"Dream, dream, dream!" Those were the words Gene Williams used to begin our first in-home presentation or "opportunity" meeting as it is often called. He explained how through this business, we would be able to fulfill our wildest dreams.
"Just what is it you want in life? "he asked. "Is it a college education for your children? Is it a Caribbean cruise? May be it's a new home, or even a Cadillac? May be you would just like to have more money to give to missions or charitable organizations. What ever your dream is, no matter how large, it will be well within your reach with this opportunity!"
Our first Amway meeting was considered a success. At least Gene felt that it was successful. We had sponsored three couples from the group who showed up. "I'd travel across the country to sponsor just one person," Gene said in his deep Southern drawl, "because one person is like a million dollars in the bank!" Gene was not by any means a dynamic speaker. He stammered and had difficulty with his words. Yet some how through his acrobatic abuse of the English language, he was able to keep everyone rolling in their seats, halfway between pain and laughter.
When the meeting was over, Gene invited those who had questions to stay. I stood to the rear of the room and bid those leaving good night. I was flabbergasted when one of my dearest friends whispered in my ear, "Phil, this guy's a con artist."
A long-time business acquaintance boldly denounced the evening's event as a "waste of time--a ridiculous get-rich ploy." "Haven't you ever heard of the pyramid schemes?" he retorted with a smirk. "But, but it's not a pyramid," I stuttered, taken back by his reaction. Another man walked directly up to me and growled, "Why didn't you tell me it was Amway in the first place?" He then stormed out of the room.
I didn't expect these types of reactions. I was only doing as instructed by Lester and Mark. It seemed like everyone was leaving. I was baffled. Some left quietly, with no comment. Others told me they had already been in Amway and shook their heads in disappointment as they left. Those who were going had made up their minds. They wanted nothing to do with this venture. Either they had heard the plan before or had made a value judgment of the speaker's presentation. Some were just not interested.
I felt bad. Most of those I had invited were family friends and close business acquaintances. This really bothered me. I had so many questions. After all, what did I even know about the business?
On reflection, Gene really didn't say much that night, even though he did a lot of talking. He brought no products. He brought no literature. As a matter of fact, he brought nothing except this smartly dressed self, wearing boots with an 18-carat gold tips and a pin stripe suit. All he did was talk and draw circles--lots and lots of circles.
"Each circle," he had explained, "represents $100." Soon he had duplicated enough of these spheres and drew enough connecting tentacles to allow us to earn $96,000 or more. The possibilities were unlimited!
"What kind of rut are you in today?" Gene had asked the group. "I'll bet many of you here are on the S.I.A. Budget. You know, the 'Spend It All Budget!' Well, with this business you can quit your job in 90 days.You can be financially independent in two years. There are only three ways you can fail, Detailitis, Excusitis and Procrastination!..."
Comments like these had enticed the three couples who remained to hear more. They finally left around 1:30p.m., but only after Gene had made certain to schedule meetings for the min their own homes that same week. It was now time to drill Gene for answers. He could sense my anxiety. I explained to him the reactions I received from those who left the meeting earlier.
"Phil, you are worrying about absolutely nothing. Not everyone is going to get into this business! Besides, you just wait. As soon as you become successful, they'll all jump in, too. Happens all the time." That was not my concern. I felt I had to explain.
"They're my friends, Gene, and my family. They really believe they were being used or something." "In this business, Phil, you will find out who your real friends are! Some people are just born losers. Everyone is not a winner. You're a winner. just hang in there!"
His answer did not fully satisfy me. "But, then, maybe Gene was right," I thought. "Maybe they were just negative." Anyway, I had already committed myself to this venture, and I had to find out what it was all about. Even Lester must have felt that I could be successful in this business. He had sent Williams all of the way from Miami, Florida, to Oregon just to hold this meeting.
(I feel I must make this point clear. Never for a moment did I see my beloved family or friends as "losers." As a matter of fact, statements like this, together with other tactics to be explained later, eventually caused me to withdraw from the business.)
The Amway opportunity up to this point was not easy for me to understand. In my mind, there were just lots and lots of circles. So far, I had heard nothing but fantastic speeches by Lester, Mark and Gene on how I could become rich. All of the emphasis was on how much money could be made and on how successful one could be. No one ever told me anything about the products or how to sell them. But how was it going to happen? I needed more information and facts. My upline sponsor was almost three thousand miles to the east, and this presented a communication problem. Fortunately, when I called Mark I found him home. "Mark, I sure appreciate all of the assistance you and Lester have given me so far in this business. . ." Mark interrupted, "Phil, you're doing great! Gene Williams and I just talked, and he said you had 35 people present. That's fantastic! I've never had a downline with a start like that. Boy, wait until Lester hears this. He'll be very impressed!"
"Mark," I interrupted. "I still don't understand what is going on. Gene Williams never really explained how this business works. He just drew circles on a board and told us we all could become a Direct Distributor in 90 days. I need a manual. I need some sort of literature. I'd like to see what the products look like. I'd like to know how good the products are. I haven't even seen a box of soap. After all, isn't Amway known as a soap business?" I could hear Mark chuckling on the other end of the line.
Then he quit laughing, and in a serious tone he said, "Now listen to me. You don't need that manual at all. Lester says it was simply written to satisfy the Federal Trade Commission. And, besides, if you sit around reading that manual, you'll get all confused. You won't be out sponsoring people." "Mmm," I replied. I listened quietly as Mark encouraged me. His voice made me feel more reassured. He always had an uncanny way of making one see things his way. I explained to Mark the disappointing reactions I had received from my family and friends. Mark continued, "Look, Phil, you're getting help from the top people in the business. Lester wants to see you make 'Direct' really bad. He even paid Williams a $5,000 honorarium to make your speaking engagement! Who are you going to listen to anyway? How can you expect to get good advice from your family and friends? Are they successful? Aren't you going to listen to the advice of someone who is successful?" - Mark took another breath and finished. "You don't need to read a manual. I'm sending more speakers to Portland to help you. They'll explain everything. We'll build this business together. Williams will be back, and I will have an Emerald from Olympia come down to personally help you. Don't give up! Okay? Just sponsor, sponsor, sponsor. Build that organization! Listen, there are very few people in the business who receive first-class treatment like this. You should take advantage of it. If you are having any doubts about the business, look, even Pat Boone is in it. I'll call you next week. Bye!" I felt better after having listened to Mark.
In the following weeks, everything happened just as Mark said it would. Our business was frequently visited by guest speakers like Tim Sevrson of Olympia, now a Diamond Direct; Mark Hall,Emerald Direct, our sponsor; and, of course, Gene Williams, Diamond Direct and Lester's associate of Miami, Florida.
For additional assistance, my wife and I were plugged into a Northwest organization headed by Tom Kenney, Diamond Direct. Mark had felt it to be to our advantage to have help close by, and he was searching for the ideal couple. He explained that Lester had real clout, and anything he told his distributors to do, no matter what, they would do. Therefore, providing assistance for us was no problem for Lester. If he requested it, it was done.
Each evening, Monday through Friday, we held meetings. This went on week after week, religiously, as instructed by my team of experts. At the conclusion of each meeting, I made arrangements with those interested in the business to have a meeting in their home the following night, if possible, or sometime during that week. The amazing thing about all of this is that up to this point I had never seen a product, signed a document nor read a manual of instruction. As a matter of fact, it was almost eight weeks before we received our first kits, which included a variety of Amway products and some motivational materials. When the kits finally did arrive, I did just as Mark said. I threw the manual in the trashcan, and every time I sponsored others, I instructed them to do the same.
One day Mark called to tell me that he had found the ideal couple to assist us. They were Mr. and Mrs. Terry Bayer of Portland, Oregon. The Bayers were in the Kenney's "line of sponsorship" and were more than happy to help us in building our Amway distributorship. I remembered the first night I was invited to the Bayers' home. Their "office" was wall-to-wall cassettes. Terry had a complete library of tapes on speakers in various lines of sponsorship. There must have been, in my estimation, over 150 titles. The garage had shelf after shelf of various Amway products. It was an impressive display of inventory, obviously worth thousands of dollars. The Bayers urged us to go to the rallies, seminars and all other upcoming events sponsored by their line. Together my wife and I attended these meetings, and we invited those we had recruited to go, too. It was life in the fast lane. Sponsor, schedule that person for a meeting the next night, if possible, and again at this next meeting look for a gleam in someone's eyes. Sponsor that one, move to their house the next night, give another meeting and so on.
It was just as Williams said. Before long some of those who were negative in the beginning began to jump aboard simply because they saw I could sponsor people. One such person was my father-in-law. This caused utter disbelief throughout my immediate family. I kept at it, however, and eventually I also recruited my own father. One by one other members of my family was wanting to get in.
It seemed as if everyone became my target. No one could carry on a conversation with me unless they were somehow invited to an "opportunity" meeting. I spoke with doctors, lawyers, dentists and building developers. I didn't stop there. Every restaurant waitress was subjected to my dissertation. Every airline stewardess was delayed until she had heard about this business.
On one occasion I flew into Atlanta, Georgia, Lester's hometown, to go on a television program to talk about my book, People's Temple, People's Tomb, and my experiences with Jim Jones, the cult leader. Mark had told me that I would find one of Lester's limousines out front to pick me up. When I walked outside the terminal, I saw that there were three black Cadillac limousines. Each one was spotlessly clean and highly polished. The license plates said, "LES 1, LES 2 and LES 3." I was really confused so I went over to LES 1 and asked the chauffeur, "Which car am I supposed to ride in?" He smiled and said, "This one will do." As we drove through Atlanta, I must admit that I wondered if Lester had sponsored this guy. "Better not ask," I thought to myself. "He would probably tell Lester I tried to recruit him." By now I was really good at presenting this opportunity to others. I found I could schedule seven out of every ten people with whom I spoke to come to a meeting. I drew those silly circles on everything-napkins, table tops and even candy bar wrappers. Sometimes if I were in a jam and couldn't find a scrap of paper in order to tutor my new prospect, I would just use the back of my hand.
I found myself, in a matter of less than 90 days, giving meetings through this domino process all throughout the states of Oregon, Washington and eventually Florida. I flew to Miami, Tampa and Key West in one week.
My normal office hours in our property management business were from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week. My second shift, the Amway business, began at 7 p.m. and commonly ended around midnight seven days a week. Being away from our business as much as I was had taken its toll. But that was a storm I was willing to weather for success. Every spare minute was spent in talking, listening and dreaming about Amway. We had purchased a number of cassette tapes at different rallies and conventions, and we would listen to them in the car while driving to and from these events. Don't think I wasn't excited. I most certainly was. I was building an organization. Lester and Mark kept telling me to "Believe in the Dream!" I guess you might say I was becoming a believer.
"Look at all the people we've sponsored into this business and those who are interested in possibly joining, Vicky!" I exclaimed to my wife. She did not share my enthusiasm. instead she peered out the plane's window at the ocean below. We were preparing to land in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was once home to my wife. She had grown up here as a child, nourished on the tropical sugar cane and mangoes.
She turned to me and rested her head on my shoulder. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Concerned, I asked, "What is it, Honey?"
"Do you really think that Jesus wants us in this business?"
"I'm really not sure, Sweetheart." Her question had good reason to make me feel guilty because I really hadn't given it much thought. "All I know is that it is a great opportunity. The door appears to be open, and the possibilities are unlimited. Besides, if we do earn a million dollars as Les and Mark say, then we'll have so much more we can share with those in need."
My wife's tears now flowed down her cheeks. I put my arm around her and held her close to me. She laid her head on my shoulder. At that moment, I began to seriously question what this business was all about.
"You don't really believe all that talk about losers do you, Phil, just because they decide not to join? Many of these people are our dearest friends." My wife reminded me how disgusted I had often felt when listening to so many of the speakers at various functions. I remember the night we attended a rally where John Wells, Triple Diamond, was the guest speaker, John is in Lester Canon's line of sponsorship. it was a Sunday and thousands were now attending John's meeting, which was advertised as a non-denominational Christian service. I remember John, seemingly self-composed, as he walked up to center stage in his all white tuxedo. He stood there for the longest time; his arms hung next to his side as he stared out at the audience.
Then, suddenly, in what appeared to be an agitated display of emotional anger, he wrestled his white jacket from his back. As the audience recoiled into their seats in unbelief, he simultaneously threw his coat clear across the stage in great animation. With his left arm stretched out, he shook his tighten fist towards the ceiling and screamed, "Get out of here, Satannnnn!" I looked around the large auditorium. With this fit of nervous discomposure, he had succeeded in capturing the attention of every person in the room. Face after face focused on John in complete silence. He continued by expounding on the virtues of this business and how God had blessed it in such a wonderful way. I guess you might say his speech was a total reflection of his
"If you're broke, you've got to be stupid!" he screamed to the crowd. "But you see, most people are too stupid to realize the disease they have called Stinkin' Thinkin'! Stupid Stinkin' Thinkin'!"
After reflecting on this particular meeting and others where similar thoughts and statements were expressed, my wife and I began to discuss the tapes we so often were asked to listen to (and pay for). One particular excerpt came to mind where John Wells was speaking at a Tampa, Florida, rally. "Some of you may think I'm a kook, but I'm a rich kook!" He went on to proclaim proudly that he had earned $70 million plus that year, and then, very boldly, he challenged the crowd, "Anyone out there want to criticize that? Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"
These kinds of comments were irritating to us; they had crept in and touched a very sensitive part of our lives. They seemed like arrogant statements laced with bigotry. My wife reminded me what the Bible says, "You will know God's people by their love." (I John 4:7-8)
The scriptures also read, "if a man says he loves God and hates his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (I John 4:20) These were Biblical truths we could not ignore.
As the plane sped silently through the sky, I remembered the story in the Bible of the woman who gave her last two pennies. The Bible says God considered her gift to be more precious than all the money that the rich boaster had given. I believe God was speaking to me to get my priorities in order and give what I possessed now no matter how small the amount. To Him, little things are worth just as much, especially if the gift comes from the heart.
I was more determined than ever to find out what the business was all about. I needed to think on my
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