When our upline diamond used to talk about how people rationalise their actions, I thought it was fascinating. They'll compare themselves to a neighbour or a coworker in order to convince themselves that they're doing OK. Alternatively, they may argue that because they attended public school, public school is sufficient for their children. Alternatively, a guy might react to a wife's wish to visit Alaska by advising her to check the freezer if she wants to see ice, if she wants to see ice. We justify our actions by identifying someone who is either equal to or worse off than ourselves. It makes us feel better to realise that we aren't in such dire straits after all.
Then your uplines will inform you that you should attempt to improve your betting skills, which is a positive thing. Ironically, they'll also tell you that the only way to improve your situation is to become a member of Amway and become immersed in the tool system. While there may be an initial rush of enthusiasm and ecstasy, this quickly wears off, especially when the promised instant earnings and development in the business never materialise for the majority of people. People who resign are labelled as losers or failures by their uplines, who ingeniously use this to their advantage to keep you engaged and active in the game. Their tools will persuade you that you should never give up and that you will eventually succeed if you keep pushing forward. Amway's standing orders are brimming with anecdotes of men who were broke when they joined the company. They struggled at first but never gave up, and now they are diamonds who live large and only attend functions out of love for their downline. Don't you ever wonder why no one can name the folks who truly started a diamond business and then walked away with a large sum of money and a happy life in the process? These individuals do not appear to exist in reality, in my opinion.
Sadly, but paradoxically, the IBOs begin to rationalise their financial losses to their customers. The expressions are often used. I am a kinder person, and I am a better father and husband as a result of this transformation. I am carrying out God's work (Is Amway carrying out God's work?). Being a part of Amway taught me a lot about business. There are many good reasons given by people to explain their involvement in Amway and the systems, but producing a good income is rarely one of them, if ever. Occasionally, I hear ludicrous income claims, but not a single IBO has ever offered any evidence or confirmation of their claimed earnings.
Yet another justification offered by IBOs is that Amway products are the best available, and hence they are the most expensive. Also, the concentration factor (I hope you don't spill any) is used to explain the expense. Although product quality is subjective, many people are not concerned with it when it comes to everyday household items such as bar soap, which is a good thing. WalMart and Costco are hugely successful because they provide excellent value at a low price. At times, seeing independent company owners (IBOs) in action and justifying their products and business opportunities may be rather amusing.
Obviously, it's a difficult sell in North America, where Amway sales appear to be declining, and even with the national advertising effort, I'm not certain that a major difference was made. Here's something to consider. The tagline of WalMart is "Live better, save money." The slogan of Amway is "Now you know." That's all there is to it!
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