Some of the lies that IBO’s are expected to tell:
“No, this isn’t Amway. We just use Amway to move our products.”
“Where else can you work a business 10 hours a week and earn $100,000/year.”
“After a few months you will be making thousands of dollars.”
“Business is going great!”
“You will save money by buying from your own store.”
“Everything to do with the business is tax deductible.”
“We’re debt free. We pay for everything in cash.”
“Amway owns the Amway Stadium in Orlando Florida
“Amway saves marriages. There’s a low divorce rate in Amway.”
“People who don’t succeed in Amway are either lazy or they didn’t try hard enough.”
“Now is the time to get on board because exciting changes are about to happen.”
“People who are not involved with Amway are broke losers.”
“Tools are optional.”
“We will buy back your tools if you leave the business.”
“We sell high quality products and they’re reasonably priced for their high quality.”
“You will collect residual income for the rest of your lives.”
“I work with a team of millionaires developing online businesses.”
Of course the biggest lie is denying the business has anything to do with Amway. That goes with tricking prospects into coming to a meeting. Even when the prospect specifically asks if this business opportunity has anything to do with Amway the IBO denies and lies.
Its really amazing that IBO’s spout off lies and then claim they run an ethical business. I love the bullshit about how every IBO out there thinks they offer outstanding customer service. Almost every non-Amway entrepreneur out there says the same thing about how they offer the best possible customer service and how their excellent customer service sets them apart from everyone else.
I’d say the majority of people who sign up as IBO’s are probably honest people. After they’ve been with Amway for a few months their conscience takes over and they become uncomfortable lying to people about how great business is going and how Amway is so wonderful. They’re not making any money and they’re spending a fortune buying Amway products and tools. They cut their losses and quit. Amway is a poor business choice for anyone because it has less than a 1% chance of success but Amway has a zero percent chance of success for honest people. It is difficult to fight with your conscience over the lies you constantly have to tell about Amway. Its the good old “don’t speak negative” bullshit aka “telling the truth”. Amway IBO’s refuse to acknowledge any truth that might be negative. When someone asks how business is going the IBO who is losing money has to lie and brag about how good business is and how its growing. I mean you tell someone the truth about how much money you spend each month and you get a check for $10 from Amway how desirable does that sound to a prospect. When someone asks how the products taste the IBO has to lie and say they taste great even though those food bars are nasty tasting shit. They have to brag about Perfect Water and lie about how it cures every ailment known to man.
All the lies are uncomfortable for honest people and they take their toll on a person having to lie all the time about Amway.
Not everyone is honest. Some people have no trouble telling lies. There are IBO’s who have been in Amway for many years. Maybe they’re making money or breaking even. Maybe not. Either way they’ll still lie about how good business is and how fast its growing. The IBO’s who are the best liars are the ones who stick with the Amway business for years and have a shot of being part of the 1% who make money.
Over the years they’ve perfected the art of telling lies. Our upline were professional liars and what I've observed is that its easier for a liar to become an Amway IBO than an honest conscientious person.
Professional liars only need apply.
All others - RUN as fast as you can.
I gotta be honest. I’ve been wanting to vent for awhile now…for about a couple years. I think I’m finally getting “un-brainwashed.” I am still registered as an IBO, but now mainly for personal use, since I still have a handful of clients that love the products—I can’t deny the quality of the products. As for the WorldWide system, well, technically my upline & our group were my life…for twelve years! I’ve been to the Riverhouse, I’ve been on stage...been behind the curtains. And get this, I helped run the business of a very high pin for seven of those years! Oh, the stories I could tell. But I still have loyalty in my heart—and Christ is in there as well, so I’m not gonna go there. But I am now jaded. I put *so much of my heart & soul, my life, into “this business.” I believe I’m still processing all this, even as I now type. A few years ago I came to a major fork in the road that determined my next path, and it could’ve still included “the system,” but through certain circumstances, I took the road that veered closer & closer back to my family [since I felt that “this business” gave me some unnecessarily negative feelings towards my fam]. Now I feel more free…more of who I really am. I am still thankful for the good—no, great—things that have been imparted upon me, they have helped mold me in a lot of ways, especially business/professional-wise, as well as connections, but the “this is the only and/or best business in the world” and “your whole house has to be ALL Amway products” mantras, really did me in for a long time. And made me a completely unrelatable snob. I CHOSE to let “the system” get to me; I made financial decisions that haunt me to this day…neither the teachings nor did my upline counsel me to lead me to my poor decisions, but if I didn’t have the system in my head in the first place, I may have not made such errors. I have witnessed many people make poor financial decisions, in AND out of this business, but alas, it seems that people IN the business have made worse decisions based upon what we’ve heard at functions. Something to the effect of keeping up the façade of success. Sigh. I am now happier with my financial state—I may not be “young & free” but I am joyfully doing what I wanted to do since my high school days…work for myself, from home, with my family. Sure, we could use more money, who wouldn’t, in this day & age, but all I gotta say now is, if people are looking to earn more money, please please PLEASE be smart and research ANY business *thoroughly, inside and out, real & true, and realize that there IS more than just that “one business” that says they’re the “best business opportunity in the world.”
ReplyDelete~ Gullible Insider
Hi Anonymous! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your story. Yours is just even more proof that no matter how many years you put into Amway and how plugged in you are and who your associations within Amway are that the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you - 99% won't make money.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for taking what was probably a difficult step to get away. I'm sure eventually you will not renew your membership. People like you are account for a portion of making Amway and their owners for getting rich. People who renew their membership yearly. That's what $60/year? Times how many people?
As for the quality of the products - well that can be subjective. I don't think Amway products are any better than anything that can be purchased at the grocery or drug store. In many cases Amway products are worse. IBO's have been conditioned to believe their high quality but when they get out and buy a competitor's lower priced product they figure it out. Its like chocolate syrup to stir into milk. For years I bought one of the big name brands. A couple of months ago I tried Walmart's own brand. It tastes just as good to me and its about a buck cheaper. I know what I'm buying next time!
There are so many other business opportunities out there for people who wish to be self employed and work out of their homes. Amway is not the only answer for people who want to own their own businesses. There are better opportunities to make more money and have more free time and not be brainwashed.
I'm glad to hear you're taking the steps to get your life back in order. I recognize for some people this is no easy task. Mostly due to the brainwashing and ending the upline worship and counselling with upline over every little detail.
You should consider starting your own blog. Most of us do it anonymously due to fears of our safety from current IBO's. It really helps to write this stuff down and get it out of your system. There are so many people who have the same story and it helps them to know they're not alone in what they're feeling about Amway.
Thank you for your post!
Anonymous, thank you for the post.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing what happens when you get away from the intoxicating aroma of the lotus flower? http://mlmpunisher.blogspot.com/2011/04/dont-eat-lotus-flower.html
----Daniel-----
Anon, i dont care how great the products are. When you purchase products from amway ...you're basically supporting the abuse from the kingpins. There's some people who just cant let go.
ReplyDeleteDaniel - eating the lotus flower is also known as drinking the Kool Aid!
ReplyDeleteColin - for people like us who weren't in Amway very long and didn't submit to the bullshit propaganda brainwashing its not easy to understand why IBO's do what they do. They've been brainwashed for many years to accept this is high quality products and nothing in the market is better. Of course they won't know until they try the competitors brands and make the comparisons themselves. It takes some people longer than others to break free. Some do it in little steps and they're determined to get away. I suspect Anonymous Gullible Insider is still on the upline's radar and when they call and pressure him to buy products so someone upline can meet their monthly goal he can still be influenced by them. My husband had a hard time saying no to these bastards even when he wasn't actively attending meetings or buying products/tools. One phone call and he'd whip out the credit card because it would bless someone upline to meet their goal. Deprogramming can be a long slow process.
ReplyDeleteI thought when I first signed my declaration of independence from Amway, that I would still use the products. After 10 years, I was somewhat fearful to use other shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc. But not anymore! We used up what Amway products we had and replaced them all with negative products. I can remember going to Sam's Club with my wife and seeing all of the variety and choices and saying to her "it feels like I just got out of prison by seeing all of this merchandise and not being pressured into buying it to make a PV bracket!" She enthusiastically agreed. We buy what we want and what we think we will use. We also take our discounts for buying negative products at the cash register.
ReplyDeleteThere is a bit of trial and error involved in switching to non-Amway products and finding those that you like. For us it was finding a shampoo and conditioner. We found both that we like from a hair stylist who cuts our hair. I was also concerned about switching from Glister, as I have had rather extensive periodontal work done in recent years. Crest is still doing the job of keeping my teeth clean and fighting plaque. This is evidenced by my excellent dental check up I had two weeks ago. Another reason to use negative products is they cost on average 50 to 75% less than their Amway counterpart.
Anyone who is in the process of quitting should give themselves time. Unfortunately, human beings are not equipped with switches to quickly make these changes as quickly as we would like.
David I think you were so brainwashed into believing the bullshit about Amway's "high quality" products that you were scared to try anything else because of what it might have done to your health or general well-being.
ReplyDeleteI did not like Glister. It made me gag. I'd rather not puke while brushing my teeth! I went back to my regular toothpaste.
When we quit we used up some of the Amway products and the others I just tossed in the trash. Hair conditioner? Ambot bought it because the upline told him to. Neither of us used it but this big honking bottle sat in the corner of the bathtub until I chucked it out after we quit.
There's always trial and error when trying out new products. Some you'll like and others you won't. My husband just uses whatever I buy. He doesn't usually have any specific name products he wants. When I go shopping I buy the products I like and products that I need and use. I don't go out buying things just because someone else dictates I have to spend x amount of dollars to meet a quota whether or not I have to buy stuff I wouldn't normally buy.
In Merchants of Deception Eric Scheibeler describes post-Amway when he and his wife went shopping and had no idea what to buy when it came to replacing products they had previously purchased from Amway. Had they never gone into a grocery store the whole time they were with Amway? They didn't buy perishables?
Anna: It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who fell for all the brainwashing techniques and bullshit we let those sacks of shit foist on us. Those days are gone and I'm free!
ReplyDeleteDavid this is why blogs and Internet forums are so helpful. Former IBO's come to tell their stories and find other people who went through the same thing. Not everyone can be brainwashed by those Amway freaks though unfortunately my husband was. I did a post last year about how I wasn't coachable aka brainwashable. http://marriedtoanambot.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-brainwashable.html
ReplyDeleteThat's truly the worst thing about Amway... when I was sitting through multiple meetings, I thought it was such bu@#%$hit! I didn't want to use any of that stuff. From what I heard, it's either awful and overpriced, decent and overpriced (but most would still rather just go to a supermarket or wholesale club like Costco), or perhaps a few items ma be worth it, but even among the last group that may generate business, definitely nowhere near enough to make it in Amway. When I read up about the so called business plan, it's not enough to just buy a few vitamins every few months. You really need to have multiple sponsors (in-depth and in-breadth), them buying stuff too, for this venture to POSSIBLY be worth it. This last bit is what bugged me the most, as there's no way I can see myself building up such a downline. Even if I could, I would feel downright bad about subjecting newcomers to Amway's cult and abuse.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous - thanks for stopping by with your story. Bringing this post up again I think it's time for a rerun! Yup you can see through the Amway lies once you get out of their clutches. Like you I would feel terrible if I was responsible for bringing anyone into the world of Amway abuse.
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