Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Slight Edge


There was a book that was a must read for all ambots called The Slight Edge. One of those expensive Amway tools that all good little ambots must buy. I don’t recall what Ambot paid for it maybe $20 because he had to buy it from the upline bastards at their inflated price instead of finding it cheaper on Amazon or Ebay. You’d think one copy would be enough but Ambot bought at least 5 copies of this book over the months we were in the Amway scam. Had to put something on those tools orders to get his upline richer! We’ve long since given them away. Typical return on your Amway dollars spent!

 

I remember going to an Amway function and just about every Diamond couple that marched across the stage was holding a copy of The Slight Edge. They’d wave it around and encourage all their cult followers to buy it. They neglected to say that they’d probably bought a container load for a stinking deal of a dollar each and they were selling them for $20 each on the tools orders and what a profit they’re making!

 

I’m pretty sure The Slight Edge was the book that had a story about a man on his deathbed and he called his sons over and gave them a choice of a million dollars or a purse with a penny in it and every day for the next 30 days the penny would be doubled. One son took the million dollars and went out and had a good time spending it on stuff that I’ve long since forgotten about. The other son took the purse with the penny. His brother predictably taunted him because after a week the penny brother has 64 cents in his purse and the million dollar brother has a new house and new car and whatever. By 30 days the double your penny brother has over $5 million. Who gets the last laugh?

 

So many people lose money in MLM’s and many keep trying over and over trying new MLM scams. Take that penny doubled story and put it in a chart with a people doubled theory like the Amway cult leaders preach – remember eat and drink one Amway product daily and find 2 people who do what you do and so on and so on and so on. Except they leave out the part that with pyramid schemes like Amway the pyramid collapses sometime between one and thirty. Millions is the stuff of ambot dreams but it won’t happen.

 

So why do the assholes in the Amway upline want everyone to read The Slight Edge - other than the obvious profit they make from selling it - and why they tell the penny doubled story from the stage to convince every ambot recruit how they too can succeed at Amway. Damned if I know but I do know the upline liars conveniently forget to mention that this pattern will not work because of the high number of drop outs at the lower levels. IBO’s leave when they realize they’re not making any money at Amway. 

 

Oh and if anyone approaches you with a reading suggestion on a great book they’ve just read and loans it to you and its called The Slight Edge - RUN! Its an ambot!

 

 

33 comments:

  1. Found the book online for free and also on YouTube. Dunno if I'd buy any book for 20.00 these days. Can get it online for free or next to nothing.

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    1. I'm sure we're not the only former IBO's trying to give away Amway shit! At least no one is making us pay them to take it away!

      Delete
  2. I read in a Carl Sagan book about how the Ancient Persian board game, Shah-mut came to be. For such an important invention, the Vizier offered jewels, palaces, dancing girls... the Vizier only wanted 1 grain the first day, double to 2 the next day, double to 4 the next day, 8 the next... basically, in mathematics, you reach staggering numbers when you keep doubling like this.

    Another story about how someone in a hunting party wanted to carry the least weight, so he took the water. At first mocked, he only had empty bottles to hold near the end.

    Go figure Amway and the business world would twist these stories into lies and sales.

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    Replies
    1. People in Amway love twisting facts and the bible around to suit their cult's needs.

      Delete
  3. If you don't like Amway so much, why do you even bother to write so much about it? You have a lot negativity. Start enjoying your life and do things you enjoy doing :) If you don't like Amway business or products just forget about it :) Amway is doing great and doesn't care if YOU are unhappy :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Its because Amway doesn't give a fuck that people are unhappy that we take to the Internet and tell what happened to us and get the word out so that we can stop others from getting scammed and going into debt and families destroyed due to this evil cult.

      Delete
    2. Love Ziu, so I guess from your response you must be one of those so called Ambots. Enjoy your Amway prison, your hard-earned dollars will keep it going for decades to come. I'm sure your upline is ecstatic about your personal contributions to this disgraceful company!

      Make sure to walk the beaches of Peter Island when you get extremely wealthy in another...say 100 years or so.

      Cheers

      Delete
  4. Ahh, another double the penny story. It junior high math, it's not even interesting, but because it's not obvious to some, it seems profound. And since it seems profound, the listener is motivated to read a philosophical meaning into the story. Gosh, this is so life-changing.

    Seriously, though, what does this story really tell you? If you double your work effort every day, you'll be successful in 30 days? Of course, by definition, that means on day 30 you'll be putting in 2.5 million units of work (the final double to get to 5 million). Good luck with that. Change it from 30 days to 30 months. It doesn't get any easier.

    It's ironic that the message is to work harder and harder, while the carrot they hold out for the IBO's is that they will be "free" to live off their residual income and live a life of leisure some day. You've really got to drink the Kool-Aid to believe both messages.

    AnonTB

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    1. Thanks for breaking it down AnonTB. Amway is all about confusing the cult followers with all kinds of numbers and the hope and dream of getting rich quick.

      Delete
  5. I had a nerdy Ambot read a sales book next to me. I had a huge laugh cause he sounded so retarded and looked dorky in his cheap suit. Every time he calls I have his calls go directly to my voicemail.

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    1. Yup - you have perfectly described an ambot! Ha ha!

      Delete
    2. Told him once I'm hard of hearing.That he should text me instead. Ambot told me he liked my jacket. But that silly book told me he's a Ambot lol. Only reason I text back is so I cab toy with him. Just have to get motivated to jerk him around when I'm bored

      Delete
    3. The next time you're jerking him around tell him you want to produce gay porn movies just to see the ambot prude reaction!

      Delete
    4. Anna last time he texted me talked about how its all about association,leaving a legacy,and his admiration of his cult leader. I can't imagine what he'd say if I said I'm a porn producer making 250k a year(same as his diamond) lol

      Delete
    5. Yeah we'd all like to hear the ambot response to that one!

      Delete
  6. You guys are sick. Go outside and enjoy life. Why spend your life being unhappy about what could have been? Don't like Amway? Go do something else! I've been in Amway for less than a year and I'm making an extra $300 a month. That's not much but it helps. You are exploiting people by posting these blogs and ripping dreams from people's fingers. Amway doesn't require that you spend any money monthly. And everything is guaranteed for 90-180 days. If you lose money then you're just not very bright. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, and I'm glad you are not in Amway.

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    1. Wow you are like in the top half of 1% of Amway IBO earners with that much monthly commission. You'll be going Diamond by the end of this year! Woo hoo! Go Diamond!

      Delete
    2. We're trying to enjoy life, but when Amway is sucking the money and time out of you, and out of your friends, family, and other loved ones, you really can't just ignore it and "go outside and enjoy life" can't you? You need to fight back. I've gone to several meetings, and these are dangerous people that you need to push back against until everyone you know of is free from their influence.

      Delete
    3. These MLM cult members don't know the difference between gross and net profit. I once challenged my Herbot ex on what he was earning - I asked if it included petrol, phone calls, hotel, CDs, books, "training" (cult indoctrination sessions), advertising, premium paid for using shitty overpriced products you wouldn't normally use. He just said "Oh, well it's not all about profit you know!". As in I've suddenly acknowledged that I'm making jack-shit and probably losing money. I said "sounds like a really expensive social club". That was probably the beginning of the end.
      It's difficult to go out and enjoy life when I know he is still brainwashed and despite us no longer being an item he had access to my very large list of contacts and still continues to phone my friends and family - I have to spend time telling everyone that this is a hideous scam.
      Intelligence is not directly connected to whether you make money at these schemes or not as he has advanced Mathematics degrees and has been brainwashed to not properly understand the difference between gross and net profit. To be successful usually means getting in early and being able to be an excellent liar and psychopath with no morals. And even those people often fail eventually as in Merchants of Deception. Found out through an ex-Herbot mutual friend of me and my Herbot ex about the bankruptcy story of Michael Burton in Herbalife (equivalent to Amway Diamond I think). We are hoping to use it as more de programming material.

      As for "The Slight Edge" it's actually quite an interesting read with some useful advice for people in general (ie not just MLM cult members) but the penny story is used incorrectly by the cult leaders to support endless chain recruitment. Self development books seem to be sold by special organisations at cult meetings for a price greatly inflated over that which you can find online. I think that's what's known as the tool scam. Herbot didn't like the idea of buying books cheaper at "non-approved" suppliers - must obey upline!

      MLM is one of biggest dreamstealers out there. Steals your time, finances, mental health, relationships.

      Oh, and before anyone asks I am a real business owner making real net profits just like Anna Banana! Please, if you are hardworking, creative and ambitious there are plenty of ways of being able to start up a business that is truly your own, make real net profits, and heck even build passive income streams in ways which don't con other people.

      "To be silent in the face of injustice is to be an accomplice to evil. I will not be silent." ~ Lori Berenson

      ~ Ex-girlfriend of a Herbot

      Delete
    4. Hi Herbot's ex. Thanks for sharing all that with us. These MLM cults throw out numbers to keep the followers confused and come up with all kinds of excuses why they're not making money. Then they'll respond with some bullshit about even if you don't make money you'll become a nicer person. People don't get in business for that reason. They own a business to make money and make a living. Any personality changes are bonus. Or not. In Amway the personality changes are pretty ugly and nasty. But then maybe I have a different definition than an ambot has of what a nice person is. Scamming and lying are ambot traits and not what I consider being nice.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 12:36 PM, wait a DAMN second here! WE ARE SICK? NO, it's the other way around, you people with the suits are the NUT-JOBS! Why, well...easy, because you work for an imaginary company with an imaginary salary, trying to build an imaginary wealth your imagination isn't strong enough to make into actual profit-returns.

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  8. Years ago, I had a friend who I worked with and lived with join. It was so sad. Her husband, who barely graduated high school (he had a GED) and is kind of a red neck, became convinced he'd retire in 5 years. They had the people over to our house, and I got to sit and listen to the pitch. It was really hard not to laugh. They had not a penny to their name, yet they went to more than one weekend event. He morphed from who he is, to Mr. Wannabe Business Owner. He wore preppy clothes, had a bluetooth phone, and even made up business cards (Sadly, misspelled business cards). It was so sad. They came home and told us how "If you don't want to do this business, you don't want to succeed." They only ever signed ONE person up. I bought some of the overpriced stuff because I felt sorry for them. Ever since then, I read sites like this for entertainment. I'm kind of bummed no one has tried to approach me!

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    1. Anonymous - most ambots don't even sign up one person. Yup pretend business cards for a pretend Amway business are something all ambots are ordered to do and come up with some fancy title for themselves to try to impress the people they're scamming. You're a nice friend to do a pity purchase. Most ambots can get one pity purchase but after that people don't want to buy their overpriced shitty products.

      Delete
  9. First of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog. Second, I don't really get how this can even qualify as a "Business." Look at how much they compare Amway to a franchise like McDonald's. McDonald's is NOTHING like Amway! McDonald's provides a service that people pay money for. They feed people and make a ton of money doing it. How is that like Amway? In Amway, you aren't providing ANYTHING. Does anyone outside of Amway buy that overpriced stuff? They don't make a product, or even really sell it. They are ordered to "buy from your store, and get others to buy from their own store." But, it's not THEIR store, they don't set prices, they don't get to choose the products they want to sell. So, if McDonald's were like Amway, every person would own their own little restaurant, and they'd never have any customers because they are only selling food to themselves. How is this supposed to make money again? Maybe you make a little bit on every franchise opened, but if the only people buying any food at these restaurants is themselves, how are they thinking they will make billions? Especially when they prices they are paying for THEIR OWN STUFF is outrageously expensive? It makes no sense, and again, doesn't seem like a business at all. Oh, by the way, my friend's husband, with the business cards? The cards said he was in "business develment." It was just so, so, sad.

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    1. Glad you're loving the blog! Amway IBO is a pretend business where the "business owners" do all their shopping from Amway. The assholes in your Amway upline demand you be your own best customer. Kind of like you own a McDonalds and you're the only customer buying burgers you won't be in business long. Most of the business cards I saw people gave themselves titles lime President. When you run a pretend business you can call yourself whatever pretend title you want.

      Delete
  10. So much of this post is completely bogus... Amway provides a product to people wanting the product. That’s commerce. Without a product or a service a business wouldn’t be a business it would be a ponzi scheme... Clearly you know more than the federal government though so I should probably listen to you, the credible expert on the subject. Right?

    Amway business owners can set any price they want. Amway simply provides suggested retail cost based on the quality (which in a lot of MLM companies is fairly high end, which can’t be disputed) and quantity of the product being produced.

    You make money by generating revenue, and Amway pays you bonuses based on a percentage of the total revenue you and your team produces. This exact same compensation plan applies to every single business owner contracting with Amway, thus you are paid based on performance and your ability to help others grow and develop their own businesses.

    There are several different factors with how individuals are compensated and how it all works, including a required retail element should you desire to receive bonuses from the supplier (Amway). You probably would have learned this if you weren’t so close-minded.

    Oh and this doesn’t have anything to do with your post but is on topic with what the article was talking about... I just checked because I was curious and you can buy a brand new copy of The Slight Edge through ‘the system’ for $10.62 + tax and receive free shipping. That’s cheaper than both Amazon and Ebay as far as I can tell, unless you buy extremely used.

    -Adam

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    1. -"Amway provides a product to people wanting the product."
      Yet, they teach you to self-consume to meet your retail quota (the quota that provides your commission). As far as I have seen, and others also commenting on this blog, few sales are made outside of IBOs in the commission structure. So, if your are selling to yourself, and others are selling to themselves, or signing up 'just to buy at wholesale', who are you selling to?
      -"Clearly you know more than the federal government though so I should probably listen to you, the credible expert on the subject. Right?"
      I love when IBOs do this. 'It is not illegal because it hasn't been prosecuted.' Does this somehow refute that most of the people involved will lose money? Placing your life savings on the pass line is perfectly legal, but it doesn't make it smart.
      -"Amway business owners can set any price they want."
      I realize that IBOs can make changes to a customers profile to give them certain discounts, but they cannot 'set their own'. They choose from a few options. I've seen it, first hand.
      -"which can’t be disputed"
      Yes it can. It is based solely on opinion. It is like saying a certain movie is the best movie ever. Opinion.
      -"You probably would have learned this if you weren’t so close-minded."
      Ah yes, the negativity of an Ambot, Never fails to rear it's head.
      -"Oh and this doesn’t have anything to do with your post"
      Then why bother? $10.62 plus tax, and shipping perhaps? I remember those shipping costs. Yikes.

      Sorry Adam, SSDD from an Ambot.

      -On a side-note, I've come to find the phrase "grow your/ my/ our/ their business" is the MLM catch phrase that makes my skin crawl the most. I've never heard an actual business owner use that phrasing, but it seems every single MLMer I've come know throws it around to no end. *shudder*

      -Jerry

      Delete
    2. Adam - the names seems to be escaping me. Who are the Amway big wigs doing or did jail time for the Ponzi scheme?

      And Amway "business owners" can't set any price they want. That's bullshit but I've heard the assholes in my upline say the same lies. Tell me how many cases of Perfect water you've sold at $3/case. Or how many boxes of Double X you've sold for $5 apiece?

      Maybe the price on the Slight Edge dropped because they still had a trailer load to get rid of at "the system".

      Delete
    3. Thanks Jerry. You have more patience than I do!

      Delete
    4. * sigh* yes we know you get paid bonuses, overrides what have you from these schemes. It might sound great if an MLM cult member says they are earning $2000 a month (insert any other amount) but if their running costs are more than that they lose money. Much energy goes into brainwashing the cult members so that they are unable to understand this.

      It is good business management to minimise running costs as far as reasonably possible and as such nothing wrong in buying second hand books if they are still in a readable condition.
      Ah yes and the " shipping costs " disproportionately high another scam.

      ~ Ex-Girlfriend of a Herbot

      Delete
    5. Jerry,

      You are selling to customers... I am not sure how else to answer your first question. You need to have customers to be a legitimate business, as I said. Otherwise you would just be involved in a wholesale buying club... With such low overhead there is actually a lot of profitability in the retail element of things.

      Sorry, haven’t experienced what you are referring to with life savings so I can’t comment. You must be referring to people who don’t make very smart financial decisions regardless of being involved in Amway or not.

      I literally just went on and changed the prices in a customer’s profile. It gives me a blank field to insert any price I want and I can choose to eat cost or increase the retail profit if I so choose to whatever I want. It’s my business and Amway is my supplier so...I can do what I want as long as it doesn’t infringe on any policy of the supplier.

      I will concede your point about opinion, though I somehow feel like people’s opinion or view on the product is clouded by bitterness of what the products represent (Amway and their IBO force).

      Your comment about “Ambot” negativity was rich...lol. Had a good chuckle at how much hypocrisy was there. Let’s both just agree that we will all hold negative outlooks toward one another because of our difference of opinion.

      I mentioned that there was no shipping cost on the book...didn’t I? Yep, it’s there.

      Have you like...never read a business book or watched a video by a successful business owner or motivational speaker? Anything? They say that stuff all the time Jerry. Your last comment makes no sense and sounds more like a personal issue.

      Anna,

      Not sure what you’re talking about all around to be quite honest. Just sounds like ranting. You’re talking about giving people stuff instead of selling it, lol, but you could, in essence, sell those items for that amount if you so chose to (which would be idiotic but you still could).

      Ex-Girlfriend of a Herbot.....
      (What does this even mean, btw? What is a herbot? Herbalife? I don’t understand.)

      Free shipping...I said it in the post. Did you both miss it? And no there is nothing wrong with buying second hand books...never said there was. This one is just brand new is all.

      -Adam

      Delete
    6. Adam,
      -My question about sales: You, like so many other apologists for MLM, answered this question as I had expected. Who are your customers? "Customers". Inside sales or outside sales? "Customers" a line does have to be drawn, and if you are selling more than half of your sales to people who are not IBOs, more power to you. If this is still early in your tenure with Amway, keep your customers around at all costs.
      -As per life savings: I was comparing your terrible odds in this venture with something that is of poor odds, yet still better. The craps table. Your choice to join, and buy into the unaccredited training, was poor choice.
      -"as long as it doesn’t infringe on any policy of the supplier."
      Exactly, you still have to meet the MSRP don't you? Yu can't put $1 as the price for everything, can you?
      I will concede I was incorrect if there is a price setter function, as per my time, there was, I believe, 3 options, Full, some percentage off, and 'wholesale'.
      -OPINION MATTERS. Though I am not a fan of any Amway product I tried (many made me sick and the upline's advice was to keep using them, which only made it worse), there are many people who do enjoy some of their products. The problem lies with the hassle of the products, the reputation of the products and that of those who sell it. (go to reddit and do a search, plenty of 'How can I buy (Amway cleaning product, it is always the cleaners) without having to deal with an IBO or be asked to join?') There are many restaurants, TV channels, MLMs, corporations, etc. who have had bad run-ins with poor press/ reputations. I tried to tell IBOs, that I knew, not to burn the bridges, like they were taught, with nay-sayers. They did and it has hurt them. Reputation can kill any business.

      As for negativity:
      "So much of this post is completely bogus... "
      You opened with it, and we retorted. This isn't negative, unless you bring it to the table. This is liberation. I recently posted how I feel bad for those locked into the downward spiral. That so hurtful and negative.

      The book, awesome, free shipping. How much do you pay a month/year in dues for "the system"? How much do you spend in a month on books from the system. Many places provide free shipping after you spend enough.

      As someone who is truly self-employed, and has 'like ever' been to many legit educational seminars, no, they really don't talk like that. Yes, they do want you to be positive, but they also want you to be focused. The dancing, parading, idolizing, repetition of catch phrases, chanting, and talk of how rich we could be, was not at these seminars. My notes from these seminars look like college notes. My notes from the AMO functions were just jotting down a bunch of allegorical self-help mantras. No substance.

      -Jerry

      Delete

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.