*cozie" of course you are right (and there's nothing new in this. From "Fake It 'Til You Make It," Phil Kerns' amway expose book from 1982! (www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Amway/AUS/tools.htm)
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"As soon as Mark closed the door, he focused his gaze towards me. Then, and very much the same way that he would open a sermon, he threw his arms outright and began to exclaim.
"Phil, you must become a Direct Distributor before September! Don't get me wrong. You're doing a great job, but you are going to have to sponsor a lot more people into this business if you want to make it! Lester Cannon wants you to be the guest speaker at his convention this fall. There will probably be over 15,000 people present. Can you imagine that? As an author, just think of all the money you'll make selling your books! You will need a semitrailer full of books to accommodate this crowd!" (Not until much later did realize the full impact of his emphasis on selling books.)
Our eyes remained riveted on Mark as he stormed back and forth across the room delivering his message.
"Phil, you have to be there! You won't believe this mob. They are the wildest and most excited group of people you will ever witness in your entire life. When Lester stand up and commands them to go to the back of the room and buy books, they obey!. It's crazy, but it's foolproof. It's simple. You'll walk out of that convention with a suitcase full of money.!"
"Man, they'll fill their arms full with books. They'll buy them by the case and run home to give them to their friends, downlines and anyone even remotely interested in the business."
"Listen to me, Phil! Last year I walked out of Lester's convention with two briefcases full of money from selling motivational books. I made over $100,000 in cash in one night. We're talking about 'megabucks.' You can do the same thing. I'm counting on you now.
Page 38 [describing events at a Portland rally] Mark obliged and together we hurried downstairs. It was a simple matter for Mark, since he was a star speaker, to introduce me to everyone and thus allow me the privilege of complete freedom all around the platform as well as backstage.
Now leaning on the stage, I had a bird's eye view of everything. I could hear the various Diamonds in another room arguing about who was going to get what share of the booty from this event. I watched Tom's wife, Debbie Anne Kenney, scurry back and forth with proceeds from the ticket sales. She was stacking money upon a table and seeking the assistance of others to count it. Most of the tickets, I was told, were sold prior to this particular event. However, tickets could still be purchased at the gates.
It was, indeed, a very interesting evening. Up on stage there was much talk of villas, cruises, expensive cars, banking practices and upcoming events. In the hallways, tables were heaped full of tapes, books and lots of American memorabilia. Events similar to this could go on all day and all weekend. Were there spinoffs? You bet. The record breaking ticket sales, catered dinners, books and cassettes were just a few. Others include soft drinks, hot dogs, calendars and even bumper stickers. At some of these events, it was not uncommon to see additional spinoffs such as the sale of suits, jewels and automobiles. All of these were considered "tools of the trade"--even custom-tailored suits. Whoever sponsored the event was like any well- schooled promoter. He would make certain that he profited from absolutely everything, if possible, sold at this event.
My thoughts came back to my own business. As the meeting continued in the auditorium, I went upstairs to question Mark as he supervised the sale of hundreds of books and tape packets.
"Mark, when I continually sponsor and don't retail as you have instructed, I don't make any profit. But tonight the light has really dawned on me. I have invited all my downlines to this event, and they will probably pay the asking price of $39 for your tape packet and purchase a myriad of motivational books, not to mention the admission fee, all of which will benefit no one except those putting on this gig, right?"
I did not receive a response. Mark has a unique way of ignoring a person when he want to but can keep right on smiling as he does. Mark was now autographing motivational packets. After a few moments he finally backed away from the table. He reached out and draped his arm across my shoulders. With a squeezy clasp and a smile, Mark led me across the hall to the stadium entryway. Thousands were crammed into the stadium singing, "God Bless America."
Together we stood and watched this spectacle. Hundreds now stood, many holding hands, and some swaying to the song's cadence.
"Look, Phil, they're happy. Just Look! That's what counts. You want to take that away from them?"
I couldn't believe my ears. I turned and solemnly walked away from my sponsor. My wife was waiting down the hall, and together we left this event in Portland, very disillusioned. Already we had spent hundreds of dollars on rallies and seminars prior to this particular "Free Enterprise Day." Well, it wasn't free. We weren't equals. Those who organized this event would walk away with their attache cases full of cash, just as they had previously predicted. The sponsors of these events almost always insist that tickets be paid in cash only. At many events I have seen doormen ask that checks be made out to "cash." No receipts are given.
I was now convinced how my uplines perceived this business. It was a colossal plan aimed to appeal only to selfishness and carnality: the obsession of money and things, regardless of the price. Their briefcases full of money was sufficient evidence of that.
Our zeal was gone. We were now uncertain about our future in this business. I assured my wife that our friends and family members were more important than all the money in the world. Besides, the Amway business, as we were instructed to conduct it, was showing us little or no profit. This evening was additional proof that the big money, indeed, was being made by a very select few, and not by selling soap.
Later we learned that many times these events were scheduled to be held concurrently with a function being offered by the Amway Corporation--the same date and the same city. The hosts would urge their downlines to attend their rally rather than the Amway sponsored event.
Were the leaders really wanting to motivate these people, or were they wanting these individuals to spend money for their own profit? I felt I had already seen enough. Certainly over the months I had witnessed, unknowingly, millions of dollars being cleverly siphoned away from thousands of unsuspecting Amway distributors.
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