CHAPTER 6
The Dawning of a New Day
"In
Compassionate Capitalism, Rich DeVos tells you how you can make your dreams come true by centering your life in love of God and country and an authentic desire to help others."- Robert Schuller
·The pressure to retire from this nonstop, exhaustive schedule was intense. It literally was a matter of survival at that point. I could not go on much longer on this little sleep. It was only a matter of time until I had an accident. Distributors were told to cut out all distractions from their lives. Any distractions could keep you from becoming a Diamond. If it took you even one more year to go Diamond than it should have, this delay would have cost you $250,000 or more. Distributors were told to cancel their cable TV. Some were actually advised to sell their TVs to raise money to attend seminars.
There were other distractions that could hold you back. Distributors were informed that having any "plan B" constituted a lack of faith. Specifically, if you had investments or another business to fall back on, you must not believe in your heart that you could become a Diamond. Before the large bull market hit, distributors were told that somewhere near "97%" of investors lose money in the stock market. We did not know otherwise, and by that time, we were nearly totally isolated from outside sources of information. Zack stated on multiple occasions that he and Dexter did not have any other investments outside of their Amway businesses until they each went Double Diamond. They could not afford to be distracted.
The credibility and financial magnitude of the business continued to grow. Robert Schuller, the famed founder and Pastor of the Crystal Cathedral Church in Garden Grove, California, and the host of the Hour of Power television ministry, was the author of many books that we bought and sold in the system. His books reinforced the principles of the system helped change my life in a manner that I perceived to be good. Life's Not Fair, but God Is Good; Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking; Tough Times Never Last, but Tough People Do and Self Love.
Pastor Schuller shared at one of our large seminars that had many thousands in attendance. He spoke, both on and off stage, of Amway and its leaders with great respect and admiration. "I want to say what an honor it is for me to be at such a great assembly of one of the greatest organizations ever conceived on planet earth… to give everybody a chance to make it. I think the world of the Amway Corporation," he said, "I have been a friend of Jay VanAndel and Rich DeVos almost from the time they started this business."1
As leaders, we got to spend some personal time with Pastor Schuller backstage. He was very tall and very gentle. It was such a thrill to be able to meet some of our real-life heroes. These were the kind of people we wanted to model ourselves after. He had made a difference for God by serving many others. We felt so fortunate to be part of this incredible organization. There seemed to be an unending number of confirmations that we were at the right place at the right time.
Author, researcher, and lecturer Shad Helmstetter published a third letter, touting Amway’s virtues and promoting his web site to distributors. His web site was and is a forum to promote the success story of Amway and its distributor force. On this web site, which can be located at www.firedup.org, distributors can review his American Victory letters, learn about his seminars, and read success stories of others like themselves. It gave our efforts more credibility, because he was an outsider. On the site, he published an interview of himself regarding Amway.
"The Shad Helmstetter Interview:
The Real Story of Today's Amway
Dr. Shad Helmstetter is the author of nine best-selling books. He is respected worldwide as a leading authority in the field of personal growth. His books are published in more than 64 countries around the world.
Dr. Helmstetter has been a repeat guest on Oprah Winfrey, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN News. He has been featured on over 1200 radio and television interviews in every major city in the United States.
Dr. Helmstetter spent more than five years studying the Amway business as an outside, independent researcher. He is not endorsed, paid, or financially remunerated by or associated with the Amway Corporation or any of its affiliates. The following comments are based on Dr. Helmstetter's independent research and are entirely his own.…
Q: You have been one of the most outspoken public supporters of Amway Distributors. Why is that?
SH: In my field I study people who work at improving their lives. I spent more than five years studying Amway Distributors, and I was impressed with what I found.
Most Amway Distributors are people who are trying to do something worthwhile with their lives. They understand positive values, they support marriage and families, they're willing to dream and they take their dreams seriously, they work hard to reach their goals, and they believe in helping other people do better.
Amway Distributors are the families who live next door to us. They are people who are trying to keep their kids off drugs, make their marriages work, improve their lives, and take responsibility for themselves. They also tend to be positive and hardworking.
That's the kind of attitude that gave this country its freedom in the first place. How can you possibly criticize that?
Q: Then why do some people criticize them?
SH: For the same three reasons most people criticize someone else for doing something different than they are—they criticize other people because of their own prejudice, ignorance, or misinformation. And that's unfortunate, because people who criticize others, without knowing the truth, can hurt a lot of good people.
Q: What would you say is the greatest problem that Amway Distributors have to overcome?
SH: The first problem is that many people are either uninformed or misinformed about the Amway business. If I could wave my wand and make every false rumor go away, people would suddenly be calling their distributor friends and asking them if they could join them in the business. By the way, I predict that will happen. The overriding positive facts about the business are becoming public knowledge.
The second problem is that anyone who wants to get ahead—in anything—has to stay motivated. Motivation is often a problem for any of us because it's human nature for people to let the day-to-day problems of their lives get them down. I've spoken and written a lot about that in the past, and with this web site I've decided to offer a more direct form of help to people who could use some additional motivation from time to time.
I often send personal motivational messages via e-mail to people I believe in. That kind of uplift can really make a difference. Now, anyone who is reading this site can participate, and I will send them personal e-mail encouragement and motivation on a regular basis.
Q: Some critics say that some Amway Distributors sell dreams. What would you say to that? Are they dream builders?
SH: The distributors aren't selling dreams, they're encouraging people to be willing to dream. That's important! That's something everyone needs to do!
As I wrote in The Achiever's Bill of Rights, people who aren't dreaming aren't growing. Without dreams we go nowhere. With the ability to dream, there's no telling what we can do!
Look at the facts; our nation was founded on dreams. Marriages are built on dreams. The day you start college, you start with a dream. Every new idea, every invention, every improvement you and I enjoy right now, started with a dream. Name one thing that makes your life better, and if you research it, you'll discover that it started with a dream.
No one who is truly a quality person will ever question your dreams—people of quality encourage your dreams. They know that if you do not dream, you cannot really live.
Q: What about the old criticism from years ago that said Amway was a cult?
SH: Working in the field of human behavior, I've studied the cults for many years. The Amway business is the opposite of cult psychology. As an example, cults practice a system of separating their members from their families and friends. Amway is the opposite. The basic concept behind Amway Distributors is designed to build stronger relationships, not weaken them.
As another example, cults always control what their members are told. Once again, Amway does the opposite. As a case in point, I have been asked to speak to dozens of Amway audiences, but never once have I been asked by anyone, in advance, what I was going to say.
The old myth that Amway is a cult is supported only by people who are either misinformed or uninformed. I would like to examine their research. Amway Distributors are independent; they are building their individual lives, and they are working freely to build better lives for themselves, their families, and their futures. That's not a cult; that's America.
Q: What about the sometimes criticism that Amway Distributors have to invest in business materials and they have to attend meetings and seminars, in order to succeed in the business?
SH: That shouldn't be a criticism, that should be a salute to good business sense! The fact is that Amway Distributors do not have to buy training materials and they do not have to attend training seminars and business functions. But I have studied their business "tools" and I've attended their seminars and functions. The bottom line is that, on average, Amway Distributor business support materials are superior to most of the training and motivational tools that are available from many of the top corporations in the US today.
When was the last time your company offered you training and motivational materials that got your family involved and excited about what you were doing? My outside recommendation is that distributors should take advantage of every tool they have access to, and attend every business function available to them. The point is not how much of an investment they will make. The point is how much value they place on improving the rest of their lives.
Q: What about the people who say the Amway business doesn't, or can't, work?
SH: If there is anyone who is willing to say the Amway business can't work, I'd like to see his research. During the past five years, I've interviewed, met, or talked to more Amway Distributors than any other researcher living today.
The fact is, for people who apply themselves and apply the plan, the business works. What critics of the business ignore is that the business is successful because it works at different levels for different people.
Some people just want to be surrounded by friends and associates who think like they do. Some people want to earn some extra income, but not treat the business like a full-time job. Some people want to quit their regular jobs and build a full-time business. And of course, there are those men and women who want to create long-term financial independence.
I've met a lot of people in every one of those categories, and according to them, not only does the business work, it has added to their lives in many positive ways. Why would so many good, solid, intelligent people stay in the Amway business for ten, fifteen, twenty years or more, and say that it's the best thing that ever happened to them?
Think about that. And why would so many second and third generations of independent sons and daughters of experienced Amway Distributors follow in their parents' and their grandparents' footsteps and choose the Amway business for themselves?
The only answer is, because it works—it meets the needs of a lot of different people, and it helps them grow.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: See Fired-up! Letters on this site, for individual distributors' comments.)
Editor's note: Dr. Helmstetter's comments are presented in The Helmstetter Report without approval, support, or endorsement of the Amway Corporation or any of its affiliates. His comments are entirely his own."2
These comments helped to reinforce all the beliefs we had about Amway and our chosen career as distributors. We were impacting the world for the better. It was powerful to feel as if you were part of a strong, positive organization that could eventually impact world peace. There was camaraderie among distributors everywhere we went. We all understood one another. Mr. Helmstetter’s comment on Amway not being a cult was helpful as well.
We would, on occasion, run into a prospect or family member of a distributor who thought Amway was a cult. Amway a cult? That was the most moronic thing I had ever heard. I could not even understand why someone would say something so stupid. Here is a business where people open every seminar with a prayer and a pledge to the flag. I had never been around more godly people of integrity. These people, particularly the Amway Diamonds, worked tirelessly as servants to their organizations to help them succeed. Here we have former Presidents of the United States and key religious figures endorsing Amway with glowing praise, and some nuts want to call us a cult. It was ludicrous, but it is a fact that this topic came up on occasion. (Several years later, I myself would have to spend days with a renowned cult expert and over a year in recovery to begin to be deprogrammed from my involvement in an Amway motivational cult.)
We were taught how to address this issue. In one leadership training, Zack spoke on this subject. He mocked anyone stupid enough to even repeat something this foolish. He explained that in a cult, everyone does what the leader says to do. If that were the case, we would all be rich! We all laughed and took the point well. If we all could follow his direction more closely, we would be wealthy. In spite of the automatic cultic response, I could not comprehend why someone would even mention cultism. It must be some perception of Amway from 20 years ago that followed it around like an urban legend of sorts. We were constantly reminded that the average person would criticize above average achievement to justify his or her own laziness and lack of success.
The media was routinely blasted as an enemy of sorts. We learned, and later taught our group that the media was a business. What sells, the truth or the sensational? Sensationalism sells, even if it is completely devoid of all truth. The media, with its liberal slant, was an effective, powerful tool in destroying the efforts of conservatives, who wanted to make this country a better place for our children’s future. Key players in the media were often maligned as idiots.
In one talk, Geraldo was referred to as Geronimo, Rikki Lake was called Wikki Wake and Oprah was called Dope-rah. These derisive terms were ones that I would later repeat, as I taught large organizations around the East Coast on the evils of the media. We needed to control our psychological environment. Our minds were very much like a computer - garbage in, garbage out. We move in the direction of our most dominant thought, so we had to control what we thought about on a regular basis. This is why the system was so vital in keeping us focused. We needed to listen to at least one tape every day.
We could never afford to miss a monthly seminar, even after nearly a decade in the business. Your group would duplicate what you would do. The entire organization was constantly reminded to follow and work with their plugged in upline. Plugged in is a reference used to describe a distributor who was completely loyal to the system in listening to the tapes, reading approved books, attending all functions and in line with his upline. There was no room for ego here. If you missed a seminar, someone in your organization could later duplicate your bad example. Not a good idea!
No leader would ever miss a monthly seminar for any reason. The standing joke was, the only legitimate reason you could ever miss a seminar was for a death in the family or… your own. As a matter of fact, in a talk about commitment, Zack related the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger missing his own father’s funeral, because he had a very important competition he had prepared for. His mother understood his dedication and now was now proud, as Arnold was a hero who could provide well for her. Winners instinctively understand total commitment and losers question it and make excuses.
Getting with the Party Line
"Some of the greatest growth experiences is when we were late with our mortgage payment because we were covering our orders. We didn’t understand it at that time. We thought, "Hey we’re not covering our mortgage payment, we’re covering our orders. What’s this all about?" I’d rather owe the bank than my upline. I’d rather not ever, ever have my upline unhappy with me."
- Amway Crown Jody Victor
Kathy and I had worked hard before our Amway involvement to accumulate some rental units to build equity for a retirement nest egg. We were only in our twenties but knew we had to begin to plan and invest early in life. However, we eventually became convinced that these properties were simply a distraction that would keep us from becoming financially free. The many Amway millionaire Diamonds could not all be wrong. They, too, had dumped all distractions and focused solely on what would give them the greatest return on investment (Amway). Many repeated the same basic philosophy in their own way. Once again, they had the lifestyle to back up the success of this business principle. I was a "broke" guy with a few rental properties and a lot of ambition. We soon sold these properties and used this money to pay off all of our debts.
Outside of our mortgage, we were debt free. We had paid off our car loans, college loans, credit cards, and consumer debts. We certainly were now getting closer to our freedom! The magical day was approaching. I’ll never forget the excitement I had when I went into our bedroom, closed the door, and called Zack for his permission to retire from my job. Zack is a very detail oriented man. We discussed my current income from my profession, my Amway income as a Pearl, our monthly expenses, the number of distributors we had personally sponsored, the total number of distributors in our group on the tape-of-the-week program, and the number we had attending monthly seminars. I will never forget the excitement I felt when he told me I could retire from my job. I was going to be a full-time dad! He had me schedule it so that he and Molly could come and speak at my retirement party.
I hung up the phone and let out a yell that Kathy heard at the other end of the house. We had both worked so incredibly hard to get to this point. We were Pearls on the way to becoming Emerald. We were not making a very large income as Pearls but had almost no debt, and soon we were going to be making well over $100,000 as new Emeralds! We could hardly contain our excitement. I typed up my resignation letter dated September 25, 1992. I gave my employer over one month’s notice and made arrangements to part on good terms. This gave us plenty of time to plan my retirement party.
Our family was finally happy. This was the moment that we all had worked so hard and so long for. Even our children had sacrificed for this moment. They had learned not to ask for any product that did not come from our business. They were willing to eat off-brand, Amway-purchased cereal that they did not like. They had learned to eat vitamins from Amway that they hated taking. Our son Josh had become accustomed to my almost complete absence from the home. He and our young daughter Ashley were good little troopers and almost never complained. They knew that it was going to be worth it. We were going to play baseball together, go on picnics, and travel as a family now. My resignation was to be effective October 30, 1992. Each day seemed to be an eternity, as we all anxiously anticipated the arrival of my actual retirement date.
Word got out and the group seemed to be as electrified by this event as did our own family. The dream was real! We had heard this phrase again and again at seminars and on tapes. Our distributor force was energized by the clear belief that each of them could earn his or her own freedom. They were literally as excited as Kathy and I were. That was the beauty of this business. Success breeds success. In the normal corporate business world, if one person succeeds, it is because he took the place that, now, no others could fill. In our business, the more people succeeded, the easier it was for those who followed to succeed. No one in our organization, to this point, had been willing to work as hard as we did. Now, many were both motivated and had the faith to go do whatever it took to get the job done.
We began making plans for the big celebration. A large hall was rented, as Zack and Molly were coming to speak at our retirement dinner. A limousine was rented to pick me up at work on my last day. I had pictured this scene in my mind’s eye 1000 times, during all those lonely, late nights driving home from meetings. Thank God, I was finally going to be able to get some sleep. I missed my beautiful wife so much. What a blessing it was going to be, to be able to spend time together! This was all going to have been worth it.
It was our hope that this event would not bring glory or light upon us but that it would shed light to our group on the incredible possibilities that their own futures held. We were going to press on to Emerald and then Diamond and bless thousands in the process, just as Zack and Molly had. This was like a fairy-tale dream come true. I felt sorry for those poor, misinformed people, who had criticized our participation in this great business. They were relegated to a lifetime of servitude to an employer, who would forever control both their time and their income.
We could hardly sleep on the night before my last day at the large, insurance company where I worked. Kathy and I felt like kids at Christmas. An incredible, wonderful life was about to begin in the next 24 hours.
We woke early, hearing this enormous commotion outside of our home at about 5:00 a.m. It was a surprise party, being thrown by a whole group of our distributors. We quickly got dressed and went downstairs and talked about freedom. We watched videos of trips to places like Hawaii and Australia. All the distributors there had, in their own minds, a clear vision of what their freedom was going to be like.
The big goal of more sleep was a huge motivator for many of us that were driving ourselves to near exhaustion. We videotaped an event that would later be described to thousands of distributors. My alarm clock was put on an extension cord and placed on a stump in our back yard. The alarm was set and the camera zoomed in as it went off. As it sounded its annoying wake-up call, I hit it with a single blast from a shotgun that a distributor had brought for the occasion. The clock literally vanished. Playing this tape and recounting the story would bring cheers from crowds of distributors, who all were visualizing their day of freedom. This was a powerful, symbolic act that I had dreamed of for years.
I went to work as usual. My coworkers were very kind and gave me a small going away party with gifts and a card that I treasured. I worked in a very large glass building. I knew that the limousine must have arrived when I looked up from my desk and saw about 50 people pressed against the windows on one side of the building. I quickly changed into my tuxedo and began to walk from my desk towards my family and the freedom we had fought so hard for. One wonderful surprise was the reaction of my coworkers. Understand that it was not easy for them to see someone my age retiring and walking out to a waiting limousine. As I walked from my desk towards the door, like a scene out of a movie, they each slowly stood up and began clapping. Some had made fun of us for being in Amway. Now they were willing to cheer for our victory. I was overwhelmed by their kind response.
As I walked nearer to the door, I could see out the second story window down to the parking lot area. It was an incredible sight. There was a large white limousine and a huge number of our friends, all holding large helium filled red, white and blue balloons. The sight literally took my breath away. I walked down the stairway and took a moment to compose myself. A loud cheer went out from the group, as I walked out of the building towards the parking lot. Video cameras were rolling everywhere. Someone opened the limousine door and out stepped Kathy, looking more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. She was absolutely radiant. She was holding Josh’s hand and carrying our daughter Ashley. The large crowd parted in the middle to make way for them. Josh broke free from Kathy’s gentle grasp and ran to me with a bear-hug tackle that literally knocked me over. Someone yelled, "Free at last, John!" Someone else set off fireworks, and the crowd simultaneously released their freedom-colored balloons into the waiting powder-blue sky. People were laughing, giving hugs and high fives to each other and to us. Many eyes were filled with tears of joy. This was truly a miraculous day. We got into the limousine and pulled out of my place of employment for the last time. Dad was going home. I was a free man—or so I thought.
A parade of our Direct distributors and others in Cadillacs followed us to our home for a celebration party. Every moment of the day was recorded on video, so that we could use this spectacular event as a motivational tool to help others realize the unlimited potential in this wonderful business. It was clear that God had honored the desires of our hearts, as we saw not only our own lives, but also the lives of our many friends transformed that day.
Kathy did not know it, but I had a very special surprise prepared for early that evening. We celebrated with all of our friends. All of our friends were, by now, only people in The Business. We enjoyed a great party that, of course, did not have any alcohol. Alcohol was for people that had no hope. We shared tremendous hope and an unlimited future. None of us had a need to dull our senses. One by one, each of our friends eventually left the party. What Kathy did not know was that they were all reuniting at another location for one of the most important moments in our married life.
I had told Kathy that a couple in our group was having their baby baptized that night. We dressed for the occasion and headed over to our church with Josh and Ashley. Kathy was pregnant with our third child, McKenzie, at the time. She looked beautiful. Both sides of the street were nearly filled with cars parked top to bottom, but we found a parking spot and headed quickly toward the steps of our church, as it looked as if we were late. I reached down and grasped the brass door handle, my heart pounding, and I opened the door for Kathy.
The church was completely filled with all of our friends and family. Unbeknownst to Kathy, they were all gathered there to share in our re-exchanging of our wedding vows. We were beginning a whole new life together and wanted to do so in the presence of God and all those we loved. It was an incredible moment in time. Here we were surrounded by a large group of people, where each seemed like a member of our family. We stood together at the same altar where we had originally exchanged our wedding vows. This time Kathy and I held each other’s hand and the little hands of our children.
It had all been worth it. It was incredible to tearfully and emotionally re-affirm our love for one another. What a blessing it was to know that we would now be able to spend each day together. It was hard to believe that all our dreams were finally coming true. We felt very fortunate and blessed. This certainly was the happiest day of our lives. It is difficult to even describe the euphoric feeling that we shared as we nearly floated from the altar down the aisle to our new life.
Just Exactly Who Are You Anyway?
"Amway is an equal opportunity for everyone in this room regardless of what your background may be."
- Dick. DeVos
·We were soon enjoying the fruits of our newfound freedom. It was incredible to be able to sleep until we were both rested. What a concept! We had both gone on very little sleep for years. It was a true joy to begin to spend time together as a family. We had missed each other so much in the years that I had worked both day and night. It actually felt odd to not be completely exhausted. It was wonderful for Kathy to have me home, and she was no longer single-handedly taking care of our entire household.
The training that we had received and continued to absorb in the Amway system was powerful, in several ways. We had developed very strong interpersonal and management skills. We had become effective motivators. We had become good time and money managers. We have learned to seek out and see the solution in every challenge. As a matter of fact, we learned that there were no problems, only challenges. Challenges were simply opportunities for greater personal growth. We had trained our minds by now to instinctively block out nearly all negative thoughts. Our spiritual beliefs and faith grew in tandem with the above skill sets.
We received very specific training on how to identify and motivate each of the different personality types. A company named Personality Insights, Inc. was brought in to help train distributors in recognizing, communicating with, and motivating each of the four personality types. We were reminded that a carpenter has many tools within his toolbox and that each tool is effective for a different use. He would not use a hammer to do the job of a saw. Likewise, you would not attempt to communicate a message to two entirely different people in the same manner, using the same "tool." Personality Insights, Inc. broke down the four personality types into a model they referred to as DISC.
The "D" personality type is known for being strong, dominant, task oriented, and decisive. They tend to be very businesslike and to the point. They do not enjoy socializing too much or wasting time on anything frivolous. With this personality type, we needed to be very quick and to the point if we were to sponsor them.
The "I" personality type is highly social. They are extremely friendly and not often detail oriented. They tend to be both emotional and enthusiastic. They enjoy having a lot of fun and being around a group that is full of positive energy. They tend to be the life of the party. Their weakness is that they can often lose focus on objectives. This personality type makes friends quickly and can often make others feel very comfortable.
The "S" personality type is extremely people oriented and somewhat reserved. They are very concerned with stability and have a strong aversion to risk. This type of personality responds well to a very friendly, logistical approach. This group may tend to be followers and want to feel as if they belong to part of a group. They want to discuss things like credibility and long-term benefits. They’re not very concerned with having a good time but will be open to developing a close personal friendship over time. They need very full, specific explanations to their questions.
The "C" personality type is extremely detail and task oriented and not very social. They will respond to a very conservative, patient approach. A "hard sell" will not work with them. This group tends to be extremely analytical and looks for specific, accurate answers. Quality and value are of the utmost importance to them. They, too, have an aversion to risk. This group will not respond well to a hyped-up presentation.
Below are "True Motivational Statements for Each Type" 3 from a resource purchased at a seminar for Amway distributors. The directions on how to utilize these statements effectively in motivating and influencing either the "D", "I", "S", or C" personality are as follows:
The words we choose when speaking to others can have either a motivating or demotivating result. You can pick "positive phrases" that appeal strongly and predictably to specific personality styles. Using such phrases creates a feeling that you understand what is especially important to your prospect. Here are some suggestions that are both motivational and true. You may find them helpful as you think about sharing our Business opportunity:
"I can tell it’s important for you to be in control of your life, isn’t it?"
D
"I can tell you really enjoy being around good people, don’t you?"
I
"It’s important to you to be involved with people who care about people, isn’t it?"
S
"If you were going to involve yourself in a project, you would want it to be legal and moral and ethical, wouldn’t you?"
C
We received this personality-type training from Dr. Rohm, who onstage was a charismatic, humorous, brilliant educator. Off stage, he revealed himself as a very kind, compassionate, Christian businessman. We essentially attended to all his needs for a weekend, and he was a joy to work with. Dr. Rohm brought tremendous credibility to The Business and its related system of success. His open praises of the system and its success were extremely powerful, because he was an outsider with a great deal of business acumen. The fact that he was very well known in Christian leadership was icing on the cake.
Direct Contact
"We don’t care what your faith is. We don’t care if you claim to have not faith. Build the business…you’ll…change to what God wants you to be."
- Crown Ambassador Dexter Yager
·As Pearls, we began to have direct contact with Dexter and Birdie Yager at high-level leadership meetings once or twice a year. Spending any time with Dexter and Birdie was the Amway business equivalent of going to Mecca. We knew that they had helped hundreds of people become millionaires and multi-millionaires in the Amway business. We were advised that they had helped thousands of people go Direct that were not even in their own organization. Because of the incredible success of the Yager System, many outside of his organization had requested permission to plug into his system of books, tapes, and seminars. While Dexter had actually helped thousands go Direct in other organizations, he never received a penny for it—or so we were informed.
This type of story was repeated often and reminded us of how fortunate we were to be part of his organization and teachings. Distributors were told that Dexter was the most successful distributor not only in Amway, but also in the global history of all multilevel marketing businesses. The percentages changed at times, but a common representation was that as much as 90 percent of Amway’s multibillion-dollar revenues came from Dexter’s Amway distributorship. We were truly at the right place at the right time.
Once a year, Zack and Molly would have Dexter and Birdie come in and speak at a large "Yager Spectacular" seminar for thousands of distributors. Zack was a multi-millionaire but remained humble and always stressed his total loyalty to Dexter. Zack told us often how important it was that he still counseled with Dexter. He was making a million dollars a year and still sought wise counsel. If Zack did this at his level, we all certainly needed to counsel with him on a regular basis. Dexter was often referred to as the master teacher.
Kathy and I were very excited about our first high-level leadership meeting with Dexter. Zack began what we would come to know as a ritual about a month before Dexter spoke. Zack explained that not everyone understood Dexter, because he was so incredibly intelligent and successful. It was described as difficult for Dexter to come down and speak on a level that the average guy may understand. Consequently, he was often misunderstood. One frequently used anecdote that kept people from questioning Dexter was this. As Zack often told the story, some broke guy was questioning why Dexter was wearing a polka-dot shirt in his picture in the Profiles of Success.
To agree with or even acknowledge a comment like that would be de-edifying to Dexter. Zack told the guy that polka-dot shirts were in style at Dexter’s income level. He told the broke guy that Dexter owned several hundred apartments like the one he lived in, so he would not expect him to understand the style that Dexter had been accustomed to. Another common phrase was used if anyone questioned the fact that Dexter sported a beard. Facial hair was another taboo in Amway. No leaders were permitted to have facial hair. If others questioned Dexter’s beard, we were to tell them that when they were as big in the business as he is, they could grow a beard too.
The bottom line is that anyone who questioned upline, but particularly Dexter, had to be either stupid, broke, or both. We heard these stories repeated again and again every time Dexter was about to join us. We had been well indoctrinated by then. We had listened to over 1000 hours of tapes and seminars. We questioned almost nothing by this point and were amazed that anyone would even think to question someone as successful as Dexter. After all, he was a great Christian servant who had succeeded only as a result of helping others succeed all over the world.
The big day of our first leadership meeting with Dexter soon came. Our sponsors, Kerry and Chris, had gone Pearl and had gotten to the meeting just before us. They sat right in the front row. None of the four of us had any conception of what we were in for. As it turns out, you never sit in the front row at a meeting with Dexter. You never knew what was going to happen, as Kerry and Chris were soon to discover. Thank God, Kathy and I sat in the second or third row from the front.
Zack warmed up the group of about 30 Pearls, Emeralds, and Diamonds. He was very solemn and almost reverent as he spoke of Dexter and his undying loyalty to him. Experienced distributors around us chuckled at the fact that our sponsors had sat in the front row and advised us that it was going to be a long night. We thought that was great. The more time we got to spend with Dexter, the better. After all, he was a millionaire maker and could be anywhere in the world right now but had chosen to be with us.
Dexter started to speak at about 10 p.m. that night. It was exciting, as he was warm and friendly. He seemed very at ease and spoke to us with compassion, almost as a father would to his children. But we soon moved into an area of his talk that I could only describe as bizarre. He began to speak of the many, many steady girlfriends he had had in high school. I think the highest number of steady girlfriends that we heard about was 100. He began to tell stories about his childhood and then more stories about girlfriends. These accounts seemed to go on endlessly with no point.
I looked around and people were smiling and nodding, and some were actually taking notes. What could they possibly be writing down? From the atmosphere in the room, it was obvious that he was a very powerful man. There was almost a sense of fear present, or at least a feeling that went well beyond normal respect. Somewhere after midnight, Dexter stood directly in front of Kerry and Chris and looked at Chris closely. He bent over and stuck his face right in front of Kerry’s and asked him if Chris was his wife. The room went silent. None of us knew what was coming next. Dexter commented that Chris was attractive and got eyeball to eyeball with Kerry and asked if he could kiss her.
You could have heard a pin drop. Time seemed to stop as Kerry hesitated to answer. We did not know what the correct answer was. Would it demonstrate loyalty to let Dexter kiss your wife? The tension in the room was electric. The silence seemed to go on forever, as Kerry seemed to begin to perspire. Kerry finally blurted out, "No!" and the room went silent again. Dexter acknowledged that Kerry had given the right answer, and we all breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Dexter then went off on some long tangent about respect or love or commitment. Who knows? It was now nearly 2 a.m., and he was still droning on about nonsense. Our eyes were rolling up in our heads.
We were all struggling to stay awake. There were no notes that he worked from, and it was often difficult to even identify the topic in your own minds. However, we knew better than to question this in either public or private. Zack closed the meeting and reminded us how fortunate we had been and hoped we had all grasped "the message." We were too tired to even begin to wonder if there had been a message. We just wanted to surrender ourselves to the pillows in our hotel room as soon as possible. Several years later, I learned about the effects of deliberate sleep deprivation, in which the senseless seems to make sense, and the bizarre becomes acceptable.
Dexter himself seemed to possess an unusual mixture of bizarre idiosyncrasies and credibility. He told of having Ronald Reagan speak at the seminars. He spent a great deal of time talking about the occasions when former presidents had had the opportunity to meet him. He often spoke of the presidential tie tack that former president George Bush had given him. It was surprising to hear how well connected Dexter and many other of the high-level Amway distributors were. Dexter spent a great deal of time talking about religion and his ultraconservative political agenda.
He seemed incredibly hardcore in most of his beliefs. We were soon to learn exactly why Zack had prepared us psychologically not to question Dexter. We later would also teach other distributors to do the same. The majority of our active distributors showed up the next day for the general admission seminar. Dexter and Birdie were brought onstage with tremendous fanfare and applause. You would have thought from the crowd’s wild reaction that they were greeting a rock superstar. They stood and cheered in a rousing standing ovation for what seemed like five minutes. We were extremely excited that our organization was going to learn from the one who had been described to us as the master teacher.
Dexter started out slowly and seemed to be relating rather well. He told many stories of the old days when he and Birdie struggled. His talk soon shifted with incredible force into his political agenda. This was a pattern we would soon become accustomed to. At one of these meetings, with thousands of distributors in attendance, Dexter informed the audience that he had distributors in The Business in high levels in the government. He even told the group present that he had connections with Secret Service agents that worked in the White House. These agents had advised him that Hillary Clinton was a lesbian and that she slept in her own private bedroom—separate from Bill’s. The agents, he said, had told him that our tax dollars were being used to shuttle Hillary’s lesbian lovers in and out of the White House. We would hear this saga repeated often by both Zack and Dexter at other leadership meetings.
At this meeting, and many others, Democrats were often characterized as mindless idiots, bent on socialism and the destruction of the moral fabric of this country. We lost a good amount of distributors after this seminar. If you did not eventually change your way of thinking from Democrat to Republican, there really was no room for you in Amway. To stay in Amway and remain a Democrat would subject you to almost constant derision and mockery. I do not ever remember hearing any Amway Diamond speak who was anything but a conservative Republican. It almost seemed like a requirement.
The conservative Republicans seemed very eager to rally around Amway. Former president Gerald R. Ford said,
"Amway distributors are dramatic proof that the American spirit of free enterprise is, and will continue to be, a vibrant force for good at home and around the world." *
We were not strongly tied to one political party or the other upon entering Amway. Kathy and I were very proud of the fact that this many important political figures fully endorsed, with their own reputations, The Business that we were now staking our family’s future upon.
There seemed to be an endless parade of very important political, religious, and business leaders that were anxious to endorse the Amway business. R. Craig Hoenshell is chairman and CEO of Avis, which has been described as one of the largest and most respected car rental companies. He related about Amway:
"Everyone knows that at Avis, ‘We Try Harder’ for the customer. It's the way to be the preeminent car rental company. Same thing with Amway. Independent Business Owners are part of a great enterprise. They can count on Amway to be there --- always working harder to make it as easy as possible for individuals to succeed in a business of their own. Avis and Amway have a lot in common."5
Jerry Falwell came in and spoke at an Emerald and Diamond-only meeting for Dexter. He was charismatic and well spoken, despite the picture that the media had painted of him as someone on the religious lunatic fringe. It seemed as if any of us that were going to do something good for our family, our God, or our country were going to be subject to criticism. My respect for Mr. Falwell grew tremendously as he spoke. He talked of enjoying talk shows where it was just him, Jesus, and a bunch of liberals slugging it out. He spoke highly of our Amway business leaders and the foundational principles that Amway was built upon. He described socialism as "shared poverty."6 We epitomized the exact opposite of that.
The credibility of the business began to increase at an incredible pace. Distributors were advised that Amway’s global estimated retail revenues were growing at a rate of almost a billion dollars a year. There was talk of Amway becoming a trillion-dollar company. Billionaire founder Rich DeVos was featured on the May 1996 cover of New Man magazine.
An Editor’s note in the article stated that: "this section tells the stories of businessmen who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Each man has used his platform of success in business to proclaim the love of God and salvation in Jesus Christ."7 The article gave a glowing review of Rich DeVos’ business and philanthropic efforts. This was a wonderful article that gave us even more credibility within the Christian community. It went on to say,
"Now at the age of 70, with a record of achievement and a reservoir of riches nearly unmatched in the 20th century (his net worth is estimated at $4.3 billion), DeVos is living with a renewed purpose and a heightened gratitude…"
"Amway has grown into one of the world’s largest and most lucrative privately held companies. It manufactures and sells household products directly to consumers, marketed by distributors who are widely known – and sometimes scoffed at - for their intensity and persistence…"
"Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop says he regards DeVos as one of his heroes. "Rich’s love for people and his vision to help them be the best that they can be has deeply affected me and my personal outlook," says Koop. A long-time friend and confidant, Billy Zeoli of Gospel Films, Inc. where DeVos has served on the board of directors for 30 years, has a more personal perspective. "Many people know that Rich is one of the finest business leaders of his generation," says Zeoli. "Many people know that he practices what he preaches-that he backs up his words with real action, putting his money and talents where his heart is. But few people know what a tender spirit and loving heart he has. He is one of history’s greatest motivators, precisely because he is motivated by the love of God and a desire to be faithful to his Lord.""8
"DeVos’ resolute optimism, salted with a wholehearted embrace of the Christian gospel, has taken him through many doors and helped create moments not only for him but for the people he has inspired through his books, speeches and businesses.
"In every achievers life, they must make a conscious decision to make something of themselves, to take responsibility for that that decision and too be willing the price," he says. "The most important lesson I have learned is the same lesson Winston Churchill illustrated famous three --- word graduation speech: "Never give up!’"9
This was one concept that distributors would hear echoed again and again in different words at seminars and on tapes. Never, never, never give up, never quit. Quitters never win, and winners never quit. Your greatest victory is just beyond your greatest challenge. Persist and win. Your God, your family, your group, and your country are all counting on you.