Friday, February 11, 2011

Dreams For Sale

This post is inspired by a Google ad that I’ve seen. “Buy dreams”. Interesting concept. Someone can’t think up their own dream so they have to buy someone else’s dream. I ought to try that as a sideline business. I need to think up some dreams, put a price tag on them, and start up an online store so that I can sell my dreams to someone suffering from a lack of dreams. The possibilities are endless of what I can think up that people might dream about: a yacht to sell around the world, a castle in Scotland, an island in the Caribbean, winning the Tour De France, climbing Mount Everest, a million dollars in the bank, a cure for cancer....

But that ad got me thinking about how Amway IBO’s are peddlers of dreams. IBO’s snag prospects by dangling dreams in front of them.

Once the IBO has the prospect hooked on imagining what it would be like to be financially free to afford their dream, then the whole Amway pitch comes out and if the dreamer is caught up in the hype they’ll fork over $150 for an Amway registration kit and then spend thousands of dollars chasing that elusive dream until they finally decide to cut their losses and walk away. Those same dreams are then used as weapons against the IBO when they’re quitting Amway.

“I guess your dream just wasn’t big enough,” taunts the upline.

Or maybe their dream was too big. Bigger than what they can make on an Amway income. Less than 1% of IBO’s make money in Amway. Our Platinum was always bragging that our Emerald’s income was in the top 25% of 1% of IBO’s. We now know those facts aren’t really impressive bragging rights at all. In his book Merchants of Deception, former Emerald Eric Scheibeler earned $35,000/year at his highest earning point. Based on what other former Emerald’s have said on the Internet about their income - about two or three thousand dollars a month - it would be a safe bet that our Emerald’s income was in that ballpark. That was my salary twenty years ago when I worked an office job in data entry. Its a nice average salary. I was able to buy a house and take vacations each year. That company offered the best benefits I’ve ever had in my life. 3 weeks paid vacation to start, increasing by a week after every 2 years employment, capping out at 10 weeks per year for long term employees which could be carried over to the next year. Shit there were some co-workers I didn’t see for months when management got after them to use it or lose it! Health and dental and retirement savings easily add thousands of dollars more in perks. Emeralds don’t get any of those perks. If they want them they have to dig deep in their own pockets.

Sometimes I can be a sucker. I clicked on the ad to see what kind of dreams are for sale.

There are no dreams for sale here. There are no nice houses, sports cars, luxury vacations. I don’t see any savings accounts holding millions of dollars. There is no world peace here either.

Instead I’m looking at pictures of that piss water XS, Nutrilite vitamins, SA8 laundry soap, and other Amway shit.

What the fuck? Talk about false advertising! I’ve hit some fucking IBO’s online store!

If you see that ad for “buy dreams” and click on it (and thanks by the way for putting another dollar into my bank account!) it takes you to an IBO’s portal page for flogging Amway products. You know the one they spend $50/month to World Wide Dream Builders or whatever LOS for premier membership and it includes that portal page in the monthly fee.

Don’t buy nothing! The only one who should make money on that click is ME. Not the IBO using the false advertising!

At least the IBO with the ad that says “Amway products for sale” and a link to their portal page is more honest. People can look at that ad and decide they don’t need Amway products today and not click on the link.

Holy shit! Did I just use the words “honest” and “IBO” in the same sentence???!!! That combination is pretty much a physical impossibility. If that IBO keeps up that kind of honesty they’ll be out of business very soon!

But back to the ad flogging dreams for sale. Maybe I’m being too judgemental. Dreams can be subjective. One person’s dream is another person’s hunk of junk. The ad offering dreams genuinely thinks that Amway products are dreams. Dreamy like Frankie Avalon in the beach blanket movies.

I disagree.

I’d rather title that person’s ad “nightmares for sale”.

21 comments:

  1. You know, I bet I have not much in common, in different respects, with many of the post-Amway/BWW/WWDB/(etcetera) bloggers and commenters on sites like this delineated as "former Amway". Except for CASSETTE TAPES and their odious relatives such as "major functions" and the awful and specious "positive thought" books from the likes of Robert Schuller and Napolean Hill.

    I wish that I had the resources of a stellar blog like this circa 1993 (which was my Amway "D-Day"). Could have saved me from 10 years of being ruthlessly scammed by the "christians" who run WWDB.

    ----Daniel---- (former WWDBer)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daniel the Internet was barely getting started in 1993. Even with blogs written by former IBO's there are still a lot of people signing up with Amway and being brainwashed. Once they've had enough then they start to seek out blogs like this.

    Our Platinum claimed to be a Christian. After getting to know him if that's what Christianity is all about I don't want no part.

    ReplyDelete
  3. People might take you more seriously if you wouldn't curse so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scamshitbot, glad you crawled out of hiding. Looks like those Amcards must have been newly reprogrammed, in regard to your approachable attitude. Now I’m sure it is not in your nature to express anything close to “sweetness” unless of course you’re in your fuckupline creator’s or FUCKTINUM’s presence! Maybe you’re just malfunctioning like the rest of the Quixcumdroids. Tell me, are you running out of XJizz piss and those Scambolts in that tinscamshart you call a skull need to be charged or replaced? No worries, I’ll be glad to blast’em off that Quixcum-bucket-of shit you use to articulate those pitiful thoughts you call your dreams. Such a simple unit you are, pathetic little failed design Scumshitdroid Quixfuck.

      Dearest
      The Scamshitbot Destroyer

      Delete
    2. Ah yes. Love the entertainment in the middle of the afternoon! Dearest Greggy has never been heard of again. You must have already wiped him out!

      Delete
  4. Hi Greg! This blog exists for me to curse out my former upline and their teachings. I have a lot of readers who keep coming back for more so I wouldn't want to disappoint them by cutting back on the foul language now would I? Ha ha! Those who don't like the swearing don't need to return and keep reading.

    Why do people need to take me seriously? I am not selling anything or trying to recruit anybody into anything. This blog is to inform others of the abuse we took from our upline.

    I guess I won't be seeing you again if my language makes you blush but thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not a prude, so it doesn't really bother me. Just saying.

    ReplyDelete
  6. And there you have it. Ambot can't refute obvious amway pyramid crap so they find something to jump on - cursing.

    HA. I love your posts, Anna. It is my desparately needed laugh of the day.

    Keep it up.

    CT.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Greg. Are you a WWDB Ambot? My name is Daniel and I was an Ambot, too.

    BTW Anna, just clicked on several Google ads! Go forth Anna - and make more money on this blog in a month than your former Platinum ever has... ;-)

    ----Daniel---(former WWDB-bot)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous - I'm glad I can bring a smile to your face every day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Daniel - Greg said in another comment that he's in LTD.

    Thanks for clicking on the ads! I use that income as fun money and right now I've decided to have fun on penny stocks! I think I've already earned more this month than a Platinum!

    ReplyDelete
  10. click click click...Google click click click...

    yo Greg, drop Amway, join us on the dark side, and start a blog! Cheers.

    -----Daniel------WWDBer.

    P.S. Hi, Ron Puryear! Hi Dave Severn! Hi Bill Britt! How's the "Tools" biz treating ya?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Daniel I'm sure my former upline thinks I crossed to the dark side a long time ago. Probably long before I even heard the word Amway!

    Did Ron Puryear sell his house yet?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Anna,
    Ron Puryear's house has been on the market for 554 days now, for a cool 16 million. It is amazing what the tool business has bought for these guys. With so many Diamonds selling their houses and in foreclosure I bet the the tool income is drying up faster than you can say CASSETTE TAPE.

    http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/Post-Falls_Id_83854_M12516-13749

    ***Former WWDB Lemming***

    ReplyDelete
  13. Didn't that house start off at $20 mil?

    And no offense to anyone living in Idaho, but people with that kind of money to spend on a house are probably looking in the ritzy areas of New York, California, or Florida.

    Location, location, location.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It was originally listed for around 20 mil. Down to 16 now, huh?

    Recession proof biz, right?

    It really is an outrageously huge house. How would you like to clean that baby?

    We were supposed to melt, fawn, get the vapors, pee our pants, swoon, and faint if we ever got the chance to go to the River. Egads, the Goads wrote a song that we all had to sing at those infernal major functions.

    Hokey? And they would sell the tapes. I refuse to buy them. I'm sure they are decent people, but seriously?

    They also had a song about Sweet Shot mouth spray, and Glister toothpase.

    It felt like kindegarten. And I'm going try to recruit? How do you explain that kind of stuff?

    CT

    ReplyDelete
  15. We heard the Goads once. I took a look online to see if I recognize any of the songs. I don't but the titles sure sound like an Amway convention! Here are some of their songs:

    Songs Include... The Reason Why; Freedom to Dream; Never Be Afraid to Dream; Wake Up and Dream; Ooh La La La; Cowboy Up; Don't Give Up; River of Dreams; XS; Who's Going Diamond?; Job, Job, Bye, Bye; Who Want's To Be A Millionaire?; The Pledge Of Allegiance; Some Will, Some Won't, So What; Freedom to Dream (Dance Version)

    Now aside from the Pledge of Allegiance, Ooh La La, and Cowboy Up the rest sure sound like songs you'd hear at an Amway function to get you FIRED UP!

    River of Dreams? I think that's a reference to Puryear's house!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That's exactly what it was referring to. They'd show videos of the house while the Goads were singing and the people were having pee-your-pants meltdowns. It was embarrassing.

    It's a house, People. Get a grip.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Anna. Nice site. From about '96 into '02 I was one of those white shirt and power tie wearing dudes bum-rushing the stage at WWDB functions in Portland and Spokane whenever the Goadies came out as if they were the Beatles during the British Invasion. Good gravy! Wow did I suck down the kool-aid back then! I even crawled underneath the stage at one event and snuck backstage for a little private mentoring session with my then hero Dave Severn. He wasn't my upline and of course he knew I wasn't supposed to be back there, but he was actually pretty cool and humored me for a few minutes until my upline Dave Eggers spotted me and sent me back they way I'd come. My crossline buddies and I used to go on and on about how that would make for such a cool story for my Emerald and beyond tapes. Ha! What a crock of shit! Wish I had even a small percentage of the money I squandered away on B's, T's & F's chasing the impossible dream all those years. Such a tremendous waste of precious resources.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Anonymous! I'm glad you're enjoying my blog.

    Yeah I remember sitting near the back of the arena by the exit doors so I could make a quick getaway or just take off and go find a burger joint and I'd watch those ambots rush the stage as if the Beatles had arrived! Crawling under the stage? Isn't it amazing what ambots will do to get close to their heroes for a worship session. I'd be more like that scene in Carrie. Crawling under the stage ready to pull the rope to let the pig blood drop all over those Diamond pigs! Glad to hear you got out of the cult and have your life back on track.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow,
    As an ex-Plat. I'd have to say you guys have it right on the $ I loved being around all the Big Pins but then after some time you see "Some Things" and realize WTF was I thinking

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated but we publish just about everything. Even brainwashed ambots who show up here to accuse us of not trying hard enough and that we are lazy, quitters, negative, unchristian dreamstealers. Like we haven’t heard that Amspeak abuse from the assholes in our upline!

If your comment didn’t get published it could be one of these reasons:
1. Is it the weekend? We don’t moderate comments on weekends. Maybe not every day during the week either. Patience.
2. Racist/bigoted comments? Take that shit somewhere else.
3. Naming names? Public figures like politicians and actors and people known in Amway are probably OK – the owners, Diamonds with CDs or who speak at functions, people in Amway’s publicity department who write press releases and blogs. Its humiliating for people to admit their association with Amway so respect their privacy if they’re not out there telling everyone about the love of their life.
4. Gossip that serves no purpose. There are other places to dish about what Diamonds are having affairs or guessing why they’re getting divorced. If you absolutely must share that here – don’t name names. I get too many nosy ambots searching for this. Lets not help them find this shit.
5. Posting something creepy anonymously and we can’t track your location because you’re on a mobile device or using hide my ass or some other proxy. I attracted an obsessed fan and one of my blog administrators attracted a cyberstalker. Lets keep it safe for everyone. Anonymous is OK. Creepy anonymous and hiding – go fuck yourselves!
6. Posting something that serves no purpose other than to cause fighting.
7. Posting bullshit Amway propaganda. We might publish that comment to make fun of you. Otherwise take your agenda somewhere else. Not interested.
8. Notice how this blog is written in English? That's our language so keep your comments in English too. If you leave a comment written in another language then we either have to use Google translate to put it into English so everyone can understand what you wrote or we can hit the Delete button. Guess which one is easier for us to do?
9. We suspect you're a troublemaking Amway asshole.
10. Your comment got caught in the spam filter. Gets checked occasionally. We’ll get to you eventually and approve it as long as it really isn’t spam.