In order for everyone to know that we were Amway distributors and that they could order products from us, our upline instructed us to host a "grand opening" as soon as possible after starting our Amway firm. This was also a good moment to sign up new Independent Business Owners (IBOs) who were interested in beginning their own company.
We decided on a date and decided to host a BBQ in our backyard on that day. Amway does not sell the conventional barbecue fare such as hamburgers, buns, condiments, salad, cake, ice cream, and so on. Instead, Amway sells a variety of other products. Given Ambot's high expectations for a large turnout, we headed to Costco to load up on supplies for the BBQ.
The total cost of groceries for the BBQ Grand Opening is approximately $150.
A large number of individuals, including all of our neighbours within a one-block radius, received invites from us, which we printed on our computer and distributed. Ambot went door to door, interacted with the neighbours, and handed out invitations to those who answered the door. A couple of folks who lived further away and happened to be passing past our house when we were outside gardening were also targeted by the sniper.
A reception was held in the afternoon from 1pm to 5pm for those who attended the grand opening. Our first visitor arrived about 1:00 p.m. He had other plans, so he only intended to stop in for a burger and a look at some of the Amway products, as well as to learn a little bit about the company's operations.
Actually, with the exception of one acquaintance who signed up and then quit a couple of weeks later, this gentleman was the closest we ever came to establishing a downline in our company. This gentleman attended a board meeting and expressed interest in, as well as admiration for, the IBOs and their fakey nicey nice performance. Then a mutual friend informed him that Amway was a hoax, and he withdrew his support. Ambot was enraged at our acquaintance for having the audacity to suggest that Amway is a scam.
It's amusing how he now concurs with that statement!
After that, the backyard was deafeningly quiet for a few hours. Ambot went into the home and sat in front of the television. Things began to pick up around 4 p.m. Some of our elderly neighbours who were in need of food were delighted to be invited to our home. One of them even took notice of some of the things on a table and proudly, disgustingly exclaimed, "This is Amway!". A neighbour and his two young sons joined us for dinner as well. The gentleman had never heard of Amway before, so Ambot provided him with an in-depth explanation of the company. He was certain he'd discovered a promising prospect. Wrong.
The bottom line is that the grand opening was ineffective in terms of marketing the Amway business. A complete and utter failure. Fortunately, most of the food we purchased could either be frozen or had a long enough shelf life to allow us to use it later.
A few members of the upline stopped by that evening, and when they learned that the grand opening had failed to bring in any prospects or customers, they tried all they could to persuade us to host a second grand opening as soon as they could. Nope. It never took place. We could have hosted a million grand openings and neither the attendance nor the results would have changed a bit. When we were active with Amway several years previously, we experienced exactly the same scenario. We invited everyone we knew as well as a large number of individuals we didn't know, and only a handful of people showed up for the free meal, which did not result in any sales or the recruitment of new IBOs.
Unfortunately, Ambot didn't learn his lesson the first time around and kept on going. How did that quote turn out for you? Those who do not learn from the past are bound to repeat it in the future.
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