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July 31, 2003
It's all about the details
By QBlog in
Look, I know I harp on the Web ignorance of Quixtar, Amway and Alticor but I just can't help noticing major SNAFUs on their sites. Sure, Amway is NOT the Internet presence that Quixtar is but when you're a multi-million dollar global company, you'd think you'd have someone at quality control checking to be sure that the Amway Home Page didn't say Copyright 2000. This is 2003 right? I guarantee Proctor & Gamble haven't made this mistake.
Quixtar has the correct copyright date. Props to Quixtar for catching this tiny, but noticable, detail. And yes, I'm a stickler for details and while you may not care about a three year lapse on some home page, believe me, it does matter.
Donkey Balls and Poetry
By QBlog in
Found this blog from a guy who is (was?) in Quixtar. Just liked the name of the blog. I also like "outing" Quixtar bloggers.. or, to be more correct, people in Quixtar who also blog.
July 30, 2003
Small Businesses Fail
By QBlog in
One of my favorite rationales for joining Quixtar is the "95% of all small businesses fail within the first year" argument. I've heard this numerous times. Some wide-eyed prospect starts asking about the success rate of Quixtar and the Platinum IBO just smiles and says, "Well, didn't you know that most businesses fail within the fist year?"
This argument all but admits that Quixtar has a high rate of failure. The logic that they are using is that since most businesses fail, there is always risk when you start a new endeavor and Quixtar is no exception. However, with Quixtar the difference is low cost of entry, strong support team (supposedly free) and a proven business model. Yet behind the smoke and mirrors, what they are really saying is that if you join Quixtar you very likely will fail, but since you're only investing a small amount, your losses are minimized. That's just a stupid way to sell a business and it's one of the reasons I never got interested in Quixtar as a business for myself.
However, the real problem in the above argument isn't even the indirect admission that Quixtar mostly results in failure. The real problem is that the example compares apples to oranges. Sure, most businesses fail, but not all businesses. And if you want to start looking at specific businesses (or types of business) you'll find very different success and failure rates across the board.
For example, it's commonly known that restaurants fail quite frequently. Their success rate is pretty low. Yet, a McDonald's franchise is almost a guaranteed success. See the difference. I know, McDonald's has a much higher (almost prohibitive) franchise fee but there are many other examples. The point is that when an IBO says that all businesses are great risks you can know that this isn't entirely true. Some types of businesses are riskier than others and Quixtar is much riskier than most. It may cost less to get into but in the long run, it's not all that much cheaper than some other business ventures.
July 28, 2003
Who is Dwighty?
By QBlog in
Found The Dwighty Show! in my comments today and it looks like he's a Quixtar IBO. I'm intrigued.
So I just wonder. Who is Dwighty?
Where are the Numbers?
By QBlog in
I don't care about numbers. Numbers are meaningless to me and most Americans. If you say that Quixtar does this number or that number then I say "Yawn." Conversely, if you say this number and that number shows that Quixtar is a scam, I shout, "Who cares!"
And I'm not alone. Numbers mean absolutely nothing to most people. I learned this when I read a book called How To Lie With Statistics several years ago. Basically, people care about and understand very simple and basic numbers but when you start bombarding someone with number after number, they just start nodding.
Quixtar uses numbers to "prove" that it works and will make you rich. Detractors use numbers to "prove" that it doesn't work and will make you poor. So who's right? Well, I am of course. And I use common sense. Screw the numbers.
Common sense says that if you join a business where almost everyone fails, then you will probably fail too. I think of Quixtar as a casino. Some people walk into a casino and walk out rich. But not many. And not often. Most people walk into a casino and walk out broke (or with less money).
So, next time you hear some numbers just ignore them and start using a little common sense.
July 27, 2003
Cousin Vinnie
By QBlog in
Vinnie lives on my block. He sends me around to all the businesses in our neighborhood once a week to collect "donations." Nobody minds donating to Vinnie because he protects them and always gives nice Christmas presents. Occasionally, some store owner complains about the donations but after having a long talk with Vinnie and his friends, the complaints end and smiles return.
One day I asked Vinnie how he got to be so rich and have so many generous friends.
"My boy," he said. "It's all about loyalty. Nobody minds donating the money because they are loyal to me. They are extremely loyal and they know that if they give, I will give back to them in return. I take care of my friends and they know this."
Then I asked him what happens to his friends that don't want to donate.
"So many questions," chuckled Vinnie. "Boy, everyone donates. It's just how it's done. If, someone decides they don't want to be part of the family, then we help them find another neighborhood to live in. Unfortunately it happens sometimes, but not very often. We're a family and we take care of our own."
Later some reporters came around and started asking everyone lots of questions. Vinnie sat us all down and said not to talk to anyone. He also said that whatever those reporters and former neighbors said were all lies. Lies spouted by jealous and bitter fiends.
We all did as Vinnie instructed. That was the thing about the neighborhood. We were loyal to Vinnie. Fiercely loyal. And loyalty was the key to Vinnie's success. One of his favorite sayings was, "Loyalty is what holds this neighborhood together. Without loyalty we die."
And as I sit here tonight, I can't help but think that the same thing applies to Quixtar and every other MLM. Without loyalty they die. Their business success is not dependent upon products or services but pure, unadulterated loyalty. The most precious commodity in the world.
Google Thinks I Know Stuff
By QBlog in
According to Google, this site is the place to go for info on the upcoming (?) Dateline NBC story about Quixtar. Not sure this site is the best source for information on this story but here's all I have on the matter.
I have heard rumors that Quixtar plans a big function on the night Dateline plans to air the story but I find this hard to believe, because nobody knows when it's airing. If it is true, it proves that Quixtar is run by Morons.
July 26, 2003
Back from the sticks
By QBlog in
I just got back from a family vacation in a resort with no Internet. It was good to get unplugged for a few days and spend time with family. Not once was MLM, Quixtar or Amway mentioned in any conversation.
Anyway, it's good to be back.
July 19, 2003
Is the "Bo Short" name marketable?
By QBlog in Bo Short
Do a Google search for Quixtar. Go ahead, I'll be here when you get back.
Ok, welcome back. Did you notice all the Passport ads on the right side of the page? Did it look like this? My question, to no one in particular, is why do they advertise the Bo Short name? It's almost like it's not the Passport business, but the Bo Short business and I think that's potentially bad business for a couple of reasons.
First of all, when you so closely associate your business with an individual and their name (Martha Stewart for instance) then your success or failure is (in part) tied to the individual. What if, God forbid, Bo Short gets caught smoking crack or something. Then the ad, with Bo Short's name attached, becomes an instant liability.
Secondly, on a philosophical level, I believe that a bit of Bo Short worship could develop. I stress "could." I see it in Quixtar. I see people almost worship some of the Diamonds and mindlessly follow every command. It happens with Dexter Yager in the group I was involved with. Now, my concern is that Bo Short gets set up as a sort of Passport version of Dexter Yager. I'm not saying that Bo is anything like Dexter, but my point should be obvious.
And then there's the last point I guess. Who is Bo Short? Do people really know who he is? Maybe his name is widely known in MLMs but I'd never heard of him before my troubles with our upline (read the archives).
Anyway, just thoughts on a Saturday morning while sipping my coffee. Happy weekend.
July 18, 2003
Attorneys General call on Amway
By QBlog in
This story from the Washington Post exposes several GOP Attorneys General who asked for corporate contributions. Among the corporations asked was our beloved Amway. This isn't really about MLMs but the article illustrates some of the corruption that exists in GOP politics. And, on a side note, who is a very large contributor to the GOP? Yep, Alticor/Amway/Quixtar.
July 17, 2003
A Lesson From Professor Web
By QBlog in
Hey Kids. How are you? Great, me too. Today we're going to learn some special words. Doesn't that sound FUN! Super!
Ok kids, our first word is BLOG. Ha ha. Yes Timmy, that is a funny word. Can you say it with me? BLOG. B-L-O-G. Hey, wasn't that fun?
Now, does anyone know what BLOG means? Well, BLOG is short for Web log. Web logs are usually short, frequently updated journal-type posts that often contain the opinion or observations of one individual. And kids, while this definition may not apply to all blogs, the vast majority of the blogs out there are very similar to what I just described. Isn't that fun?
Ok, ok. Calm down kids. It wasn't THAT fun.
Yes Billy, did you have a question? What's that? No, silly. Blogs aren't forums. What goofy person told you that? Ha ha. You see Forums come in many flavors and while some blogs closely resemble forums, they are actually very different. You see, most forums are communities of people who each have the ability to contribute to a discussion. It's something like being in a giant, crowded room where everyone is talking to each other. Or an even better example is a room where everyone gets a turn at the microphone on stage.
Blogs, however, are more like listening to the radio. You turn it on and hear whatever the speaker wants you to hear. You can call in and contribute but the host of the show still drives the discussion. It's a discussion, but it's less of a community. It's like the difference between conversational and an actual conversation.
Why all the blank stares kids? This is fun stuff. Billy, where are you going? I was just about to explain a WiKi. Oh well, be sure to come back tomorrow when learn about Jakob Nielsen.
A Healthy Discussion...
By QBlog in
An funny thing happened on the way to the forum...
Ty, Dave's Buddy and Doug (with a comment or two from yours truly) have been having an interesting and quite lengthy discussion about the merits of Passport, how the business works and a bunch of other MLM type stuff. Seriously, this is quite a good read. It all stems from a post I made about Passport back on July 3.
What's really cool is that the discussion has taken on a life of its own. I love it when that happens. However, due to the limitations of the attached commenting system I'd say a discussion like the one above would live much more comfortably in the new Forum but I think it will just take time before people get used to a new way of doing things.
Anyway, just glad people are finding a way to discuss what they want to discuss and honored to be able to help facilitate those discussions.
July 14, 2003
If you play on the Web you best know what you're doing
By QBlog in
UPDATE: Quixtar got wise this morning. They took the link down. I'm sure my link and resulting referrer log pings alerted them to the problem. Or maybe they just remembered. Oh well, either way here are the actual copies of the letters:
-----------------------------
Ok, as you may or may not know Quixtar's Dateline NBC Response page (QuixtarResponse) posted a copy of the letter it received from Dateline as well as the letter it sent in response. I mentioned this on the 12th though I don't know how long it was up before that date. Well now, for reasons we can only imagine, Quixtar has removed the link to Dateline's letter.
Or so they thought. In a classic display of Quixtar's inability to understand the Web (as I've mentioned here many times before) they removed the page from their servers (originally called DatelineLetter.asp) but neglected to remove the friggin' image from the servers. And here is a link to the Dateline Letter image though I don't know how long it will be before they figure this out. I did save a copy on my computer so I'll have a permanent copy up soon.
How did I figure this out? Well, it was pretty easy actually, thanks to Quixtar's detailed naming conventions. You see, the image path to the image they left linked was the exact same as the Dateline letter. See. So, I just changed the name of the image from QuixtarResponse_1.gif to DatelineLetter.gif. No brainer right?
So, I say again. If you gonna be an E-Commerce business (or I-Commerce as they call themselves now) then you should at least understand what you're doing. It's all about the details stupid.
July 13, 2003
Amway makes bank thanks to SARS Crisis
By QBlog in
This article about Amway in China says:
"Since SARS hit China's mainland early this year, American giant Amway faced difficulty meeting the huge demand for some of its Nutrilite health-care food and detergents. Amway announced that the company will increase the registered capital of its China operation by 50 percent to a total of 120 million US dollars."
July 12, 2003
More Blogging Opinions
By QBlog in
Here's a blog post from someone who was shown the plan. Digital Philosopher says that he was
"skeptical, but curious Dani agreed to go to coffee with them (with me observing). First warning: the fellow showed up in a suite with promotional materials featuring a flowchart of what looked conspicuously like a pyramid scheme. He said that the business was under Quixtar and that they were Better Business Bureau approved. Second warning: we were asked to list our dreams (a, b, c) if we made x amount—and guess what? We too could be like that pantheon of millionaires..."
Look, I'm not searching for these negative opinions. This is just what I'm finding. The only positive Quixtar blog posts I've found are from a couple of underage girls. Not exactly sure what that was all about but I figured posting their posts would serve no purpose since they can't really be IBOs.
Not to brag...
By QBlog in
Hey, not trying to brag but the quixtarBLOG Forum is ad-free, pop-up free and spam-free. If you are looking for a Quixtar/MLM forum without all those annoying pop-ups and ads then quixtarBLOG Forum is for you. It's still new so there is plenty of room for new and interesting discussions.
It's all true
By QBlog in
Quixtar's response to the Dateline NBC story. More later.
July 10, 2003
This just seems bizarre to me
By QBlog in
According to an official Chinese newspaper, Amway is funding a mission to set up the first Chinese run scientific research station on the North Pole. My only comment is that maybe Amway is trying to corner the North Pole market before the competition.
July 5, 2003
The Three Stooges
By QBlog in
Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk.
July 4, 2003
Non-Quixtar Bloggers talk about Quixtar
By QBlog in
Here's yet another blogger who isn't in the "business" and has never been an IBO but has quickly formed some very strong opinions about Quixtar.
... recently, a close friend of mind has been drawn into a cult-like business group known as Quixtar (aka Amway). Since joining this organization, the last few recent phone conversations I’ve had with him have been tied up with him badgering Chen and myself with invitations to go to these meetings hosted by them. But the funny thing about all this is that he would not elaborate on what they were exactly about.
July 3, 2003
What is Passport?
By QBlog in
Some MLM and anti-MLM circles have mentioned Passport (not to be confused with Passport, the Microsoft .NET initiative). I think I've made myself pretty clear about my position on Quixtar, Amway and other MLMs but I'd like to mention Passport specifically.
I know very little about Passport except that it was started by ex-Amway Diamond Bo Short. I believe that the basic business is pretty much like every MLM with the exception being that tools and promotional materials are not "forced" onto participants the way they are in Quixtar/Amway. I may be wrong but it seems that pretty much every other aspect of Passport is classic MLM.
Now, back when we were having some issues with our upline, by some odd set of circumstances I got in touch with Bo Short. I spoke with him on the phone for maybe 45 minutes about our situation and some of the perceived problems with Quixtar. He really is a nice guy, very friendly, genuine and straightforward. He only mentioned Passport briefly to illustrate why he left Amway. What I remember most from our conversation is that Bo never once hinted that I should join Passport nor did he try to push the business on me in any way.
So, what do I think of Passport? I've said this before. An MLM is an MLM. You can put lipstick on a pig but that don't make it a prom date. I believe that the MLM business model is fundamentally flawed for reasons I've stated here before. I also believe in human nature and while I hope for the best, I have a gnawing suspicion that if Passport hangs around for 40+ years like Amway, it will end up experiencing the same AMO and BSM problems that plague Amway. Money has a way of corrupting people and there is BIG money in motivational tools.
Anyway, if you're interested in joining Passport I suggest you do lots of research first. I make the same suggestion about Quixtar. Don't sign anything unless you know exactly what you are getting into. Ask lots of questions. Keep asking until you know the answers or someone in the organization refuses to answer them. If and when you start getting non-answers to your questions then I just suggest that you ask yourself if it's really worth getting in business with someone who doesn't want an informed partner.
That's all I got right now. It's really hard to find quality info about Quixtar on the Web and it's even harder to find anything out about Passport. If you know of some sources of info about this new MLM then please pass it along to me. Thanks.
July 2, 2003
Quixtar Stereotypes
By QBlog in
What stereotypes exist inside and outside of the MLM (specifically Quixtar) world?
Some people, inside Quixtar, stereotype those who object to Quixtar, the tools or MLMs in general by calling them "whiny losers." They point out that many of the "anti-Quixtar" crowd just spew viciously charged rhetoric as a result of some kind of bitterness towards the business.
Some people, outside of Quixtar, stereotype devoted IBOs as being mindless cult members who only repeat what they've heard thousands of times on tapes, in meetings and from their uplines. They point out that many IBOs are so blinded by "the dream" that they are unable to think rationally and independently.
As with all stereotypes, there is some truth to them but it's dangerous to paint everyone with the same brush. In my experiences I've met some IBOs who don't fit neatly into the brainwashed stereotype. I've also met some ex-IBOs who weren't filled with hate and bitterness and actually made some sense (I guess I'm one of them, at least I hope I am).
In life, as well as in the Quixtar world, my fear is that a minority of vocal and high profile individuals will work in a negative way to reinforce existing stereotypes. It's sad because when that happens, the facts and reality are often distorted and even lost.
So, just a question to no one in particular, what stereotypes have you encountered (or personally believe) in the Quixtar (MLM) world?
QuixtarBlog.com
By QBlog in
FYI: There is now a new domain name for this site. www.quixtarblog.com now leads to this site. Easy to remember and fun to type. Don't worry about any bookmarked URLs. They still work and will continue to work just fine.
July 1, 2003
Reason #476 for staying out of Amway (or Quixtar)
By QBlog in
Sad story with a valuable lesson.
"McKay's sudden disappearance from his comfortable suburban home in a heavily wooded neighborhood touched off an intense police hunt and a media frenzy.His parents that evening left him at home as they attended an Amway meeting and when they returned a couple of hours later he was gone. Within a few minutes, they received a phone call demanding $500,000 ransom in $100 bills."
So, don't go to Amway meetings and leave your 12-year-old son at home alone or he might end up like Samuel McKay.
Seriously though, what were his parents doing leaving a 12-year-old boy home alone, at night? Maybe 12 is old enough to be home alone but it seems kind of young to me, or at least right on the border of being too young and just barely old enough.
Baby Steps
By QBlog in
I knew that developing a community would take time and involve some missteps and mistakes but after two days of hosting a Forum I have renewed respect for established groups like the MLM Survivor's Club. If the quixtarBLOG Forum community becomes a fraction of what the MLM Survivors Club is now, I'll be satisfied.