Thursday, July 20, 2023

Diamonds Are Forever?

 I've seen some interesting discussion about how achieving a diamond pin is like winning a gold medal. That you don't get it taken away from you later even if you don't qualify anymore. The discussion also flowed as to where they mentioned that former US President Jimmy Carter is still addressed as Mr. President. Or that someone with a Superbowl ring can be addressed as a Superbowl champion. While I agree with that to some degree, I think the issue of diamond or former diamond is significant and different from former President Carter or a former Superbowl Champion. Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana don't parade around as if they just won the Superbowl last year.

The diamond pin is a significant achievement for sure. Seems that recently, it's even harder to achieve in North America. I don't know of more than a few new diamonds emerging in the last ten years or so in the US. But if say a diamond qualified in 1988 and never qualified again, how would you as an IBO feel about paying to see this diamond speak function after function and how many would continue to buy standing orders from a guy who may have achieved diamond 20 years ago and never again? Would the audiences be "fired up" to see these speakers? I find this ironic also, because many Amway defenders like to criticize Amway critics for having an outdated experience. Well, conversely, a one time diamond would be basically the same thing. If not then Joecool should command the respect of a 4000 PV Eagle since that was my highest level.

I actually have no issue with Amway allowing the achiever to carry their highest pin as a recognized achievement, but I do believe that those who use their former pin status to exploit and profit from new IBOs and prospects should be stopped. I know I would not have been so excited attending a function where the keynote speaker went diamond for 6 months a decade ago and was no longer qualified. Else, by upline's definition, he will teach me to go diamond and fall apart? I believe there are fewer North American diamonds now than ten years ago. Some diamonds resigned and some outright quit. So much for residual/passive income. Obviously if these things existed, then nobody would quit or walk away from residual income.

BTW, a recent article on an Amway Corporate website says this about passive income:
"Passive income is a term we do not permit distributors to use and it’s not a term the Corporation uses. In our business, there is no such thing as doing no work, and expecting money to still come in.” Link:
http://blogs.amway.com/answers/2010/11/02/unwelcome-words/#comments

Still think there's a free ride at the end of the tunnel?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Passive income" is what you get from Social Security, or from your pension, or from the dividends from your stocks.

You don't get it from a dipshit little soap-suds-and-vitamin-pill racket like Amway.

Anonymous said...

We had a guy in URA/URAssociation re-qualify Diamond in the Fall of 2017. Nobody really knew that he wasn't a current Diamond at that time as he was always introduced as a Diamond. I guess good on him and his wife for making it happen.

The better story was for him and his wife to talk about this in the quarterly conferences and to be honest. Emerald is still a big pin. They could have talked about being Diamond and then one leg dropping out and what they are doing to get that leg back to 7500 to re-qualify. That's a story that even Platinums can relate to. But I guess they and the other leadership were so focused on covering it up that they never wanted to spread any FUD.

I do find it interesting that "leaders" will come up and talk about their trials and tribulations when making Diamond. But everything is all rosy and lovely after they make Diamond except for when you lose entire 1500PV legs according to them.