Sunday, July 7, 2024

Fake It But Don't Make It?

 One of the things I was taught as an Amway/WWDB IBO was to "fake it till you make it". I believe this is probably still true today, based on my interaction with and observation of IBO behavior. If you have followed the trials on various upline leaders such as Shores or Duncan and their financials, you can likely conclude that even the diamonds can be in financial difficulty. Some former diamonds who have left the business or quit have also expressed some similar sentiments.  Are diamonds also "faking" their alleged success?  

If you examine functions like "Dream Night", where the diamonds show off pictures of mansions, sports cars, boats and jet skis, you can conclude that the diamonds are implying that all of these goodies are a part of their regular lifestyles, including the notion of waking up at noon and never having to work. I believe for most diamonds, this is just a facade, or an exercise in deception of the downline. I recall the diamonds urging the crowd to "come join us". Some IBOs want it so bad that tears roll down their cheeks as they watch the presentation. They honestly believe that 2-5 years working the system assures them of success.

The sad reality is that most IBOs, even with some hard work, will end up making nothing, or if fully engaged in the system of functions and cds and books, will end up with a loss. IBOs who stick around for a few years might see losses in the thousands or tens of thousands. All the while their upline may have been telling the group the perseverance is the key or that you will "make it" if you don't quit. Nothing could be further from the truth. There's no evidence that working hard and never quitting will result in anything but financial losses.

If diamonds and high pins are putting on a show, what about the average rank and file IBOs? I believe that many of them are also fakes. They may wear suits and talk about success but ask one of them if they actually make a net profit and you'll get more excuses than answers. The typical answer will be that it's none of your business, or that their results are not indicative of yours because it depends on effort. This is just a diversion. If someone is promoting the opportunity and then flaunting a lifestyle that can allegedly be attained through the opportunity, then the folks making the claim should be able to qualify their claims. It is normal in everyday business for potential business partners or investors to seek evidence or proof that the business produces what is being advertised. Why Amwayers believe otherwise is puzzling, but not surprising. I believe it is because many Amwayers are fakes, starting from the top.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amway "success" is definitely a fake for 99% of the IBOs who are signed up in the racket.

Amway runs on lies: the lie that you can become a millionaire in 2 to 5 years, the lie that you can have "residual income," the lie that every Diamond has a jet-set lifestyle, the lie that Amway's generic overpriced products are better than anything else on the market, and the lie that your immediate up-line is a divine genius who has the correct answer to every problem in life.

To accept these lies and to live by them is only possible for weak-willed, unimaginative, semi-educated losers who can't hold a real-world job. Those are the IBOs with tears in their eyes when they listen to exaggerated Diamond claims at a function. They will never make a dime.

Anonymous said...

"Fake it till you make it" is absolutely necessary in Amway, because 99% of all IBOs will fail in the racket, and you have to keep them energized and fired up with false enthusiasm. Every single one of the AMO subsystems tells it members to lie about the "success" of their individual business operations, and to always have a big self-satisfied smile on their faces. Even if you are losing $500 per month, you have to brag that money is rolling in.

What keeps Amway going are dreams and fantasies. That's how you hook new recruits, and that's how you keep them spending money for tools and function tickets and meeting fees.