Is It Because of Amway?

Question

Hi there,

I am a professional Beauty Therapist using Miessence Certified Organic products which can be seen at www.organicnaturalbeauty.
mionegroup.com

I have no trouble in suggesting and selling home care to my clients to use in between treatments, as the products really work, and are well priced.

However the moment I suggest that they can have their own little hobby business, whether they wish to sell to markets, salons, retail, stalls, Internet or just friends, most of my clients if not all, would only prefer to buy from myself as they are scared of MLM, and do not wish to be involved in any MLM. What has damaged the MLM enterprize so much?

I would agree that there are some bizzare companies out there - However the one I am associated with, is Australian and very genuine, not to mention the Skin care is brilliant as it is the only 100% certified Organic range on the planet.

Answer 1

The problem you are having is very simple it is called people and their mind set. What almost everybody at school was taught was to get a good education and then get a good job, and earn an income for the rest of your life,what was left out from that was a section on Financial education. The reliable job has almost disappeared but people have not been taught how to earn money, so they think that any "scheme" must be bad.
The thing with MLM is that it is label under which, anything which does not come under any other job category, is put. Also people and the media will always tell everybody about something that is, in their opinion, bad or doesn't work even if they have never become involved in it.
You also get those who try a good business and then say no it doesn't work, where what they mean is it didn't work for them and that is more often or not because they either didn't try hard enough or failed to follow the success system operating in their business.
It is a sad fact that 95% of people in the world earn 5% of the wealth, and if they did but know it, they could easily join the 5% who earn 95% of the wealth.
The other thing is don't describe you business as a little hobby business, even if that is what it is to you because that gives the impression that it is a little business with a little income.
f you are curious to know a bit more about me, click on my picture and go to my 360 profile, where you will find out a bit more about me and what I do.
My business has recently come to Australia and New Zealand which is to be the jumping off point for the Far East Countries.

Answer 2

There were a number of MLM schemes before Amway. All relied on the party-plan or some variation of door-to-door selling. What Amway probably did first was set up a reward for building the business as much as selling washing powder to customers. It showed that there was an advantage to "losing" customers who became distributors in your business because eventually you would gain much more. Amway does a decent job of looking after those who want to sell to a few customers and drink tea, those who want it all and those in-between. Other MLM have adapted elements of Amway as their networks have grown.

Perhaps you need to modify your approach so that people see the benefit and opportunity, before they get frightened off by their fears. There are many preconceptions about all of these companies, and you will be on the wrong end of that without a good strategy, patience and high levels of politeness.

You should also remember not to argue. Present the information as best you can. If what you are presenting shows that it is an intelligent decision to join, then intelligent people will see the benefit and some of them will join.
(That doesn't mean that you have to lease an expensive car to show your success! It is probably better to be as normal as possible.)

Amway presentations don't mention the word "Amway" until the very end. The idea is that when you say that it is the marketing plan for Amway, your audience will be amazed, even if they have seen it many times before. That might sound like trickery, but would you had sat there otherwise?

People are right to be sceptical and you can counter that with facts and research. The most important thing is that you maintain their respect. If they do choose to join later, they will join you.

Answer 3

People are scared of mlm because they do not understand them. Just like Deb's answer. There is no one person at the top of a mlm. What people do not understand is that pretty much every company in the world is set up that way or more so like a pyramid, which mlm's are not. You have the CEO, then it works down ward to the littl people. People are mostly just afraid of actually having to be responsible for their income. You will find the right people, and they will know when they are ready.. I know it is a struggle, but just keep going and do not give up.

Answer 4

Most people shy away from MLM's (if that's your question) because they are basically a spin-off of the old pyramid clubs, which for the most part are outlawed in some communities. You understand, I'm sure, how they work. One person signs up, and then recruits others who sign up under her, and they in turn, recruit others, etc., and it's a chain reaction with each recruit benefiting and profiting from the sales of the people under her. It's a good theory, but somewhere along the line, some drop out, the commissions are lost, and the chain is broken. However, as far as you're concerned, you seem to be doing well, especially since people want to buy from you direct. So I don't understand your problem. Anyway, good luck. Just a word of warning, however, advertising on here is considered spamming, so beware.

Answer 5

MLM is only good if you're at the top level. Most people have either been burned by MLM business or know someone who has had a bad experience. Why spend good money to buy into something and only prosper if you can talk others into making the same mistake? You hear about all the people that got rich beyond their wildest dreams, but lets face it.....does anyone actually KNOW these people? 99.9% never get their original investment back. It's just a bad business plan.

Answer 6

Seems you already know the answer. Though it was less of Amway the company cheating people, and more of people cheating people using the Amway name.

I have my own business now, and one of my suppliers is a company that was started up by a family that 'survived' Amway. Though early on I ran across alot of the same resistance, where people didn't even want to hear the details once it sounded to them like something they'd already heard about.

Flatly, people can be ignorant, and if they chose to remain that way, there's nothing you can do about it. So just move on to the next client and better luck with them :)