Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion on the subject of independent business owners (IBOs) selling products. Of course, in the world of independent business owners, there will be some IBOs who are outstanding at selling things, and it may be viable to sell some products in other nations where Amway has not tarnished their reputation as it appears to have done in North America. However, the experience of a typical IBO is unlikely to be one in which things are delivered on a regular basis to customers. The issue of whether or not downline members are regarded customers is a futile and ongoing debate, and the bottom line is that uplines are earning their living off the backs of their downline members, confirming that a product pyramid is in fact in existence. Aside from downline, it appears that the remaining consumers are primarily supportive family and friends who purchase a few symbolic items to show their support for the business.
But why do rank and file IBOs have such a difficult time selling Amway products? Amway does, without a doubt, offer some respectable and even excellent products. However, in North America, Amway's products are generic in nature but sell at a premium price because to the high demand for them. In other words, unless you are satisfied that their product's quality is exceptional for the price, the typical Joe will simply get a similar thing from WalMart or Costco instead. It also becomes labour intensive when you must justify and explain to potential customers that you truly give a better value as a result of concentration and/or cost per usage, which is puzzling for the ordinary consumer. When you factor in the Amway name's previous reputation as being affiliated with a scam or a pyramid scheme, it becomes an exceedingly difficult sell.
Partner stores are frequently employed by IBOs to establish brand credibility, however I'm curious how many of the things in these stores are actually purchased by customers. I believe that just a small number of things are sold because the prices are not competitive and because many buyers, including myself, prefer to touch and feel products before making a purchasing decision. Customers don't want to be troubled with the hassle of returning something via the mail, even if there is a money-back guarantee. Also, the phrase "partner store" appears to be a misnomer because Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) sell partner store merchandise, yet "partner" stores do not offer Amway items. To put it another way, the partnership is not a two-way conversation.
Also, while Amway has recently begun to sell their opportunity and products through national advertising, I believe that this is more of a retention issue than a marketing issue. IBOs can claim that they are credible since they are on television. In North America, I feel it may already be too late. It happened in the past. Because Amway spent less money on advertising, IBOs would argue that they received larger bonuses. As a result, independent business owners (IBOs) participated in the most inefficient method of transferring items. People-to-person transactions were conducted as well as door-to-door transactions in the past. The reason that Super Bowl commercials are so expensive is that they have the potential to reach tens or hundreds of millions of people around the world. However, in order for Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) to offer the products and the opportunity, they must do so one person at a time and overcome the numerous unfavourable perceptions that North Americans have about Amway. Since 2013, Amway's sales have been in free fall. Amway's revenues have declined from 11.8 billion at its peak in 2013 to 8.6 billion in 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available.
However, it is because of these factors that IBOs are unlikely to be able to move many products other than to family and friends. What REAL business can you start that will allow you to generate a sustainable life, let alone great fortune, simply by selling some items to family and friends? If there are any, I can't think of any, and you are gravely misled if you believe you can do this with Amway products and gain incredible riches and fortunes.
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