The business works if you work it! That's what many Amway enthusiats will claim. I do not believe that is true and I will further explain in this post. Many IBOs who claim that the business works are usually new and are unable to show any evidence that the business actually works, except perhaps to show a photocopied check from an upline diamond or the like. Some IBOs are taught to fake success and are outright lying.
Let me make a disclaimer that some people do make significant money from Amway, but most of those folks are tenured diamonds who are almost in an exclusive club. There is only a short list of new diamonds that I know of in the US, and I have heard that even these new diamonds may have had legs in other countries. It would seem that Amway is not growing by leaps and bounds in the US. Also of note, Amway did not release figures that are seperate between Amway North America and the rest of their overseas operations. Amway recently reported sales of 11.3 billion worldwide, and claims they had growth in all of their territories, including the US. While 400 million is a lot of money, that doesn't add up to exceptional growth in all of their markets.
Ok, so Amway enthusiasts claim that the business works if you work it. Business in its simplest form is selling a product or service for a profit. Yet many many IBOs spend so much of their time doing other things, as advised by their upline "mentors" who sell them training materials that take up much of their valuable time. Listening to tapes/cds, attending functions, reading books, and other training activities not only costs the IBO money, but takes up valuable time in non -income producing activities. Nobody makes sales reading books or attending seminars. Furthermore, these books and seminars do not necessarily result in IBOs being able to move more product as a result.
Inviting people to see "the plan" may be a way to help generate volume but with Amway's reputation, even this is a hit and (mostly) miss activity.
Yet IBOs spend almost all of their time doing these activities (the work) when they could be better off not getting the training and focusing on selling the Amway products and services. Even that comes with a handicap as Amway products as a whole, costs a lot more than purchasing similar or the same products at a big retailer such as Costco or WalMart. It is why most IBOs eventually get discouraged and quit far before the promoted 2-5 year plan.
Few people will even bother to see the plan once you mention "Amway" and for those who are open minded and motivated to register end up having to deal with a hard to sell opportunity along with high priced common commodities such as soap, vitamins and energy drinks. It's pretty easy to see that the business does not work, even for most of those who actually work it. There are simply too many issues with the business that hanidcaps those brave enough to try. It seems even the fiercest defenders of Amway are unable to provide a shred of evidence that they have actually made a profit from this opportunity. I believe Amway doesn't work even if you work it.
Amway in the United States is in a downward spiral, no matter what lying bullshit comes out of Ada, Michigan.
ReplyDeleteIt's next to impossible to get anyone to even listen to "the Plan," much less sign up as an IBO. Most people are well aware that Amway, like all of the MLM rackets, is a fraud. You only get a piss-poor quality of loser signing up in Amway these days.
Foreign growth in Amway occurs in places where the population doesn't have general access to the internet and to the anti-Amway information that is published there. But even those foreigners are getting wise.
Yes, Amway had large decreases in sales the last two years in a row. Maybe saturation and the bad publicity is beginning to establish itself in foreign countries after all.
ReplyDeleteThe only ones earning the profit are those who sell the tools.
ReplyDeleteIf tools don't help you achieve sales and profit then why spend money on "broken tools"?
I remember from my brief involvement in Amway back in 1998 when I was shocked as to how pricey their core products were, Sam and Cathy Marteluzzi in my upline would always remark, "They are expensive because they are more concentrated."
ReplyDeleteLikewise, I still recall how a box of their SA8 detergent cost around $30. Once again, both Sam and Cathy Marteluzzi would remark it was that much because it was more concentrated than regular detergent. Still, even so, $30 is a considerable cash outlay with respect to a box of detergent for a single person surviving on a low income. Moreover, I found that the SA8 detergent was always leaving soap residue in my clothes after each wash, anyway.
Away products are always of a poor to mediocre quality. The only reason they are so expensive is because everyone in your up-line has to get a cut of the purchase price.
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