I wanted to offer folks a taste of what it was like to be at the 4000 PV level and to share my own personal experience with them. Amway and WWDB defenders will argue that this does not occur, or at the very least that it does not occur any longer, but I have reason to believe that very little has changed in WWDB while I was an independent business owner. The other significant difference was that we had to phone in and pick up the stuff back then. A few WWDB officials are still talking about buying houses in cash and teaching the same old material, according to reports.
I worked a total of how many hours every week? I would estimate that I spent up to 30 hours each week on business-related matters. Granted, goods pick-up took up the entire afternoon and evening on Thursdays, which was unusual for the company. I'd have to place my order with the platinum and then pick up the merchandise on Thursday afternoon, which would be a hassle. After that, I had to get back home and deliver the merchandise to my downline. As a result of my upline platinum's poor order fulfilment skills, it was a huge hassle. I'd estimate that pick-up and the associated paperwork took me about 8 hours per week. One advantage that exists today is that Amway is responsible for issuing the bonuses. In the olden days, it was your responsibility as an upline to do so. (This is an area in which I believe Amway has made significant success.) I have heard, though, that WWDB continues to offer call-in and pick-up services for standing orders and other items. If this is accurate, it means that they have reversed the progress that Amway had achieved. Apart from that, my platinum required me to bear a portion of the cost of returning tools, such as the expense of absorbing losses if someone on a standing order quit. (At the time, Brad Duncan released a true north tape that essentially stated that IBOs are responsible for the expense of standing orders for downlines that resigned.)
If the platinum was showing the plan, I had to show the plan or attend plans for my frontline if I was a 4000 pin. If the platinum was not showing the plan, I had to show the plan. I'd say we displayed the plan for a downline or a downline in depth four nights a week, on average. Of course, after the plan is completed, we may "hang out" with our downline and conduct some late-night teaching. Some individuals refer to this as an alliance or something like. This may take 3-4 hours per night, four times per week, depending on the length of the drive. When there were no shows, the time may be cut in half.
We provided guidance to both downline and upline. I spent some one-on-one time with my upline as well as with those of my downline who requested one-on-one time to receive ideas on how to better their Amway businesses. We examined their group parameters, as well as the flow of tools, of course. Fortunately, a WWDB counselling document was available for this purpose. Looking back, I'm not sure what this actually accomplished, except than identifying which leaders are selling the most tools through the use of large pins.
After that, we had public meetings and functions. One local party per month, as well as one or two open gatherings where a diamond or an emerald would be displayed to explain the plan, were held. Of course, my sponsor (platinum) did not feel comfortable attending our party unless he supplemented it with his own late-night meetings. Additionally, we had three long distance functions on the mainland. These events were referred to as Leadership, Family Reunion, and Free Enterprise Day at the time they were held. As a single person from Hawaii, these functions cost me at least $1,000 or more for each trip, owing to the high cost of airline during peak travel times, hotel accommodations, rental cars, and the cost of the function ticket. I dread to imagine how much money these couples spent.
Because of my position as a rising leader, I was given the opportunity to attend special sessions where our diamond would explain or demonstrate house layouts. I also had the privilege of driving the diamond to the location of the house layout. Oh my God, how can anyone survive without such a distinction?
To make up for my misfortunes, I built a business at 4000 PV with Eagle criteria. I was referred to as a "movers and shakers." A lot of people knew who I was, and my sponsor was desperate to become the first person in his downline to achieve platinum status. He came down with me one afternoon and told me that if I would only get rid of my girlfriend (who was also my fiancee at the time), I could easily push my way up to platinum and ruby. He told me that if the upline diamond advised him to divorce his wife, he would do it immediately. He claimed that a single (ruby or higher) could easily attract a large number of desirable females to himself. It was following that meeting that I made the decision to resign.
I had attained a total of 4000 PV. Because of the tools and functionalities, I was making very little money or even losing money at times. I didn't see any opportunities to make money, even at the top of the pyramid, and suddenly my upline wanted to take control of my life. When I told my group the truth, they all quit, with the exception of one or two who had been indoctrinated into remaining in the organisation. That was my experience, and I have no regrets about my decision to leave the company. I sincerely hope that this tale might be of assistance to a prospective or present IBO.
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