Amway is the subject of many opinions, and if we have to come up with an average in terms of them being either positive or negative, it can be a bit hard. We are trying to convey to you that the opinions of your family members, friends, and other people you know can often be subjective. This is why it is difficult to judge whether certain business opportunities work based on reviews and comments.
Then, what option do we recommend when you want to determine whether a business is a good option or not? Usually, you will have to jump to action without second thoughts and make sure you invest enough money to “enjoy” everything offered by the opportunity you are accepting.
Now, we want to help you save time, money, and effort or to determine if it is something you could invest in.
This is why we have compiled all the information you need about Amway and whether this company is or not the one you need for your entrepreneurship.
Keep in mind we will discuss the history and background of this company through this Amway MLM review and how you can become a part of it (or not).
First, What Is an MLM Company?
Before we can even jump to action and provide the details about the company, we need to know: Are you familiar with MLM companies and how they work?
MLM stands for multilevel marketing, and it is a business model very similar to something you always avoid at all costs, pyramid schemes.
The reason why they are so similar is that both work with a downline and commission plan.
Instead of earning a salary or obtaining direct profits, you can only earn income by selling products at the retail price after acquiring them with the discount of the MLM company for members or making money based on the people you recruit as distributors for the company.
To make it simpler:
- You make a profit out of selling products.
- You mainly earn based on your new recruits (your downline) and how much they buy, sell, and people they recruit as well.
Although they have the same “modus operandi,” the difference between an MLM and pyramid scheme is that the first works with real products and services.
For example, Amway does offer products you can sell and earn commission from it.
However, pyramid schemes work around this offer but don’t actually have any services and products to offer. They just want you to recruit people and add them to the pyramid scheme.
It is crucial to remember these MLM companies work with compensation plans and some commissions as well as rankings you climb based on how much you sell but mainly how many distributors you recruit for the company.
Back to 1959: Starting an MLM Company
Focusing on history now, we have details about Amway.
Since Jay Van Andel’s and Richard DeVos’ founding of the company on November 9, 1959, this company has made great strides and continues to stand strong today.
The founders of Amway have been friends since high school. Before Amway was founded, they had worked together in various ventures, including a hamburger stand and an air charter service.
Going back to the company, the company’s full name is actually the American Way Association and was started when both founders were introduced to the MLM system (multilevel marketing).
You can bring more people to the brand as distributors while earning a commission or percentage from the sales of that distributor for as long as you are associated with it.
This means that people make money by bringing people together to become independent distributors and not selling the products; at least, the latter is not the main goal or way to make a profit (as we have explained before).
This business model has been very popular for the past 50 years, if not more.
We can see that Jay and Richard created Amway to address the instability at Nutrilite, their former company.
Their goal was to find more products on the market that focus on home, beauty, health, and care.
Frisk, a concentrated organic cleaner, was their first product. Jay and Richard bought the rights to the product, but the company didn’t own them, but they had the right to produce the item.
The founders found new products every day to help the company grow. They also started to create more sections and bring in distributors to make it the global empire that it is today.
How Much Can It Cost?
We are aware that once you consider a business opportunity, you just want to make sure of how much money you would have to spend.
Well, it is only logical considering that your budget might not be enough, and even if it is, you need to know how much you’re spending on something.
Thus, let’s now talk about prices.
This MLM business can be very affordable, which is something we should point out.
Amway charges distributors a little less than $100 per year as a start-up fee and a continuous one to cover the costs of resources and support.
It’s very similar to membership, but it is much cheaper than MLM businesses and services that you pay for today (like Netflix).
The trick is to get the products and packaging you want to sell.
The actual money you spend is not the annual and starting fee, but how much you invest in products to distribute them or to sell them.
This investment is not from your pocket. It varies depending on the product or package that you choose to purchase.
So, like every company of this type, you usually have to pay the products upfront to later sell them to clients that have requested them or start selling them directly.
It can be hard to deal with this paying and then selling system, but it is how MLM companies work.
Can You Make Money? – Amway’s Real Face
Amway isn’t a scam, as we mentioned during the first section. But there’s more to it than just this statement.
MLM businesses aren’t that good if you are trying to actually make money and earn what you deserve for your effort.
Why?
Because it’s difficult to keep up with a constant influx of distributors and people interested in joining as members (which is the main way you generate profit), over 65% of distributors do not earn more than $150-200 per month. We are quite generous since you will have a drop to $100 per month if you don’t sell continuous products or make sure to bring in the downline.
Why is it so difficult to actually make money by selling products? First, Amway’s items are very expensive and not always easy to sell.
Amway products are not for everyone, despite their quality. They tend to cost more than many people can afford to purchase a home and health care.
Sales may slow down in the initial months or even for years. Those who make a fortune with them are not making it because of the products. This is basically a lie.
We don’t doubt that Amway is a good business model. However, you won’t make as much money as the company promises in many of its articles and statements. Instead, you will be bound to receive some extra cash unless you are able to sell some products a month and focus on recruiting as well.
It is common to read MLM companies telling people that you will become rich with their help.
You want to believe at least once that this business opportunity is a good one, only to discover that it won’t.
Now, it is true that some people who make sales in a month of about 10+ products are able to earn more than just $150 on average. Instead, the amount can go as high as $310+.
Amway works, and you can make money, but it isn’t the gold mine you were expecting, and you will have a lot of work to make sure you can earn some extra cash.
Pros & Cons: Why You Should (Or Not) Invest
We understand that this is a lot of information, and by this point, it might not be the best business idea, but it may still appeal to you.
If this is the case, you need to focus on knowing as much as you can of the company, and this is when we enter: The advantages and disadvantages.
There is a lot to consider, and you will have to put everything in writing to analyze what is better for you.
We want you to be able to make an informed decision, so have a look at these factors:
Pros:
- You can get your money back within the first 60 to 180 days.
- These products work and are real. You are not going to scam anyone with them.
- It is widely known and will not require you to build a reputation.
- The initial fee or payment to join is low.
- You can make some money from selling the products, unlike other MLM companies.
- It is real and reputable. Most people that are worried about home care and health buy many of the products.
Cons:
- However, because they are so expensive, it is difficult to sell the products.
- Even if you put in a lot, you can’t become rich unless you set a downline and climb ranks thanks to it.
- When you try to find new distributors, it can be dangerous and annoying for those you know.
- Earnings and commissions can be below, and you have to deal with the fee for those.
- Many people decide to ignore you due to the similitude of the business model to pyramid schemes. %
To consider: Most Frequent Questions
To make sure you have your ideas clear and know where you are diving in when considering this business, we will need to go over some frequent questions, as weird as this may sound.
We know people who read us have quite the questions about MLM companies and how they can work with them, so we decided to try something a bit different.
- What are Amway’s consumer protections?
Amway’s consumer production includes returning policies and a program they called “Zero Purch” that helps with all the issues and handles customer service ad protection.
- Is Amway chargeable for registering?
Amway charges an annual fee for registration to cover costs incurred by the company in order to provide resources to assist members in running their business effectively.
- Does Amway offer more resources?
Amway provides a variety of digital resources and apps for Amway Independent Business Owners. This allows them to run their businesses from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.
- The Amway Business Center app allows Independent Business Owners to manage their business from anywhere. It lets them monitor and tracks personal and team performance, register new Independent Business Owners, customers, and view activity reports.
- The Amway Resource Center App is a one-stop-shop for multimedia materials. The app features a new look and simple navigation. It is intended to assist Independent Business Owners in accessing and sharing business resources while on the move.
- Nutrilite Supplement Recommender can suggest supplements perfectly suited to a person’s needs by taking a quick, simple, and scientifically-supported assessment.
- Any internet-enabled smartphone with internet access can easily register a customer, Amway Independent Business Owner or customer, as well as access educational resources and check performance. At their leisure, users can switch between the mobile and full website.
- Is Amway legal?
Amway is a direct-selling business (aka MLM) that has operations in over 100 countries and territories, and based on what we mentioned before, yes, it is legal. Still, some countries don’t allow this type of business model.
To recap this, Amway distributors (Amway Independent Business Owners) make money selling products.
A person can make more money than the person who sponsored them. Amway and the Business Owner sign a written agreement that outlines the relationship and provides Rules of Conduct.
Direct Selling Association estimates that there were nearly 40 million direct selling customers, representing 6.8 million of the total U.S. population in 2019. This contributed an estimated $35.2 billion to the country’s economy in 2019.
Amway has been designing, developing, and selling high-quality personal care, nutrition, and household products for 60 years, or that’s what they say, at least.
- What products does it make?
The products focused on their niches (home, beauty, and nutrition) are entirely made by the company:
- Nutrilite(TM): Is the #1 global selling vitamin and dietary supplements brand. It’s also the only global vitamin & dietary supplement brand that can grow, harvest, and process plants on its own certified organic farms.
- Artistry(TM): Is one of the top 10 most popular premium beauty brands in the world. These customized skincare and makeup products are infused with natural botanical ingredients.
- Amway Home(TM): This is a leading brand of environmentally-sensitive home cleaning products that are better, naturally.
eSpring(TM): Is the largest-selling brand of home water treatment systems.+ They effectively kill 99.9% of harmful microorganisms and reduce over 140 possible health-effect contaminants. - Atmosphere (atm): Has the highest performance HEPA air purifier for removing allergens. These air purifiers are the best in class and can be connected to your mobile device to deliver clean air to your vehicle or home.
- iCook (TM): Cookware builds confidence and brings people together through food.
- XS (TM) Energy: This is the first brand to exclusively sell sugar-free energy drinks globally.
“I Want to Sell with Amway” – Then, Follow These Recommendations
MLM companies are not for everyone, but for those who decide to give it a try, the best we can do is help with some tips that can assist them in having the best income possible.
So, if you’re considering it, please take note of these recommendations:
- Be your best customer.
You can’t expect others to buy your products if you don’t believe enough in them. Your company’s products are your best assets, and you need to show this.
You can create a product story and testimonial using your own products that you can share with your prospects. Your testimonial will be your best business tool when selling Amway products and making sure you share the main message: “This works!”
- Use your products in public.
Following the previous advice, consider being more visual and let’s conversational.
Whether you’re at work, with friends, or outliving your life, you can use some of the products. If you’re visiting a friend, take your skincare products or vitamins along with you and show your friend. It will spark their curiosity and lead to a conversation, possibly even a sale.
- Gift Amway Products to your friends and family.
They will be more likely to try the product. If they like it, there’s a good chance that they’ll reorder from you once they run out.
- Give away samples.
No, it isn’t the same as giving your loved ones and friends the products, but we can tell you that samples are your friend.
Do not be greedy about your Amway samples. This is the main suggestion here.
Get the person’s contact information before you give them a sample so you are exchanging one thing for another and they don’t feel you are pushy. Also, this will allow you to follow up at your convenience.
You will likely never hear from someone again if you give them a sample without first getting their contact information.
- Ask people to buy.
You need to be able to look someone in their eyes and ask them to purchase. This is where most reps fail.
If you don’t ask prospects to buy from you, even the most qualified leads that are in front of you won’t convert into clients.
Ask everyone you meet to test a product before placing an order. Unless you ask, it will always be NO.
- Deliver outstanding customer service.
This is one of the best ways to increase sales of Amway products. Keep in touch. Communicate often. Your customers should feel valued. Don’t forget the small things, and this will increase retention.
- Keep in touch with quitting reps.
Stay in touch with former customers. These people will order the products if they like it and you made a connection with them. Now, keeping in touch doesn’t mean to pressure them to do more for the products you offer (buy more) than they are comfortable with.
We Don’t Consider Amway as the Best
Though, we are sure you already noticed our inclination for other alternatives or more like our opinion about not investing in this company.
However, we understand that many people consider it impossible to find a business model that is profitable, reliable, affordable, easy to run, and accessible from their homes, which is why they usually give multilevel marketing a try.
We thought the same thing until we found local lead generation a few years back.
This business model requires you to invest very little, and although it takes a lot of time in the beginning, you will start making passive income from your home in the long run.
Local lead generation is about bringing clients to local websites by building them for businesses that you contact.
You must then rank each site on Google. This will ensure that you are bringing in organic traffic.
Why is “local” important? Because you can easily manage the SEO and rank the websites of the potential clients or companies, you will be contacting in your local area.
Now, why do we think it is actually better than Amway?
Amway has many issues, but the main difference between the local lead gen and MLM systems would be the ability to make more money.
Local lead generation guarantees you a monthly income of over $1,000 for every website you create and the leads you bring to it. This is possible by putting in a lot of work at the beginning and then relaxing and enjoying the results.
You are not bound to make money by finding other people who will sell or offer the same and have to depend on a downline.
Still, just make sure that if you give lead generation a try, you take the time to go over a course to learn the basics, like building sites, contacting clients, and learning how to generate those prospects.
The Local Lead Generation Process for Your Business
All right! So, everything is about building properties and generating leads. But how does the process actually take place? Are there other steps I need to know?
The steps I mention below are what students from our local lead generation program follow to generate leads for businesses like yourself. So I’ll help you see what we do. And how if you join our program, you can simply generate leads for your own business (unless you want to start a side hustle and build a laptop lifestyle business).
Essentially, our lead generation can be divided into four steps:
The first is prospecting. You need to take the time to do market research on a niche (industry) and determine how many phone-driven businesses are there.
Keep in mind that this is local research as you need to know how many companies need leads. For example, you may search for “plumbing services Youngstown OH.”
You will find dozens or even hundreds of businesses trying to get themselves in front of the customers by ranking on Map Listings, organic results, and even Ad.
The second step, building. When you find a niche (plumbing, tree services, a software company, real estate…), you will need to start building your digital properties. You don’t need to be an expert in HTML or coding. It can be easy with the right tools.
The third step is now taking time to rank your lead gen website. With the site done, you need to work on SEO strategies and start dominating those Google search results. If you’re new to SEO, it stands for Search Engine Optimization.
To keep it simple, it consists of the entire process of growing a company’s visibility on search engines like Google and generating organic traffic. And remember this, local lead generation is part of the strategies.
Moving on to step four, once you rank the site, you will start getting your ROI and profits. You only need to rent it out to a local business interested in the leads the site generates. You can offer a couple of free leads to their move on with the actual pay per lead.
To review steps 1-4 above, I described it to a normal student who is building a lead gen business to help local service providers generate more calls. But replace the student with you as the business owner. And replace sending the leads to a business to simply siphoning the leads to your personal business.
By the way, fun fact, about 20% of our students in our local lead gen program are actually business owners who went through the program. And they use the skillsets we teach to generate leads for their own business.
An Example of Lead Generation: Home Advisor
You must be thinking, “if lead generation sounds so good so far, how come I haven’t seen any company?” That’s the thing; there are many out there. You just don’t know they are dedicated to it.
HomeAdvisor is one of the best examples you can find on the Internet as it is a top lead generation company that has spent millions building its brand but also earned even more zeros for this same reason.
They started small as everyone else but invested in building their brand awareness to make people who are looking for home services go to their website and find what they need. They are over 75% of people’s first choice when they need those services.
If you don’t get HomeAdvisor that much or need a refresh, users need to submit their information to request a service and get a professional or expert who can provide it.
HomeAdvisor’s job is to share your information, which makes you a lead, with local companies so they can contact you and offer the service you’re requesting. For sharing this lead information, HomeAdvisor gets paid by the companies. This happens for every single lead they send to multiple businesses.
Business owners who don’t have marketing skills or don’t even know how to have any online presence will always rely on those pages to list their services. They will save time and effort, but companies like HomeAdvisor can make them spend lots of money as leads aren’t exclusive (one lead is sent to multiple companies after all).
Using Facebook Ads aka Paid Ad Platforms: Do They Generate Leads?
They DO generate leads. If not, no one would use them.
However, you need to remember two facts:
- Paid ads or platforms can be expensive.
- They don’t generate “natural” leads.
Whenever someone sees or clicks in one of those ads, over 80% of them did it by accident or are trying to close/report it.
Why? Because they aren’t looking for those services. At least not at the moment.
What those ads do instead is interrupt their time on the platforms. Users aren’t there to find companies or businesses unless they are searching for a specific company’s user, and for that, there’s a search bar. This is why it is hard to convert them to actual customers who will show interest in the companies’ services. Also, you’re limited by a budget.
When using lead generation, everything is organic. You aren’t forcing others to pay attention to your business but rather being there when they need you. This is why Google’s organic traffic will always beat paid ads, and the reason companies continue investing in it, which is a lot cheaper as well.
What Is Local SEO?
Don’t worry… I didn’t get it at first either. Following the short explanation, local SEO focuses on scaling businesses’ visibility on search engines. However, this is only for those who serve their communities face-to-face.
What does this mean?
Experts and professionals like painters, plumbers, and dentists (but not only them) offer their services to their local customers. Why? Because they can’t deliver them unless they are located in the same area of their customers.
To make sure those businesses get more leads, you need to rank them locally by claiming the business listing on Google to place them on Map Listings. Local SEO also involves online reviews, citation management, and how you manage your entire online presence in the local area.
If you are going to bet on lead gen, you need to adapt yourself to today’s world: The Internet.
Keep in mind that although traditional channels and methods like billboards, warm calls, and pamphlets still work, they aren’t part of your tools. Whenever someone needs a service, they go to Google and search for it.
“Dentist in Miami” or “plumbing services in Orlando,” etc. And you can keep coming up with services or professionals people need and look for. Thus, you need to make sure you’re using Google to get the companies in front of their clients.
Users will always click on the first search results (those near the top), and many of them will be either Ad links (people paid to place their websites there), Map Listing, and then you get websites. Almost all of them are your goal and where you should always aim to place yourself.
Can My Business Utilize a Local Lead Generation Strategy?
If you want customers, you better know you need it. Following the previous explanation, lead gen is all about placing businesses in front of their customers, choosing them over their competitors.
Put it simply – it’s all about closing deals and having clients for those companies to make money. The main difference with the usual methods companies use for this is how lead generation approaches different channels to get them in the right place of the market to get customers.
Those channels are all focused on the Internet as most people are searching for products but also services across the net. The issue is that the Internet is way too broad, and businesses don’t know how to place themselves. They usually try, but they get one common result: losing money and time.
How Powerful Are Organic Leads from Google?
For companies looking for customers, it’s everything. For you? Pretty much the same. When you build a business with digital properties, you get to make thousands of dollars a month.
This isn’t a “get started today and get rich tomorrow” thing, but it is HIGHLY scalable, and ROI + positive results are guaranteed. Learning a fairly decent and very needed set of skills to create your digital properties and start ranking them on Google is required.
I have invested in several online businesses over the years, and if there’s something uncertain, whether you will get your ROI or not, even more than the actual profit.
However, this business moved my earnings from five figures a year to a month in ONLY passive income while sitting comfortably at home.
On my laptop. Anywhere. Anytime.
You can look at one of the first sites I built back in 2016, and it continues making me over $1.000+ every month. The best part is that I don’t need to touch it or the rest I’ve built over the years, just like this digital property.
What Makes Lead Generation SO Alluring?
Here it goes: you can work from home.
The main issue with regular business opportunities is how much you need to invest in staff, equipment, or rent to have a place to sell your products or offer your services.
We all know the hassles of traditional businesses that involve regular expenses, which are extremely high. Can you afford it? I don’t think so, and even if you can, is it worth it? Now, it isn’t only about the money. You also need to put in a lot of work, and it isn’t only during the first couple of months or years. Usually, it is as long as you continue running it.
You can save yourself those headaches and bone-breaking tasks and expenses with lead gen since it is more about generating leads with digital channels—mainly websites.
Websites can be VERY cheap to build, and with many tools online, you get to do it in a couple of hours instead of days. Any virtual or digital business is scalable and won’t need constant maintenance.
So, let’s summarize this:
- You save money in regular expenses with traditional and most online businesses as what you need is yourself and digital properties (websites).
- You can bet on passive income.
- There’s no need to hire more people to get started.
- You can generate leads in multiple industries, which allows you to work on any niche you want.
How Can I Get Started in the Local Lead Generation Program?
Anyone can start and learn. That’s the beauty of this business model. I knew nothing about SEO, Map Listing, and everything I’ve mentioned so far. It is all about learning the skills, gaining experience, and deciding to take the step.
Remember that this business model will never get old as business owners are always looking for leads. They need to do business and scale their companies. Why not do the same while helping others and still making money?
You can start with this local lead generation course highly recommended for anyone wanting to grow in the business. It is a close training that will take you through each step and make sure you are able to get your ROI, profits and take control of your life.
You will be added to an incredible lead generation family ready to help you 24/7 when asking questions on the group. Anyone is welcome who’s willing to put in the work. Click here to watch the lead gen webinar.