact information is on my profile. Good luck!

Edification?

Edification. During my time in the Amway business, we saw many Amway IBOs get edified, including myself. Of course it felt great when your upline platinum or diamond would say something that made you stand out in the crowd. For example, I remember an IBO being exalted because he quit his job to attend a major function. His boss wouldn't allow him to use vacation time so he quit to attend the function. I remember Brad Wolgamott telling people it's just a job, attend the function and get another one (job). I remember at a family reunion function, a man was edified by the diamonds because he was diagnosed with terminal cancer but instead of being at home and bitching and moaning, there he was at an Amway function, making a difference in the world they would say. But looking back, I truly believe that the upline's intentions were to uplift those who went thru extraordinary efforts to spend money on tools or functions.

In other words, you are buying your edification. Of course when I say you are buying your edification, you are not necessarily doing so in dollars. It can either be in dollars or in time. For example, you may have been edified for listening to 15 standing orders in one day, or you may be edified for driving the miles to show plans, even if the guest was a no-show. I also recall some IBOs in the group being edified for 1000 PV personal use in a month. I honestly don't know who anyone can possibly do 1000 PV in personal use without the purchase of some big ticket items. I mean how much SA8 or LOC can anyone use in the month? I suppose that you could make Nutrilite vitamins your main source of food or something like that and move a lot of PV, but it's ridiculous to spend that much on personal use.

So to what extent are you willing to go to get edified? For my upline sponsor, it was what he lived for. My sponsor was/is a physician and he therefore could have a nice lifestyle without Amway but he was more interested in the recognition and edification. He ate it up when he was asked to speak at a function once. He told the group in a night owl that the dream of being on stage as a diamond was more important to him than the money. Sadly, he never got beyond the platinum level as far as I know and last I heard, he was below 4000 PV. Whatever your dream or reason for building Amway, I honestly believe you need to look at the cost of it. For example, you wouldn't sell your soul to the devil in order to go diamond. I actually wonder how my former sponsor feels these days now that our upline diamond (his hero) has moved to Washington and he cannot spend much time with him anymore?

The cost of edification in Amway is high. Are you willing to foot that bill? I'm glad I woke up and decided that there are much better ways to spend my time, money and efforts. Joecool's blog is one of the better things. :-)

Your Upline Vs. Joecool?

Who does more good as a whole for society? Joecool, who posts personal experiences, facts, and opinions about Amway, which allows IBOs to make informed decisions about whether or not to get involved in the Amway opportunity, or an upline who fills a prospect's head full of dreams and fantasies that will never come true? I certainly do not encourage anyone to quit or not to join, my goal is to provide information which will allow an IBO or information seeker to have full disclosure before committing time and/or money into this business venture. I feel I am qualified to speak on the matter, having been an IBO and having built my business to the 4000 PV level. Most people agree that due diligence is a must for anyone wanting to start a business venture.

When you think about it, Amway IBOs can actually unintentionally contribute to a downturn in their local economy. You see, an IBO now spends about $300 a month or more on products that they get from Amway, a Michigan based company. Those purchases would otherwise have been able to go to local grocery stores or local retailers. Those purchases would help pay the local workers. Secondarily, IBOs who spend several hundreds of dollars on conventions and meetings and standing orders, voicemail, etc, end up channeling more money to their uplines somewhere. Thus, instead of movies or a sit down dinner at a local restaurant, IBOs send that money elsewhere and that also affects the local economy. It's great for Amway but I'm fairly certain that the impact on the local economy can add up after some time passes.

This would be different if many IBOs actually made tons of money to be able to enjoy luxuries at home and to be able to bless local charities. I have heard many times about IBOs being told to defer donating time and money to charity because when they eventually go diamond, they can then donate ten thousand dollar checks to their church. Sadly, so few people ever make a significant income from Amway, and out of those who do, I wonder how many ever make good on that promise to donate ten thousand dollar checks? I suspect the answer is very very few. Instead, it appears that many diamonds would rather provide for their own pleasure based on the kinds of toys and luxuries they show off at functions.

So who does more good? A Joecool who provides free information that can help people? Or uplines who may lie or deceive people into joining so they can make hefty profits from selling them tools?

Personal Responsibility?

One of the disturbing things I have noticed about Amway IBOs and IBO leaders is how they will tell downline to trust them. To trust them as they have already blazed a trail. No need to re-invent the wheel. Just ride the coattails of your upline to success. The system is proven. Many IBOs take this to heart and put forth tremendous effort. Then when they fail, upline will shun them and tell them that the failure is their own. That they are personally responsible for failure.

Now I am not talking about Amway IBOs who sign up and do nothing, or never place an order. I do believe that the fact that many IBOs sign up and do nothing brings concerns about how these IBOs were recruited, but I do not recall ever seeing an IBO do nothing and then complain that Amway was a scam or anything like that.

I have found, however, that many people who are critical of Amway and the systems, put forth much effort, did everything they were told, and did not find the success that upline promoted, or in some cases, guaranteed. My former sponsor was still active, last I heard and has been in Amway for over 15 years. I do not believe he has ever gone beyond platinum, and I know that he was never a Q12 platinum. Some Amway apologists might see being a platinum as a bonus, but when you are hard core sold out to the systems, platinum is at best, break even or make a small profit business. But someone who is hard core dedicated to the system can still lose a lot of money. Factor in that time spent by husband and wife and these folks are getting a very low return on their investment of time and money. Is this the dream that will allow you to buy mansions with a cash payment?

What is also disturbing is how people will tout the system as responsible for any success, but hide the vast majority that the system doesn't help. Sure, some will succeed in Amway, but for every success, there are hundreds if not thousands who fail. And if you consider diamond as the benchmark of success, the failures could be in the millions. As I said, some succeed, but very very few in relation to the number who try. Going diamond is less common in the US than winning the lottery. And I might add that winning the lottery doesn't take nearly the amount of effort as Amway.

Succeed and the systems and upline take credit, but fail or quit and it is your own responsibility. Are these the kinds of leaders or mentors you want advice from?

"Sucked" Into Amway?

If you have ever sat through an Amway presentation and the follow up teachings as I did, you can get a clear picture of how the uplines slowly suck people into the system. The speaker will be introduced as a picture of success. Possibly introduced as being in the top 1/10 of 1% in income (But with no proof). They will talk about how taxes, insurance, and inflation eat away at your paycheck. More than likely they will say they suffered the same way until they figured out how to defeat these issues by making more money. Of course they will eventually drop the "A" bomb on you and say it's Amway. Very likely they will say that you should not care what it is if it gets results.

You are then shown the plan and many people think that 2-5 years and "finding six" is something very manageable for the results they promote (walking the beaches while residual income flows in). At the very least they say, you will make some money and save some money. Who can argue with that kind of logic? They will also likely mention that Amway is low risk or no risk with little or no start up costs. Again, how can you argue with that logic?

You finally convince yourself that you can do this. You sign up and you are likely told that it is important to get some tools because after all, a carpenter can't build homes without a hammer and saw and that any business owner would have to make some investment into their own business. So now because of the tools, you are operating at a loss. You may then be told that business owners normally operate at a loss for years and that it might also be wise to channel your bonuses back into your business by purchasing more tools.

Before you know it, months or years may pass before you start to realize that you are on a treadmill. You keep walking but end up going nowhere. Then your upline may tell you that the business is not about money but more about making lifelong friendships.

In my opinion, this whole system is a cleverly designed systematic way for uplines to slowly drain your resources and making you think that you are successful despite showing no profits. Your upline may edify small things like showing the plan or making a sacrifice to attend a function. Sadly, you will rarely see someone edified for actually making a net profit.

It's a slow process, but most people slowly get sucked into the system, just like quicksand. I hope IBOs and information seekers are able to recognize the scheme if and when it happens to them.

Your 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 cook outs, 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 remains 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 week. 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, cook outs 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 fair weather 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.

The Real Amway Business?

So many Amway IBOs, including myself at one time, believe in the "system" and that following the system will result in untold wealth and residual income. They believe that this all comes from Amway. Some years ago, Amway used to report that the average IBO earned just over $100 a month. And that included diamonds and crown ambassadors. That income however, did not include Amway bonuses such as the diamond bonus. Amway now reports that the average IBO income is about $200 a month. But wait, the $200 a month is from active IBOs. Active IBOs are about half of all IBOs so the average income for all IBOs is about $100 a month. Surprise surprise! In the end that means not much has changed with Amway over the years.

So if the average IBO including diamonds and triple ripple crown ambassadors make and average of only $100 a month, how does anyone get rich? Interesting question right? Afterall, 1000 IBOs adds up to $100,000 in income. Thus if some diamond makes $100k per month, the rest of those 999 IBOs earn squat. Even at 100k per month, how do diamonds pay for mansions and sports cars in cash? It's not like a house is the only extravagance that diamonds pay for. What about the Ferraris and jets and first class travel? Even someone who makes a million dollars per year gross income still has to pay taxes, medical insurance and other monthly expenses that people have. Car insurance on a Ferrari would not be cheap, and neither would house insurance on a mansion.

So how do diamonds get the cash to live a diamond lifestyle? It is likely from selling tools and functions. Voicemail can net a diamond $10 per subscribed downline. Then you have standing order, meetings, book of the month along with functions and major functions. These are all profit centers for the diamonds. And rank and file IBOs do not share in tool and function revenue so the Diamonds rake it all in. The cherry on the Sundae is that many IBOs, typically platinums work for free as ushers and other duties so the diamonds can maximize their profits. Take this as food for thought.

Now when you consider that the Amway income and bonuses, plus the tool and function income, now you might be talking about mansions and sports cars. Do the ath for yourself and it will become clear. The real business for the diamonds is selling tools and functions because Amway doesn't say who their current;y qualified diamonds are. A diamond pin is forever so you may have someone who qualified as a diamond for 6 months to never qualify again, but earns a great living off selling tools and functions while wearing a diamond pin. The tools and functions are the real Amway business if you analyze it with a critical eye instead of rose colored glasses.

Financial Freedom?

The way that Amway is often presented as some kind of dream come true opportunity is by talking about the 40/40 plan. Work 40 hours per week for 40 years and then still winding up broke is how people's jobs are portrayed with of course, Amway being the solution. It can sound appealing and it might make sense on the surface but once you peel away the half truths and myths about Amway, you are putting lipstick on a pig.

First of all, I know of people who are retired fire fighters, retired government workers and retired people of many professions. I'm sure this is true for most people. But where are there any Amway retirees? Diamonds are still working and while they claim to be financially free, they don't disclose their finances. We know that main stream retirees generally have enough income to live comfortably because there are real life examples that we can see. But as a contrast, diamonds live a life of alleged luxury and excess. The diamond lifestyle certainly appears to be an expensive one. Is your diamond really living in luxury or are they like the rest of society living in debt but having the newest toys?

Do the math. Amway says a Q12 Diamond averages around $600k but a Q12 Diamond is rare. The average non Q12 Diamond earns about $150k before taxes and business expenses. Yes, that income might be augmented by tool and function income but after taxes and business expenses, you are looking at a middle class lifestyle, not one where you are living in first class and enjoying only the finest things in life. It is for this reason that the are reports of diamonds and emeralds living in average neighborhoods or sometimes in dives.

There was also some documentation of diamonds who had foreclosures and bankruptcies. It is for that reason that I believe that's diamond is not much different than someone with a job. The diamonds basically run functions and meetings for a living while promoting Amway. Is that the kind of freedom you seek? So where is this financial freedom that diamonds speak of? Where are the Amway retirees? Do they exist at all?

Walking The Beaches?

One of the things Amway IBOS like to talk about is ongoing residual income that they believe they can generate thru their Amway business that keeps rolling in, thus allowing and IBO to retire and walk the beaches of the world. But I ask this of Amway defenders. Name one or two diamonds who built their business right and built it once and are now walking the finest beaches of the world while barrels of money rolls in. Over the years not a single Amway supporter has been able to name a single diamond to achieve such a feat.

More than likely such a person does not exist. Overl all of these years, do we believe that not a single diamond wanted to retire quietly and privately to live a life of luxury?

More likely with the majority of IBOs doing little or nothing and quitting, diamonds are working harder than anyone but with a flexible schedule instead of a 9-5 job. These diamonds are working the night or the graveyard shift. They are constantly replacing people who quit and forever recruiting fresh young ambitious IBOs because they have to. Think abouyt it. A diamond business is like a sand castle. It will stand on its own for a while but the waves will quickly destroy it and soon enough, you'll never know a sand castle was there. That's how your "residual" income will be. It will be temporary.

The diamond lifestyle seems alluring but the reality would very likely show a far different lifestyle and peek into the world of a diamond where you ate always running to and from functions and meetings to hold your group together. It not just a glamorous life of luxury that they lead you to believe. If you don't believe me, name a diamond or two who's living the high life on residual income after walking away from their Amway business. These diamonds are like Sasquatch. Many have seen or heard about them but there is no real evidence that they exist.

The Least Efficient Way To Do Business?

I remember seeing the plan as a prospect back over a dozen years ago. I remember the speaker talking about how you can capitalize on distribution efficiencies to make money. We as IBOs would simply cut out the middleman and that savings would be passed onto us as IBOs. In its simplest form, it made sense and and misconception passed onto the audience that you will actually save money by purchasing Amway products. I even remember the speakers saying that even if the whole world signed up for Amway, even the last guy getting would would have the benefit of saving money. Looking back now, much of it was deception and lies. And to think, people now and back then paid good money for training on how to become, in my opinion, the least efficient manner in which to move products.

We recently enjoyed the Superbowl. And as you know, super bowl commercials can cost millions of dollars. But do you know why? It's because hundreds of millions of people across the world are tuned into the super bowl. Companies probably have their best staff working on developing these commercials because they want to leave a lasting impression on their viewers. And it apparently works because people today are still willing to shell out serious coin for these commercials.

Amway IBOs advertise person to person, one person at a time.

What are the chances of an IBO ever moving a significant amount of products or being able to reach out to potential new downline when they prospect person to person, face to face, one at a time? To me, that is the most inefficient manner of expanding business. And let's face it, Amway's rules don't help when you are not supposed to advertise online without special permissions and you are not supposed to sell product on Ebay or Craigslist. In today's technological society, it seems almost crippling to be so inefficient.

And even your beloved uplines, at your expense, run the most inefficient manner of doing business. Who needs voicemail when we have facebook, email, twitter or text messaging? Not to mention the added expense IBOs face by these outdated technologies. Also, with video conferencing, skype, or webcams, why do people need to travel long distances for meetings and functions? The answer is simple, your upline might not want your success, they simply might just want your money. All of the training and motivation is a profit center for upline and modernizing would simply reduce their tool profits.

Try asking that of your upline. Why do we keep using the most expensive and inefficient means of doing business and communicating? I'd be curious to hear that answer.

Justifying Yourself?

I remember how our upline diamond used to talk about how people justify themselves. They'll compare themselves to a neighbor or a co-worker and justify that they are doing okay. Or they may say that they went to public school, therefore public school is good enough for their kids. Or a man might respond to a wife's request to see Alaska by telling his wife to look in the freezer if she wants to see ice. We justify ourselves by finding someone equal or worse off than ourselves. It makes us feel better to know that we aren't that bad off.

Then uplines will tell you that you should strive to get better, which is good. Ironically, they'll also tell you that the way to do better is to join Amway and to dive into the tool system. While there might be initial excitement and euphoria, it wears out quickly, especially when the quick profits and advancement in the business never materializes for most. It is then that the uplines cleverly inject subtle pressure to keep you active by labeling people who quit as losers or failures. Their tools will tell you to never quit, or that you will eventually make it if you keep pressing on. The standing orders are filled with stories of guys who were broke, signed up for Amway, had struggles, but they never quit and now they are diamonds living large and only working functions out of the love for their downline. Don't you ever wonder why nobody can name people who actually built a diamond business, and then walked away, collecting hoards of cash and living happily ever after? I do not believe these people actually exist.

Then sadly, but ironically, the IBOs begin to justify their business losses. The phrases are common. I am a nicer person, I am a better father and husband. I am doing God's work (Amway is God's work?). I learned about business from being in Amway. There are many nice reasons people give to explain their involvement in Amway and the systems, but making a nice income is rarely ever one of the reasons. I do hear some outrageous income claims, but not a single IBO has provided any evidence or proof of this income.

Another justification that IBOs make is that Amway products are the best, therefore they cost the most. They also justify the cost with the concentration factor (I hope you don't spill any). Of course, product quality is subjective and secondly, many people are not concerned about quality when it comes to ordinary household goods such as bar soap. Most people look at price and value, which is why WalMart and Costco are wildly successful. It's really humorous at times when you see IBOs in action justifying their products and their business opportunity.

Obviously, it's a tough sell in North American where it appears that Amway sales have gone down and even with the national advertising campaign, I'm not sure a significant impact was made. Here's food for thought. WalMart's slogan is Live better, save money. Amway's slogan is "Now you know". Nuff said!

Is The Truth "Negative"?

One of the silly things many Amway IBOs are taught is to avoid negative. I believe this is taught today by uplines and it was certainly a point of emphasis even in my days as an IBO. The upline diamond would say that the world of full of negatives and that we as people take in too much of these negatives. Therefore, the IBOs were told to avoid television, newspapers and other forms of communication with the outside world. The group was also told to avoid people who speak negatively about Amway. For this reason, many people have considered Amway groups such as WWDB or N21 as cultish or cult-like. (information deprivation or information control).

I can agree that you surely don't want to only take in negatives as it can wear you down, but not seeing the news or reading about current events in the paper simply makes you apathetic and uninformed. For example, wouldn't you want and need to know if there was a storm heading your way? I live in Hawaii and we occasionally have hurricanes. Avoiding news could be very detrimental to your family and home. If you lived in the mid west of the US, wouldn't you want and need to know if a tornado was headed your way? Do you avoid the doctor because his assessment of your health might not be "positive"? For these reasons, I believe that many Amwayers walk around wearing a mask with a false smile, trying to appear overly positive.

Another important thing that many IBOs cannot distinguish is the difference between negative and the truth. If your wife asks you if her new dress makes her look fat, the truth might be that the new dress indeed makes her appear fat. That answer may be uncomfortable for you to deliver, but the truth is the truth. The truth at times can be positive or negative but it is still the truth.

Most IBOs earn less than $100 a month. That is the truth. Most IBOs lose money if they participate in functions and standing orders and such. That is the truth. Most IBOs will never even sponsor a downline. That is the truth. Most IBOs, filled with motivation and dreams, will never see those dreams fulfilled. That is the truth. Many upline diamonds, who advise IBOs to purchase tools and attend functions, and fill the IBO's heads full of dreams, make significant incomes from the sale of tools and functions. That is also the truth. In a 1 year time span, approximately 50% of IBOs will quit in the first year. That is the truth.

Is it negative to tell the truth? Or can IBOs not handle the truth?

Are You "Playing Amway"?

One thing my sponsor often told the group was that many of us were "playing" Amway. What he meant was that many people can listen to an audio or CD every day, read a success book 15-30 minutes each day, attend all the functions, use and/or sell 100 PV or more each month, but never make progress in the business. Basically what he was saying was unless you are showing the plan and sponsoring downline, you are just playing Amway. And while I agree, I honestly believe that most IBOs simply "play" Amway. And that's partly because you can control some of these activities but you cannot control who you can sponsor.

People can do most of the CORE steps such as listening to standing orders or cds/audios each day. They can read every day and attend all the functions. They can even use and sell Amway products. But because of previous IBO behavior, many people cannot get anyone to see the plan, let alone sponsor others. Seems like everyone (at least in the US and Canada) know of someone who was lied to, or tricked into attending an Amway meeting. This alone has given Amway a shady reputation and just the mention of the name Amway can send people running. I was tricked into a meeting once, and as an IBO, I saw people get up, cuss and leave the meeting because they were lied to or tricked into attending a meeting based on the curiosity approach. (If you're an IBO, have you tried this or taught to use this?)

I do not believe that IBOs in general are dishonest or deceitful. I believe that most of them are probably motivated, wanting more in life, and hard working. But they are taught to duplicate or copy their uplines. I believe it is some of the tenured leaders who teach bad business practices that are duplicated and spreads a bad reputation like an infectious disease. I believe that because of this, Amway's North American sales tanked and now they don't even report the North American sales separately from Global sales. Amway's sales have dropped significantly from 2013 to now.

When you stop and take a deep breath, you see the signs of weakness and the chinks in the armor of the once untouchable and "divine" diamonds. We see diamonds suing other diamonds and Amway. We see diamonds losing their homes to foreclosure (so much for paying cash). A triple diamond was in chapter 7 bankruptcy some years ago and hoards of diamonds leaving their LOS along with their "awesome" mentors and lifelong friends to form their own LOS. Why is this happening? I believe it is because of greed. Why else would you leave a "mentor" and "lifelong friend" to start your own LOS? It's all about the money.

Sadly, while all of this goes on, most IBOs come and go, lose money and "play Amway" along the way. It truly saddens me that this has gone on for so long, and it looks like (in my opinion), that my former LOS, WWDB, seems to have been the worst of the bunch with no apparent improvement in the last 15 to 20 years or so.

You can "play Amway" hard, but you won't make enough net profit to buy a value meal a McDonald's. Of course you are welcome to prove me wrong.

Are You A Glorified Amway Customer?

IBO = Independent Business Owner. Most Amway folks consider themselves IBOs, or independent business owners. To some, owning a business sounds cool. It sounds like you are achieving something and it may even seem that there is status involved in being a business owner. It is one of the reasons that may compel someone into signing up for the Amway opportunity. It was a small factor in gaining my interest some years ago when I was pitched the "plan". But are you really a business owner running an Amway business?

Based on what I see and hear from Amway related blogs and forums, most people involved in the Amway opportunity are not business owners. They are simply customers. They are customers of Amway and they are customers of the system, consisting of voicemail, cds/audios, books, and seminars. Does this sound confusing? Think about it. Many groups teach "buy from yourself" and get others to do the same. If you belong to one of these groups, you are being taught to be an Amway and system customer, nothing more and nothing less. Both Amway and the system profit from your loyal purchases and they fool you into thinking you are getting a good deal by giving you a tiny rebate each month. Only if you are able to lure enough gullible people into your downline will you finally be able to leverage their purchases to make a small profit. If you can get a large following, then you might make some nice coin, but it will come at the expense of the people who trusted you enough to sign up and follow you.

If you stop for a minute and truly think about a business, what business can thrive without customers? I cannot think of any businesses where there are little or no customers. Why would the Amway opportunity be any different? If you are your only, or your own best customer, then maybe you are not even a business owner, but simply a customer of Amway and a customer of the system. Think about this for a moment. Without actual customers, any bonus you generate is coming out of your own pocket or from any downline you may have sponsored. Is this what your business consists of?

Without any sales to non IBO customers, any profit simply comes out of the pockets of the people in the Amway system. When you receive a rebate, you are simply getting some of your own money back. You have not generated any real profit. The only way to generate real profits is to sell to outside customers. This brings money into the system or the "Amway economy:, if you will. If not, an IBO is just a glorified customer bringing profits to Amway and the tools systems.

So are you a business owner or a customer?