« The Orrin Woodward Web Bloopers | Main | Who's Who Photo »
February 8, 2004
Is Team Of Destiny Quixtar's "Chosen People?"
By QBlog in
I just realized a "new" feature on the quixtar.com home page. At the bottom of the page you'll notice the acronym "PHPs" (which stands for Personal Home Pages) followed by four links. The links are:
Each linked page is a listing of various "Q-12" home pages. After looking through most of the sites it appears that all of them are from Team of Destiny. This may explain the recent shenanigans at the Orrin Woodward site. Maybe Quixtar told him to restrict access to his "articles?"
Quixtar explains the directory pages this way:
This directory provides links to separate independent Personal Home Page (PHP) websites of some Independent Business Owners (IBOs) who have achieved Quixtar business levels of "Q-12" or higher. While the PHPs below have been reviewed and authorized by Quixtar, readers should not assume that the content on any webpages/sites listed or linked from the PHP site are either required to be reviewed or have been reviewed by Quixtar.That makes some sense. Any business would probably want to feature the personal home pages of such successes (no matter how awful those pages may look). However, there is something mighty curious about all four directory pages. None of them sit on Quixtar.com. In fact, each directory page sits on a completely separate domain name. That's highly unusual. If you know anything about Web development you'll know that it's extremely rare for a business to create a seemingly unified set of pages (such as the PHPs directory) across multiple domains. Why? Well, it makes it more difficult to manage and it can create confusion when linking to those pages. It would seem that there are reasons, other than those stated, for the creation of the directory pages.
Let's look at them for a moment. The pages are:
The sole purpose of each domain (it would appear) is to simply house a single directory page and their images. Why would Quixtar diversify its branding (by creating multiple domains) to simply house a single (and partial) directory page? My best guess (and this is only a guess) is that the pages are to manipulate Google rankings. Any page linked from the Quixtar home page (which has a very high Google rank) will subsequently receive a page rank boost simply because of the link. Additionally, pages linked from there will receive a similar (though less substantial) boost in page rank. The end result may be (and this is no certainty) that in the near future a Google search for the word "quixtar" will result in only Quixtar-favorable sites listed in the first few pages of search results.
There is nothing wrong with any of this (if this is one of Quixtar's reasons behind the directory). It makes perfect business sense but I believe it also provides a bit of insight into the collective mindset of the Quixtar corporate culture. It seems to reveal that the "Quixtar decision-makers" are genuinely concerned about sites that provide a less than favorable view of Quixtar.
Finally, I'll just say that this is all pure speculation on my part. I really don't know Quixtar's motive behind the directory pages. I'm only guessing. But those guesses are educated and based on my years of experience in Web development. Make your own decisions about the significance of all this.
Comments
You may be right. However, my guess is the reverse. I'm guessing that TOD (and Orrin) built up these pages and then went to the Corporation and said, "Hey, we need to get these things linked up."
Of course, as always, this is just my guess.
Having been a very loyal IBO for ten years, and reaching silver by our group's effort we were"privileged" to attend numerous "direct" meetings. I remember very clearly our Diamond Mark Crawford saying at one of these meetings that Amway would work hard to eliminate negative websites and flood the 'net with positve sites. You can be sure that they are promoting IBO's to go visit these sites if only for a quick look several times each day just to skew the numbers. So much for integrity. I do hope the cat is so far out of the bag that the end is near for this scheme of deception.
I really appreciate this website, Mr. Qblog. Very little of what is said here is different from what we saw in those ten wasted years.
I've always felt it was just to "stuff" the search engines with sites that are positive or at least neutral.
Something else that comes to mind, and this is from way back during the Amway days, when they first allowed the development of PHPs: If anyone looks into it, I bet they will find that the majority of these sites are all actually developed for the web by the same company. I get the impression this company has some type of favorable relationship with A/Q and therefore was recommended (at least for some amount of time) as a provider that would help you get a PHP approved, up and running quickly.
I'll second Qblog's guess. It's very difficult to get listed in Google under the keyword "Quixtar" unless you're either tied to Quixtar, or are a power player like Qblog, MLMblog, MLMsurvivor and a few others.
I made about $55,000.00 this year with the Quixtar business... and i'm waiting for the Q12 $10,000.00 check in a week or two... with the Disney World trip...
Think negative = stay broke
Think positive = get rich
Both of those way of thinking works... you choose...
the reason all the "stars" are in michigan is that is where orrin lives. they also have a pretty big team in nevada and texas. as far as international teams, they have at least some in germany and in canada of course.
And also thats where my second cousin Chris Brady lives as well. Its all so funny that you should say that about the directories because I was lookin up TOD again. What I mean by again is the fact that I was going to join TOD but I couldnt deny the fact that it made me feel like I was looking at my friends and family as "Prospects". It just didnt seem right to me. The money and the promises seemed great but then again all of my family knowing Chris Brady and exactly why they wouldnt want to sign up for TOD (I dont know him but my parents know the way he is). Anyway I was looking it up because my room mate signed up for it and the first things you see on the search is the quixtar web sights. Kinda hard to get both views when your cluttered with only positive. I was really just looking for a forum.
I'm not writing to slam nor promote the Team of Destiny. But I'll say this,.. while we learned a lot of great skills, met some nice folks, and found our faith in Jesus, largely due to our involvement. We also invested well over $30,000 and did not see the return. We did everything required, hit 4000 pin, was power player a couple of times, and reached turbo status. But still in the end we simply spent more money than we made pursuing the business. Peeople need to realize that in order to actually make this work you are looking at a huge time and money commitment that is sugar coating on the outset. My advice if you're started already?.. Forget the tapes and meetings and showing "the plan", simply have the book come every month and enjoy the learning opprotunity there. You can learn a lot of great skills that by Orrin's own admission will probably get you promoted at work if put to use.
Good Luck and God Bless,
I'll invite emailed questions to :
adbrown@mts.net
I am here because I've been approached to join TEAM. I like to find other people's results, opinions, good and bad, when considering such a thing. It's interesting that I'm having trouble getting direct questions I have, answered. I don't want to have to "take a meeting" to get an answer. I guess for sure one thing was absolutely true in the presentation I was given: the internet is the tool of choice...it brought me to this sight, thank you very much!
i can say one thing the TEAM is only as good as you work it and with the changes quixtar has coming in the next 12-18 months is just going to help all ibos i have been a part of 2 teams bww ant the TEAM both systems work but you have to be willing to stick with it for 2-3 years, after being in the TEAM for 14 months i can say my faith is stronger in god and my income has gone up so my wife is a stay at home mom thanks to the TEAM. so to all of the people out there who quit. sorry no one told you its not easy to get your goals and dreams you do have to work for them.
take care and god bless
i have been in the team of destiny for 8 monts and have been on system for 4 of that, man peopel in the team just dont know how much they are getting screwed as i keeped lisening to the cd's i realized that the system is desighned to sell the system lol and only a handfull of cd' in all that they have teach u something, i havent brought this up to my upline yet but have droped the system ,,, and its true they do shun u ,,lol . my first seminar i went to was ther major just last month spent 180.00 for the tickets for me and my wife to go and was in shock i was told u will learn alot at these functions lol what a joke ,,,here is my background ive been involved in the stock market since i was 16, now 36, and daytrade the bussness plan they have is quite good so if anybody wants to make money in this this is what u need to do ...
1. DONT lissen to ur upline when he says u will make all ur money in the tap root that is a huge lie ,, get urself a coupel starter kits goto a few tuesday meeting and learn the plan.. the money is in with.
2. do not spend ur money on the system at all save this and buy ur products ...
3. DO NOT do the power player program it is desiighned to USE peopel they look for peopel that are suckers and want to build this and get all ur friends in there tap root not yours (ur leg , YOUR bussness).
4. SHOW the plan and be honest peopel will follow honest people encurage the new recreuts to goto tuesday meetings and learn the plan and help them with the first coupel plans and add 2 peopel to ur tap root then start there own leg and always saport them when they do ,, this way both depth and with are being created at the same time and everybody makes money ,
i have heard so many lies in this bussness from my uplines all the way up to our dimond there can be a nice income from this if u dont get on system your exspenses are limited to buying ur products and some of ur time ,, worse case with doing it like this is u will get ur products for free ,,, just be honest ,,,,now the team may not be leagal but u can atleast be honest and make money in this
Sincerly ike ,,,
have read your blog comments and find much agreement with your reports. Additionally, ironically, those comments defending TEAM are also true! This is a powerful income generating vehicle. However, I believe it breaks down at the most fundamental level -- economics.
In our involvement in TEAM what we found was that we were paying 150% more for product in many cases. I struggled with this stewardship issue as well as the rationale behind it. I could not make sense of why you would have to pay more for a box of cereal (3x more) if you were utilizing a more efficient distribution system w/out advertising. It really boils down to that. The difficulty in building the business enters in 2 areas. First, you're dealing with people, as a rule, severely undermotivated, satisfied with "good enough", without dreams or aspirations. Their educational system is quite effective in pealing the scab off of mediocrity off your life, opening your eyes to something more grand, more meaningful. However, as in my case, once that was exposed, I no longer needed the system as was very capable of finding good books to read, educational tapes to listen to, etc. I preferred to choose, rather than listen to the repetitive jargon of "Just keep doin what you're doin". Second, nearly all the people you meet have a budget that balances to 0 at the end of the month, or, as in our case, was in the red. It is difficult to justify paying more for consumables on the dream that you can get others to pay more for consumables based on their dream. It is a downward spiraling idea which unwinds from the bottom, insuring an insecure base. It does not make economic sense to spend more for product coming from a more efficient system in order to have a business. Any business would collapse under that economic pressure. 2 products, exactly the same but from different vendors, we choose the less expensive one, every time...and we should!
In the end, if the economics could be changed to be competive with the rest of the world, they may have something. Imagine a business where the products are guaranteed to be better, safer, more economical or your money back. That insures a stable customer base. They buy the products because they really need them, want them, use them...not because they're building a business. Build a business around a product customers really prefer and make it economical. There's a model difficult to beat!
Thanks for the blog.
Levi....specifically, I appreciate your sincere approach to the topic...It is nice to see a collectively "sane" posting rather than a slandersous grouping of words with no informational backing. The economics of the distribution used by Quixtar is NOT that competetive...for now. How many people really want to sit and wait for 2-5 days for stuff to be delivered to their door...other than Mom's or people, like myself, that hate going to the store, I am not sure. BUT, what happens as we look at the trends for the next few years with commerce and the transition to online shopping? Think of how BIG the internet is....now take the stats from e-commerce guide as put out by the US Govt and see that less than 3% on last years commerce was done online. NOW, look at those trends and their relative growth compared to that of "bricks and mortar" sales. e-commerce is just speeding past it....so, as the companies like the TEAM direct more product flow towards Quixtar, what happens to their buying power and subsequent prices? I have seen for myself the decline in prices over the years and it will only get better. As inflation occur the value of the products increase, therefore the return gets bigger.....So, right now it is not that competetive, but what happaens in the next 5 years, when there are even more refrigerators with scanning units for re-ordering consumables?
Remember all this "stuff" was said about every big company in the begining.Wal Mart, McD's Mary Kay etc..., some people are looking for opportunity, some are not, those who work make it, those who whine don't.
PS. To all: Just know this to whom reads it, the TEAM is the TEAM and Quixtar is Quixtar, the Team system is a completely separate entity from that particular shopping portal. To be skeptical is human nature, but look into the details and ask honest questions.
How many businesses can you start an actually make a strong profit in the first 2 years.....Show me one, that the average person can startup wihtout losing their hind end in a bank loan.....and then show me one where there is mentorship to teach you what it takes. it is work, HARD work. But the results are ther for those who stick.
Levi....specifically, I appreciate your sincere approach to the topic...It is nice to see a collectively "sane" posting rather than a slandersous grouping of words with no informational backing. The economics of the distribution used by Quixtar is NOT that competetive...for now. How many people really want to sit and wait for 2-5 days for stuff to be delivered to their door...other than Mom's or people, like myself, that hate going to the store, I am not sure. BUT, what happens as we look at the trends for the next few years with commerce and the transition to online shopping? Think of how BIG the internet is....now take the stats from e-commerce guide as put out by the US Govt and see that less than 3% on last years commerce was done online. NOW, look at those trends and their relative growth compared to that of "bricks and mortar" sales. e-commerce is just speeding past it....so, as the companies like the TEAM direct more product flow towards Quixtar, what happens to their buying power and subsequent prices? I have seen for myself the decline in prices over the years and it will only get better. As inflation occur the value of the products increase, therefore the return gets bigger.....So, right now it is not that competetive, but what happaens in the next 5 years, when there are even more refrigerators with scanning units for re-ordering consumables?
Remember all this "stuff" was said about every big company in the begining.Wal Mart, McD's Mary Kay etc..., some people are looking for opportunity, some are not, those who work make it, those who whine don't.
PS. To all: Just know this to whom reads it, the TEAM is the TEAM and Quixtar is Quixtar, the Team system is a completely separate entity from that particular shopping portal. To be skeptical is human nature, but look into the details and ask honest questions.
How many businesses can you start an actually make a strong profit in the first 2 years.....Show me one, that the average person can startup wihtout losing their hind end in a bank loan.....and then show me one where there is mentorship to teach you what it takes. it is work, HARD work. But the results are ther for those who stick.
B --
Thank you for noticing the tone of my entry. Really, despite loosing $5000 in the year we were involved in TEAM despite building it to a relatively significant level (2 legs w/ 50 in one and 20 in the other), investing super amounts of time, money, travel, and neglecting our children for that year, I was able to pick up valuable leadership principles that have served me well in our other home business. The things I learned from the initial exposure to their system of training are invaluable. However, with that said, after I figured out that I needed personal improvement, I needed to be a leader, I needed not to settle for good when great was available, that God wanted me to reach, stretch, expand, become more for Him, really, I didn't need the system anymore. I needed to choose my own books, inspirational tapes, authors, mentors, etc. I found the training system, initially, very helpful, however after a short time, it was so repetitive, redundant and, at times materialistic, its value to me was dramatically reduced. Principally, I understood I needed to change. That's what the system teaches, which I find totally consistent with my biblical beliefs. After you learn that principle, then it's up to you.
Secondly, Quixtar is a (or was a) 1.3 BILLION dollar industry. They have enough volume to command competitive price. Fundamentally, this is where the whole house of cards came tumbling down for me. No one could explain to me why consumables had to be 150% higher than what was available locally through an expensive distribution chain. Principally, the QUIXTAR model is more efficient, there is minimal cost/overhead involved. That meant to me that the drastically inflated prices were to account for dollars needed somewhere else. No one was willing to account for that (up to the diamond level in my upline). Considering the quality of the products were not that superior, coupled with the time, resources, money we were spending, there was a seriously ever-widening schism in how I stewardly had to account to God for those resourcesof time and money He gave to me. I couldn't make it make sense. So we were, at that point, done.
Lastly, in regards to your hypothetical question on making a strong profit in the first 2 years, started by the average person and no losses (remember, we lost $5000 doing exactly what they told us to in 1 year alone!), I did not consider TEAM to fit that description. There was no end to the cost in sight at the time we stopped. Our business was getting more complicated, not less. The time required was increasing. Our financial risk was increasing, as was our stress level. However, we have found a company that manufactures high quality, consumable products with a much simpler system, absolutely no risk financially, No new money involved (truthfully), excellent compensation which happens quickly in the building process, committed to honesty, fairness and making your business better and easier and a nearly perfect customer re-order rate because of the QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT. To date (12 months part-time) we have lost $0. $0!! We have made in excess of $20,000, I'm expecting to hopefully triple that this year and retire in 18 months. I've not had to miss my kid's soccer, choir, basketball, birthdays. Our health is better, our finances are better, our future is better. It has an excellent training system for less than $50/year.
That is what you call a business with no risk, dependent on your hard work, quality products that beat competitors -- guaranteed. Beneficial to the customer, even if they don't want to build a business. Now you're talking about a stable business. Great products that people really NEED, really want and are really using.
Pretty simple, not easy. You should try it.
levi
Hey Levi,
Would you be willing to email me regarding the business opportunity of which you are involved with? I have been looking for some time...
Thanks.
Brad
Brad...
I'd be honored to email you. Give me your address and I'll establish contact with you.
Thanks for your interest. I think you'll be happy you did.
Humbly,
Levi
I have recently been approached to join the TEAM starting up in PHL. I find this site to be valuable in showing me what I would be getting into. Bottom line which I did not see or hear about yet is what the products are that you are supposed to buy and get others involved in. From what I have read here I don't see how I can make money by spending more of my own money. Apparently I would just make back if I am lucky what I spend on buying their products. I would love to hear more about the program you are involved in. It sounds like a better way to go. I am a single mom of 2 kids and cant afford to take money away from my kids to possibly make money.
Jenn...
Understand your concern and this is just what we saw in our relationship w/ TEAM and Quixtar. I received valuable insight in leadership development, personal accountability, pursuit of greatness and personal development. However, it was quite costly in the time we were involved. As I've stated in prior postings, if you're interested in a no risk business that manufactures product that is guaranteed to be better, safer and cost effective, and you aren't forced (either economically or via peer pressure) to build a business and it truly is an advantage to be a customer, not to mention a business builder, you may be interested in the company my wife and I are working with.
While it's not my intention to use this site as a recruiting tool, I can speak confidently about the company we're associated with. It is refreshing to be involved with a business free from apologies, lost friendships, hurt feelings or unnecessary financial investment.
Final thought... You may indeed find what you're looking for in TEAM. Its system and training has helped improve marriages, faith in God, and, occassionally (or rarely even), finances. But, they are not the only system that can accomplish that.
I'm open to give you more information if you prefer.
Humbly serving,
Levi
I have been searching and searching for information on the net about TEAM but the only thing I find is their secure website and all kinds of information about Quixtar being about buying their books and tapes or spending going to their seminars. Is there anyone that knows where I can find an impartial place to get CLEAR information and not just more mixed words?
I have been searching and searching for information on the net about TEAM but the only thing I find is their secure website and all kinds of information about Quixtar being about buying their books and tapes or spending money going to their seminars. Is there anyone that knows where I can find an impartial place to get CLEAR information and not just more mixed words?
Why is all the information available about Quixtar/Amway so unclear? Even the testimonials all sound alike.
Jenn...
You'll be hard pressed to find this. In fact, I've found this website to be the most impartial one in all my searching. Although there can be some slant/personal bias, for the most part information contained in this website is impartial, factual oriented without all the emotion involved in the matter.
I would encourage you to review the other areas on this site, speak with people who were formally in TEAM or Quixtar about what the disliked, as well as what they liked (they should be able to give you both, otherwise, their likely too emotional/bitter). I'd also talk to those who are still involved in Quixtar. Talk to some that have just gotten in and to some that have been in for some time. As with the others, ask them what they like AND dislike. Again, they should be able to give you answers on both.
Additionally, search the net on what is out there for TEAM and Quixtar. What we found was a plethera of negative. That alone shouldn't sway your opinion as many people of greatness did unpopular things. But, it should weigh into your decision.
Look at this as a job interview. You are applying for a job. They are willing to hire you, but...are you willing to work for them. To find that out, you need to ask the employer questions...hard questions...about ethics, honesty, vision, market share, recent annual growth, drawbacks and advantages that set this company apart from any other. You interview them, not vice versa. Be selective, be critical, be open and unbiased.
If my wife and I would have done that rather than just look at the "Plan" that was shown to us, we would have likely not joined. Immediatly after we joined we were shocked at the high prices of the product and were concerned over how we would be able to afford it on our current budget. We couldn't. We were also surprised about the economic impact (not because we weren't told about it...we knew about it) of all the "Extras" involved in this business...all the travel costs, gas costs, costs for weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings, costs for monthly educational materials. Additionally, as our business grew, we found ourselves a distributor for the educational materials. They would be shipped to us to be distributed to our team and we were required to collect payment on them. Fine if you only have a couple. As we exited the company, we were handling a educational account of upwards of $300 to $400/month. If anyone got off the system of education, we ate the money, or had to badger them for the money (neither a great proposition). This was only going to grow in complexity until we hit a fairly high level in the company.
In all, our business got more complicated the more we built it. It occupied more of our time in "bookkeeping" not so much leadership. There was no end in sight either.
What we've found now is nothing like that. Thank goodness. It doesn't have to be like that. Training can be essentially free. Time commitment doesn't have to be overbearing. Product doesn't have to be overpriced. Business doesn't have to get more complicated.
Whew...We're so glad we found what we did!
Godspeed in your search. I wish you well.
Paul
Levi,
Could you provide me w/ info on your business as well? Thanks
T, Brad, Jenn...
I am happy to give you more information, however, this website is not the appropriate venue for that exchange. Somehow, I need to get your email address to establish contact with you both. I would recommend contacting QBlog directly via the contact bar at the top of the page and ask him to release your email address to me.
I'm hoping this can be facilitated as you'd be hardpressed to find a better company than the one we're working with. If you're seriously looking for an excellent opportunity to work with an honest, integrity based, simple, quality oriented, grateful-minded company in order to build your future, then you've found it here! It's an excellent opportunity for the common worker.
Can't wait to share this company with you both!
Jenn, you may want to consider the same thing. We'd love to help you.
Without apology,
In His service,
Levi
Upon further review...
T, Brad...
After consideration of my options, I've decided to give you a way to contact me regarding your request to find out more information about our business.
A partner of mine has a website set up which you can go to. It is www.wellnessmakeover.net. You can go to this site, click on "contact me" and put in that you want Levi to give you a call. Leave your number or email address.
That should do it!! I look forward to getting in touch with you both.
Levi
I've been to the Tuesday open and a recent seminar. I wanted to enroll ASAP and was very exicted about this oppurtunity but thought I'd give it some time to think about it. What I've concluded from my personal experience is that they try to push you to by their materials books, cds, etc... They don't necessarily make it a requirement but with all the motivational speeches and all the testimonies, it seems as they're suggesting that you won't be successful if you don't purchase the materials. What's up with the voicecom or whatever the name of that voicemail thing is? $10/ month to keep updated on the latest news? Why not post it up on a website for free? The info I've received from the books and cds has been great so far, but I don't think I will apply what I have learned to TEAM. Most of the CDs I've listened to were testomonies and very few had good info. Levi, can you also send me some info. How should we contact eachother?
Tim...
See my post above your entry. Just go to my partner's website www.wellnessmakeover.net, click on "contact me" and put in that you'd "like Levi to contact you". Give your phone number or email address and I'll get in touch with you.
Can't wait to speak with you Tim.
Serving,
Levi
Tim, Levi, Brad,Jenn
What a pleasure to read a blog about "A" TE__" OR"Q" with such sincere and calm comments. I too was on the te--,although I got off systerm after I ran out of storrage space for all the stuff. I wondder if I could sell it back to my "up line" Ha! I might even stay in it to see if the yearly cost ever gets me a big enough "rebate" from "Q" as the group builds .As a long time entripenuer, inventor, and self-employed person, I have been in many mlms,and i am now not in many mlms. I have however found what I believe to be a real home based business and am sure that is going to bring me all the "Dreams" I have. Imagine this "It actually involves "SELLING" some product, not a system . Good, reliable, High tech.products. Networking, and Marketing, are part of any business but it seems that this MLM thing leaves out many inportant parts of business. I wish you all the best in anything you become involved in. Oh yea After all the books and tapes on "system" Gods Word the Bible is the best motivator.
In HIS NAME
Schu
I'm an active Ruby in the Quixtar business. I've read through some of the blogs here and find many items of interest.
It's amazing how many people will work so hard to 'get the facts' when they could just sit down with the person who invited them to see the plan.
I will comment on what I think is the biggest issues, i.e. tool: They are optional, period.
If you hear of anyone complaining about how they lost money on them, ask them if anyone made them buy them.
When you realize that they made their own decision to buy them, then perhaps you'll put their sob story in the same cry baby trash can that I put my college-tuition-sob-story in.
Quixtar is like a lot of things - there's good and there's bad people, so just watch out for the bad ones and embrace the good ones.
Kurt
Kurt...
I'd be interested in your comments on my entries into the blog. They do not deal with tools, rather, simple economics and stewardship.
Thanks...
Paul
I'm writing an article about TEAM in Northeastern Ohio. I find it interesting that other people involved with Quixtar are suspicious of TEAM. Please contact me if you would like to tell me more about this.
Email: jrenner@freetimes.com 216-479-2033 x253
Thanks,
-James
Hello Levi,
I went to the address you gave and tried to contact you but it was not working. I kept getting an error message. It took over 2 minutes just to get the page to open. I know it's not the fault of my computer because my computer is custom built and only 3 days old. Plus I have no problems with other pages, just the one you left the address for.
Could you please contact me at: ahillbillie@yahoo.com?
Thanks,
Hillbillee
I joined TEAM 2 months ago and have got nothing but support. I haven't had to buy a single CD or book. My upline buy's them and passes them out and we keep them circulating within our TEAM and the new people. Some products are more expensive some are the same and some less, big deal. Buy the cheap stuff. I'm in no situation to pay more so that's what I do.
I get my 50 PV monthly. If you've lost money you're probably a person that allows others to run you over. OR, maybe you trusted a person not worth trusting. As someone else mentioned here, organizations have good people and bad, you can't always tell them apart. Sad but true. Where else can you invest little money with the rewards you can get thru this. Attitude determines your Altitude folks.
Chris...
Just a couple of brief comments on your entry...
Being on System is one way we were qualified as "players" in the business and was instructed from the leadership. Makes sense. You'll want to spend time with those people willing to invest in themselves.
Second, 150pv and not 50 pv is what was recommended for monthly purchasing. When my wife and I did our analysis, item by item, we found that product costs were, on average, 150% higher. Our budget couldn't handle that.
Third, if we weren't going to be able to support our business by "buying from ourselves" what kind of business people were we. That's like having a gas station and going across the street to fill up because your own price is too high. Silly.
Fourth, I think if you met me, you'd see, I'm pretty hard to "run over", either physically, or through intimidation, yet, we lost much money in TEAM. I think if you read my blog entries here you'd see I have the "attitude that determines altitude". TEAM wasn't our vehicle. And, honestly, we're not alone! We chose to build a business that has economical, highly effective, safer products that save us money, involves no risk, makes total sense economically, spiritually and morally. I just couldn't say that with TEAM. However, with that said, I wish you well with your efforts.
In His Light,
Levi
Hello,
I recently graduated from college, and moved to Puerto Rico where I have been approached by a TEAM IBO. I am wondering exactly what the weekly time requirements are to be successful in this business. Plus, I am confused about the legality of TEAM, since its members don't actually sell a particular product or products. Can anyone tell me if this is a legal business that can grow into a success in 8-10 hours per week? (Time frame as quoted to me by the IBO).
Thanks,
Jeremy
Jeremy...
I could just say "nope" and leave it at that, but, I should probably qualify it so you know where that answer comes from.
When I was in TEAM, Power Player was the "Gold Standard". To be a Power Player you need to (along with other requirements) show atleast 15 plans a month. Additionally, you were strongly encouraged to plug into the system of training, attend all functions including weekly Tuesday Night Opens, monthly Seminars and quarterly Majors.
Here's how that breaks down time wise...
1. To show 15 plans takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. That's 7 to 15 hours.
2. Training System is 1 book/month and 2-3 tapes/week. Average there would be about 15 hours for the book (if you're a swift reader, which I wasn't) and 10 hours for the tapes.
3. Tuesday Night Opens are 2 hours long so that's 8 hours.
4. Monthly Seminars started around 3:00 and got over around 10:00 -- 7 hours (without travel)
5. Quarterly Majors started on Friday evening and went to Sunday afternoon. Actual meeting time approx. 25 hours.
So, add all that up and you get between 72-80 hours/month, which is about 20 hours/week. That's without any follow-through with anyone you sign up, mentoring of your group to help with leverage, dispersing of system materials to your team, general management/book keeping, travel time to plan showings/events.
It's funny, I never added it up, but it felt like a full time job, on top of my full time job. Looks like that was the case all along!!
Anyway, 8-10 hours/week seems a trifle weak to me.
levi,
would you say that had you not bought into the 'training' and built your team as you described that your result wold have been different? can you buy products that are reasonably priced that you need? no knock on your faith but why does the topic seem so persistent in TEAM conversation? i am also interested in your new endevour. contact is: srcitbreaker@yahoo.com
i will try your sight as well.
sam
Sam...
Their training system is critical to success for many reasons. First, it helps create the "mindset" you need to succeed in that business. Second, by being on the system, you are seen as a "player" and given more time from upline. Third, it does provide a form of leverage in that everyone in your team is getting the same training without you having to "be the man" so to speak. Without that, I believe what we did, which was already quite difficult, would have been nearly impossible.
In regards to my faith, I was a born again Christian prior to my entry into TEAM. I cannot speak for TEAM but, for me, Christ is the most important thing in my life. But this is not the forum for that discussion. At their "Majors" and in some of their training they have an emphasis on biblical teaching especially in regards to marriage, abundance, achievement. However, with that said, I struggled personally with the heavy materialism and flaunting of worldliness that I found inconsistent with the teachings of Christ and believe their "doctrine" was skewed just enough so I was not comfortable with it. But thank you for asking. I'm hopeful that doesn't make you uncomfortable.
In regards to our endeavor, I will email you more information. I appreciate your interest.
In His service,
Levi
Levi...
I was recently introduced to the TEAM, and was simply blind sided at first. It all sounded great, but I couldn't help but think something wasn't quite right. The person that introduced me to this system was brand new, and without thinking about it he allowed me to listen to alot of the cd's without me even signing up. I realized that all they promote is the system itself! Very little useful information. They are always preaching that you shouldn't take financial advice from those that don't have what you want... and to tell you the truth I don't think any of them have what I want.
My wife and I are artists and have two young children. I also work full time as an engineer, but still have a tough time making ends meet. My wife was very skeptical of the TEAM, and I'm glad she was! Luckily that sketicism, lead me to this sight, and you're opinions are exactly the type of answers I was looking for. You relay your experiences in such a respectful manor, that I can't help but believe you. My wife was worried about the time I would be missing with my children, and from what you have shown me... I know I would have missed alot! I am, however, very entreprenurial in spirit, and as soon as you mentioned the business you are in, and how they conduct business; I wanted to know more. Could you please contact me with some information? My email is nzaneb@comcast.net. I mentioned to my wife that I found something that we can do together, and she seems pretty excited as well. That's a first :) Thank you for being so truthful and respectful, it says alot for your character, and you seem exactly like the type of person I want to do business with. As for the TEAM, I refuse for my family to be lambs led to the slaughter. Hope to hear from you soon...
Hi everyone...just a note to say that I have been with Quixtar for 15 years. We started the business to replace my income.(working mom). We built our business to Platinum within 2yrs and have been Emeralds and both retired from our jobs for 12 years. We do not belong to TEAM, however. We belong to a tremendous support organization called World Wide Group, and have attended all major and regional functions since we started. When we had a traditional retail music business we attended all of the trade shows for it as well, which cost much more and did not offer the great personal growth that our major functions offer. All of these meetings are tax deductible. Where else can you take tax deductions for personal growth? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!! I don't understand the whining about price of product and buying cd's etc. My upline always said just buy what you already buy from the store...and about the books and cds, how can you expect to build a new business without taking in new information? We love our business and the people in it. We devote ourselves to helping our downline succeed... and frankly, it takes some people longer than others. Everyone is not at the same personal growth level when they get started. We would be happy to offer personal assistance to anyone that really wants to build the business and is not afraid of putting in some hard work. (Compared to starting a traditional business, the time commitment is a joke.) My husband and I worked 18 hour days when we started our music business which did not payout nearly as efficiently as our Quixtar business and that income was NOT residual. So to be successful, you must find someone that is successful and have them teach you what they did. jgilmour@wwdb.org We are happy to help anyone that's serious...because we're going Diamond in 2006 with or without you.:)
D Gilmour...
I've been really interested in what someone, of your stature in the Quixtar world, actually makes on a yearly basis. Whenever I inquire, I always get the same line of B.S. "If you do this, this, and this... you should be making $2000-$3000 a month" Nobody will pull out their check and actually show me. I guess what I'm saying, is that I have no idea of what Emeralds and Diamonds make in a year. Would you be so kind as to fill me in? I would also like to know how much of that income must be reinvested inorder for the business to keep functioning. Your insight would be of great assistance. Thank you... before hand I guess :)
If a lot of you were seriously thinking about joining the TEAM because of what an IBO told you and now you are not sure because of reading this site, what makes you think Levi is any different than the original IBO you talked with? How much time has he spent on this site? My upline was very honest with me, and as far as the products, some are more expensive, but a lot are cheaper. You also have to remember the partner stores such as Circuit City, Bass Pro Shops, Office Depot, Visa, MCI, Verizon, etc. 150 pv is not that hard to attain after you start switching your buying habits, which is exactly what we do- create loyal communities of online buyers. I have watched my upline and others in my team leave their jobs and become stay at home parents. This business is not for everyone.
INVEST time now to HAVE time later. Business Week just published a report saying this is the way to go. Not only that, jump in now or wait until car manufacturers, appliance manufacturers, etc. jump on and use this vehicle to continue building success for themselves, not you. Just my thoughts...
LAH...
I'm not sure if you meant it or not, but you brought my integrity into question. I understand, but this is not the forum to discuss my integrity. But, I will say, if you have questions about it, you need only contact me and we can speak with each other. That would give you more of the information you need to make a decision on my integrity. Also, review my entries and point out factual errors to me. I would welcome that.
Too many people in this world question the integrity of a person when they cannot find anything factually wrong with what they are saying. It is a subtle move that causes others to stop and question as well, serving as a stumbling block to them. In the end, the truth is good enough. It will win. I have nothing to hide.
Regarding your other points in the entry...
That's fantastic your IBO has been honest with you! That is the only way to be. I find it remarkable you're comfortable with paying more for products even though you are operating in a more efficient distribution model (e.g. less middle men??) and not getting more valuable product in return. That is one aspect I couldn't square. It made no economic sense to me.
Partner stores do offer great variety and convenience, but, really, not alot of PV/BV. I saw this immediately when I looked into purchasing a computer, tires or anything else that wasn't from the core Quixtar line. It is not that rewarding to purchase from those vendors. Plus, I could often go into the store itself and buy what was online for a better price.
Economics...stewardship...
You're totally correct. 150 PV is not difficult to attain if you truly switch over your buying habits AND have extra income coming in to cover the mark-up (It is really the only way to truly support your own business. You should be loyal to your own business, right?). We did not have that extra income, however we never had less than 150 PV coming from our IBO. We sought to sign up members, clients to help with this. However, economics won out again. They were not willing to purchase more expensive product that had no added value. It is poor stewardship.
I too watched my upline bring home his wife and trim his hours remarkably at work...that was before his business rolled up under the economic pressure of trying to persuade others to purchase product that is more expensive but not necessarily more valuable. Look at your own business. Why aren't people "buying from themselves"? Why does there need to be training in the system to "buy from yourself"? I think people are smarter than that. They can smell a good deal, don't you think? The only answer I could come up with was -- Economics...Stewardship. They need to be persuaded to spend more money on product as a trade for financial freedom in the future.
BTW, my old upline is now back to working full time. But, if you ask him, he's doing "great" spending more time away from his family, working an additional 30-40 hours a week in his Quixtar business. What a shame. The "dream" is a powerful motivator...it certainly is.
Although you say your business is not for everyone, I can confidently say that mine IS for everyone. No risk. No new money. Unbeatable product line that everyone uses, wants to use, benefits to the customer before benefits to the business builder.
Lastly, Quixtar has long been tooting their horn regarding the "just wait until" and the economic "perfect storm" that is inevitably going to happen between internet and business manufacturers. I've read H.S. Dent's predictions and happen to agree. There will be a steady flow of purchasing switching to the internet based on convenience and time, but also based on price. Economics is a powerful driver and, in a large majority of cases, trumps the "dream".
Hope this has been helpful. I wish you well in your business. Feel free to contact me regarding my integrity.
Humbly,
Levi
Whew!! Sorry that entry ran so long!
Levi
Levi, I personally dont think you needed to apologize for a long entry defending your integrity. I Was in Team for two years and when i started they just added their 4th diomond and said there would be 1,000 diaomonds in a few years, I think there are still only 4. they better get moving to achieve that goal. I have found a very good home based business. The founder has said he wanted a business for people that was not just a plan to "Make the founders rich"as in the" 4" team diamonds. I woulld like to know what your business is just to compare it with what I have found.Thanks and GOD BLESS scott@schusterent.com
Schu...
I'll email you the information. Thank you for your interest.
Levi
About three weeks ago, I meet a friend of my roomate trying to get us into TEAM. He showed me the plan and after a while I was sure that this was for me. I decided to take out the last $250 dollars from my bank account and join up. I am finishing up my freshmen year at college. I also just finished a court case where I was convicted a felony. Everything turned out fine, except for about $3500 in fines and laywer fees. I have no money and I thought TEAM was the way out. I haven't invested my $250 yet, but tonight I was going to attend an open meeting and sign up. I've been praying about this decision just to see if God would make this work for me or if it was the right way to go. I stumbled upon this website and learned the truth. TEAM isn't near as wonderful as what it seems to be. Thank you Levi! Thanks for showing me what's lies behind the hype. There's no way I could possibly make TEAm work for me, especially that I'm getting a part-time income at a video store this summer.
My Dad always says, "You need money to make money."
That is true. To make the TEAM work, you need to invest all of that time, money, and friendships. I can't and am not willing to do that. I am still not sure about what I'm going to do with my life, but I want to be financially able to live my life and have a family. I though TEAM would be the way. Levi, could you please let me know more about your business. I am very interested to see what you have started here! contact:
kammeram@student.gvsu.edu
Matt
by the way, the felony thing, teens make stupid mistakes and the law doesn't care. I now have a second chance.
Matt...
I'm thankful people don't judge me by things I did when I was a teenager or early in my college years. You have paid your debt. It stands forgiven. Like I teach my kids, I say "so, what have you learned?". Move on with the wisdom that your experiences in life has taught you.
Regarding our endeavor...I am eager to email you the information and speak with you further. It is on the way. Enjoy!! If you're willing to work, we'll be able to help you.
Thank you for your compliment.
In His service,
Levi
Hello
It's weird reading these comments. I , along with my girlfriend , were once active in the Team of Destiny, now known as the Team. I do miss the people I use to associate with in my team, and the training system, opens, seminars, etc. were very inspirational, bonding times....I will say that it did change me, made me more of a people person....I did see a growth of our team/business in a year and a half, and we hit power player once, which was the high point in our business...however, about 6 months after hitting single pp, we ended up quitting the business due to financial constraints and time away from things we liked to do, but curtailed due to building the business...my intent is not to bash the Team, Quixtar etc...with anything, this or any other business will work if one is willing to put in the time....that's why the dream is so important...I don't know why i'm even writing, but part of me regrets leaving the business because I do want a way to generate passive income so my future wife and I can have time to do what we want.....I just started working again recently, and I'd rather be playing golf . Once you see that there's a better way than trading time for dollars, being an employee just won't do....the problem is like u said it Levi...building the business and buying for yourself became expensive...sure it's suppose to be investing time and money today to have all the tomorrows, but it was too much....and I was just not good enough a leader to grow our second team....i don't believe my dream died either, so I'm always looking ...I would like some info too about the business you and your wife are in. My email is flognodekooh@yahoo.com..Thanks! One more thing....I wish nothing but the best for all my friends on the Team..I still care for alot of them and I know they'll do well. I miss the comaraderie more than anything else, but I just wasn't into the building the business part anymore.
I've been approached at least 3 times by TEAM once by a good friend I've watched him for almost two years and not gain anything from this he is just now getting to where he's covering his ditto buy's. I've been trying to decide whether this was for me or not. After reading all these posts I thing I have a better understanding and belive that it's not for me. Levi I would really like to hear about the business that your in. email me at Shivandragon04@yahoo.com
Chris and Andrew...
I'm happy to email you information. Once you get it, please give me your phone numbers and we can speak with each other.
Thank you for your interest. I'm ready to help you both!!
Humbly,
Levi
Levi I would like to learn more about your business also, could you please e-mail some info? Thanks
dmv0506@mcleodusa.net
Because of the number of people wishing for more information on our business, I am reposting information for anyone to get in touch with me. Please go to my partner's site:
www.wellnessmakeover.net
Once at the site, click on "contact me" and put in that you want Levi to give you more information from what you read on QBlog. Leave your phone number and/or email address.
I look forward to sharing with anyone interested.
Humbly,
Levi
I start TEAM 1 month ago and now after I read the Blogs. I am Scare I did the wrong thing? PLEASE HELP does anyone know how I can stop the system from coming I am on the DOT1 thats directly Debit from my Credit card.HELP
Teri...
I'm sure your upline can help you with your concerns. I'd talk to them.
Let me know if I can help in any other way.
Humbly in His service,
Levi
Hi Levi,
I too was nearly stung by the T E A M hype. My only loss, however was the stop payment fee on the check I had written in the name of the TEAM leader, thank GOD.
It's just so ironic how my experience and decision is so similar to many of the respondants. I'm only thankful that I read these and other articles soon enough to stop that check.
I would like more information on your new venture if possible.
MY CONTACT: zulkar9@hotmail.com
yours truly, Cmor
Curtis...
I have emailed you the information via your contact to my partner's website. I'm looking forward to speaking with you in person about how I can help you!
In His service,
Levi
Hey everyone.
If you are currently debating joining the TEAM, definately join.
I have been in TEAM for about a year and half now and absolutely love it. There was a 4 month period where neither of my teams grew at all. I mean four people total were put it, but that was due to failure on my part as well as a couple other guys I was working with.
I went power player once before, and I am currently a triple power player, so there is enough income stapled to that in order to cover my expenses.I have never once talked to one single person in my upline that was not trying to help me. I actually have also never met anyone on the TEAM that were counseling people to do things they should not be doing. I am sure it probably happens though.
As far as the expense of the TEAM, if you treat it as a hobby, it is th emost expensive hobby you will ever take part in. If you treat it as a business, it is the cheapest business you will ever take part in. The DOT 1 STEP program that is now into effect pretty much takes the product cost argument out of the rquation, because it focuses on products that are target costed and industry competitive. As far as tools and system are concerned, you might be able to build this business at best to the Gold Level, without utilizing its effectivness, but I sure wouldn't have been able to. As far as time is concerned.... You can build it in ten hours per week, I did that for quite a while, and had some success, however if you want to actually make this a business and do it as a means to retire, 15 hours per week is probably closer to what you will be doing. To explain to you that it can be done, I am a college taking an average of 18 cr/semester and working about 20 hours/ week. I had enough time to build this business, work and graduate in three and a half years. And enough money to afford full system and a stock of tools.
My recomendation the day you decide to sign up:
Sign the papers, get on Dot 1 Step, get on system, pick up as much extra tools as possible, and tell your sponsor that you are ready to get into action as soon as possible. If you go power player the following two months (which two guys I just signed up did that, so it can be done), you will be making more than you are spending.
If you have any questions e-mail me.
posthum7@msu.edu
Bryan
Bryan...
It's nice to hear you are being successful in TEAM. And, being in college, with another job, that is quite remarkable. You must be highly driven! Congratulations.
I have a few of questions...
First, what is DOT 1 Step? How does that address the economics I saw in Quixtar of incredibly inflated product prices on comparable goods that were coming down a more efficient distribution system? Why do I pay more for common products?
Second, you mentioned it being a very expensive hobby. I would agree. It is. My questions is, does it need to be an expensive hobby? Does the expense need to be there? In my experience, this expense is a large hurdle for the common person/family to overcome, and, I was convinced it wasn't necessary.
Third, 10-15 hours a week, really?? Is that considering power player schedule of 15 plan/month, with follow throughs, Tuesday Night Opens, Seminars, Majors, Travel, training of your team, any problems/questions that may come up as well as your own personal leadership development (system)? In my experience, it was more like 25-35 hours/week, sometimes more than that. Can you break down your 15 hour week in the power player criteria (e.g. how much average time you devoted to each of the power player requirements)?
Looking forward to your reply.
Levi
Bryan...
That's excellent you're successful in TEAM. Triple Power Player is very remarkable. I know they taught us that if you do Power Player 6x you'd be financially free. You're well on your way.
I have a few questions as a former Power Player.
Frist, can you explain the DOT1 Step? Also, can you explain the economics behind, on the average, highly inflated product costs for daily consumable products of comparable value? This all, despite products coming down a more efficient distribution chain. I actually asked this simple question all the way to diamond level (Chris Brady) and Quixtar corporate, and was unable to get an answer. Maybe you can help.
Second, you said it is an expensive hobby, and I would agree totally. However, I also found it to be an expensive business to run as well from our home (remember, we were power players!). Between the inflated product costs, $60/month or so for system, another $45/month for all the meetings, hundreds for Majors, not to mention all the travel, daycare, hotel, etc., it really added up quite significantly for us, a family that had no extra income in our budget for this. My question is this...Is the expense necessary? I found most of it quite redundant and unnecessary. Wouldn't it be nice to have that for next to nothing?
Third, 10-15 hours a week, really? My business was more like 35 hours a week (I'm being generous here, see my previous entry on breakdown). Is this 15 hours/week considering the Power Player requirements of: 15 STP, follow thru on those 15 plans, 4 Tuesday Night Opens/month, 1 Seminar/month, 3 Major functions/year, Travel, Training and mentoring of yourself/your team, self improvement via system. I will say, coming from a former devoted TEAM IBO that if you're doing all that in 15 hours/week it's no wonder I couldn't make it!! Also, I didn't see that 15 hour/week work week in any of my upline through the Sapphire/Emerald level.
I just don't see it. Glad you're able to make it on those criteria. I'd be interested in your response. Thanks for your entry.
Humbly submitted,
Levi
Sorry those 2 entries are both in there. Really, you only need to read the second!
Levi
I have been asked by several friends to join TEAM over the past couple of years. Each time I am approached I ask the same questions:
"Where does the money you make come from?"
then
"How can a business survive when its only customers are its own partners??"
My brother has a very successful business where he sells a product and other people spend their money to buy it at a higher price than what he paid. If he were to have his employees as the only customers, someone (not neccessarily him) would lose alot of money to support the rest of the business. A business cannot survive without outside income. That is logical. When I asked how TEAM gets around this, the "recruiters" always tell me that the books, tapes, and meetings will explain everything. Sounded like motivational brainwashing to me. I'm sure that if I read enough books, listened to enough tapes, and attended enough meetings someone could convince me that elephants can fly.
Someone please tell me if this is a true statement: As a TEAM member, the money you spend on products helps support the upline members and you need to build legs of TEAM members as your downline to make money for yourself and your TEAM.
Thanks,
BH
BH...
From what I could figure out, you're pretty close to your statement. In my experience with TEAM, this is what I found...
First, product prices were, on average 150% higher than what I was buying from local distributors like WalMart, etc. This despite the Quixtar model of distribution being more efficient (less costly). I would have thought that I could get the same products for same or less and still have enough of the savings left over to pay IBO's to recruit new IBO's. So the fact that the prices are so high has to account for something. That money is going somewhere. I just could never get anyone to tell me where it was going.
Second, while there are beneficial things in the system of training, I found it incredibly redundant, full of hype and materialism to motivate the IBO to do their job -- recruit more IBO's to purchase overpriced product for the chance of becoming financially free.
Imagine...A company that pays it's people a commission when they actually find a customer to buy their products. Novel!! Simple!!
Imagine further that these products are guaranteed to be more economical than store name brands, safer, unique and effective compared to what people are already buying.
Imagine even further that these customers, when introduced to the company and their product line, almost always, in nearly 100% of the cases, return to purchase more product next month...even though they don't have to!
Imagine working with that company to introduce products to people that they buy for themselves (not from you)and, when they do it, they save money, have safer, better products...guaranteed!
Yup, I know. Sounds too good to be true! Thankfully, it's not! It really is pretty simple. Better, safer products, bought directly and shipped from the manufacturer. Benefitting the customer first.
All you have to do is spread the word.
In His service,
Levi
If the product that is purchased through this system is truly "guaranteed to be more economical than store name brands, safer, unique and effective", then wouldn't the manufacturer want to make that product available to 250 million customers instead of the 80,000 or whatever that claim to be part of this TEAM. That is simple economics. Novel, you could say.
It seems to me that most people that are repeat purchasers of these products feel an obligation to the TEAM to keep purchasing. Until, it seems, that they realize that the hard work and time they put into this is not really paying off and they can just go back to buying at Wal-Mart like everyone else and not have to talk all of their friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to shop there too.
BH... you know, as well, as I do that it would take an extreme amount of funding to bring a company into the market place of today, and be competetive. Thus they would lose their 'more economical' edge. You know that most average Americans go to the store and grab the cheapest products... just because they're the cheapest. It could say right on them "May cause cancer or a third arm to grow rom your forehead!" They don't care they're cheap! The point I'm trying to make is that, "safer, unique, and more effective" all get lost if "MORE economical" is not there. So it would in turn make no sense for a company that is trying to make a difference in the health of the nation (World), by offering these exceptional products, to go about it's delivery system any other way. This is their competetive advantage, not their hinderance!
I know the company Levi is refering to... and I know that the company is legitimate. Their products do what they say they do, there are hundreds to choose from.
So when I am faced with the choice: walmart, target, or this company. Guess where I'm going? To the one that is GUARANTEED to be more economical, safer, unique, and effective!
Why... because I'm a good ol' average american, just trying to take care of my family. Whether I choose to take part in the compensation plan or not... I am first and foremost a customer that LOVES this company's integrity, and their products. And most people involved with this company are simply customers... that alone says wonders about the products.
But for the few of us that choose to make a business out of this, it's a shame that we automatically get lumped into the same group with the likes of TEAM and Quixtar. When we are really as close in comparison to them as the day job you work right now. Once people open their eyes and minds to see what this is not... they then allow themselves to see what this company really is... just plain SIMPLE.
It just makes sense...
BH...
I'm not sure, but, you may have misunderstood. In my "imagine" scenario, I wasn't referring to Quixtar and TEAM. The products we purchased from them when we were customers were, on average, 150% higher than what we could have purchased locally at our Walmart.
We are no longer associated with TEAM/Quixtar.
The products we purchase now from a different company (actually the manufacturer!) are more economical, safer, guaranteed...and they are available to the entire 250,000,000 people in this contry, as well as internationally! We are able to purchase them at wholesale and save money! Would you like more information? See my reference to my partner's website (May 1 entry) and we'll get you more info!
In His service,
Levi
Levi,
The DOT1 STEP Program is a program that has been implemented for about 4 months now, and has doubled(that was 1-2 months ago) maybe by now tripled the volume running through peoples businesses. What it does is send certain products you choose, to your door at the first of every month(we focus on the sports nutrition market, predicted to be the next trillion dollar industry). The 150 pv for powerplayer is for the extremely serious IBO and if you cannot afford it, then do less. We tell people getting started to work up 50 PV/month on you DOT1 program, which as of last month can be obtained quite easily through szenso iced tea($23.75 not counting the rebate discount) for 20 PV). What this does is even the the IBO's not yet powerplayer have 50 PV running thru there IBO number, whereas in the past inactive IBO's would have 0's. This increases the average PV per IBO and in turn increases the size of your checks, which in turn allows you to build a business that covers the monthly expenses faster. What I like most about the TEAM thus far(this is my 4th month), is that they are always striving for ways to improve the business and make it easier for IBO's now than it was for IBO's of the past.
Josh
Josh,
What do you do with that much iced tea every month? To build true residual income wouldn't your business need to offer something that people actually NEED to buy, and will willingly come back the next month? I can't see many people buying iced tea and energy drinks every month for the rest of their lives. I know it wouldn't benefit my family at all. That is where my TEAM enrollment got canned.
"You want me to buy how much in energy drinks each month?" Well that was extra money that I didn't have to spend. The TEAM members were trying to get past that page as soon as possible, that way they could continue to sell me on the dream of being rich... from other people buying iced tea and energy drinks. TEAM may offer things people need, but those are at inflated prices.
"Wouldn't you rather buy the things you use through your own business?" I know you've heard that... and you may have even used it yourself. And the answer is... NO, the benefits don't outweigh the costs. And if you think they do, I guess time will tell. Maybe TEAM is right for you, but it definitely wasn't right for me... and alot of other people I know. That narrows the prospective team market dramatically, when you consider eliminating the people that cannot afford the inflated prices. They WILL unenroll, along with the income they provided you.
Wouldn't it be easier if what you were offering your prospectives was more economical than what they were buying already... and it wouldn't cost them anything extra, on a monthly basis?
"What do you do with that much iced tea every month"....Well this is going to sound crazy but me and my family drink it! Frankly what it comes down to is this is not a discount shopping club, it is a business, feel free to go start a $80,000 franchise somewhere else if this business is too expensive. I get the energy drinks every month because I have friends who buy cases through me, and I love using them for studying. It works perfectly for every month orders because everyone eats and drinks, and when the sports nutrition market dies down and something new picks up, we simply change our product-type that we focus on.
Just noticed that last part of your entry...the reason that they were selling you on the "dream" was because you were thinking about "economical ways that wouldnt cost them anything extra per month". If your sponsor or upline led you to believe you could be financially free for the rest of your life without more than the $250.00 fee to get started, than I apologize for them. But the reason that these are all optional expenses is for people like me, who got started and didnt have money for products or cd's(and was too new to the business to make that investment even if i had the $), but I borrowed cd's from my upline, got more information, and decided it would be worthwhile to make some additional investments into my business. For example, I just got one of my friends started and he has no money for products, and no money for tools. He is however serious about the potential that this business provides, and as I show the plan to his friends and let him borrow my cd's, he'll decide if the additional investments are worth it or not(and they are).
Josh...
Thanks for the clarification on DOT1 Step. It sounds like it is being effective for that which it is designed...producing product flow and more consistent IBO purchasing. That will be helpful to all IBO's...except the last one coming in.
Here's something that bothered me when I was running my IBO business.
I constantly was concerned over the "last one in" wondering if I was, in any way, building my business on the shoulders of someone else. With the lack of economy of the products in the Quixtar portal, it became very obvious to me that those that were getting in were not doing so because the products were more valuable or better in any way. They were getting in to make money and try to better themselves.
Now it is very noble to endeavor to better onself, but asking others to spend extra money on similar, and in many cases, identical products in a more efficient (less costly) distribution model just didn't seem correct to me. It seemed like gambling on the chance that others would want to pay more for product in order to become financially free. I started to see the downwardly spiraling pattern of this thinking.
I understand it is a business. The best businesses offer a valuable product at a comparable price. I did not see that in the Quixtar model. I saw same products at higher prices. Thus, it became increasingly difficult for me to STP with integrity, with products of like value being much more expensive than what was at local stores. Just doesn't make economical sense to me. Ask yourself this question "Why do the products have to be more expensive?"
Second, Quixtar is a business model...that's for sure. We found minimal, if any advantage or value to being simply a customer. The products were secondary. They seemed almost an after thought to the business. Ask this question: "Do the products stand alone?" Would a majority of Quixtar IBO's continue to be IBO's without a check or the chance of getting a check?" Separate the products from the business and see what you have.
As I've said before, I'm so thankful we found a company whose product line is of higher quality and value and their price is economical. That's a difficult combination to beat! People get to use better products, and save money. There is great value to being simply a customer.
Wishing you well in your endeavor!
In His service,
Levi
I babysit for a couple every tuesday night while they go to the meetings for Team and tonight after they got home they sat me down and explained the whole thing to me (I never asked about it, they just sat me down) It feels wrong to me, I don't know why but the whole thing does seem wrong and so I've been reading things on the internet, I have a question for you guys (I'm going to ask them too but I just want multiple perspectives) The biggest question is how is the whole Team thing different from an Amway type Pyramid plan? They're planning on "checking in" with me next week to answer questions so do you have any suggestions of questions I can ask them that will help me get to the heart of what they really do? I'm very skeptical but I don't want to seem rude to them because I do like them a lot
Kate... I'm so glad you found this site. The major difference that I can see between Amway and TEAM deals with the distribution methods. As an Amway IBO you are involved in distribting the products through out your lower levels, also responsible for their bonuses and what not, with TEAM you order straight from the Quixtar website and they ship it to your door. You aren't dealing with the distribution or their payment. The major problem I had with TEAM... is that it's all smoke and mirrors. What TEAM boils down to is purchasing things directly from a web distributor, which inturn provides your upline with some form income, who helps you enroll people in order to get the same. That is a very raw description, but it's fundamentally true to form. The problem lies with the economic factor of the products they offer. They are at very inflated prices. So TEAM is not very feasible for the average person... you will spend ALOT more than you make!
One good question would be to ask them to see the website they order from. Which is all password hidden, and you have no clue what the products are that they offer, or how much they charge for them. You get to find all of that out AFTER you enroll.
Another good question would be to ask them the truth about their time committment See Levi's entry earlier that gives a pretty accurate break down of how much time he was putting into it. And he also states how much money he made from that as well. In the hole, if I remember correctly. I didn't want to put my family through that, and I was upset because I thought all home based businesses would be the same... well they're not!
Luckily I've found a company that eliminates all the smoke and mirrors, actually makes economical sense, and goes against the norm in SO many ways!
My wife and I just joined the TEAM. After we signed up and gave them $250, they mentioned the word Quixtar. I began searching the internet and found this and many other pages outlining it's relationship to Amway. We are already very disturbed by the dishonesty, greed, and fervor displayed by our upline. I would expect this kind of behavior from a stereotypical cheesy used car salesman. We are both comfortable with our income level, but are always open to opportunities. Levi, could you give me _some info on your business? thanks
Lou...
I am happy to get you more information. Go to my partners website listed below and give me your email address/contact information and phone number. In the request, put you heard about this from Levi on Qblog. Here's the website...
www.wellnessmakeover.net
I think you'll see a stark difference in what you saw with TEAM vs what we've found. What a blessing!!
Thanks for the inquiry!
In His service,
Levi
My husband and I recently joined the team In St. Louis. We've met several IBOs who have recently retired or will retire within the year from their jobs.
One woman has only been on the TEAM for 10 months. These are people who are giving up careers as nurses and engineers. They all have families and they have said there is a significant investment in time, but it is a temporary one. In fact this has been their primary motivation-- to be able to stay home with their children. I think it's like any business, some people will be more successful than others, largely because of what they put into it. If had a McDonald's franchise, I'd definitely have a Red Box Movie distribution inside my store. This is a business with virtually no overhead. There are ways to save money on the system, if you really need to. We share books and CD's and information. Our Tuesday night meetings are networking opportunities to share ideas with others. TEAM appears to reward hard work in a big way. One couple told us they are not as driven as others, but they have made decent money and are happy. This TEAM grows every week I go back to the meeting. I don't pressure anyone to join, because although I think it's a good opportunity, I don't think it's for everyone. I hope it's for me-- time will tell. In the meantime, I enjoy it and it's definitely a learning esperience.
Susan...
It is understandable you are enthusiastic about your recent choice to join TEAM. When I first saw "The Plan" it was an answer to my years of prayer for a financial answer to the mess I was in.
I too am a "professional". Being employed as a physical therapist, I am one of the better paid professionals in our area.
My wife and I worked very aggressively for a year building our business, spending large amounts of time away from our 5 children because we were willing to sacrifice in the short term for long term gain. We were power players, told we were the next "rising star" in the area.
And we lost $5000 in the venture. Money we couldn't afford to loose at the time. We gambled...and lost.
What we found was this...It is a business with significant overhead and "new money" needed to operate. Not compared to McDonalds. Still, significant to us. Product costs were, on average, 150% HIGHER than what we could have purchased at our local distribution center. System costs $60/month, minimum. Major functions 3x/year, monthly seminars, travel, child care, business materials, Tuesday Night Opens...There was significant costs to us. Costs we were willing to invest...to achieve our dream.
In the end, we also saw some retire, and then return to work when their business unzipped from the bottom due to the economic pressure of overpriced product and lost enthusiasm by those lower in the chain who just couldn't make sense of why they would spend more on that product.
Look at your business in this way...If you separated the products from the business venture, would the products stand on their own. Do you have people joining you just for the products only? Are they good enough to benefit the consumer who only wants to be a consumer??
We didn't find that. $4.00 for a box of cereal...$200 more for a computer...$30 more for tires...All without any added value. Economically, it's a stewardship nightmare. It doesn't make sense.
It was a good opportunity to learn. Not to retire off of. Of the few that had some success, there were many, like us who gave great effort, who didn't succeed.
Ask yourself this...what would you have if you had a business that totally benefitted the customer, had an unbeatable line of products that were guaranteed to be more economical, safer and effective/unique than what people were already using, used by every household. It's no wonder we're having success! We've found a fantastic opportunity with a business that has no risk, no new money, and beneficial to the customer first.
I wish you well in your journey.
Levi
Levi,
Why is it that everytime ANYONE says ANYTHING you have to respond. Not only do you respond and make a negative comment about the TEAM, you choose to brag about this SECRETIVE business of yours! What is that all about Mr. In His Service? What is the whole "I'll leave a little signature that says I am a good guy." Sure, you may be a good guy but you are coming onto us all so thick that I do believe you could deflect bullets. Honestly, where do you get off telling people that what they do is wrong and than offer your "so-much-better" solution that is SECRETIVE. Why is it you cannot talk to us about it freely here? Why is it that you must talk to us directly? Are you afraid we might find a site like this that may condemn it and call it a scam and have some "people's prophet" tell them all that TEAM is better and that your products are overpriced and ours aren't? I mean honestly... Do you ever shut-up?
His messenger,
Ryan
Ryan...
I'll try to address what questions I can. I won't address the personal attacks. It's not doing anything for your credibility.
First, it's a blog. It's designed specifically for commenting.
Second, I've been quite careful in writing the truth about my actual experience, backed up with facts, even itemized in this blog. I cannot help that you see it as bragging, negative commentary. The truth is still the truth.
Third, this is a blog about TEAM. Not my business. For me to begin discussion on my business here, apart from how it contrasts to TEAM, is not appropriate. If you read the blog, you will find that people began requesting information from me after I answered a question from the blog. I can not help they want more information.
Fourth, it is not a secretive business. It is an almost $1 billion company, growing exponentially, that's been around for more than 20 years. I'd be happy to speak with anyone about it. But I don't think it's appropriate to take up space in this blog to do it.
Lastly, you can find a negative site about anything on the internet. That doesn't make it true, or constructive. I find this site a constructive, true site. If you can refute anything I've written in this blog, I'd consider it helpful if you corrected me. Attacking me personally will not solve your problem.
I understand your frustration. If what I say is true about our business, as it compares to Quixtar, then our business is a difficult one to compete with. High quality products that everyone uses, economical prices that everyone can afford. No risk. No overhead. No significant new money.
It is true. I can't apologize for that.
Truly...In His service,
Levi
For all you team wannabes: I was approached by a TEAM member and got shanghaied into an open meeting on the pretext of "investing in a partnership that was being formed"
Anyhow, Matt Abraham was presented as a diamond and Orrin Woodward himself graced the stage. They are both excellent speakers, and both seem successful, but I did a public records search on both after I got home.
Here are the results from the Genesee County (MI) Register of deeds website
Instrument: 200410130104889 Volume Page:
Recorded: 10/13/2004 3:15:10 PM Prepared: 10/13/04 Pages: 3
Document Type: CLAIM OF LIEN Interest: Consideration: 931
Grantor: A 1 INSULATION COMPANY
Grantee: WOODWARD, ORRIN / WOODWARD, LAURIE
Legal Description: Sub: WARWICK WOOD CONDOMINIUM, Un: 10, PrpId: 1226601022, Town: 6, Range: 7, St: 9264 WARWICK WOODS, GRAND BLANC, MI 48439, City Code: 0
Marginal:
Instrument: 200008010000328 Volume Page: 04537 00506
Recorded: 8/1/2000 Prepared: Pages: 2
Document Type: NOTICE OF LIENS ETAL Interest: Consideration:
Grantor: WYNDHAM ESTATES ASSOCIATI, ON
Grantee: ABRAHAM, MATTHEW / ABRAHAM, CHERYL
Legal Description: Town: 5, Range: 6, Section: 00, St: 16491 VINTAGE DR , , 48430 , City Code: 0, Remark: LT 49 WYNDHAM EST 10 CLAIM LIEN
Millionaires usually do not have liens on their homes..
Hugh, I am a TEAM member from Connecticut. My husband and I are 6 months into our business. I too did my homework (as a Former Paralegal.) I personally don't care what downfalls you say people have, if Oran were broke right now, he still has led us to the most positive things in life that anyone could have ever led us to. Did you ever think that maybe most of us have a heart and don't care if we make a single cent with the business. GOD WILL Provide. I've gotten more results and strength in this business in 6 months than in 44 years of life. So if you don't mind, Don't mistreat a system you don't understand. And please get more facts from people who have been there. If you'd like you can feel free to email me @ klewis2be@aol.com and I can set up an appointment with you to explain how our business really works!
God Bless and take care
Kathy L.
Dan...
Your story is very similar to mine.
I've emailed you. Email me your phone number and we'll get you some more info.
There is a better way.
Thanks for your interest. Looking forward to helping you!
In His service...
Levi
I'd like to point out that most of the positive slant in this discusion bord comes from people who admit to quitting TEAM, while most of the possitive comments come from people who have stuck it out, and worked hard. You'll Never hear any succesfull TEAM member say they didnt have to work hard. I read somewhere in the descussion that someone had been told they would make money in their tap root, and they didn't, I'm sorry but thats not how the buissness works. You cant expect to make money on the eforts of your upline. Your tap root is in essence a training program, and everyone else in it is also working on it. you cant expect the efort of everyone else to make you money. Its only when you actually buckle down, and take on the reponsibilities of building your own teams that you can expect any financial return. My upline made that very clear when I first started. Anouther thing I thought I'd address is the claim that the TEAM is out to find suckers to join their little scam. In my team we require all of our members to be Goal oriented, be motivated, be willing to put in time and hard work, and have a certain lever of leadership skills and teammworking capabilities. Sadly to say a large majority of the public are satisfied with where they are and arent hard working. I treat every person I talk to as is I was giving a buissness interview, and quite honastly I've turned a lot of people down for not being right for the TEAM. One rotten apple can turn into a quitter, who comes on a blog, and bashes the team for screwwing him, when it was really him who didnt put in the time and effort. Its not easy to do this. It does takes work.One last thing, I don't know how familier you all are with the TEAM aproach, but I read one guy(levi, I think) who said he had gone power player a few times in his first couple of years, and had two teams one with fifty and the other twenty. I just want to point out that the people who are successfull at the TEAM are at least trying to go power player, every month, that means fifteen interview a week. and Levi I dont mean to be harsh, you did keep a lot of emotion out of your message, butI'm afraid that you only probably had one team levi, and it proably didnt have twenty people in it. The team you claimted as fifty was ,I suspect, your tap root, as I pointed out ealyer, your tap root is actually your your uplines team. It's the training wheels, before you actually ride the bike. It does nothing for you and, while you may have actually added those fisty people yourself, it probably was with the help of your upline, as well as through the hard work of the people below you. The reason I said your "other" teem probably didn't have the twenty people you claim is that, as my upline liked to say, your team is not the poeple you've sighed up to join TEAM, your team only includes the people who are coming over to your house for interviews, who are calling you to see what they can do better, who are asking your advise, and who are activly trying to improve the TEAM. Unless your TEAM members are working as hard, if not harder than you, they're not really on your team. I guess what I'm trying to say to you all is that you can't claim that TEAM doesnt work for you, if you didn't work for the TEAM. If you didnt put in the time, not only interviewing potential new members, but being involved with the people under you, for whom you are responsible, than you can't say that it won't work for other people. I'm not saying this is for everyone, not everyones motivated enough to work, but it does work.
Guy in Team...
In my entries, I was careful not to put "slant" on anything. That's politics and rationalization. I'd rather speak in truth...absolute truth. Just because we stopped TEAM does not make those statements less true. They are still true. I can back them up. Whether they're "positive" or "negative" doesn't change that they're true either.
Second, I was open in posting my results in the year we aggressively worked on TEAM. I've not seen that from anyone who had a "positive slant". TEAM is a business specifically designed for making money. To that end, I'd like to hear how everyone is doing there.
I understand how the money works. You begin generating measureable income (not profit) when you start your second leg (your first is your taproot as you are responsible to help building both...they are your business). You point out critical factors that point to the weakness of TEAM. Although we enrolled many, many IBO's in both legs, very few actually did anything (even bought product). Now, why would that be. Why would you join a business centered around purchasing product for yourself...and then not purchase product? Were you not using any product? Did you stop taking showers? Brushing teeth? Doing laundry?...Nope. We didn't stop doing those things. We just couldn't afford the products. Even if we could, the majority of the population couldn't. Huge economical mistake. You can't offer product of same value at a higher price. It just don't work that way!
Power Player every month?? Then why did they come up with Dot1Step?? That's for people who aren't "as serious" and apparently doubled or tripled volume in legs (because there aren't alot of "serious" IBO's out there). Remember, we did everything they told us to do...Everything. Lost $5000 in the process. We were willing to lose more, if the business made sense. It didn't. And it doesn't
Third, any business you take on requires effort to build and, with perseverance and enough finances, can work. The key factors are: what is the success rate? What is the risk? How stable is the business? How many people can you help in the process? How many casualties did you have in achieving your dream? One other is I like to ask myself is "How easily could your mom build it?".
So, in the end, we're working to build our business, with less effort, but still consistently, and dramatically different results than when we were in TEAM. It is a thriving, stable business that grows monthly. Most importantly, we've not had to apologize to one person, have helped everyone we've introduced it to and not had to risk our shirts ($5000 is a lot of money to us!).
It's not us. It's the business that's so much better.
Wishing you well in your journey!
In His service...
Levi,
Can you please email me the information about the business you have started?
Andrea
Andrea...
Please give me your email or go to our website at:
www.wellnessmakeover.net
Looking forward to giving you more information.
In His service...
Levi
levi 95% thinking. add i would like see how you lost 5000 in one year because it is not posiable. i added everything up it was not even close unless you are counting you food and other things that you used and that is just not fair to count that and tell people that you lost it all.
its me...
Not sure what you added up. We added all costs that were incurred as a direct result of running our business, just as you would with any business. We wanted to see what it was costing us to run our Quixtar business. This includes eating out, travel, lodging, training, etc. Here's where we got our numbers...
1. System -- $60/mo x12 = $720
2. Costs we had to eat when those in our team went off system (since we had a second leg we're responsible for that) -- Lets say $200
3. Tuesday night opens for 2 -- $520
4. Monthly Seminars for 2 -- $600
4. triannual major functions for 2 -- $600
5. misc tools costs (you know pamphlets, tapes, books, etc) -- $500
6. over pricing from all the products we purchased (we did 150 pv/month as instructed for powerplayers) -- $100/mo x12 mo = $1200
7. travel/hotel costs, meals, daycare -- ~$1500
We were quite careful with this, and quite conservative as we were looking to make TEAM work, not fail. But we wanted to be truthful and not rationalize/fool ourselves. It's late but I think that adds up to $5840. Kind of sneaks up on ya. Slowly bled us. We almost didn't notice because we were so busy chasing our dream. Money we got back as rebates was probably around $1000 for the year.
95% thinking...not sure what you're meaning by that. If it is to mean that because we stopped TEAM that we're 95% thinkers, then I would just refer you to Kiyosaki's books on what 95% thinking is. We are no longer seeking to trade time for money. My hourly income is quickly being replaced by residual income. Really, if being in TEAM is your definition of "5% thinking" you're incorrect. And we're proof! It's not the only way. Not sure it's even a good way! I'd think a little broader if I were you. That's what we decided to do and, look what happened!!
All things aside...what we saw in TEAM did not make economical sense. We could not justify paying the extra money for products of like value. Even if I made it to diamond, that meant that there were others doing the same thing, supporting myself on their willingness to pay extra for something of no greater value. I just couldn't justify asking that of others, or being a part of any business that does!
Hope that helps you with your math question.
P.S. Forgot to put in quarterly TEAM website costs, the monthly phone system thing (what's that called again?? Used to be ambox)
Anyway, I think I made my point. We can argue that it was $3000, $6000 whatever. The point is, my last statement. Products of equal value but of greater cost. That just didn't square with me. If it does with you, then more power to ya!
Couple things...
How many people would be willing, or even able to take upon the risk of buying property on the hope it sells?
Sadly, only a very, very few.
What's the monthly residual on buying property and then reselling it??
Zero...The only other option is renting the property which involves other headaches.
Nope...Sorry. I'll stay where I'm at with no risk and high monthly residual, with something that appeals to everyone and takes advantage of no one.
Our income, while only 5 figures now, (nearly replacing my hourly income) grows monthly with the SAME effort. There is no limit to my earning potential. Residual income is difficult to beat. That's really what we're all after anyway...The business owner, the saver, the investor, the realestate person, the hourly worker. Sooner or later, we'll all have to survive on our residual (for some, sadly, that'll be SSI only). What we're doing seems like a better deal to me!
Thanks for the info John!
In His service,
Did you ever stop to think that the reason why so many other Quixtar IBO's
are suspicious of the Team is because they can't understand why the Team
is growing so fast, while compared to their organization or who got them involved.
I will tell you, if you didn't hear about this IBO business through the Team, you
probably won't have nearly as good of chance to be successful.
The Team was founded by Orrin Woodward & Chris Brady. Their mission was to take the best
parts of Direct Sales and eliminate the bad part of the business. They are the only ones that I know of
who came up with an affordable franchise-like system, where if followed, even the average
non-high powered salesman could be successful. It's that simple. I have been self employed
for 20 years and have owned several retail stores and it just cracks me up to hear people
complaining about the little bit of money that they spent or lost in this kind of business. These
same people would not hesitate to borrow $50,000 from a bank to open up a sexy store with their
name in lights that would have no chance of succeeding in todays economic climate...and
would certainly end up in bankruptcy.
The difference in the way many of the people think on this blog is the reason that they don't make it in
Direct sales. The problem is they think like consumers and not business owners. Not their fault, because
that is the way they were taught in life. An example of this is: A consumer whould complain about the
money he or she has SPENT on the educational materials for this type of business. A business owner
would understand that they would need to INVEST in the tools to learn how to be successful in his or
her business.
Also, you hear people complaining about the high prices of the Quixtar products. Once again....thinking
like a consumer. If they were thinking like a business owner (IBO Independent Business Owner) they
would be more concerned about the profit built in for themselves. It's just a fact that while some of their
products are priced a bit higher than a box store, as your discount level increases, it will be less expensive
than anywhere available. Plus, it usually is not comparing apples to apples, because Quixtar products
are usually of a much superior quality. Quixtar products are priced RIGHT... to sell and to profit.
Which brings me back to the Team. Their system teaches consumers how to think like business
owners and to constantly motivate them because let's face it, most people need it. It also helps
to give them ammo against all the negative people who they will certainly come in contact with.
Also the system tools are not designed only for personal use In fact, if used correctly, you are
suppose to hand them out to future customers or prospects to help educate them, so you don't
have to...it's called leveraging your time...which obviously many of the complainers must not
understand. If you had to train and educate every single person who you got involved in this business,
not only would that be impossible as you grow, but it would defeat the purpose of this type of
business. This business, if done correctly, creates passive or regenerative income for the rest of
your life, whether your working it or not. That is where the system tools come in. It trains people
in your organization to do the correct things to help them, so you don't have to...It's called duplication...
like a franchise. Let's face it, if you were given a McDonalds tomorrow..without any training or
system...would you be up and running smoothly the next day? You get my point. Training &
education is a necessity in every business...period. This business has very little risk and unlimited
potential...if you work at it.....what more could you ask for.
Also, Orrin and Chris have set up the Team a bit differently than the other groups. Instead of only
the top producers on the Team profiting from the educational tools...like most of the other groups,
they have a profit sharing system that is very attainable at a lower level, which allows a Team
member to be profitable much more quickly. They feel that if you have helped educate the people
that you have brought into this business and have helped them become successful, your entitled
to the profit from
Here's an odd thing about the list: All the "Stars" are from Michigan. Almost looks like some localized scheme, instead of a worldwide corporation.
Also, it may just be TOD whose cooperating with this new push right now. When the other LOS's come on board, you'll see the list expand and become nation- and world-wide.
A couple of thoughts.
Posted by: Don | February 8, 2004 9:53 AM