Topic: 2 Good friends, In the grasp of amway

[341gerbig]

I car pool with these two, a engaged couple, for 3 hours every week.


For the Amway unaware: http://skepdic.com/amway.html

And for those 3 hours, they give me the amway speal every week, and i sit there and nod my head, simply because I will be carpooling with them for the next couple years (as it looks now). Now , when they started, they were moderately crazy, and i could just smile and nod my head. But they have been getting progressively more crazy as they go to more conferences.

What I have heard from them in the last month:

-A "dream as big as you can because it will become real" seminar they went to. They have planned their dream house out, with a full size movie theatre, an indoor and outdoor pool, a personal chef and team of servants, they told me about 15 cars they want to own in their huge ass garage, pure gold silverware, the girl wants her own personal stylist, the guy wants his own personal life coach/personal trainer. And they think they will have all this in 3 years according to the seminar.

-They are talking about dropping all friends (including me) who are not millionaires, because amway believes you should make friends with millionaires, and then you will become a millionair

-about how only amway employees will survive the economic collapse of the western world

-about how any family/relationship where regular jobs/work schedules are involved are broken, and how the couples will divorce and their kids will become criminals. (and about how amway couples are perfect)

-That you can become a millionaire with amway working 45 mins a week for 3 years

-That amway is the only type of business model that actually works without the company eventually collapsing



AND THIS IS JUST THE STUFF THAT I HAVE HEARD!!! Who the hell knows what else they learned at these seminars......They are at the point of being brainwashed cult members.

It is insane.

[Desert Fox]

Had a friend who tried it and then went to trying to sell vitamins. . .
Gave up a good job at a nuclear power plant, cashed in his 401 K etc. . . .
Had a coworker who sold Noni Juice

Remember hearing from somebody at an Amway like organization talk about buying a computer. I asked him how much and it was something like twice the cost on the street (Now I could probably cut that by a 1/3 by going to New Egg or Tiger.) Told him that and his comment saw something like "I am investing in my company."
 

[Eternally Learning]

My parents did the Amway thing and I heard all the BS and went to the seminar.  Even when I'd been drinking the Kool Aid I hated the seminars as 90% of the speakers just talked about how much money they had and what they spent it on...  Made me want to yak.  It also became apparent very quickly to my 13/14 year old self that there was no really money to be made unless you got in on some new and large market as the only folks on the stage who did not start in Amway the first year or two that it was around were folks who'd launched it in their countries.  Meanwhile the folks who signed my parents up were working their asses off and the only real money they actually had was from their other jobs.  They were just perpetually waiting to hit it big despite how much time, momey, and effort they sank into the thing.

[341gerbig]

I just dont know what to tell em, they are already so brainwashed

[MikeHz]

The Amway fade hit my workplace a few years ago. Within a few weeks, I saw thirty guys frantically trying to sell each other soap. Then--dreams shattered--the entire mess faded away, never to be mentioned again.

Amway is the longest lasting pyramid scheme I know of (with the possible exception of social security, which always has a new generation of "buyers" to suck from). I'm surprised it's still around.

[Eternally Learning]

I just dont know what to tell em, they are already so brainwashed

IME, directly telling them they are wrong will probably not work.  Probably best to just ask them questions which will prompt unfavorable answers from them as it's a lot harder to blow off shit you say yourself.  Since they're trying to get you in on it it should make it simpler and it sounds to me like all they're focused on is how much money they'll make, not how reasonable the business plan is so all the better if they have to look up the answers themselves.  Maybe you can even feign actual interest in joining up, but constrain it with your actual skepticism saying there's questions you'd need answered first.

[AxeGrrl]

Probably best to just ask them questions which will prompt unfavorable answers from them as it's a lot harder to blow off shit you say yourself.

Absolutely spot on.  Can this be posted as a sticky somewhere?

[341gerbig]

I just dont know what to tell em, they are already so brainwashed

 Probably best to just ask them questions which will prompt unfavorable answers from them as it's a lot harder to blow off shit you say yourself. 

Yea, will try this more, have tried it a little in the past and it seems they have a pre-conceived answer for everything

[Hanes]

I just dont know what to tell em, they are already so brainwashed

1.  Make sure your seatbelt is tight.
2.  Reach over and jerk the wheel.

What?  Just because I don't have good advice doesn't mean I'm not going to give any.

[341gerbig]

I just dont know what to tell em, they are already so brainwashed

1.  Make sure your seatbelt is tight.
2.  Reach over and jerk the wheel.

What?  Just because I don't have good advice doesn't mean I'm not going to give any.

Lol, i drive them. I could install some ejector seats

[Jim S]

Perhaps dive into the math to help them 'discover' how much business they need to do to be profitable.  How many people do they need below them in the pyramid?  How often are they able to get such a person on board? How much will each of those people need to be selling?  Is there a real customer base to support this?  At the rate at which they feel they can realistically add productive people below them, how long will it take to reach the desire level of income?   Etc.

Here is a thread, which I've linked to before because it is awesome, in which belgarath saves a girl from a Mona Vie seller.
http://sguforums.com/index.php/topic,11385.0.html

[341gerbig]

Perhaps dive into the math to help them 'discover' how much business they need to do to be profitable.  How many people do they need below them in the pyramid?  How often are they able to get such a person on board? How much will each of those people need to be selling?  Is there a real customer base to support this?  At the rate at which they feel they can realistically add productive people below them, how long will it take to reach the desire level of income?   Etc.

Here is a thread, which I've linked to before because it is awesome, in which belgarath saves a girl from a Mona Vie seller.
http://sguforums.com/index.php/topic,11385.0.html

They have told me, they can be self sustaining millionaires by having 8 people below them selling 100 dollars worth of product a month. Because amway will pay them from the top of the pyramid for having 8 customers, to the tune of several million dollars a year.

Sounds like a load of BS to me, but they are completely convinced that this is "business as usual" at amway. I've said "there is no way that can be true and amway can be a profitable business, making $9600 dollars worth of product (8 people at 100 $$$ a month) a year and paying several million to the people who are in charge of those 8 people. and they came back with "amway can afford it because they spend nothing on advertising"...

and then i gave up using logic with them

[Jim S]

Keep asking them every week if they've found the money duplicator machine that turns $9,600 into millions. 

[341gerbig]

Ha ha ha ^^^^

Mebey they will find another ride eventually =)

[khendar]

Just ask them how much money they've made on it so far. Chances are the answer will be zero.