From: shapiro@trade.enet.dec.com (Steve Shapiro)
Subject: Re: Amway Experience
Organisation: SKS Computer Consulting, Inc.
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation - Marlboro, MA
Date: 16 APR 92 08:21:32 EST


>We have been investigating AMWAY as a vehicle towards financial
>independence.  Some folks we've just met have been in the business for
>about 10 years and are "triple diamonds" which I think translates to an
>income in excess of $150,000 per year.
> 
>It all seems inviting but Amway really has a bit of a tarnished
>reputation, although they seem to guarantee their products or money
>back.  This post is for those who are actively participating in the
>business or have left the business no more than 2 years ago.  All the
>Amway bashers who got snoockered into a meeting, please hold your
>comments.  I'm a skeptic like you, but I'm still open minded and am
>seeking some answers.

If you're looking for something where your wife can stay at home, watch the
kids and take care of the house, this is not a solution. We became members of
the Amway MLM (aka "network marketing") a couple years ago. It's kind of like a
'friends & family' type of deal. You really make the money by getting more and
more people to become motivated and do lots of selling. While you can make
money by selling stuff, the profits from the direct sales are not so big. So,
you want to create your 'pyramid' to get the $$.

It is one thing to sell products, it is something else to sell people on ideas
and motivate them to do something about it. The people who introduced us to it
were highly motivated themselves and believed that this MLM was going to be
able to support them and it was their future. So they spent all their time
working on it. After about 3 years, he quit his job at Motorola as an engineer
to do it full time. She was a housewife, so she spent all day working on
finding new people to get and then in the evenings they would both visit them.

That's what it takes it seems. Total dedication. Plus, it is a LOT of work
finding people, talking to them to a). buy stuff from you at the special rates
and b). to motivate them to become interested in selling themselves.

I am an independent computer consultant and work about 12 hours per day at
client sites. This never left me with time to really spend the evenings
visiting people to talk to them about the program. Plus, with 2 kids, it was
difficult to find sitters on a frequent basis, plus, sitters cost money and our
time spent visiting prospective people just didn't pay off. The only people who
made $$ on the deal were the sitters.

Plus, I have little enough time for my kids, and didn't particularly appreciate
spending my days AND nights working and not spending time with them.

For us, it was just a lot of work with little remuneration.

On a high note, I think that the bubble gum which they market is the best on
the market and I make sure we keep a supply in the house. 8-)

So, there is quite a bit of potential as I have seen and which I'm sure you
have been told about if not seen directly. However, it is a LOT of work, so
make sure that a). it is the type of work which you will enjoy doing and b).
you can dedicate the time to it and c). you believe in it %110 percent (if you
don't believe in it, how can you convince others to?).

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Steve.

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