« March 2003 | Main | May 2003 »
April 29, 2003
Fresh Quixtar News From Kansas
By QBlog in
Regular readers know that I love finding ANY information about Quixtar from respected news publications. I honestly don't care if it's negative, positive or neutral, as long as it's from a source that is somewhat respected in the news industry (meaning Enquirer and DrudgeReport are out). Today I found a couple of items:
Kansas.com (Kansas University Daily) reports that Quixtar pricing offers little advantage
When making a sales pitch, Quixtar independent business owners, or IBOs, repeatedly mention that they receive discounts on items they buy through quixtar.com. They say that the $125 setup fee that an IBO pays can be quickly and easily recouped through the savings offered on the Web site. The Better Business Bureau says that Quixtar members can buy products at preferred pricing. But a little research raises some big questions about Quixtar discounts.
Ok, maybe Kansas.com isn't the NY Times but I've worked at a large University newspaper before and the journalistic expectations are just as high as many non-campus publications. The article is not too bad, short and simple. It's factual too although any good IBO will point out that you're earning PV/BV for each of those purchases and therefore getting an indirect rebate on the price. I'm not interested in arguing this topic, just presenting a published perspective.
Wait, there's still more from Kansas.com. A student there is in Quixtar and making a lot of money. E-commerce generates money for KU student.
"Success with Quixtar is determined on strictly ambition," Kopecky said. "Who can develop themselves into someone who can understand success principles and apply success principles. Because they're not taught at a university. I'll say that again. Success principles are not taught at a university."
And from India we get an interview with Steve van Andel who recently traveled to India to help repair some of the image problems that non-Amway pyramid schemes have caused to the Amway business.
"There is often confusion that the various direct marketing outfits, selling all kinds of pyramid schemes are like us. They are not."
So go check out these articles. It's always a joy to find info about Quixtar/Amway on sites other than the all too common rumor mills.
April 28, 2003
Is Quixtar Racist?
By QBlog in
One night my wife decided to take some prospects to a Quixtar meeting. This meeting was where different IBOs got together on a regular basis to show the plan, meet new faces, share information and encourage one another. Since this meeting was technically held by a different upline group she contacted one of the members to be sure that her attendance would not be a problem (her own upline had already cleared it because it was technically not cross-lining). My wife was basically told that she would be better off not bringing her friends to this meeting and that she should find another meeting for them. Her friends are Black.
Many reasons were given for this snub but the one that still sticks with me today is being told that these friends would be better off with people they could relate to. Translation: Blacks should stick with Blacks.
Now, I should mention, that this was quickly cleared up and the man who provided the initial snub was overruled and discredited as someone who was in no position to make such decisions. My wife was told that she and her friends were welcome to attend the meeting. However, the initial snub had been made and the lingering question remained: "Did these IBOs really not want blacks around or was it just a misunderstanding as they were now saying?"
Where I live racism is alive and well. I can recognize it where sometimes others cannot. While this particular incident may be the exception rather than the rule among IBOs, I can say that nothing was done to recognize it in the context of a racial snub and therefore the behavior went unchecked, at least from my perspective.
So, is Quixtar Racist?
Probably not, not in the way we think of racist corporate practices (anyone remember Denny's?). However, I've been to a couple of conferences and noticed that there were virtually no minorities represented in the audience. There were some but not many. I also know that the Alticor board of directors is a very white group of folks. This is not a crime and reflects a similar composition that exists in many, many board rooms. It also doesn't mean that Quixtar is racist. What it does mean is that there are a lot of white people making the decisions. Nothing wrong with that. Just a fact to keep in mind.
I know that there are quite a few minority Diamonds but I wonder how many of them are actually the movers and shakers in the business. I talked to Bo Short one night and he explained that there were three levels of Diamonds. Only the top level, the ultra-rich, were able to actually make any sort of policy decisions within Quixtar, Alticor or Amway. I wonder how many (if any) of these top level Diamonds are minorities.
I'm not making any accusations. All I'm doing is making some observations. I'd be interested in hearing if my experience is isolated or if others have witnessed racial conflicts in Quixtar.
April 27, 2003
Did Quixtar Shut Down This Site?
By QBlog in
You can rarely be sure of why a site disappears but I found a Google Cache of this one that seems to talk about Quixtar. It's a lot to read and I have no idea what it says but it's basically saying Quixtar/Amway is not a great business.
Curious
What is curious is that when you actually go to the site http://www.angelfire.com/ky/xamway/ebiz.html you get a page saying "The page you are attempting to access has been removed because it violated Angelfire's Term of Service." Now, I have no idea why this site got shut down. Maybe something totally unrelated to Quixtar. But it is curious nonetheless.
April 23, 2003
Vacation
By QBlog in
I missed my sister's high school graduation last year because of Quixtar. Well, not really because of Quixtar. Here's the story.
We (my wife and kids) have always travelled a lot and spent a lot of money visiting friends and family. At the beginning of 2002 we decided that we would not take any trips that year to save money and get caught up on our bills. We'd still go to the cabin with relatives in July but that was very cheap in comparison to all the other trips we usually took.
As a result, we decided to skip my little sister's high school graduation. I regret that now but we made a decision and told her that we just couldn't afford it this year. She said she understood and that was the end of the story... or was it?
Well, in 2002, the year we weren't going to take any expensive trips, we all went to Ft. Worth to a Qbiz function (affiliated with Quixtar). Then my wife went to Chicago a couple of times, Florida once (or maybe twice) and somewhere else I think. I really can't keep track. None of the trips were cheap. Some were cheaper than others but none of them were easy on the pocketbook. Then, my other sister got married. Of course I couldn't miss that but it was an unexpected expense (we found out after we decided to avoid travel) and we swallowed hard (and spent a lot) and made the trip to DC for the wedding.
If someone else had gotten married I am not sure what we would have done. My point is, we didn't go on a single (except for the inexpensive family reunion at the cabin) planned family vacation at all last year. However, at least one of us went on several "super important" trips to Quixtar related conferences. These were always explained away as a "business expense" but the money actually came from our checking account.
Ok, mainly I'm just lamenting the fact that we didn't have some time to get away and decompress last year. I don't blame anyone but I just reflect on the reality and wonder if all those trips to functions are really worth the effort, time and expense to anyone, not just us. Somehow I doubt it but what do I know? I'm just a Quixtar loser.
Anyone ever seen this before?
By QBlog in
This is a site or search engine that apparently lists Quixtar opinions. Interesting and kinda cool.
April 22, 2003
I just read...
By QBlog in
I just read that 95% of all people who join Quixtar and actively participate become diamonds within one year. I also read that almost nobody drops out of Quixtar, that it is the Biggest e-commerce business in the World and that everyone in Quixtar is a conservative Christian who treats their neighbors like Christ treated people.
Then I watched a video that showed how Dexter Yager is probably one of the smartest men alive and that spending a few moments with him will change your life forever. He's got this power, like King Midas, that just transforms every life he touches into pure gold.
I also read that any negative stuff one might find on the Internet about Quixtar is not to be trusted, even if it comes from the New York Times, Forbes or Wired magazine. Who should you believe - some wacky Internet rumor or your Quixtar upline? And, I even read that everyone who ever had anything negative to say about Quixtar is just a loser and is whining because they are too lazy to actually try to work the system.
Finally I read that in 5 years every single purchase made on the planet will happen via the Internet. Soon, 500 Trillion dollars a month will be available to e-commerce and Quixtar is the best positioned company to take advantage of this incredible wealth. Not only that, but after working this business for a couple of years you can get a giant RV and roam the countryside laughing at your boss and former co-workers. It's great and it will happen soon.
I know all this to be true because I read it in Quixtar and Qbiz material. I trust them and they are giving me an opportunity to become the next Bill Gates. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little. I've got a really bad memory and I might have gotten some of the facts just a wee bit wrong. But you get the idea right?
note: the above statements are just made up facts and figures. there is probably no truth to them. My point is that Quixtar makes a lot of outrageous claims and doesn't need to back them up so why should I?
April 20, 2003
The Quixtar Revolution
By QBlog in
Found this out-of-print book on sale at Amazon.com. Seems to be a very inspiring look at the Quixtar business and the success it has achieved in a short time. Odd that it's out of print but maybe the Quixtar faithful didn't really need to read the book because they already know all the details. Here's a couple of reviews of the book on Amazon:
Pro-Quixtar bias so what! The book is well done, I couldn't put it down. Lets see, the most successful launch in Internet history, assumed a dominant position in just a 1 1/2 years. 518 million dollars the 1st year and on track to do well over a billion the 2nd year. 1/3 of that is paid to the Independant Business Owners. Currently ranked 7th in volume, 3rd in customer satisfaction and 1st in repeat sales! Quixtar is breaking all the records on the way to # 1. The numbers speak for themselves.
And then there's this review:
I was in Amway for five years and I showed "the plan" almost every week and barely reached 1000PV when my upline encouraged me to buy the remaining 200PV to reach my goal. Although the books and tapes Amway pushes are very motivational and really helped me with my marriage and career, we spent THOUSANDS of dollars on seminars, books & tapes and we never made a dime. What you will not be told is that the possibilities of income are inflated and in fact most of the money is made from the books, tapes & seminars that you "INVEST" in. I spent around $500 a month for five years ($30,000 total) and we were encouraged to do ANYTHING to invest in our business. Quixtar is only Amway repackaged.
I see I can buy it used for $1.99. I wonder if Quixtar can beat that price?
April 17, 2003
Uh, what's a chhota pack?
By QBlog in
Amway sees moolah in chhota packs - The Economic Times
I just love news about Amway from India. You know, it's odd but India published MUCH, MUCH more info about Amway than the U.S. does about Quixtar. Wonder why? Maybe cause Quixtar doesn't sell chhota packs?
April 15, 2003
Quixtar is not a Web business
By QBlog in
Quixtar is not a Web business. Quixtar is not an e-commerce business. Quixtar is not an Internet company.
Wal-Mart is not a Web business. Wal-Mart is not an e-commerce business. Wal-Mart is not an Internet company.
Amazon.com is a Web business. Amazon.com is an e-commerce business. Amazon.com is an Internet company.
April 14, 2003
Victim of Google
By QBlog in
This blog is now the victim of some Google craziness. While Google often reorganizes its search algorithms it rarely botches a site name as was done recently. Notice that this site is called "Index of /quixtar" in the results where it used to properly display the name. Also, Yahoo (powered by Google) has gotten in on the act by screwing up the name but still listing the page in the Top 20 results.
Even more bizarre is the fact that Google gets the site name correct in deeper search results.
I also noticed that MLM Bigmouth is actually paying for Search Engine placement. Wonder if they are making any money from their site?
April 12, 2003
The Plan
By QBlog in
Did someone just show you the plan?
Did your friend and his wife leave your house a few minutes ago with his tapes, whiteboard and documents and are you now you're trying to figure out exactly what this Quixtar thing is all about?
Are you having trouble finding good information about Quixtar?
Are you just looking for some answers?
It's not easy to find answers about Quixtar is it? You're skeptical aren't you? You like to verify things and don't enjoy blindly believing anyone about anything.
Well, I'm glad you're here. Welcome. I wish I had all the answers but I don't. I have a lot of questions (like you) and more every day. Feel free to browse around. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck.
Things on my mind
By QBlog in
Door to door selling is dead. Phone solicitations are dead. High-pressure sales are dead. Bulk mail is dead. Multi-Level Marketing is dead.
There I said it. MLM is dead. It is an idea that is past its prime and, if not yet dead, is quickly fading into the sunset. How do I know this? One indication is Spam. That junk e-mail that fills your inbox every day is a metaphorical church bell ringing the end of an era.
Explanation
All of the above "sales" techniques are essentially spam, meaning they are intrusive. To be more specific, they are aggressive (on different levels). The model is that the sales force finds the customer instead of the customer finding the sale. This model worked for many years for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons are:
1. Information was difficult to acquire
2. People were less mobile
3. Americans had more free time
4. Society was more trusting as a whole
5. Community was strong
People have increasingly busy lifestyles and having someone break that routine to try and "sell them something" is less kosher than it was in past decades. When modern man wants to buy something he knows it and he will research it and then buy the product or service. Sometimes that "research" is in the form of advertising but even that isn't intrusive in the same way that MLM marketing is intrusive.
Advertising can be ignored, skipped, passed by or ridiculed without involving any personalities. It is, by definition, passive. Even "intrusive" Web ads are essentially passive. Yet, when you introduce the human element into the equation the entire dynamic suddenly shifts. Suddenly, emotions, personalities and expectations begin to affect the "customer." In a passive setting this is quite unexpected and generally unwelcome today. This is the reason door-to-door sales have declined precipitously in the past few decades. People generally don't want to unexpectedly interact with people when they are in passive mode. What's more, they don't want to interact with someone who is trying to sell them something.
I speak only from observations and lack any real scientific knowledge of sociological trends. What I wonder is if others see what I see. Additionally, from my understanding, Quixtar hasn't grown much in modernized markets (where community is less central to the social environment) while it (Amway) has grown rapidly in less-advanced markets (where community is still central). Is there a correlation? Maybe. Maybe not.
April 11, 2003
Watchdog group reveals some OLD news about Amway
By QBlog in
According to this brief about Amway from MotherJones.com the company settled a large lawsuit with the Canadian government in 1989.
In Canada Amway spent a whopping $38.1 million to settle a 1989 suit by the government claiming that the company undervalued merchandise to escape customs duties. This came on top of a $25 million fine by the province of Ontario when Amway pleaded guilty to criminal fraud in 1983.
There is a saying where I live, "if you haven't read it, it's still news" and I guess that's true. This is really old news but I did not know about it so I found it modestly interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that Amway (now Quixtar) still operates in Canada, is still successful and hasn't been sued by the government since then. So whatever happened, apparently they learned the lesson and are staying out of trouble with the Canadian government.
April 10, 2003
Make or save some cold, hard cash
By QBlog in
So you're in Quixtar (or Amway) and want to get the latest tape but don't want to spend the money your upline is charging? Well you're in luck. Used Tapes.com sells Quixtar and MLM tapes to you without needing an upline order. Buy what you want, when you want to buy it. But wait, there's more! You can also sell your tapes online. Or even swap them with someone else. How cool is that? Check it out. You don't even need to be in Quixtar or any MLM. You can just buy them for that long road trip to Nacodoches, TX.
I want to bite your ear... looks so tasty
By QBlog in
Thought this was and odd picture of Alticor President Doug DeVos and Chairman Steve Van Andel. Looks like Steve is gazing lovingly at Doug's ear. Or maybe Doug has a bug crawling up his neck? I dunno. Just an odd picture. Gotta give Alticor props for not posting the "traditional" photo and going with one that's a little bit different.
Meet the guy who brought you Alticor
By QBlog in
Tom Douglis is the man responsible for "The creation of the name and brand identity for Amway Corporation's new holding company Alticor."
When he led the project to create the new Alticor brand he worked for Enterprise IG. Apparently Amway hired Enterprise IG (a brand consultancy firm) to help create a new brand (Alticor) that people would like.
He's now working for Monigle. I just want to say thank you to Tom for doing such a good job with the Alticor brand. Thanks.
April 9, 2003
Welcome to Quixtar -- Now vote Republican, or else
By QBlog in
Is there anyone in Quixtar who is not Republican? This company is overtly Republican. I'm finding a wealth of information showing the right-wing political activity of this company. I've personally seen an environmental/fiscal Democrat do an almost 180 conversion into a neo-Republican as a result of this company. Are there any people who have been in Quixtar or Amway for any length of time who are still Democrats? It seems like it would be difficult to remain a Democrat in the midst of so many Republicans. It could be done I'm sure but just seems unlikely. How does political ideology affect the business of someone who is staunchly anti-Republican? Any answers?
NOTE: The term Republican can be replaced with Conservative and the term Democrat can be replaced with Liberal
Amway (Quixtar's sister) begins advertising campaign
By QBlog in
One of my big criticisms of Quixtar (part of the Alticor and Amway family) is their unwillingness to enhance or improve the brand name by traditional advertising. While I understand the rationale for this advertising void (no advertising costs = more money returned to IBOs) I never thought it was an entirely wise decision.
My reasoning for this criticism is that Quixtar (and sister Amway) have a somewhat "negative" image in the minds of a lot of people. Many of these people could be potential customers or IBOs but it's hard to overcome already established perceptions (right or wrong). Some sort of advertising or public relations blitz would go a long way to at least "set the record straight" and dispel a lot of "perceptions" about the business. This would in turn, improve the quality of the product (Quixtar and Amway) and ultimately help IBOs sell products and recruit new IBOs.
I think of it as a wise investment and don't believe it would greatly impact the amount of profits the business would be able to return to its IBOs.
Yet, in North America I hear the common refrain, "We don't advertise. That's what makes us different. We take that money other companies spend on ads and give it to you!"
Interesting Development
Well, what's good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander. Amway Directs New Campaign Against Look-alikes is a story out of India about an advertising campaign being waged to change perceptions of Amway.
Quote:
Though Amway is not admitting it but the industry view is that the company has had to lose a lot of distributors because of negative perception. “In such a situation, a distributor tends to put off the decision to enrol and naturally, it affects the business,” comments the spokesperson.So why won't Quixtar (essentially the North American Amway) advertise to change similar perceptions here? I really have no idea and don't want to speculate. It's just interesting.Interestingly, Amway India has been the lone company in the direct selling industry to use the advertising route for communication. Traditionally direct selling companies rely primarily on word-of-mouth publicity.
April 8, 2003
Quixtar may soon be treating inflamation-related disease
By QBlog in
Interleukin Genetics announces alliance with Alticor to develop a line of skin-care products. Wow. If you read the brief article you'll discover that Interleukin also makes nutraceutical products that treat inflammations. Wonder if this includes hemorrhoid treatment products?
Quixtar Cream - It soothes the burning in your ass. Order online now. Guaranteed 50 PV.
Images of Quixtar
By QBlog in
Did a Google Image search for "Quixtar" and found that the first search result is a Zebra. Very interesting. This is proof positive that Quixtar is run by Zebras!
Quixtar Breaks Single-Day Sales Record With $10 Million Day
By QBlog in
A press release posted on Yahoo News says that Quixtar Breaks Single-Day Sales Record With $10 Million Day. Quixtar is growing and growth means bigger profits. It's just good to see recent news of any sort about Quixtar, even if it is just a press release.
Just thinking today, that to my knowledge, there isn't a single independent online information source that tracks current news, analysis and reports about Quixtar. I'm still looking around but this is giving me some ideas. How does quixtarWATCH sound?
April 6, 2003
A box of tools
By QBlog in
So, we've packed up the tools. A giant box of tapes, cds, documents, brochures, plans, etc. all packed away and in the garage. Saving it all for the "inevitable" audit. It was sad seeing all this "wisdom" packed into a giant cardboard box and put away. A year of life packed in a box. The box contained Quixtar products at one time and was delivered by the friendly Amway guy in his rusty utility van. Now it contains Quixtar products of a different variety. The circle is complete.
I tried to listen to a tape today, while driving to Nashville. I thought maybe something had changed inside of me and maybe this tape would speak to me in ways that it never had before. Maybe things would be different. They weren't.
I still wonder why the tapes never moved me. Why did I get angry when I listened to most of them? Why did each tape only generate a dozen new questions? Why? Why? Why? I still don't know and probably never will. Oh well, I still have the box, filled with tapes and tools and dreams.
April 3, 2003
I was wondering if it's worth joining this organization
By QBlog in
I get a lot of emails asking something like, "I was wondering if it's worth joining this organization."
The answer I most often give is to make your own decision, answer your own question by asking specific questions of people in the business (that wouldn't really include me), doing lots of research and planning your investment (time and money) before signing anything. However, tonight, I thought of the perfect parallel for describing the Quixtar business decision.
Becoming an IBO should be like buying a house. You'd never buy a house without asking lots of questions, doing a lot of research, contacting a lawyer, reading piles of documents, planning your spending and budget and all the wonderfully complicated things that home buying requires.
Do the same with Quixtar. This business can impact your life much, much more than buying a home ever will so be sure you're well prepared before making the decision. Don't rush into anything. Ever. Pretend Quixtar is your second home and if you do all the right things maybe it will allow you to purchase a second home in the future.
April 2, 2003
Old article from Forbes
By QBlog in
I cherish every single article I find about Quixtar from the traditional media. Whether it's good or bad news most news outlets at least try to get the facts right and attempt to report the story without bias.
I found this article about Quixtar from Forbes.com and thought the last sentence was a bit odd:
By joining organizations like Quixtar, you're more likely to fill your shelves with bottles of shampoo than to fill your bank account with cash.
Now, that quote is out of context so be sure to read the entire article. It mainly has positive things to say about Quixtar. Just thought it was curious how that sentence snuck in at the end.
April 1, 2003
Rhetorical (?) Questions
By QBlog in
Can anyone name another business that generates the same amount (or more) of negative feelings and opposition that Quixtar (Amway) seems to generate?
Clarification: By generate I don't necessarily mean that Quixtar is responsible for the negativity but it is nevertheless the focal point of that negativity. Also, I'm not talking about the lawsuits from people who feel cheated (though I'm not precluding those either) but mainly referring to the incredible number of stories, books, anectdotes, Web sites, discussion boards, emails, etc. about people who have had a really bad experience with this business. Surely they can't all be "disgruntled whiners" as one IBO referred to them.