Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Amway IBOs Justify Themselves?

Other than the Amway opportunity, I cannot think of any business where sales people or IBOs feel a need to justify their lack of success. I hear all kinds of crazy things such as how an IBO's involvement in Amway saved a marriage or how an IBO has become a better person as a result of being in the Amway business. Now if your involvement in Amway did indeed save your marriage or made you a better person, that is a great side benefit. But the Amway opportunity is supposed to be a business and a business exists to make a profit. This is something that IBOs seem to overlook when they are involved.

I believe these "side benefits" are mentioned by upline as a diversion away from the fact that these IBOs aren't making any money. My upline used to say you get in for the money but you stay in for friendships. They may also use the line that the Amway opportunity is not get rich quick. I believe that is because the upline wants you to stay in and expect you to purchase tools for a while. They want you to think that the business is not not actually making money and that you are supposed to lose money in the beginning, even if the business was not presented that way when you were recruited.

But a very important question is why IBOs need to constantly justify their lack of success? Is it a good idea to be involved in an opportunity where you aren't turning a profit and need to justify the lack of success? Many IBOs blame themselves despite the fact that your upline may have asked for your trust and blind loyalty. You do what you are told but the upline leaders never take responsibility for an IBO's failure. It like playing a game of heads I win and tails you lose. I know of IBOs who worked very hard and did what upline advised, only to see net losses.

If you are new in the business, nobody expects you to be making a fortune overnite, but certainly a business that promotes low or no overhead and a low start up cost, why shouldn't you be able to turn a profit within a few months? The cost of your "tools" should not exceed any income you are earning. If you attended a function and your sales don't increase, why attend the next one? If you are buying standing order and your volume stays the same, is that cd helping your business?

Why do IBOs have to resort to rationalizing themselves with claims of concentration and/or quality? Apparently the general public doesn't agree, based on the low sales to non IBOs. Seems the only ones who see a benefit in regular consumption of Amway goods are IBOs, who are hoping to reap financial rewards for doing so. Either your business is growing or it's not. No amount of justifying or rationalizing will change your bottom line. I just hope more IBOs and prospects will see this before it is too late.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is quite unfortunate the way prospects are tricked into this. When an IBO fixes an appointment with a prospects, during the call he would be told about expanding a business, or private franchising. But once the meetings take place most of the prospects do not ask realistic questions about the IBOs. Ask questions like, 'You called me for a business, I need to see your business tax returns'. This one question may save your life!