If you read The Wall Street Journal on February 15, you’ll learn that the “future of business” is a 68-year-old grandmother and Amway distributor that the Journal calls “one of the most prolific salespeople on Earth.”
The Journal profiles Holly Chen, one of the most successful Amway distributors ever, and how she leads and inspires a global network of distributors that stretches from her home in Taiwan throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Her advice to those pursuing an Amway business?
As she is quoted in The Wall Street Journal,
“…when you’re in the Amway business, of course you change your mindset, you change your attitude, and your outcome will definitely change with it.”
And perhaps Holly has the potential to change minds, as well as mindsets. As the Journal reports, “Of all things, of all places, perhaps the future of business looks like an Amway convention.”
From Bangkok to Hanoi, we have several reasons to celebrate this month.
Recently, we posted about Amway Thailand’s 25th anniversary celebration. Today, we’d like to share news about a special event that’s particularly signficant for our distributors and customers in Vietnam.
Amway just opened a new office and training center in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi. Distributors in northern Vietnam now have a common place to learn about our company, bring their prospective customers to the Amway shop that opened last year, and share news about our brands, products and business opportunity.
Amway President Doug DeVos proudly joined Amway Vietnam’s executives, distributors and employees in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As the newest Amway market, Amway Vietnam has achieved great milestones in just four years. We are proud of their strong sales, growing distributor network and attractive facilities that showcase the power of our brand.
True entrepreneurs just keep trying until they find the idea that works. That’s the spirit of “fluid determinism” that Amway President Doug DeVos described when asked how Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos finally arrived at the business start-up idea that today is a $9.2 billion global enterprise.
During the Detroit Public TV (PBS) program, “Leaders on Leadership,” Doug provided insight on how Amway has changed due to its growth. But he also emphasized how the fundamentalvalues that have created a common culture – and that continue to attract like-minded distributors and employees around the world – have remained the same at Amway for more than 50 years.
Doug cited the traits of entrepreneurs – being optimistic, willing to take risks – that are still are part of our culture. However, as Amway continues to grow, he says it’s important to find “great people to help us” change, adapt and grow.
Three Amway leaders recently shared their experiences and tips on what helped make their markets successful. Responding quickly to the needs of a specific market is a common thread, but what that looks like in different markets is, well, different.
At Amway Russia, it meant quickly expanding the support network – stores and staff included – to provide distributors with products as their businesses grew exponentially when this market opened, general manager of Amway Russia Richard Stevens told The Voice of Russia.
For Amway Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of distributors are age 35 or younger, success required providing them with meaningful ways to interact with the company and its products, said Amway Malaysia’s Paul Yee in an interview with the radio station BFB 89.9. For example, Amway opened experience centers and stores so distributors could get the “touch and feel” experience they prefer.
Amway Vietnam has focused its efforts in educating the public, government officials and the media about the direct selling business model, which until recently was largely unknown in that country, general manager Kam Chiong told BaoMoi.com. The market also has provided continuous training to its distributors to ensure they have the best tools to successfully build their business.
Leveraging these differences supports active entrepreneurs and helps our businesses grow stronger together. How has innovative thinking helped your business transform?
As top distributors celebrated their 2011 accomplishments at a recent Amway Latin America Leadership Seminar, hundreds of distributors from Venezuela to Argentina cheered them on, both in Portuguese and Spanish.
For the first time, they were able to share the excitement only the top distributors of the region usually get to experience – without leaving their home markets.
Amway TV serves primarily as a training tool, allowing distributors to watch live in-language interviews with product experts and Amway staff. During the Toronto seminar, distributors were able to take part in a bigger motivational event that included presentations by Amway President Doug DeVos and Amway Latin America President Jeff Dahl.
INA Coordinator Michael Corcoran said distributors liked what they saw, as the webcasts received more than 12,000 views and 500 comments. Said one distributor, “What a beautiful moment… I’m not there but I can feel the energy that’s being lived there.”
As Amway India’s Managing Director Bill Pinckney said in the article, “The business model does work incredibly well in India, and it has lasted and proven its detractors wrong. Thousands and thousands of Indian entrepreneurs of all ages now earn important income for themselves and their families through the direct selling industry.”
Those entrepreneurs fueled a 24 percent increase in industry sales in 2010, and Direct Selling News predicts direct selling will continue to grow at an annual rate of 15 – 20 percent over the next five years.
Leave it to our creative colleagues with Amway Australia to explain the Amway Sales and Marketing Plan in just four minutes – and have fun while doing it.
The lovable character we refer to as “Outback Zac” has done it again, only this time, he helps viewers figure out how bonuses, one-time cash awards, business trips and more are earned.
You didn’t have to search far to find Amway Canada in the news this summer.
Our Canadian affiliate made headlines by taking home two prestigious honors at the Canadian Direct Selling Association (CDSA) annual meeting in June. Amway Canada received CDSA’s “Making a Difference” award for its support of Easter Seals, notably for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars through the organization’s Drop-Zone Events.
And Angela Abdallah, our manager of communications and government affairs and vice chair of CDSA, was given the industry’s highest honor, the Ivan P. Phelan Award. This award honors those who have made “a significant contribution to the advancement of the direct selling industry in Canada.”
Finally, Amway Canada was featured in two major stories about direct selling in Canada in La Presse and Direct Selling News.
“Lounge” isn’t a word you typically associate with the Amway business.
But that term takes on new meaning when applied to the “Amway Lounge” that just opened in Kanazawa, Japan.
The Lounge is a bustling space that provides an interactive setting for distributors to introduce our business and products to prospects. There’s a Beauty Space for one-on-one or small group Artistry consultations. The Lounge Space offers a setting for conversations about our business. And a Digital Showroom showcases Amway Japan’s brands and products.
This is the first “Amway Lounge” in Japan, a concept that if successful will be rolled out in other cities.
And judging by the lively crowds in Kanazawa, there’s little “lounging” happening there!
The new Business Centre is the talk of the town of Coburg, just outside of Melbourne. It’s also spurring conversation about who Amway is today to nearly 2.5 million Australians through print, broadcast and online publications.
It all adds up to a lot of talk in towns – and cities – about Amway’s first overseas affiliate.
