The most pernicious aspect of some Amway LOS leaders, such as those I had in WWDB, is that they appear to be cutthroat, heartless businessmen dressed in fine suits, who are disguising themselves as your mentors and friends in order to gain your trust. They will convince you that they have your best interests at heart and that they would never intentionally lead you astray if they can get you to trust them. On the surface, you might believe this to be true, but take a closer look at their activities and it becomes clear that some of these uplines are truly vicious businessmen who would take every penny they could from you if they had the opportunity. Based on a WWDB IBO blog, I have excellent cause to assume that this is still being done by the organisation where I previously worked. On this blog, I notice all of the same teachings that I learned while I was an IBO, as well as some of the same claims, such as buying houses in cash, that I heard then. It's a little frightening. (The blog was called "Expeditions of Truth," and the enraged blog owner has since stepped down and is pursuing other interests.)
They may even assert moral superiority, such as by using religion as a foundation for the development of the company. "Amway is a God-pleasing business," I've overheard several leaders proclaim. Really? Is it possible that God enjoys deceiving and manipulating others? I would respectfully disagree. They may tell you lies about companies such as Amway and/or WWDB. IBOs have a lower rate of divorce than the rest of the globe. He or she may provide you with an abundance of unsubstantiated information. I strongly encourage IBOs to investigate and verify such claims. How do splines figure out who is getting divorced?
As an IBO, the diamonds may tell you that you should never, ever skip an event. The only justification you could give for missing an event was that you were attending your own funeral. Several crossline IBOs I've known have rescheduled pre-planned family celebrations such as anniversaries, weddings, and other special occasions in the name of being core and attending all functions. Some IBOs did, in fact, abandon their jobs in order to attend events, and it's possible that they did so because their uplines instructed them to do so. Also encouraged and told to go into debt in order to attend a celebration were Independent Business Owners (IBOs). This was acceptable because it represented a "investment" in your company.
Our group was also forcefully encouraged to purchase additional CDs on a weekly basis. To be honest, you needed to listen to a CD every day, and you couldn't just listen to the same one every day, could you? Couples were instructed to purchase separate standing orders for themselves. Brad Duncen even had a true north tape (cd) that stated that sponsors were to eat the standing orders for downlines who quit because it was too much work to call upline who calls upline who calls upline in order to cancel a standing order because it was too much trouble. They didn't seem to mind upline phoning upline calling upline in order to set up a standing order, which was surprising.
In the end, I was fortunate enough to be rising up the pin ranks at the time of my defeats, which made them not as heartbreaking. I ended up losing money in my first few months of operation, but I was generally profitable by the time I reached 4000 PV. Unfortunately, my crossline did not fare quite as well. I am aware of at least one couple who filed for bankruptcy. No one knows how much their WWDB affiliation led to their bankruptcy, but I am confident that it was a significant influence. I am also aware of at least two couples who had their homes foreclosed, and I believe that their ties to WWDB played a role in those foreclosures as well. Perhaps they were duplicating, since two WWDB diamonds had their homes foreclosed on at the same time.
Do not be taken in by this ruse. If you let them, the diamonds will take your last cent despite their pleasant demeanour and well-dressed appearance.
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