http://scamadvocates.com/164-Amway.html
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November 27 2011
I have read all of these posts. Interesting that everyone who supports Amway cannot spell very well. Lots of typos and grammatical errors in here by those who jump up and down reciting Amway's many virtues. It is a scam and a groupthink phenomenon of staggering proportions. From a psychological perspective, Amway does its best to separate people from those who would challenge its legitimacy and operations. This is not unlike how Hitler or any other leader would silence opponents or dissidents by having them "removed" from the equation. Same thing goes here, Amway teaches people to ignore and remove obstacles and people who challenge the system, even if said challenges are completely rational and offered by people with the IBO's best interest in mind. It hits IBO's in soft spots for family, friends, and freedom (the 3 F's), and it entices them to focus on emotional reasoning rather than very cognitive-based, rational dissection of information.
Amway IBO's are taught emotionalism, not rationalism. From a business perspective, it is a farce. IBO's are no entrepreneurs, as they wear the collars of their uplines. Over and over, I have been told to do as my uplines say. What if my upline is a total moron and I have a law degree and an MBA?? I'm supposed to follow these uplines?? According to the system, yes, the uplines' words are paramount. So no, IBO's are not entrepreneurs and do not gain any real experience. IBO is a fancy name for distributor, pure and simple.
I had the opportunity to meet a number of "diamonds" and "emeralds" recently, all of whom had either left the business to get real jobs or were still struggling bringing in about $30,000 per year. Many of them are posting massive losses, and by the way, the IRS does not consider pro-suming OR tickets to a convention (to hear Yager scream at you) to be business expenses. Good luck trying to recover those losses. It is a pyramid scheme simply because mathematically and considering the law of averages, a downline cannot really earn more than his upline. It just doesn't happen - it's a nice idea, but it doesn't happen. I worked through multiple scenarios with a friend, trying to see how I could out-earn my upline, and we found several variables that would keep that from happening.
Finally, on a personal level, this Amway monkey business cost me a great friendship, an IBO who decided that taking a chance on some crazy dream was more important than those who loved him most. I think he will continue prospecting and pushing "the plan" until there isn't anyone left. If you know someone in Amway or who is thinking seriously about it, you need to realize that they will soon be lost. Amway people are very much like crack users (very similar psychopathology, actually), and they will choose Amway over you, their family, their friends, and anything that gets in the way.
Here's my Amway rant: I just finally made the decision after this past spring leadership, to free myself of this business "opportunity!" I have two major problems with the biz. I was in, ALL in, for the last year and a half. Every plan, function, rally, seminar etc. I was at. Taking notes after notes like a wildman, absorbing every bit of everything every platinum and up said. I put myself through the mental and emotional torture called "prospecting." It was very unnatural in the beginning, as well as the end and all in between. For a good reason. Essentially, you're becoming a salesman, despite all their effort to stress to everybody that you are NOT one. Yes they are. They say it's uncomfortable because you're "growing." BS, it's uncomfortable because you're manipulating conversations to lead them to a desired outcome that is not indicated by your feinted "genuine interest" in this stranger's life. The goal is to get the damn number and show up with a guest at a plan to show your upline how loyal you are. We all know that 95-98% of IBO's will not do anything, yet the uplines speak dreams and belief into all of them, when they know damn well themselves, most of their IBO's aren't going anywhere, just a numerical fact. And I am supposed to build a business off of this? I will not look people in the eye and tell them they will be rich and free, when they won't. Another thing is, is that all the big profits the big pins make, all come from the non profitable IBO's, the other 98%... How? Well when all the IBO's make orders, all that money goes into the Amway 'Pot.' all the bonuses are then paid out of that. They pay the big guys millions, so there's nothing left for anyone else. Where there's a major profit in one area, there consequently has to be a loss somewhere else, and that's collectively from all the downline. It's like poker, everyone the table buys in, but only one or two people at once can make a lot of money, there HAS to be losers. Plain and simple. The group of losers has to be present at all times for that to work. So, for that, I am done. And will work a legit great paying job, have my evenings and weekends with my family, vacation every year (because what Ruby and up really vacations when they have to show the plan 6 nights a week to maintain that size of business?) I have always had great positive friends and family, and always knew how to keep negativity away without the help of Amway. I'll keep the thousands per year that it REALLY takes to build it, and take my kids on trips that would normally be shunned from going on by the business, because you need to sacrifice! I'll sacrifice the opportunity to become a rich BS-er to have a happy life with my kids, and not have a babysitter raise them.
ReplyDeleteMega-sad but oh-so true. The most idiotic ambot speak I ever heard was "If the dream is big enough, the facts don't matter". WTF??? Anyone with 1/2 a brain can see the stupidity in that statement. Too bad Amway removes your brain so you can no longer think straight at all, even when confronted with monumental stupidity such as this.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, great job putting the whole thing in perspective. You are what Amway would call "unteachable", meaning "unbrainwashable". You aren't easily distracted from facts and reality by the smiling upline's sleight-of-hand tricks and illusions where they call fantasies "dreams" and pretend they are obtainable simply by doing what they tell you to do and using their "tools" to keep the fog in your head.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on breaking free of their spell to shake the upline parasites off of your finances. They will call you a loser, but the truth is you won, you beat them and their tricks and lies.
~Dave
P.S. I love your poker analogy. That is so true. Amway would be like inviting everyone to a poker table and telling them all they will win big money in the game, when the truth is, there HAS to be losers where the money comes from for the few winners to profit from.
I'm meeting with one of these guys Monday hes about to be an emerald,supposedly retiring from his other job this year. I see all this and wonder what would be good questions to ask him. I have a few but would like other peoples input on it .
ReplyDeleteAsk the "emerald" to show you his business financials (business tax returns). If he tells you it's not an indicator of how much you can make or that its none of your business, run for the hills! Seriously. Any real business owner recruiting associates would open up their books.
ReplyDeleteThanks any one else its crunch time I know they are prepared for most questions I'd like to find more anyone have a question they would like answered I'll ask
ReplyDeleteHe showed me his tax returns 44k not bad I guess but I declined after listening to the cd's I listened to 6 total twice this is great for people who are depressed and need hopenosis. I will tell you out of the listening I got nothing they had one titled frequently asked questions and then went on not to answer at least one of the question's on the cd Sure you can make this work, if your honest with yourself ?, selling overpriced products and a Dream can be great . Living with yourself after crushing a few in your wake to lose money (not due to you but just the system doesn't work for everyone)sure you may help some but what about the others . I'm a great liar but selling products that you can get cheaper on ebay is just dishonest money power and greed period. This guy had like 100 people under him(he showed me) and thats all he made ??? If I created a sales team for a company like that and that's all I made hhhmmmm ??? I could go on but ask yourself this if there so transparent of a company and you can ask them anything why do they beat around the bush when your ask if there products contain gmo's ??? How come they don't say organic if there from an organic farm and of all the Ibo's what is the average $ made by the active ones now not currently posted on there site daily ???
ReplyDeleteBoth of my sister are in amway and brother-in-law too and I have completely lost them. I never know what to talk to my sisters about anymore. I wish they never joined. They are completely different people. I never really want to talk to them anymore because of amway global. This is not how it should be. I want my old sisters back. Do you have any tips for what you can do to get family members out of "the buisness'
ReplyDeleteWhy do they call it a "business opportunity" anyway... the opportunity if any would be not to join and get a real job!!
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