When it came to Amway our upline gave us no decent legitimate business advice. We went to all these “business meetings” and nothing useful about being a real business owner was ever divulged. Just because someone pays $150 to register as an Amway IBO, puts on a business suit, carries a cell phone, and shows up for meetings does not make them a “business owner”. A real business owner makes their own decisions about when and where they work, their pricing, and business policies. A bunch of fakers with pretend Amway businesses go to meetings when their upline says they have to go, have no control over the product prices and have no control if Amway decides to terminate them as an IBO.
Yeah! Freedom! Business Owner!
Try commissioned salesperson. That’s all Amway IBO’s are. Remember the whole “cut out the middleman” speeches you hear at Amway meetings and on tapes/CDs? Think about it. Who is really the middleman? The IBO.
How many commissioned salespeople out there would stay with the same company if they were only earning $10 a month? They’d either quit and find something more saleable to market or the employer would fire them.
Going to business meetings where the speaker (Platinum) goes off on rants that have nothing to do with Amway or any other business, talks about their relationship with God (I’ve never attended a business meeting with a legitimate company where religion comes up), and shows a presentation telling people to eat one meal bar and drink one Amway drink daily to become financially free just doesn’t cut it.
Business advice consists of being CORE and duplicating your upline. Takes up less than 1% of the “business meeting”. Well what do you expect after spending 2 hours ranting about the no show IBO’s and losers who have J.O.B.s and religion. Doesn’t leave too much time to actually talk about Amway.
You know what else is less than 1%? The amount of IBO’s who break even or make some income at Amway. Wow! What a great business opportunity where 99% of IBO’s don’t make money and/or lose money!
Seeing as how being an Amway IBO is just a pretend business lets think big and pretend an IBO is a top notch Amway salespersonand has a good sized downline or customer base and is earning around $1000/month. Its not enough to live on if you have a mortage and want to eat and pay your other bills but its a decent side income. Most IBO’s think that’s a nice starting point in their Amway business and Ambot was one of them who thought for sure he’d be making $1000/month after 3 or 4 months in “the business”. The reality for most IBO’s is that’s an unattainable level because the odds are stacked against them in a system designed for failure. But seeing as how this is a pretend business lets just pretend that’s the monthly tally.
In the Amway meetings I attended the Platinum or Diamond speaker would entice the newcomers in the audience by asking what they could do with an extra $800 or $1000 a month. They could pay down debt and put it to their mortgage or save it for a down payment on a house. What about that vacation you want to take? You’ll have saved enough in a few months to take it. The speakers, aka cult leaders, make it sound how easy it would be to make that much money. They say you start with yourself and eat a food bar and drink an Amway beverage daily. Then you find 2 people who can do what you do. And over the next 4 months you add an extra person each month and after 6 months you’ll be earning $1000/month.
Eat and drink your way to financial freedom!
You know there was a reason why my father never invested in a candy shop or donut shop and that was because we’d eat all the profits!
The advice given by phoney businessmen is that’s the way to do things - eat those profits!
I come to the conclusion that the main reason our sack of shit Platinum did not give IBO’s concrete advice on what to do with our Amway earnings was because he knew 99% of us would never make money with Amway and within 2 years he’d be talking to a whole new group of faces therefore he doesn’t need to upgrade his speeches to keep up with the times. Just keep recycling the same old bullshit for people who haven’t heard it before.
Yeah! We’re all gonna be rich! Despite the lack of real business advice.
No business advice = a business that likely won’t succeed.
Question: What if your sack of shit Platinum is just articulating the party line? Don't you think that you might be being a little harsh on him? His claims of an extra $800-$1,000 a month within 3-4 months of being in The Business is the party line. As a Plugged-In Platinum, after all business expenses and professional costs are absorbed, he has very likely not made anything close to that sum himself. He won't tell you this, he'll even lie to you about this...well, he's not actually lying, he's just telling you the truth in advance.
ReplyDeleteIn The Business...no one really discussess income...not really. Of course, there are no shortages of claims of Directs who make $2,000/month, Rubies who make $5,000/month, Pearls who make $6-8,000/month, Emeralds who make atleast a $100,000/year, and Diamonds who earn at a minimum of at least $250,000/year! Are you FIRED-UP? FIRED UP! But in truth, income is really never discussed...not really.
You'll find no one in your Upline who discusses what they are actually making on a net basis. Your positive speaking Upline have been well trained never to discuss the answer to this question. However, in its stead, people are regularly shown photocopies of checks, which are printed in the amounts of $8,000, $10,000, and even $13,689 that serves to represent a months pay for a successful Upline distributorship, for that matter there are photocopied checks for sums that are far greater than these! But...you have not yet been mentored enough in The Business to be clearly told that the checks do not represent anything near what might be considered a net earning (far from it in all actuality). To do that would be too negative, too early, and also because for an individual to actually know what true net pay that they can expect to earn from their well duplicated Amway business model; would in fact be...the greatest negative of all.
This is well understood by Upline who are in the know. These individuals actually make the greatest portion of their money in an entirely different way. They haven't discussed this with you and for the very vast majority of you they will never have to discuss this with you. Your sack of shit Platinum has not yet reached the level of being in the know, of this I am sure. At this point, he has simply experienced greater levels of thought reform than his downline. Take it easy on your sack of shit Platinum because it is you and your husband that have recognized the fallacy in this 100 percent, sure-fire success program, whereas most others still have years of toil and financial loss that lies in wait for them; until atlast they either know a permanent net loss, serious debt, and perhaps even financial collapse awaits them.
It shouldn't be this way, that's not what people were told, why has it worked out this way for so very many of them?
Now, all who may read, I beckon you to tell us true, has your Upline really ever discussed actual real down and dirty net income with you - or - do they just tell you that the facts don't count if the dream is big enough? Most real businesses would have a very hard time staying in business with this mind set.
The truth is not negative, it's just the truth. My dear folks, when you've forgotten or have been swayed away from understanding this simple truth, then you have become proud graduates of Thought Reform and your attendance in the course has been very welcomed by those who are really making the money off of your labors. Indeed, they are very appreciative of you...but they are not indebted to you.
What I say is this, don't listen to anyone, not anyone, but do the math. What does the math tell you? Profit and loss is the fundamental measure of a business. Then again, perhaps you may become, against great statistical odds, one of the very, very few who get Plugged-In to the real source of income in The Business? If you are, then good for you.
Now you see there, I only spoke of Amway once, that's not bad.
Hi Anonymous. Thank you for stopping by and thank you for your insight. What you say is very true. I saw one of those photocopied checks myself for $20,000 that our Platinum said was his year end bonus that Platinums get every year.
ReplyDeleteI will always be harsh on our Platinum. He's an evil man who tried to destroy my marriage, first by putting the screws to my husband to leave me because I wasn't interested in Amway, and then when that didn't work he led a prayerfest that I would find another man and leave my Ambot. Evil. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be writing this blog.
You're right. People should do the math before they get involved in Amway but unfortunately they get caught up in the hype and put their money down on an Amway registration kit before they get on the Internet and do their research. By the time they do start seeking information they've already lost money and pretty much figured out its impossible to make money in Amway.
"first by putting the screws to my husband to leave me because I wasn't interested in Amway, and then when that didn't work he led a prayerfest that I would find another man and leave my Ambot."
ReplyDeleteI can see how maybe some people don't have the business sense to see how bad an "opportunity" Amway is, but my God, can't you see through this phony pseudo-Christian spiritualism? I mean, telling a man to leave his wife for a friggin' business for *&^*% sakes?!? And if that weren't bad enough praying to God for him to drive a rift in a union between two people who promised "til death do us part" before him in a church because of Am-f'in-way?!?
This stuff just makes me yak. Did you see that Rob Fredericks on the Dateline expose praying to Jesus on that charter bus to South Carolina not 15 minutes after he spewed haughty lies about his income? If there's any justice in this universe, these people will get theirs.
Thanks John. Our Platinum is evil but I don't think he's all that different from other Platinums out there. They're all driven by greed and will do what it takes not to lose their money source.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Dateline expose but I don't recall the bus incident??? Doesn't surprise me though. The lines between Amway and religious cult are too blurred.
I'm a huge believer in karma. The Platinum is going to have something bad happen to him one day and Amway won't be around to pick up the pieces.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteDecided to throw my own hat into the Amblog ring. Check it out at www.ambot0.blogspot.com
Going to focus on dissecting ambot claims and thought processes. Suspect the first post is a touch dry, but it's my blog.
Hi John! Way to go! I've added your blog to my reading list so hopefully we'll drive some readers your way.
ReplyDeleteSorry in advance for showing Tex the path!
Anon 12:40 pm;
ReplyDeleteWell laid out post! Some folks just have a natural talent for expressing themselves by the written word, and you, have that talent.
I'd like to cut and paste your post as the answer to every ambot who spews their 'amway-is-great!' vomit on these sites.
I, too, will be checking out your blog.
Go CASSETTE TAPES!
Nice post, i love checking your blog.
ReplyDeleteI have started a new service give small businesses advice in my local area, i have semi-retired and we want to give are expertise to the futures
Would you like some eggs with your spam?
ReplyDeleteNice try but this is the first time you've been to my blog.
poster business advice Macclesfield offers a "new service to give small business advice"???
ReplyDeleteGuess what folks, SCORE (the service corps of retired executives) already does this FOR FREE. No scam, just straight talking, sound advice, free classes from a non profit that has been serving American small businesses for years.
http://www.score.org/
I've used them myself to help evaluate the business plans of potential partners, taken their classes and attended their events and found them to be helpful, unbiased and experienced. Even though I have an MBA, I've found that 'in many counselors is found wisdom" and don't always rely solely on my own initial judgement. Asking an experienced impartial advisor can confirm your thinking or challenge it. And, no fees are charged for that advice!
An amazing service to small businesses by some dedicated, experienced volunteers!