Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors by Ruth Carter

Behind the Smoke and Mirrors has been a very personal book to me. Several years ago, my family became involved with Amway, specifically the Britt System branch. I could clearly see the wisps of illusion cloud their eyes as they believed they would be "emeralds" and "double diamonds" in a matter of years - terms that describe those who have climbed the rungs of the organization and have landed on top. They believed they would be millionaires. I tried to explain to them what I saw as cult-like behavior by the group - the immense number of "strongly encouraged" meetings that reminded me of revivals, where Amway uplines would "bear witness" to how crummy their lives were before Amway, and how after Amway, their lives were, in a sense, reborn with unlimited freedom and money. I was basically forced ("strongly encouraged") to attend an open meeting, and the word Amway wasn't mentioned until 3/4 of the way into the meeting. At the assembly, speakers (who were all male and married, which the author explained as standard for Amway) would regularly get up and talk about how they could possibly be satisfied with their combined incomes earning anything less than 200K total. I was horrified at the apparent greed cult my family had walked into.

In a personal and easily readible style, Ruth Carter goes over her own experience with Amway, and delves into others' similar nightmares. She explains where and how those in Amway make their money, what actual money they do make, and reveals the wizard behind the curtain. In a few chapters, she touches on what makes a cult, the different types of cults in existence, and the psychological profile of what people fall prey to cults and pyramid schemes. Ruth Carter explores Amway in all of its facets - the psychological, the economic, the social. Behind the Smoke and Mirrors held my attention - I was riveted from the first page and read it straight through. The only complaints I had about the book is that the type used in its publication wasn't that easy to read and in the first chapter, the confessionals from former Amway distributors didn't flow smoothly.

Behind the Smoke and Mirrors is really an essential for anyone considering entering the Amway business, or for a friend or family member of someone who is/was involved, or for someone needing healing from being a former Amway distributor. Reading Carter's book helped heal and answer questions I had carried for several years. - Katharina Woodworth, Assistant Editor

Here are some excerpts:

From Chapter 8: "This Diamond couple in the Yager AMO shows all the trappings of wealth. He wears expensive, hand-tailored suits. His shoes and boots are of the finest quality leather, eel, or other exotic skins. A large diamond glitters on his finger, gold chains dangle around his neck, and the Rolex watch is large and studded with diamonds. Her dresses flaunt well-known designer labels, and an enormous diamond graces her left hand. Quality gold and gem-studded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces vie for attention. He drives around in a luxury sports car worth well over $100,000.00. Her car, a full-size Mercedes sedan, is a bit more conservative. Several sport utility vehicles, with every available luxury option, round out the fleet.

"One of their homes includes over 10,000 square feet of living space, on more than an acre in an exclusive gated community. Another home is slightly smaller, but on a desirable piece of waterfront property. Here they keep a fast boat, outfitted with all the gadgets and toys, as well as jet skis and other waterborne toys. They have a condo in a distant part of the country. After their children married, they gave each of them a substantial amount to use as a down payment on the purchase of a home.

"They eat most of their meals in restaurants.

"When they travel, they often charter a plane so they can bring business associates or family members along. They talk about buying their own airplane. They schedule several trips a year with family members: this is their 'quality time' with children, siblings and parents.

"Behind the scenes, they owe more than a quarter of a million dollars on about 30 credit cards; all their homes carry mortgages, second mortages, and equity loans; and they are two years behind in paying their Federal Income Taxes. They have no savings, yet their gross income is about $3 million.

"They tell people they are wealthy."

From Chapter 9: "'Commercial cults believe in the dogma of greed. They deceive and manipulate people to work for little or no pay in the hope of getting rich. There are many pyramid-style or multi-level marketing organizations that promise big money but fleece their victims. They then destroy their victims' self-esteem so that they will not complain.' - Hassan"

From Chapter 11: "Does a novice question his sponsor about the apparent deceptiveness of the prospecting and contacting process? Then the upline will explain, 'George, if we tell them it's Amway, that's when we're deceiving them! Maybe their only experience of Amway was some little old lady in tennis shoes coming around to sell them a box of SA8 (Amway's brand of laundry detergent). So if you say to them, "I'm in the Amway business," they think of that little old lady. They know they don't want to go door to door, so they won't look at your opportunity. And yet, if they came and saw what you have to offer with an open mind, they would see the potential and get involved. So you see, if we tell them it's Amway, that's when we're deceiving them.'

"I wonder how it would work if a U.S. Army recruiter came into the local high school and used a technique like that. 'Hey, son, what are your plans after you graduate?' 'Are you a recruiter for the Army?' ' Why, do you want to join the Army?' 'No, I want to go to college and become a genetic scientist.' 'Well, we have just the program for you. We need to sit down and talk.' No, the recruiter goes into the school wearing his uniform, with every button, bar and ribbon shining and polished. Everyone knows who he is and what he's there for, and those students who are not interested in joining the military don't waste their time or his.

"When I was sponsored, nobody asked me if I was ready to get in, if I wanted the kit, or when I wanted the kit. My upline simply brought it into the house following my first meeting with prospects. This is called having an 'assumptive attitude.'....

"One diamond routinely counsels, 'Prospects need to be led. They don't want to make a decision themselves.' 'Assume they're getting in. If they don't want the kit, they will have to tell you "no".' This takes much more strength of will and of mind than most people have. 'After all,' the prospect thinks, 'these people are so nice, so friendly, and they really care about my future. I would just be hurting their feelings if I turned them down after all the effort they've put in. I'll get in and try it for a while.'

"There are several reasons why your sponsor will take such pains with you over your list of names. First, in case you turn out to be a 'loser,' a 'wimp,' a 'quitter,' or 'immature,' and actually decide not to build the business, your sponsor will have your names list so he can approach all your friends, relatives and acquaintances on his own behalf. Second, the activity of making the list pulls you into a deeper involvment in the business. The more time you invest, the more likely you are to stay involved long enough to get hooked on tapes. Third, it is a way for the upline to continue to take over your time - and, remember, control of the recruit's time and environment is a key ingredient to successful cult recruiting.

From Chapter 12: "Your attitude must be made upbeat and positive: they work on that. In fact, one cultic ploy has always been to separate you from information and from former social support groups. Therefore, the AMO simply labels your friends and family (those who are losers and don't join the business) as negative and teaches you to avoid them. News programming and other sources of information that aren't filtered throught he AMO leaders are also negative. The motivational tools come into play too, both to promote the agenda and to fill the ever-widening gaps as you leave your former activities and friends.

"Your appearance, your spouse, your children, must fit the image of the perfect Amway family. This is pounded in. The speakers recommend books like Dress for Success and You Are What You Wear. 'Get rid of the facial hair,' the men are told. 'Studies have shown that many people don't trust men with facial hair. Don't hurt your business by hanging onto that beard or mustache.' Women are told they must wear skirts or dresses when building the business. 'This is a business of duplication,' the speaker announces, 'but whatever you do will be duplicated a little bit less. Men, you need to wear a dark suit, a white shirt, and a tie with a touch of red. Ladies, you might have a really sharp-looking paintsuit that looks great. But if you wear that to a meeting, some other gal might decide to show up in slacks and a casual shirt. Next thing you know, the women are coming to meetings wearing cut-off shorts and halter tops, and that's not good for business. So, for business, we recommend skirts or dresses. And watch those necklines and hemlines too! Your neckline shouldn't be too low, your hemline shouldn't be too high. Don't advertise it if it's not for sale!'"

The Table of Contents:

1. What Is It About Amway?
2. How I Got Started
3. A Brief History of Amway Corporation
4. What Are Tools?
5. Money and the Tools
6. What Is the "System"?
7. What Does the "System" Cost?
8. Show Me the Money
9. What Is a Cult?
10. How Does Mind Control Work?
11. Is Amway a Cult?
12. Deceptive Mind Control at Functions?
13. My Amway Story
14. What Next?

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