It’s now more than a month since the original August 31 deadline for Amway Global North America organizations and business owners to ensure they were accredited and operating according Amway’s rules and guidelines. The deadline was reportedly extended by a month as the process took more resources and time than Amway Global expected. Here’s the list as of October 2, 2008 –
Accredited Organizations:
eFinity, MMP, ProSystem One, Network 21, WIN, P5, Team-ONE, Vision Global, Britt Worldwide (BWW), I-Team USA, Global Business Alliance (GBA), International Connection (IC), INA, Julia Yu, Chi Chen, Teamworks International (TWI), DSI, Vision 2010, Equipo Vision, InterBiz, Usher Enterprises, IDA International, ITeam Choice, Proyecto Libertad, GlobalNet, World Wide Dream Builders
Accredited IBOs:
Jeff Paullin, Terry & Donna Gallian, Andrea Clark, Janette & Milo Wilcox, Alyn & Geraldine Sovak, Wade and April Cowart, Diane Fahrenkrug, Brett and Rebecca Barlow, KBBT, Inc., Jorge & Nessa Gutierrez, BIJA of Sarasota, Alan & Lori Mitchell, Norma Buttrick Teerman & John Teerman, John & Pam Marta, Holpp Enterprises, Inc., Eastburn & Associates, Inc., Don & Janice Berman, Ray and Judy Clem, Maureen Minaudo, Robert & Eva Chavez, John & Lori Dipaola, Tom & Robin Joseph, Randy and Kathleen Wolfe, Charlotte Maaskant Trust, Bob & Mary Smiley, Phil & Kathleen Wolf, Bill & Myrna McDonald, PTM Enterprises LLC, DD-120 Ltd, Dawn & Bud Peterson, Eric & Brenda Buehler, Gaffey & Gaffey, Inc., Paul & Linda Witter, The Mahoney Family Trust, Maurice & Lavone Luther, Randy Perry & Lisa Perry, Claire Gunnett, Carmel Van Alen, Michael & Dorothy Hamlett, Jan & John DeYoung, DeJean Family Living Trust, Mary Pederson & Katie Bronemann & Lisa Freitas, Karstedt International, Inc., Seagren Sales, Inc., Lawrence & Margaret Rich, Robert & Mona Rodee, Linda Kalland, Patricia Eich, James Merrill & Glenna Devoy, Jerry & Debbie Boes, Sid & Mary Watters, Krause & Krause, Inc., Charles Wolf, Jakob & Julie Oenes, Jean Benetti, Nobuhiko & Tomoko Yamaguchi, Yumiko & Masaki Koretsune, Howard & Faye Vaughan, Dallas Beaird, Amway Direct Distributorship 689, Grant & Marcella Hedgpeth, Dirk, Karin & Nicole Jansen, Amdeka Corporation, Three Beecher, Inc., John Riles, Grace Cope-Riles, Kandice Berger & Shannon Nicole Stone
Of note is that WWDB (World Wide Dream Builders), one of the largest organisations in North America, is now in the list – however, The Yager families Internet Services is not. It’s interesting to see the large range of different organisations and the many “system independent” IBOs listed. Most Amway critics have experiences limited to just one organisation, yet when they write about Amway on the internet, they often speak as if their experience is a universal one – yet I can guarantee most Amway critics have never even heard of most of the organizations and folk listed above, let alone all the other Amway organisations and thousands of Diamonds around the world. It’s also interesting to note the number of “Trusts” and independent corporations listed. These are often very old distributorships, often where the original distributor has since died. The Charlotte Maaskant Trust, for example, is the business originally started by Neal Maaskant – the sponsor of Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel in both Nutrilite and Amway! It qualified as a Founders Emerald business when Founders Awards were introduced in the late 90s. Contrary to the claims of Amway critics that “residual” type incomes aren’t possible with Amway, these businesses continue to provide incomes for the families of the distributor that had the foresight and put in the effort to build a successful, long-lasting business.
I would like very much to get Gaffey $ Gaffey inc. phone numberso we can order our produts. any help offerd would be much appreciated thank very much bob jackie creek
Hi Bob, call Amway, they should be able to help.
Yup! Geary reported this a few days ago on Amway Talk.
I received a notification yesterday that LTD has been accredited.
Hi aj,
I’m very glad to hear about cutting back on the functions. Many people attend the functions and dupe themselves into thinking that they are “doing the business” when, in fact, the only time you are “doing the business” is when you are setting up or servicing a customer, getting a new personal or new in-depth IBO started, or are prospecting for new IBOs or customers. Of course, there are other detail things that must be done also, but, really, how much training and motivation does one need? It is nice, but it can be overdone.
I just long for the day (and I think it is coming) when everybody in the business makes the majority of their income from the business and not from system money.
I believe when a new person is trained to get their 20 to 30 (or more) customers and hit their 400 PV the first few months in the business, I believe that the retention rate will go way up because they are profitable from the start, and they will go Platinum quicker because it will take less people. It takes 150 people @ 50 PV to do 7500 and it takes 19 people @ 400 PV to do 7600. I’ll take the latter because more people want to just buy the products than want to do the business, no matter how much it pays.
Hey Jeffrey,
I respect your efforts to build a business with a strong retail focus, and limited or no system support. I really do commend you for what your are accomplishing.
I just wanted to point out that the last four Yager Free Enterprise events that I have been to have had a product expo, with training, including the one last weekend. I’ve also been to the Chicago National Spotlight, and I find the Free Enterprise product expos are comparable in scale to the National Spotlight Tours.
During the last few years my support team has been paring down the functions. They’ve stopped supporting “Weekend of the Diamonds”, the major spring Yager event; and they’ve chopped an hour off the monthly weekend functions, and reduced the price from $25 to $15. I find the local weekend functions to be the most valuable. If I could do it over again, I would have skipped this year’s Free Enterprise Celebration. It’s become very heavy on new pin recognition, and I’ve lost interest in having non-English speaking IBOs/ABOs screaming at us. (You can do it!!!! Go Diamond!!!!) I’d rather get information. However, I do congratulate all the French Canadians, Koreans, Central Americans, Poles, and Chinese who received recognition on the Yager stage.
InterNet Services/Yager Group is now accredited. I witnessed Doyle Yager receive the award plaque from Sandy Spielmaker of Amway Global in Cincinnati this weekend.
(1) we often attend similar types of functions held by outside organisations, and they’re normally significantly more expensive.
(2) Just 2 Double X customers or 3 Artistry essentials clients a month would pay for a $125 ticket, so it’s not exactly a big expense to cover. If you can’t afford a hotel, sleep in a car or a tent, whatever – or just sell a few more Artistry essentials and Double X
(3) I find one every 3-4 months is necessary for me, if you don’t, then don’t go. Most people don’t go, so clearly folk aren’t “forced” to go and don’t have any major trouble making the decision not to go.
(4) One of their main functions is to provide inspiration to new IBOs and newer IBOs in your group, not training. Training is best done in smaller groups. However, your odds of getting other IBOs to go if you don’t are about zero, and in my experience the people who turn up to the smaller training sessions are the ones who go the bigger functions, not the other way around. If quarter after quarter you have no new IBOs and it’s just you, then your either only interested in the retailing side of things, hence it’s probably not that great a value for you, or you need to reevaluate your entire business.
I think more of a problem than the “tools” is the functions. My upline Diamond just got accredited while he is promoting a major function that is 800 miles away with $125.00 tickets and 2 nights at a hotel for $99.00 a night. The big pins still use the old, worn-out “all the leaders will be there” when they know that most of the people that attend are new and at 3% and most likely after attending 3 or 4 more major functions will be gone forever, not ever to buy the products again. I think big functions are fine if they don’t cost $125 (maybe $15 or $25 at the most) and if they include an expo with product training. I also think if you’ve been to 3 or 4 functions, you’re either going to build the business or you’re not. I realize that everyone has different circumstances, but I believe it is an inner desire that leads someone to build the business and not because a light came on and they got a divine call to build the business at a function. Also, maybe one major function a year would be OK, but I don’t think one every 90 days is necessary. I believe the Diamonds prey on the new people giving them the guilt trip and that is where most of their money come from, hence the accusation that the Diamonds make most of their money from the system, and also hence, the bad reputation of the company. Until the company puts a stop to the big, unnecessary functions, nothing is going to change. From a cost standpoint, the overhead of the business, even on a system is cheap compared to a conventional business, but the tools and the functions in this business are subjective. The low cost of entry and building of this business is one of its selling points. The real training in this business is when the sponsor and upline Platinum roll up their sleeves and get in with the new guy/gal, show them how to get their first 20 to 30 customers and hit their 400 PV First Circle, then show them (not just tell them) how to then build their width, then build their depth. If an upline Platinum or Diamond is unwilling to do this, their functions aren’t worth going to and they aren’t worth edifying.
“mystery” i mean.
Hmmm..That might be the case. I am not sure how many people comes to function (the actual numbers) and how many people are in the organization. Its always a mistery 😀
Also remember that at any given function, even though it may be a packed coliseum, it is a very small of IBOs who attend in a given large organization. Same goes for people buying tools.
I got sent some Britt and Miller MP3s last year, from the then SOT program, and they were a LONG way from accreditation standards.
As for my statement – the fact is that only a minority of folk who register as IBOs ever buy tapes etc, so it’s a bit harsh to specifically blame them for any growth problems.
I haven’t seen much of it from long time. I don’t know how it used to be decade back, but from last couple of years the tone is not at all religion/political. Yes sometime Bill Britt start that, but from many function he is not there at all..so can’t complain.
I did not understand your statement:
“If “tools” are the problem, and so few people buy or use the tools – how can “tools” be the problem?”
Tools are still widely bought and used in the business, as a matter of fact, if you are not a regular part of the “system”, you basically does not exist for your uplines – Thats the unwritten rule.
A simple question – if “tools” are the problem, and so few people buy or use the tools – how can “tools” be the problem?
Accreditation is not about business building strategies and never has been. The same strategy you think is the problem in the US is having enormous success in other markets. Accreditation is about reputation. For a start, how’s BWW doing on the religion/politics from stage front?
I agree bridgett that the changes can’t be expected from the top dogs, as most of them might be earning their major money from the same things, which has been creating issue with Amway business from last 30 years. But the question is about the usability and effectiveness of the much hyped accredition program.
I mean the whole program was devised to comply with certain rules created by Amway, but no significant changes has been reinforced while enforcing those rules. The most important factor that this business is struggling is the lack of customer volume and over emphasis on system sucess rate (which is dubious). Nothing has been done during the accredition process about this.
Amway is doing its share of the work, advertising, free shipping, now change in shipping schedules etc., but main devil is still at by large. If this accredition was so important, they should have implemented rules, like they have in UK. It may setback the business for sometime, but atleast things will be much better later on.
RS,
Just like in anything, real change occurs from the bottom up, not the top down.
If we are waiting for the top dogs to change before we change, well, good luck! 🙂
Its good to know that BWW cleared the accredition process, but i still don’t see any big shift in the way things are done. Changes i saw were:
– Breakout sessions during functions (didn’t see that in FED)
– Product display at the open
Apart from that everything is same,
– The “Buy for yourself and tell other to do so” continues.
– Imphasis on buying tools and attending functions continues
Doug DeVos was there at the FED and spoke to us and gave some nice insight about the things. But at the heart of the organization, things are still the same.
Larry and Margaret Rich also John and Grace Riles both are Triple Diamonds and are very strong independent leaders who have enjoyed fantastic lifestyles for 40 yrs because of their effort and the Amway business not system income. I wish more people knew about these great leaders who do not believe in profiting from their groups from tape, book and function sales.
Doug DeVos himself spoke at our recent conference. Awesome talk and a little background history of his father and Jay. Funny and very insightful.
Forgot about LTD! I was writing the article and thinking “there’s someone else missing …..” but couldn’t think who it was.
No, it is LTD.
That’s Internet Services, yes?
I just edited the post slightly to highlight one of the trusts.
Nice blog. It really is amazing to see, especially the trusts!!
Hoping soon our system will be there. Last I heard they are in the final stages.