To: All IBO's, Potential IBO's

If a stranger contacts you about "expanding his business team in the area", let him know you are extremely interested! Let him know that you want to see his last 6 months bank statements, his last 2 years tax returns, and his upline's tax returns.  If you failed in step one and actually get "interviewed" and then actually attend a hotel meeting, walk up to the speaker after the meeting and ask him for his last 2 years tax returns. 99% of the leaders in the business IN CHARGE of the local open meetings/"business workshops" DO NOT make a NET profit.

I showed the plan at my hotel open meeting a dozen times because I'm sharp, I read a lot of books, I listened to a lot of CD's, and I attended every seminar for 4 years. I knew the business well and was really good at getting my "qualifying interviewees" into the local hotel meetings.

In 4 years, I bought a lot of "stuff I was going to buy anyway"; except that every product I bought was nothing I ever bought on a regular basis before. In those same 4 years I "invested" close to $15,000 in CD's, seminars, functions, rallies, business materials, website, voicemail service, etc. That's a $315 monthly average not counting the mark-up on the products to the tune of 35-45%.

When I first got my business started, my sponsor unsuccessfully "interviewed" at least 20 of my friends. But thank goodness it wasn't the business or my sponsor's sleeze, it was "they were not qualified" or "they were J-O-B people and just didn't get business ownership". This didn't break my spirit. I guarantee you there was not a person I knew that was not well aware of what I was enthusiastically doing now!  I invited them all to join me in this venture cause I was going to be successful! To no avail.

So I started contacting strangers and was damn good at it. I got #'s wherever I went and could talk to anyone. When I left work each day I went straight to do my "interviews" I had set up for the day. If I didn't have any set up I was out almost every evening until 9pm at night "contacting new people" in grocery stores, sports stores, electronics stores, etc. I can provide you with a box I still have with over 500 names and phone numbers of strangers I contacted. That's about 1/4 of the amount of new people I shook hands with and had a conversation about my business. Some nights were past midnight driving to neighboring states and towns to "interview" my contacts or my downline's contacts.  But I didn't mind doing this because I was motivated and truly believed in what I was doing.

I explained all this to tell you that in 4 years I sponsored about 15 people who sponsored about a dozen altogether. The largest check I ever received from Quixtar/Amway was $179.  I never received a dime from the "educational" side of the business despite being called on to teach and speak in many smaller venues with no more than 60 people.

I have no doubt that many newbies will read this and think to themselves, "Mediocrity stole his dream" or "he's just blaming the business for his own failure."  One, I'm not mediocre, I am driven. Two, I still dream, plan, and do. Three, I laid it on the line for 4 years. I read over 100 books and for some of them I am grateful. I have no regrets but I also will not burden myself with all the responsibility of failure. My story is very common with LTD/Quixtar/Amway.  We listened, learned, and acted, and yet we did not succeed financially. It may have been my fault in the first year, maybe the second, but not the 3rd and definitely not the 4th.

Quixtar/Amway is an average income opportunity at best. At worst, it's a way to insulate you from reality. You become cynical and maniacal towards anyone that tries to question your new found enlightenment. You see people that said "no" as non-dreamers and losers destined for poverty if not HELL itself. You spend the first year alienating your precious relationships. The 2nd year is spent in total focus and intensity to your cause that you no longer question anything unethical that you do. Such as your  "interviews", "posturing"-which I was excellent at doing, "spinning the facts", "misleading", and the worst to me now, "being secretive of the who, what, where."  There are many sincere and genuine people in LTD/Quixtar/Amway. I was one of them.  But perception is reality. You have to accept the fact that if you're an IBO(independent business owner), you are the odd man out. You're an alien. Nobody likes you. This was okay with me. But it was only okay when I "believed" that I was going to make a profit. I snapped out of it. And you should too. (by the way, even if you've had success as an IBO, the fact is that MOST Emeralds and Diamonds' businesses are  not sustained- they retract. Some back to zero. You can get this information from Amway if you request it.) 

There are 1,000,000 ways to make $1,000,000 in America. Quixtar/Amway is one of them along with every other MLM. (Every MLM's business is modeled after Amway, so don't give me this "we're new and better" crap). But it's not something I recommend. Be creative.  Be yourself.  Achieve.  And also do what you currently do with pride. If you are mind-numb robot that wishes to go a few rounds with me? Let's!  I'll remind you, there is no possible way that I was not more involved, more focused, and more blind than you are right now.

Sincerely,
PatD