安利于2012年超過(guò)雅芳，成為全球最大的直銷公司，這得益于過(guò)去數(shù)年間，安利一直在穩(wěn)步地拓展中國(guó)等關(guān)鍵市場(chǎng)；更專注于銷售波動(dòng)比美容產(chǎn)品小的營(yíng)養(yǎng)產(chǎn)品；以及吸引并留住銷售代表的能力（安利稱銷售代表為“安利事業(yè)合作伙伴”，現(xiàn)已達(dá)到300萬(wàn)人規(guī)模）。

中國(guó)是安利最大的市場(chǎng)。2013年，得益于中國(guó)市場(chǎng)良好的業(yè)績(jī)表現(xiàn)，其銷售額增長(zhǎng)了4.4%，達(dá)到118億美元（約合728.4億元人民幣）。而雅芳則因幾年前的一起鬧得沸沸揚(yáng)揚(yáng)的賄賂丑聞，業(yè)績(jī)大幅下滑。（雅芳的業(yè)務(wù)幾乎在各個(gè)關(guān)鍵市場(chǎng)都是步履維艱。）

作為一家私有企業(yè)，安利得以避免了其他一些直銷公司因監(jiān)管和投資者監(jiān)督帶來(lái)的麻煩。例如，今年年初，個(gè)人護(hù)理產(chǎn)品制造商美國(guó)如新集團(tuán)（Nu Skin Enterprises）因夸大產(chǎn)品功效遭到中國(guó)監(jiān)管當(dāng)局罰款。營(yíng)養(yǎng)品公司康寶萊（Herbalife）則深陷與億萬(wàn)富翁維權(quán)投資者比爾?阿克曼的苦戰(zhàn)之中；阿克曼聲稱康寶萊從事非法傳銷。

安利公司董事長(zhǎng)史提夫?溫安洛的父親是安利聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人之一。在最近接受《財(cái)富》采訪時(shí)，溫安洛談到了直銷商業(yè)模式遭受的種種抨擊、安利在中國(guó)的成功以及安利未來(lái)的國(guó)際擴(kuò)張計(jì)劃。安利總部位于密歇根州大急流城（Grand Rapids）。前不久曾擔(dān)任過(guò)美國(guó)商會(huì)（U.S. Chamber of Commerce）主席的溫安洛先生還就“美國(guó)制造”的價(jià)值及更多的制造業(yè)回歸美國(guó)的前景發(fā)表了看法。

面對(duì)外界對(duì)直銷模式的抨擊，安利是怎樣看待的？

“每個(gè)行業(yè)都會(huì)受到批評(píng)，但現(xiàn)在人們談?wù)摰母嗟氖桥c錢有關(guān)的事情。一些人更看重如何把股價(jià)抬高或壓低，而不是企業(yè)經(jīng)營(yíng)本身。”

“每天仍然有數(shù)千名銷售代表加入安利，這也證明，很多人非常樂(lè)意去干這一行，而且也喜歡這種商業(yè)模式。”

安利已開(kāi)始為一些營(yíng)養(yǎng)品（營(yíng)養(yǎng)品的銷售占銷售總額的45%，美容產(chǎn)品占25%，家居用品占24%）做臨床試驗(yàn)。然而，安利并沒(méi)有稱這些營(yíng)養(yǎng)品有藥用功能，因此也就不用做臨床試驗(yàn)，那么為什么要做呢？

“我們準(zhǔn)備采用類似于醫(yī)療保健行業(yè)所采取的方式，來(lái)為很多營(yíng)養(yǎng)品做臨床試驗(yàn)，目的是證明產(chǎn)品的功效。之前沒(méi)有人這樣做過(guò)。”

中國(guó)是安利最大的市場(chǎng)。一些直銷企業(yè)，特別是雅芳，在中國(guó)栽了大跟頭。您認(rèn)為安利什么地方做的好？

“在中國(guó)，不僅安利的雇員是中國(guó)人，企業(yè)形象也進(jìn)行了本土化。我們從一開(kāi)始就一直在使用這種做法，以確保當(dāng)人們看安利的時(shí)候，即便他們知道這是家美國(guó)企業(yè)，也清楚它已經(jīng)適應(yīng)了中國(guó)市場(chǎng)。”

安利90%的銷售額是在美國(guó)以外的市場(chǎng)取得的。還存在哪些有待開(kāi)發(fā)的市場(chǎng)？

“在一些地區(qū)，特別是拉丁美洲，安利其實(shí)能做得更好。安利的業(yè)績(jī)表現(xiàn)并沒(méi)有達(dá)到我的預(yù)期。過(guò)去十年我們確實(shí)將重心放在了亞洲——現(xiàn)在亞洲仍然存在很多機(jī)會(huì)，但至少我們已經(jīng)在那里站穩(wěn)腳跟，但安利在拉丁美洲的基礎(chǔ)可能沒(méi)有像亞洲那樣穩(wěn)固。”（巴西是雅芳最大的市場(chǎng)，同時(shí)，對(duì)整個(gè)美容產(chǎn)品行業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)，巴西也是一個(gè)增長(zhǎng)較快的市場(chǎng)。）

俄羅斯怎么樣呢？俄羅斯的美容產(chǎn)品市場(chǎng)前景光明，但在西方國(guó)家公司的眼中并不是個(gè)穩(wěn)定的市場(chǎng)。

“對(duì)于目前在俄羅斯和烏克蘭做生意的任何人來(lái)說(shuō)，境況總是有點(diǎn)不盡人意，也不是那么一帆風(fēng)順。對(duì)于在俄羅斯經(jīng)商來(lái)說(shuō)，這是一種常態(tài)。你必須接受這個(gè)現(xiàn)實(shí)。”

安利計(jì)劃在美國(guó)新開(kāi)4家工廠。為什么“美國(guó)制造”意義重大？

“我們?cè)敢鈨A聽(tīng)顧客的意見(jiàn)。當(dāng)談到營(yíng)養(yǎng)品時(shí)，他們希望是在美國(guó)生產(chǎn)的。”

“對(duì)于安利來(lái)說(shuō)，密歇根州自然是首選之地。當(dāng)然，我們也可以在美國(guó)其他地方建廠，但營(yíng)養(yǎng)品生產(chǎn)并不是件容易的事情。而且，我們?cè)诿苄呀?jīng)有一些工廠了。”

從美國(guó)商會(huì)主席的角度出發(fā)，您認(rèn)為制造業(yè)會(huì)大規(guī)模回歸美國(guó)嗎？

“隨著生產(chǎn)率的提高，制造業(yè)的工作崗位卻更少了。所有工廠的生產(chǎn)力較以往都有大幅提升。至于制造業(yè)是否會(huì)回歸美國(guó)，我難以給出答案——但我認(rèn)為人們會(huì)盡一切努力提高效率。”（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：崔向前

審稿：李翔

Amway surpassed Avon Products AVP 3.47% in 2012 to become the world’s largest direct-selling company, thanks to a steady, drama-free international expansion over the years into key markets like China, a bigger focus on nutrition products, which are less prone to sales fluctuations than beauty products, and the ability to attract and keep sales representatives (whom Amway calls ABOs, for ‘Amway Business Owners,’ and who now number 3 million.)

In 2013, its sales rose 4.4% to $11.8 billion, helped by growth in China, its biggest market, and one where Avon’s business has collapsed since a big bribery scandal hit that company a few years ago. (Avon’s business is struggling in almost every key market.)

As a privately owned company, Amway has been spared the drama that has slammed some of its other direct-selling peers that faced regulatory and investor scrutiny: personal care products maker Nu Skin EnterprisesNUS -3.63% was fined earlier this year by Chinese authorities over its product claims, while nutrition company Herbalife HLF -0.10% is in the throes of a battle with activist billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who claims it is operating an illegal pyramid scheme.

Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel, the son of one of the company co-founders, recently spoke with Fortune about criticisms of the direct-selling business model, its China success, and the next step in Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Amway’s international expansion. Van Andel, who recently served as the Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also addressed the value of “Made in the U.S.A.” and the prospects of more manufacturing coming back to the U.S.

What is Amway’s take on some of the attacks on the direct-selling model?

“Every industry has its critics, but a lot of the talk that happens today is more of a financial thing. Somebody’s looking more at how to drive a stock price up or down, than it really has to do with the business itself.”

“We continue to have thousands and thousands more (sales representatives) come on every day, so there are a lot people who really like the business and the business model for the industry.”

You have begun to do clinical trials on some of your nutrition products (which make up 45% of sales compared to 25% for beauty and 24% for home goods)—in the absence of medical claims, you are not required to, so why do it?

“We’re even starting to do clinicals on a lot of our nutrition products in much the same way that the healthcare industry does clinical trials—to show efficacy, and it’s something that no one’s ever really done before.”

China is your biggest market. Some other direct sellers, notably Avon, have stumbled badly—what did Amway do right?

“Not only are the employees Chinese, but the face of the business is Chinese too. We always took the approach from the beginning that we need to make to（此處原文可能有筆誤）sure that when people look at our business, even though they know it’s a U.S. business, they know it’s been adapted to China.”

You get 90% of your sales abroad—what are some of the still untapped markets for Amway?

“There are a couple of areas where we could do better—particularly in Latin America. We’re not doing as well as I think we should do. Our focus in the last decade has really been Asia—there continues to be a lot of opportunity in Asia, but at least we are now well grounded there, whereas we may be not as well grounded in Latin America.” (Brazil is now Avon’s largest market and a fast growing one for beauty products in general.)

How about Russia, a notably promising beauty market but a turbulent place for Western companies?

“Anybody that’s in Russia or Ukraine right now, it’s always a little bit tenuous—and it’s a little bumpy—that’s part of doing business there, You have to accept that.”

Amway is opening four new U.S. manufacturing facilities- why is ‘Made in the USA’ important?

“We listen to our customers, and when it comes to nutrition products, they like nutrition products that are made in the U.S.”

“For us, Michigan is just a natural place to go. Sure we can look at different places in the U.S., but nutrition is not an easy thing to manufacture—and we’ve already got some based there.”

Put on your U.S. Chamber of Commerce hat for a minute—can U.S. manufacturing come back in a big way?

“They’ve lost more manufacturing jobs by becoming more productive. Everybody’s way more productive now in the facilities they have. I’m not sure that that will ever come back- I think people are going to try to be as efficient as they can.”