One of the ways that upline diamonds would put down jobs was to toss in the phrase that a job was simply trading hours for dollars. As if it were demeaning to have a job where you got paid for your time. I believe it's all relative. Being that many IBos are young and maybe working in more entry level types of jobs, then yeah, your hours wage might not be that great. If you earn say $10 an hour, then you might be struggling financially and it may take time before your skills and knowledge increase to a point where your experience is worth more money. What if you had a job paying $1000 an hour and earned $160,000 a month? Is that a lousy deal trading hours for dollars? I think not!
Conversely, having a business can be good or bad also. If you have an Amway business earnning less than $100 a month and you spend $200 on functions, standing orders and other training and motivational materials, then you are losing money. You would be better off working for free. That is still a better alternative than working a business where you are losing money. I think most people agree that a platinum group typically has a 100 or more IBOs. Thus a platinum is in the top 1% of all IBOs. I have heard that the platinum level is where you start to break even or make a little profit, depending on your level of tool consumption. If platinums are barely making a profit, then the other 99+% of IBOs are likely losing money. How much is that worth per hour?
I think uplines cleverly trick IBOs into thinking that a job is bad. Trading hours for dollars, afterall, sounds like some kind of indentured servant of sorts. But in the ned, what matters is your bottom line. If you are an IBO with little or no downline, and/or not much in terms of sales to non IBOs/customers, then you are losing money each and every month if you are attending functions and buying standing orders. Your 10-12 hours a week of Amway work is costing you money! But if you spend 10-12 hours a week, even at minimum wage, then you might be making about 300 to 350 a month groww income. After taxes, you make about 250 to 300. At least trading hours for dollars gets you a guaranteed net gain at the end of the month.
Uplines trick you into a "business mentality" where you think that working for a net loss is just a part of business. IBOs should realize that a business promoted as low risk and no overhead should be one where you can profir right away. Instead, IBos are taught to delay gratification, or to reinvest any profit back into their business in the form of tools and functions, which results in a net loss. If that's the case I would choose trading hours for dollars.
Remember, trading hours for dollars is not a bad deal if you are making enough dollars per hour. And even those who make less, are better off that those who "run a business" but end up with a net loss. It's all relative and hopefully, this message will help new or prospective IBOs who are being enticed to join the Amway business opportunity. Good luck to those with jobs and those with businesses. You can be successful either way. Remember that!
Yep. The lunacy in this is that IBO's truly believe they are IBO (independent business owners). In no way, shape, or form is a distributorship "your own business". You are part of a marketing strategy, albeit an inefficient and outdated one. You must follow Amway's rules, and you receive compensation via Amway checks. They may terminate you at any time, and even Diamonds have been terminated. You are a sales agent, and you make commissions on your sales. Let me pre-empt the following tired retort:
ReplyDeleteIBO: Yeah, but I don't sell anything, so there!
Me: And that's why almost all IBO's lose money. In the days when Amway distributors sold product, they turned a profit, however small. Now that the emphasis has shifted to "personal use", you're still doing lots of work to get people signed up, but you're taking a loss for your efforts.
IBO: Yeah, but when I buy from my own business, I get a rebate
Me: If it were truly your own business, there woudn't be anybody to give you a rebate. Who cuts that check? Sounds like an employer.
IBO: well, I'd still rather shop from my own business and get a rebate than buy from Sam's and get nothing back.
Me: 1) it's not your own business. 2) Why boast about a 3% rebate on products that are overpriced as much as 70%? Sounds like you're just bad at math.
Get real, Ambots. You have a job. You are employed by Amway as a distributor. If you're like 90% of IBO's, you suck at selling product, so you only sell to yourself. By overpaying for consumer goods and, if you're like 90% of IBO's, buying things you don't need or overbuying to reach a certain PV, you are actually losing money. Purchasing repetitive tapes and tickets to senseless rallies costs you money. These things add up to quite a monetary investment, and in the end, you've worked many hours per week at a part-time job at A LOSS.
So sure, maybe most of us "sell our time", but that's the greatest asset people have, and if people are selling some of it for a competitive wage so that you can better enjoy the rest of it, it just makes good sense. It's far better than paying an employer and motivational organization for the privilege of working for them and the right to erroneously claim you "own your own business".
Great post John! I agree. Selling timeis okay, you just need to get a good deal on it. But even at a small wage or salary, that's better than losing money with a "business" mentality.
ReplyDeleteGood way to put it. It's amazing how 'positive' your post is, when ambots keep trying to tell us how we are mean ole' negative ogres and negative nellies.
ReplyDeleteI've always appreciated my job and love the fact that I get up every day and still have one. In today's economy I'm seeing two things: for the first time EVER, a very few ambots have said amway would make a nice second income (second income? never EVER heard that from stage) in amway cave speak - job bad, amway good, ugga bugga! Secondly, is it possible the kingpins are starting to realize the folly of slamming jobs for decades now that those jobs are disappearing along with the money for books, tapes, and functions??????
I've gotten used to eating 3 times a day and my job provides for that nicely.
I love my job and get great sasisfaction from showing up every day and accomplishing as much as possible. I go home feeling good about myself and my efforts.
Good post Johnny Boy but let's not forget that you and I are not at the same level nor will we ever be. You stick to your faithful employer while I faithfully stick to Amway.
ReplyDeleteGreg Duncan used to make fun of people who said they loved their jobs. He said, "Oh, yeah, I bet you go day after day for the aura of it all; and then he'd slam you by saying 'bet you wouldn't show up to work if you didn't get paid?'
ReplyDeleteWell, back atcha, ambot.
Um, bet you wouldn't show up for amway functions and attempt to build it if you weren't hoping for a paycheck someday, hmmmm????
Anon at 8:09 am;
ReplyDeleteWow. Had to pause there for a sec. Thought someone had taped me talking/sneering at people who had jobs back in 1995. That's how they taught us to speak, too.
You're doin' good. Keep it up.
What you and all ambots who come into these blogs with your drive-by tapespeak don't realize, is, that we were there years ahead of you. You probably think that what you are spouting is so new and innovative.
That's a laugh.
^ took the words RIGHT out of my mouth!
ReplyDelete