One of the most heated grounds of argument between Amway critics and Amway supporters is the debate over tools, often known as business support materials, or BSM (BSM). Voicemail, internet fees, CDs, standing orders, books, and seminars or functions are all examples of materials that fall under this category. I agree that some training for a new IBO would be beneficial, but how much training would be beneficial? A sponsor has an obligation to train those who are sponsored by them; therefore, how much training do you actually require? Also, I used to be perplexed as to why you couldn't get a particular book at Barnes and Noble if it was less expensive than purchasing it from Upline.
In its most basic form, the Amway business is comprised of the purchase and sale of items, as well as the recruitment and sponsorship of others. If you want to increase your sales volume and perhaps even move up a "level" in your company. As an IBO, the tools, or Business Support Materials (BSM), are frequently pushed as the key to your success. However, certain upline members may have a conflict of interest in promoting this because some of them earn from the sales of BSM. Aside from that, according to Amway accreditation criteria, a written and clear remuneration plan for their professional development programme (tools/BSM) is required, however I have yet to come across any IBOs that are aware of this requirement in practise. This part of accreditation appears to be either unpoliced or neglected, and/or it appears that IBOs are completely unaware of its existence and significance. When IBOs and prospects are told that there is income for IBOs through tools at a specific level, how do they know if they qualify and for how much money? Nobody seemed to have a definitive response.
But, other from facilitating the dialogue, what is the true function of the tools? I've seen independent business owners (IBOs) remark about how they gain from tools, but when I inquired if the tools resulted in a net profit for Amway, the silence was deafening. When I was an IBO, and it appears to be the case even now, the tools contained little practical information about how to run a profitable Amway business in the real world. Because there were no regular orders, I had no way of knowing how to track earnings and expenses. Speeches about record keeping and how to submit company taxes were conspicuously absent. There were no sessions in which we discussed the return on investment, both in terms of time and in terms of money.
There was a lot of talk about having huge aspirations and ignoring the facts if the dream was very big. There was discussion regarding whether it was OK to incur unpaid credit card debt as long as the debt was used to purchase tools or additional function tickets. There was some discussion about forsaking family needs in order to purchase more tools. Sure, your upline did not force you to do this; instead, they merely persuaded you that it was a smart idea, much like a conman tricks you into believing you are making a wise decision when they are actually defrauding you of your money.
While this blog is not intended to persuade you on any one subject, it does provide a contrasting point of view on which IBOs and new prospects might base their decisions. Please continue reading if you find something that makes sense, and ask your upline or sponsor any tough questions you may have about the tools or your continued involvement, especially if you are making a net loss at the end of the month.
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