This was written as a comment on this blog. It is an excellent summary of what many independent business owners (IBOs) go through and how their uplines exploit them:
Amway is entirely a psychological game. The key to winning this game is to keep your mind under control. Each and every word said on stage, recorded, or otherwise distributed has a specific purpose. It is difficult to believe that one is being manipulated when one is immersed in it. As a result, you are made to believe that you are a winner...and that you are in a significantly better position than the average outsider (non-amway) person, when in reality you are loosing money every day- loosing money in the sense of not getting the results you deserve for the efforts you are making.
Every imaginable unfavourable event that could occur has been thought of and is covered on stage and on the CD, among other things. For example, let's imagine you've been in business for five years and haven't made any money yet. You will listen to a CD where the speaker claims that nothing happened to them during their first five years of business—and you will think to yourself, "This is so similar to my story...if I just stick around a little longer, it will work for me."
The job world and the outside world (non-amway people) are painted in such a negative light in the system that you will think that business is not working...but jobs are not working either...let me stick it out and make it in the business...anyway, I will not be able to spend any time with people outside the business, so please allow me to stay in the business...
Having bigger aspirations and posting photographs of them on your refrigerator or creating a dream board are encouraged. You are kept in the business in this way because it is your dream, and you are thinking, how can I chose to quit the business and these dreams?
In all associations, there is a lot of ego stroking going on. In all associations, whoever is achieving success at any given time is elevated to the top of the organisation. When you are not receiving any results, some of the big pins will not even acknowledge your existence, which is frustrating. You'll think to yourself, "I'll show you what I'm capable of, and I'll continue in the business for a while longer..."
The primary purpose of the system is to keep you in the business for a little while longer, until the next event or seminar comes around to pump you up or give you some hope. You will be purchasing 300 PV worth of merchandise to help Amway grow its business, as well as purchasing tools to help you boost the income from your network marketing system.
It will be even more difficult to resign if you have a small number of individuals in your group; you will be thinking, "How can I tell these people, to whom I have given dreams and brought them in..." that you are not going to follow your aspirations any more."
They will come to your house, spend hours with you, and try every method in the book in order to keep you in the business if their upline is in the area and you tell them that you don't want to continue with them.
For those of you who have read "How to Win Friends and Influence People," there are two key tactics from that book that are used in the amway business:
1) Appeal to a nobler cause- Since there is no actual money in Amway for the majority of people, they must turn to a nobler purpose. Having an impact on people, resulting in better marriages and great families, free enterprise, intangible rewards such as becoming a better person, and so on.
This is exactly what happens in the function, where everything is dramatised — incredible dread about the economy and the job market is instilled in your head, as well as incredible benefits gained by those who work in the company, which is continuously discussed ( in a crowd of 3000 in a function, at the most 20 so called successful people talk-so there is your ratio of sucess.)
So, how does this enterprise function? Why do people choose to remain inside? for the sake of HOPE...the hope of one day making it...the hope of realising their aspirations... They manage to keep afloat because of HOPE.
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