Thursday, October 27, 2022

Amway IBOs Are Simply In Denial?

 One thing that appears to be common among Amway IBOs is how IBOs are in constant denial. They truly believe that their uplines are working in their best interest and that upline only wants their success. I don't believe that to be true. If uplines were truly making a fortune from Amway, why would an downline IBO have to pay for practically every bit of help they get from upline leaders? Why aren't any functions pro bono? What difference would it make to someone making millions heaped upon millions?  Think about this, if others went "diamond" and achieved the pinnacle of success, suddenly the upline gets a smaller portion of the tools and functions income because the new diamond would get a significant cut from their personal downline.  In fact the best-case scenario is for someone to get close to diamond and quit, leaving all the active downline directly under the current upline diamond.

To illustrate this, to show the plan, you would need to pay to attend an open meeting, and pay for your guests, even if they do not register as a result of the presentation. You pay for voicemail to communikate with your upline and downlines. You pay for standing orders, and you may end up paying twice if you were in attendance at the function when the standing order was recorded. You pay for books and other materials as well.  And you get nothing if your guest winds up not joining, or joining but doing nothing and quitting.

What's more, many IBOs turn their heads when ugly facts rear their heads. For example, some IBOs deny that a prominent triple diamond (Around 2009 or 2010) was involved in bankruptcy proceedings. They continue to edify and pay for financial advice from someone who could not even manage his own finances. They believe that Amway saves marriages even when the leaders who speak this may be getting divorced. It's like upline simply revises history and downlines buy it without question. Many IBOs do not even see it as a problem that some upline lied and said there were no profits from tools in the past. I find this odd because tool profits are still shrouded in secrecy and downline simply believe that they will eventually get a cut, even without a written compensation plan and agreement.

I believe too many Amway IBOs are simply in denial. They give upline their trust and upline abuses it. IBOs are told they are successful for attending a function even when they might be losing money month after month. They may be told that the Amway business is not about money but about making friends. They may be told that they are nicer people because of their participation in Amway. What too many IBOs do not see is that they are simply in denial about their business. Most IBOs are losing money, a little at a time, perhaps $100 or $150 a month. For the hardcore, maybe more. But they are taught to ignore these simple facts and deny that there is a problem.

It is my hope that exposure of some of these tactics will be beneficial to information seekers and perhaps new IBOs who have not yet been fully indoctrinated. I encourage people to ask tough questions, demand answers and use due diligence when checking out this opportunity. The fact is that very few people every make a profit and people should know this before getting involved. In the end, IBOs pay up and they keep on paying upline for their sage advice, even when their bank accounts keep getting lighter. Where will it end?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't really want this comment published (so I'm very happy if you don't publish this), but I did want to share the shame I still feel, being out of Amway for 3 years, and having been in it for 5. I'm impressed you actually still know all the terminology - because I have repressed a lot of it (possibly due to trauma) - forgot what a Standing Order was!

But thankfully you aren't too hateful about it, but rather, more knowledgeable, and I am currently reading your blog to heal. Too much hate makes it rather uncomfortable to continue reading (since I spent 5 of my most financially successful years financing my upline).

I know that Clay Lesoway was still using your blog in his talks as "Joe Cool" in 2019- and inferred you were living in your parent's basement, etc...but I noticed that you are rather the opposite.

Just want to say thank you for writing, since it's nice to know that there are others like me. Cheers!

Joecool said...

I had a comment today from an anonymous poster who said he wanted to share and that he didn't want his comment posted. That reading the blog was a way of healing to him. And that's great. I keep going even though viewers have dropped off because this blog does help uncover some of the scam and helps healing. It also helps information seekers who want to hear real experiences.

Now this commenter also said his upline used to say I live in my parent's basement, etc.
Truth is I quit Amway back in 1998 or so (not sure of the exact date) and my life has been great. I invested well and retired at the age of 55. Covid kind of hurt my retirement in that traveling was restricted but I own a home in Kailua, Oahu. My home is currently valuated at about 1.4 million dollars. Hey, I'm a millionaire. And that doesn't include my personal and retirement investments.

How about that? Someone can do well without being in Amway!

To my anonymous visitor. Please keep healing and read more articles. It may help you to understand what was going on with upline and the rank and file IBOs. I was an up and coming "mover and shaker" as they called it. So I wasn't some fly by night sign up and quit IBO. I put in the work and moved up the ranks. But I discovered that the system is rigged against you and upline controls you and you are powerless to do anything about it.

Keep healing my friend. Ask any other questions and I'll address them in the comment section.

Anonymous said...

When you are in "denial," it means that you refuse to accept a simple fact that is obvious and clear to the entire rest of the world.

Amway is in fact a business cult, which means that it has roots in religion, and the religious need to pretend that some facts are simply not true. De Vos and Van Andel were members of a very sick and nasty Dutch Calvinist sect -- with ideas of the elect versus the damned, the need to be prosperous to prove your membership in the elect, and the need to worship outward appearances like wealth, money, and power. This Dutch Calvinist sect ceased being Christian years ago. They are now simply one more branch of the "Prosperity Gospel.'

This is why Amway freaks can't admit that they are losing money. It would be a denial of their basic religious faith.