What is the fastest way to loose your all your friends and acquaintances?
Join a Pyramid Scheme like Amway or GoldQuest
You need to be a fool to pay money to enroll into one, and then to recover from your losses, you push 10 more of your friends down the same path. What you don’t realize it that in this quest, you have bugged 100 of your acquaintance and not only pitched the idea unsuccessfully, but irritated them so much that they will never ever again talk to you.
According to wiki:
“A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves the exchange of money primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, usually without any product or service being delivered.”
Common traits:
* A highly excited sales pitch, the whole time the presenter will try to sell you an idea of becoming an entrepreneur, having others earn for you etc, but he will never bother to tell you what work?
* Little to no information offered about the company unless an investor purchases the products and becomes a participant.
* Vaguely phrased promises of limitless income potential.
* No product, or a product being sold at a price ridiculously in excess of its real market value. As with the company, the product is vaguely described.
* An income stream that chiefly depends on the commissions earned by enrolling new members or the purchase by members of products for their own use rather than sales to customers who are not participants in the scheme.
Pyramid schemes work on a simple principle:
Enroll a fool and rob him by asking him to pay an exorbitantly high membership fee or buy some trinkets. Then make your customer your employee. By paying him a small fraction of the revenues, ask him to rope in his entire friend circle.
If you happen to be trapped in one such presentation, then you will realize that the whole time the presenter will talk irrelevant stuff.
Here is how my meeting went:
1) He will say how a bottle of cold-drink/greeting card which costs 10/- in retail actually costs a few paise to manufacture and rest all the markup is because of the distribution costs.
Well if you do want me to be a salesman, then please do bring your product catalog…. but you will never get a chance to see it. Also you would realize that even though he is a salesman for the same company, his intentions is not to sell you its products… his sole intention is to enroll you as a member.
2) Then he will keep on going about how life of a salaried guy sucks and he does not get due compensation for the business he brings to the company
well sir, I earn a 7 digit salary (INR), so I am not complaining and if you do have a solid business plan, then do explain it to me… but then you will realize that all he wants to do is touch your emotional chords.. he has nothing substantial to explain.
3) He will keep on saying, if you enroll in members, that you will get a commission from the business they bring….
Well sounds exciting, but what is the business? how do you guys make money… all you will get is silence.
4) Then he will draw complicated diagrams explaining how you will earn money etc.
Here you will realize that none of it revolves any logical business. I agree you were a fool to enroll in the first place, but that does not mean that the world has an endless supply of fools to rob from? After all the fool and his money soon part, so my probability of finding one in time is really bleak.
5) Then he will go on and explain how big the company is, how much is its revenue etc.
Good, so the company has already cornered the entire business space… now how will I find room for expanding.
All they are selling is the idea to get rich without putting in efforts. Well there is nothing like a free lunch.
If you know one, then please let me know.
Ankur Aggarwal
sree
Sandip Chaudhuri
vbr
shobhendrasrivastava
I’m from a number of different countries
I have however shown the business to probably two dozen Americans in the last couple of years, some who had moved abroad recently, others who were still US residents but travelling.
**Not a single one of them gave a negative response to Amway**
Given the thousands of new Platinums over the last 5 years in the US, there’s apparently plenty of other folk not finding it to hard to find open-minded american’s either.
Getting an impression from the internet can easily lead to the wrong impression. Did you know that WordPress, one of the big blog hosts, recently deleted a blog about Amway UK, stating they won’t allow blogs about MLMs? They’re quite happy to post anti-MLM blogs though. Did you know DMOZ, the biggest “directory of websites” on the internet and used by many other directories and search engines, will allow anti-Amway sites to be listed in their directory, but as a matter of policy won’t allow pro-Amway sites. Indeed, rumour has it the “volunteer” editor for the categories is none other than Scott Larsen.
Not forgetting of course that these sites are owned by companies who earn their incomes primarily from selling advertising. And who buys very little advertising? Amway. Who buys a lot? Amway’s competitors.
Throw in the fact that Amway itself used to close down pro-Amway sites and you’re left with a very twisted view of the reputation of Amway if you get it by searching the internet.
Comment by ibofightback — May 6, 2008 @ 4:01 am
No doubt there are pockets of areas in the US where Amway is little or unknown, but where I come from, it seems as if the name amway is associated with the plague.
You may be right in that the internet has many anti amway websites, but are there valid issues being raised on these “negative” websites? I believe the answer to that is yes. That being said, the extent of the problem may be exxagerated by the critics but also, the issues may be smoothed over by supporters. I believe the answer lies in the middle somewhere.
For example, I do believe the blogger that says there is a tools scam. I don’t believe all groups do this, but certainly enough of them do abuse downline to where it’s a concern and to where you can see why there are critics of these systems.
Another issue that I observe, is some of the really higher up crown ambassador types are almost seen as divine entities, yet some of them do not behave in a manner that is consistent with how they are portrayed to downline.
Comment by Outsider — May 6, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
@all
Those who are in Amway, Congrats to you all.
And those who criticize this business, i vehemently say that you are losing your lives. Those who don’t dare to take up this, criticize about this. Among the people who criticize Amway, can anyone disprove why it is not a good one?
And i saw someone saying that nobody is going to become Platinum IBO. To all those who agree with that, i say, my UNCLE is a PLATINUM IBO.
So, if you don’t have the guts to do this business, just mind you own way and within few years you will become POOR.. Mark My Words…
Go Amway!!! Go Crown!!!
Comment by Succeed — July 8, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
and Cheers ibofoghtback..
I wish you become successful in this and achieve more levels.. congrats..
and Salil S
great that you are under Team One.. Wish you all success and Mr. Sajeev Nair is always with us..
Comment by Succeed — July 8, 2008 @ 6:39 pm
ibofightback is not even a platinum.
He just is deluational about what is success and how to achieve it. Take that to the bank.
Comment by Success — July 15, 2008 @ 2:43 am
I attended such a seminar in Melbourne. And Mr Raj Shah came and talked about the concept of IBO promising richness.I nearly got brain washed but I didnt immediately buy the idea until I research the web and you guys have opened my eyes in this regard.The idea of pyramid scheme is a wrong one I promise never to participate again.
Comment by Jangir — August 15, 2008 @ 8:54 am
I completely agree w/ ‘ibofightback’ and his comments regarding Ankur’s post on Amway. The complete opposite of what you wrote is what Amway is all about! You cited sources and reasons of why Amway is NOT… a “pyramid scheme,” if you will. It’s really hard to fathom that there are sooo many people out there that don’t/won’t find out anything from experience, for themselves, or from their OWN research from credible sources. It’s all about the business team you work on and what the atmosphere that is created is about. If you don’t believe this will work for you, or is a good business opportunity, then DON’T GET INVOLVED!! DON’T JOIN A BUSINESS TEAM!! No one is being convinced to do anything!! Information is provided for people who want to have better lives and actually believe in themselves to do whatever it takes to be successful, while at the same time… impacting others in a positive way!! No one is beckoned to get involved, b/c people make their own choices in life, and they have to want to be on a team, and want to succeed, to make it!! No one is forced to do anything in life!!! Anyone has questions? Comments? Problems? Get back to me BBONES102002@yahoo.com
Comment by BRYAN B - GDB Group — October 24, 2008 @ 2:40 am
Hello Everybody This blog has started since January 2008 and this is November. The starter of this blog initially do not believe in multilevel marketing Mr Ankur Agarwal. Now He is presenting himself as MLM guru who guides networker to build their network marketing business. So guys dont fight. One thing I want to tell is Nobody is lying in this whole matter even supporter and opponent of network marketing. Because some facts when said in negative manner are mostly mis-interpreted. Like some one lose friends. Its not that your friend has offered you a the business and you not accept it thats why your friend is no talking to you but reason is that he has got good friends than you in amway who gives true love to him also he has become serious about the life and career after joining the business.
//attended a seminar by Raj Shah and now read the blog and decided to not join//
For you information which information you believe?? its like so many person tell a man that the animal he is having with is a dog and not goat. so he left the goat having with him on the way and the person who were telling it lift it to thier home. Just like ankur. I am telling you the fact. Raj Shah is native of Baroda Gujarat the place where I belongs. He settled in US. he built the business Amway and has retired at the age of 30. His retirement was telecated in popular american news channel.He is running a school in Baroda Gujarat which gives good education totally free to those who can afford study. This is another side of this business. Regarding different style of showing the plan. I know everybody give wrong reporting or reporting based on their own wrong interpretation. No IBO cheat with anybody. They simply say that ” We are using lots of products in our life. We spent lots of money in buying the products. but we could not get anything. To spent money on products is unavoidable. so in amway even if you buy products for yourself the company passes dividond from its profit to the loyal user of the products.Further more if you share the products to few customers you will get profit on it. If you find people who can do the same you are doing. All those person will get benefit what you was getting and consequently as the turnover of your team increases you will get more reward. and this is the business. Each and every corner of our society has this scene. Every traditional company is following the same method but difference in Amway/RCM/mlm and other traditional compamy is that the rights for distribution are sold at higher prices and to some selected and rich persons only in traditional market. but in network marketing this rights of distribution of products is given to common person at virtually no investment.
//one person has told that out of 4500 of kit you will get 2500 worth products and 2000 is given as gift to your sponsor//
Sir please check out the truth. This amount is not circulated. This is what i dont know but, this 2000 is not given to anybody. Complainers dont know what they are complaining about.
Ok god bless everyone.
Comment by Kalubhai — November 25, 2008 @ 12:35 am
We know what we are complaining about. Nearly all people who register for Amway end up with a loss. Many people who recruit for Amway use less than honest tactics and tricks to get them to register and/or see the plan. If they get people to register, then they try to suck them into the teaching system that will take their money and not teach them how to make an income from Amway and will not help them to build a sustainable business. Thus it is overall a scam.
Comment by Scooby Doo — December 11, 2008 @ 7:02 am
those who are into amway and who talks positive about amway they all are hypnotized – they praise amway all the time day and night and everyday and througout of life. when time comes to gather they simply talk about their products and their business. with friends, family and who ever they come across they make them to attend seminar and turn get hypnotized… i am also sure they are sleepless and trying to think whole the day about amway and its products. its really irritating when in friends gather also they start talk about amway products and try to sell. those who are against amway here in this blog commented are alert ones all the time and are wise people and they know “nothing comes without hardwork and nothing is free on this earth”.
Comment by abcdefg — January 16, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
People here who critises amway really dont know wht the business is and the quality of the products..they simply say amway without any knowledgs..the people who really know abt amway please dont waste time replying for the critisisers..the critisizers know nothing abt amway..
Comment by prakash — January 20, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
These people are real p.o.s.’s. I went to one of their ‘meetings’ but only because I liked one of the girls that was in it. They were telling kids right out of highschool to not even bother with collage and that this path will have them retired by 25. I told off there so called mentor and explained how the system is still a scheme by definition. Don’t know if any of the kids saw that, but the mentor didn’t really have any counters to my counters.
Comment by Lou — March 10, 2009 @ 3:32 am
Yes, I dealt with Amway recruiters also. They use slick lines and try to make the presentation look logical but if you look beneath the surface, you can easily see the half truths and lies they tell to trick you into thinking that Amway is a great business. If the busienss actually worked, there would be many retired people praising the Amway plan Instead, just about everyone I know of understands that the Amway promoters are just scammers.
Comment by Mike — March 21, 2009 @ 5:37 am
I think most of the people have misunderstood the concept of network marketting and they dont know much more like Amway etc.
But if some body think positively definetly it will help fool . As per my study there are lacs of people who very success full in Network marketting and in Amway also . I observed some of them and they have made so many good friends.
If you realy some body realy get a chance to join like amway please go ahead as it will give you chance to improve your life your attitude and values . Infect I am looking for some body to approch me.
Thanks
Comment by madan — March 28, 2009 @ 5:50 pm
“If you realy some body realy get a chance to join like amway please go ahead as it will give you chance to improve your life your attitude and values ”
So never mind about making profits and an income. Join Amway to improve your life and attitude? That’s hogwash.
Comment by Amway Sucks — March 29, 2009 @ 11:47 am
One of my friends joined, and tried to get all of our friends to join as well, and it did not end nicely. He is now enemies with basically all his friends, except members of quixtar. If your not in the business, he portrays you as a fool. I hate quixtar with a passion and hope that all the scamming rich top level guys someday are summoned to a court room to tell the real ways of making money in quixtar, aka motivational tools.
Comment by Robert — May 15, 2009 @ 7:17 pm
Robert, your friend has been indoctrinated by the Quixtar/Amway teaching. They have an
us against the world philosophy and so anyone who won’t join with you aren’t your “real” friends. That’s how this business can divide families and friends. Hopefully your friend will wake up and realize what’s going on.
Comment by IBO_FB — May 15, 2009 @ 10:23 pm
Hi all,
it was quite interesting to go through all the posts – some in favour and some against the networking marketing specially Amway. Well guys all of you are highly educated people and successful in your lives. Still I would take liberty to tell you a few things. Due to conditioning of our minds we slowly loose the capacity to objectively analyse anything which is out of the box.
The network marketing is a revolutionary concept of product/service delivery.
Often we are introduced to network marketing by the people who are part of some network marketing company. We tend to analyse the concept of network marketing based on little information that we get from such people.
Network marketing provides oppotunities to all without any distinction of sex, education, age etc. to build the legal source of passive income. Most of us ( about 95% of the world population) spend our entire lives working for wrong type of income i.e. active income and teach the same thing to our children.
The problem with us is that we don’t learn to differentiate between the basic character of active and passive incomes. We also make our opinion about anything without analysing it in a rational manner. The network marketing has been given negative publicity by over enthusiastic and ill-informed distributors who try to lure the people by promissing them that they can get rich quick without doing any hard work. Network marketing is a genuine business model which, like any other business, requires consistent hard work to build your organisation. The real advantage with network marketing is that it requires very insignificant financial investment. As a matter of fact,since it is so easy to start the network marketing business, very often people with wrong mentality of getting rich without any hard work join these businesses.
Well, i can talk on this topic endlessly. My friendly advise to you guys is to consider yourself lucky if somebody approaches you with an opportunity. However, you must have basic understanding to differentiate the pyramid schemes from genuine businesses. One simple test is to see whether the company pays you simply for enrolling the people for a high fee or it compensates you based on the turnover of your group. The turnover must come from consumption or retail of products and services. The companies which compensates you based on turnover are genuine business opportunities.
Comment by raj — July 14, 2009 @ 8:42 am
thats well said!!!
“The companies which compensates you based on turnover are genuine business opportunities.”
Amway also does the same.
One problem is that there are distributors/ groups / teams who are greedy, bringing in bad reputation.
They make a lot of money from tools / CDs / functions.
And those people who spend their money on it and is not successful, put the blame on MLM / Network / Amway
As the saying goes .. “BAD WORKERS BLAME THEIR TOOLS”.
Comment by paroyil — July 22, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
And it is also said that no bad tree bears good fruit.
How come Amway has so many bad trees?
Comment by IBO_FB — July 23, 2009 @ 10:36 pm