http://www.kerryonworld.com/business/the-annoying-amway-affilliate
Kerry Kobashi contributed to this article.
Earlier last week, I was at Fry's looking for a netbook when an engineer approached me and made himself appear to be a pleasant individual. We talked for around 15 minutes, and it was a pleasant conversation. As a result, he requests my business card, which I did not have on me. After that, he requests my name and email address (BIG MISTAKE). He contacts me via email a few days later and requests to meet for a cup of Starbucks coffee since he is interested in me.
So I went to Starbucks today, and this guy attempts to make me feel more comfortable. He claims to have an idea that he would want to run past me. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crumpled dark marketing advertisement. It was at that point that sirens went off in my thoughts, screaming "what the hell did you just got yourself into?"
So he begins his pitch by getting to know me by asking a series of questions that give the impression that I have no life. Some of that "What do you actually want to do in your life" nonsense. You know the one. As a result, I was irritated that a fellow Engineer would even go to the trouble of insulting me with an incomprehensible sales pitch by then. I went into this meeting with the expectation that this person had a good technology idea and would turn out to be a nice buddy. I was forced to go to Starbucks on an extremely hot day (it was indeed that hot) to listen to a sales presentation, and I was not pleased with the experience.
I cut him off before he has even gotten five minutes into it. I started probing him and told him bluntly, "Let's go right to the issue." I was serious. I inquire as to what he deals in. He was deafeningly silent. I inquired as to whether this was some sort of pyramid scheme, and he attempted to explain that everything in life that he is aware of that is a pyramid system is legal. Then I tell him, "You know, this sounds like Amway," which he understands. He shifted around in his chair.
So he continues to babble and attempts to refocus my attention on his sales pitch by pointing to his script (the marketing brochure) - but I wasn't going to let him get away with it. He starts talking about the Internet, sales distribution, and other things that sound technical, but the fact is that he is just trying to get people to work for him on the most fundamental level.
"I'm familiar with this material," I answer when he continues. "This isn't something new for me." He was beginning to become agitated by this point. I inquired twice more about whether this was Amway. And he would do everything he could to avoid the subject. Afterwards, I inform him that "you are not answering my inquiry." At that point, I was desperate to portray the character.
He then proceeds to show me more of his sales lighting, and before I could even hear him say anything, my eyes were drawn to a multi-tiered chart with payments at each level. The fact that I could tell this was a pyramid marketing plan made me giggle a little. The sales brochure was purposefully designed to depict levels in blocks rather than in a pyramid structure, as was the case with the product. My next question is a quick change of subject, and I inquire as to how long this company has been in operation. It has been up since 1995, according to him, according to the Internet site.
So I rationalised to myself. Hmmm. A website that has been online for nearly two decades, and this individual is attempting to pique my interest in the organisation? "Can you tell me where you are on this chart?" I inquire. "What level do you want?" And he avoids the subject by claiming that it doesn't matter. At that time, I observed a change in his tone of speech, which indicated that he was becoming agitated. I said out loud, "Sure it matters! ", in order to thoroughly irritate him. In this case, the pyramid structure is being used as part of the business strategy."
By that point, he was becoming increasingly furious because he realised I was on to him. In order to aggravate him even further, I inquire, "Is this Amway?" And he says, "For the third time, I've already responded to you!" He then becomes passionate, waving his hands and becoming even more animated than he was before.
That's when I told him that he was wasting my time and stood up to walk away. As I walked out of the parking lot, I was struck by the expression on his face. He was in a bad mood. "Good luck with your pyramid scheme!" I said as I pulled down the window of my Mercedes to greet him.
When I got home, I realised I had forgotten to take his business card off my desk. It just so happens that he is a member of an organisation known as Team INA. If you go to that website, you will immediately see that it does not appear to be professional. It's nothing more than a website with a password. His business card states that he is the President, and it turns out that he is affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (Team INA).
After a little digging around on the Internet, I come across some information that turns out to be the very same sales brochure I was looking for. The identical charts, the same phrases, and the same spiel that I had heard in Starbucks were repeated here.
"Duplication Prohibited" is written at the bottom of the page. The page is packed with quotes from prominent people, giving the impression that those individuals are affiliated with the organisation. Everyone from Ray Kroc and Sam Walton to Michael Dell, Jeff Bezos, and Robert Kiyosaki has spoken out on the importance of entrepreneurship. I highly doubt that these individuals are members of Team INA and that they were only there to create the appearance that they were.
Something else happened that caused me to burst out laughing. A graphic illustrating Team INA's affiliation with Quixtar.com can be seen near the bottom of this book, near the end. Quixtar is the global arm of Amway! Consequently, this is the reason why this individual refused to inform me that his Team INA was affiliated with Amway. He was trying to keep the fact that he was a middleman hidden.
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