“Duplicate your upline.”
In a nutshell that’s the secret to Amway success according to the upline speakers.
I don’t mean to insult or trash anyone’s job because everyone has to start somewhere, but my upline expects me to duplicate them by shutting down our business and taking a job working for someone else as a salesperson or painter? We worked hard at regular jobs for many years until we made the break and established our own company. I’m supposed to go backwards from a 6 figure self employed income to minimum wage type jobs? Does not appeal to me. I’m sure if we stayed in Amway long enough and lost all our savings, our business, our house, and ended up deep in debt I may have had to reconsider that cashier job at the dollar store.
How about duplicating my upline by driving around in a junker of a car that’s always breaking down? Nah, I don’t think so. In the past 20 years I’ve always saved up my money and then paid cash for either new or newer model vehicles and keep them well maintained. When I was younger I drove older vehicles that seemed to always be getting flat tires or having some sort of engine trouble. Then I got smart and started dating mechanics. Then I got smarter and started saving money so I could buy more reliable cars. I don’t want to go backwards on this one either.
How about wearing business attire for 8pm Amway meetings in someone’s living room? No not my thing. If I invite someone into my house I expect them to wear whatever makes them comfortable. Likewise if I’m meeting someone at the coffee shop. Whatever you want to wear is cool with me. I spent 20 years in corporate wearing business attire. Now that I’m self employed nobody dictates to me what I wear. If I choose to wear shorts, capris, or jeans and slap a hat on my head that’s what I’ll do.
Gee one of the lies we were told was that in Amway we’d own our own business. As a business owner I decide what I wear. In “my” Amway business I have some upline asshole expecting me to wear a business suit. My blazers and skirts were donated to charity a long time ago. Don’t expect me to run out and buy more.
How about duplicating our upline and lying to others about what this “global business opportunity” really is? How about duplicating our upline and insulting people who have J.O.B.s? Nope, can’t do it.
I used to see the diehard ambots at business meetings duplicating their upline. I watched one young lady sitting beside the woman who sponsored her who I think was around 2500 PV/month. The sponsor, not the new IBO. They were both sitting with their legs up on the chairs in front of them in the auditorium. OK some people do that. At the movies. This young IBO always dressed stylishly with impeccable makeup and didn’t seem the type to be tossing her legs all over the place so everyone walking by could see her undies but there the two of them were sitting side by side in a rather unladylike manner. Hmmm. Almost sorry I didn’t think up that one myself! I’d watch the new IBO clapping at the same time her sponsor did. Stand up and cheer when the sponsor did. Basically she stuck to her like glue and copied everything. She had that whole duplicate your upline thing down!
No, that’s not me. I can’t be a copycat to anyone in my upline. That is not my style.
Always the rebel, my inclination was to do the opposite that anyone in my upline was doing. If they stood up and clapped and cheered for the speaker, I stayed in my seat. If they walked around the room greeting people, I stayed in my chair and pulled out the trashy novel I kept in my bag for moments like this. If they drank Perfect Water or XS energy drinks, I’d be sucking back a Coke. If they ate meal replacement bars or protein bars, I made a big show out of eating a package of M&M’s. If they hung around chatting at the end of the meeting, I was the first out the door making a beeline for my car.
Can’t say I ever did anything to duplicate our upline. Can’t say the same thing about that bunch of copycats. Most of them quit Amway after we did.
Follow the leaders.
"We worked hard at regular jobs for many years until we made the break and established our own company."
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. In my personal experience, whenever the prospecting IBO heard me mentioning my own successful business, they will tuck tail and run. Your upline must've been very close to your husband that he thinks his crappy bidnez could compete with your knowledge/wisdom as a real business owner.
It was all part of the brainwashing. The upline convinced him if he broke his leg or otherwise unable to run his business then he'd have no income and lose his house, car, savings, etc. Whereas in Amway in 2 to 5 years he'd have thousands of dollars rolling in each month without ever having to work again. Ironically how many people have been involved in Amway and lost their house, car, savings, etc all without getting sick or injured because they kept dishing out their money to the cult. I used to sit in the meetings and listen to the Platinum brag about how you could quit your job and make $100K a year in Amway and I'd think thats OK for some but its a backslide for us we'd be better off doing what we're already doing than getting involved in Amway. My husband eventually figured that one out too.
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