One of the most concerning things I've observed with Amway IBOs and IBO leaders is their tendency to counsel their downline to put their faith in them. They should be trusted since they have already forged a trail. There's no reason to reinvent the wheel. Simply riding on the coattails of your upline will get you where you want to go. The system has been tested and proven. Many independent business owners (IBOs) take this to heart and put out significant effort. When they fail, their upline will shun them and tell them that they are to blame for their own failure. Their failure is their own fault, and they bear personal responsibility.
It is NOT about IBOs who sign up and do nothing, or who never place an order, that I am talking about. There are legitimate issues raised about the recruitment process when a large number of independent business owners sign up and do nothing, but I am not aware of any instances in which an IBO did nothing and then complained that Amway was a scam or something along those lines. But what about the throngs of people who put forth a significant amount of effort only to fall short of their goals?
During my blogging experiences, I've discovered that many people who are critical of Amway and its processes have put forth a great deal of effort, followed all of the instructions, and still have not achieved the level of success that their upline had marketed, promised, or in some cases, guaranteed. Last I heard, my former sponsor was still active in Amway and had been a member for more than 15 years. I don't believe he's ever gone beyond platinum, and I'm certain he was never a Q12 platinum in the first place. Even though some Amway apologists may consider being a platinum to be a perk, if you are a hard core and fully committed to the systems, platinum can be a break even or a small profit business, or it can be a business that makes significant losses if you are not committed and fully committed to the systems. When you take into account the time spent by the husband and wife, these people are either breaking even or losing money, or they are earning a fraction of the minimum wage. Is this the fantasy that will allow you to purchase mansions with a down payment of only a few thousand dollars?
What's even more alarming is how upline would credit the system for any achievement while ignoring the fact that the system does little to benefit the great majority of people. Sure, some people will be successful in Amway, but for every minor success, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who will be unsuccessful. Moreover, if you use diamonds as a yardstick for success, the number of failures could number in the millions. Those who succeed are few and far between in contrast to the number of people who attempt it, as I have stated. In the United States, going diamond is probably less common than winning the lotto.
If you succeed, the systems and your upline will take credit, but if you fail or quit, you are solely responsible. Are they the types of leaders or mentors from whom you would like to get advice? The personal culpability of these leaders is nowhere to be seen.
0 comments: