I have debated with Amway enthusiasts over the years, and I have yet to understand what they find so appealing about the Amway opportunity. Is it possible that some of these Amway advocates are so naive or delusional that they actually feel that a business in which one out of every few hundred people has a chance to earn a profit while the vast majority of the remaining IBOs lose money is a good opportunity? I'm not referring to those that sign up and then do absolutely nothing. Many independent company owners (IBOs) sign up and invest a significant amount of time, effort, and money only to discover that the system does not work (particularly in the United States), and they make the business decision to resign and/or to pursue other opportunities.
There are, of course, some people who make money with Amway products. If no one profited from the opportunity, the opportunity would be lost forever. However, it is mostly the exploitation of the downline that accounts for the success of the upline. Amway's admission that sales to those who are not Independent Business Owners (IBOs) are low verifies this. As a result, certain uplines derive their income from the PV volume of their downlines, as well as from tool purchases. I mean, even a lottery has winners, you know what I mean. Even ponzi schemes and other dubious investment opportunities have a few successful participants. This is not to imply that Amway is in violation of the law. However, because of the way Amway is structured, individuals that profit substantially do so at the expense of their trusted downline. Amway is a totally legal business opportunity.
As far as I am aware, there are no groupings in which all IBOs may win and make a profit at the same time. If there are rogue groups that just focus on retail sales, I would imagine that there are a few of them, and while these groups can be profitable as a group, they are few and far between. This is due to the fact that the majority of IBOs are affiliated with a LOS such as WWDB, BWW, LTD, or N21, and all of these organisations appear to be focused on recruiting new IBOs. Yes, they may throw in some suggestions for selling products, but their "training" materials are primarily comprised of motivational speeches, feel-good tales (whether genuine or not), and the notion of never giving up while continuing to acquire further tools.
Some uplines have the audacity to begin teaching their downlines that their Amway business is not about making money, but rather about saving your marriage, making you a nicer person, or providing some other diversion to keep you from thinking about how much money you are losing month after month after month. Some organisations even include religious and political themes into their functions and meetings. As far as I can tell, the typical business-building IBO enrols, receives some tools, and attends a few activities before discovering that the products are difficult to sell since they are not priced competitively with other merchants, and that a tarnished reputation is nearly impossible to repair. These IBOs have realised that they are not going anywhere, and they have decided to walk away, considering their losses a valuable life lesson. However, it appears that many uplines who have lied and deceived in the past are continuing to do so today, frequently by simply altering history to their own advantage (i.e. lying about making any profit on tools).
There are many IBOs, prospects, information seekers, and detractors that read my blog. My question is fairly straightforward. What is it about the Amway offer that is so appealing? For the majority of people, it is simply a waste of their time and money. However, while I'm sure there are people out there who "did the job once" and then sat back and collected barrels of Amway money while sipping Mai Tais on the beaches of Jamaica, I don't personally know anyone who has done that. Crown ambassadors are still working as hard today as they were many years ago, in my opinion. There have been reports of diamonds losing their homes to foreclosure, a major diamond entering bankruptcy, and a horde of WWDB diamonds purportedly selling off palaces that they supposedly purchased for in cash in the past. The possibility exists that their way of life is just not sustainable.)
Is there an advantage in the business for a normal independent business owner? There are some lottery winners, just as there are some gems in the rough. The presence of a lottery winner does not imply that it is a good idea to spend your money on lottery tickets. Amway is not a viable business opportunity since it promotes the lifestyle of diamonds. While Amway is a business and not a game of chance, the outcomes of both are frighteningly similar - that is, there are a few winners and millions of losers in both cases, unfortunately.
What is it about the Amway offer that is so appealing? It's not there in my opinion.
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