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January 31, 2004
Googlism. Learn it. Live it. Love it.
By QBlog in
If you're new to the whole Blog thing then you may be unfamiliar with Googlism. Though Googlism isn't specifically related to blogs it was really popular among the blogging community about a year ago. What's a Googlism? So glad you asked:
Googlisms was created as a fun tool to see what Google "thinks" of certain topics and people. Of course, the results are not really Google's opinion, they're yours, the web site owners of the world. Within the Google results are thousands of your thoughts and opinions about thousands of different topics and people, we simply search Google and let you know what website owners think about the name or topic you suggested.So, what happens when you punch Quixtar into Googlism? Here are some of the results:
quixtar is the supplier of all of the health and wellness
quixtar is the wave of the future
quixtar is not amway
quixtar is basically the same as amway
quixtar is not responsible for any misuse of your account by someone who uses your identifiers
quixtar is jumping into the fray at the right time
quixtar is simply a *customer* of microsoft; they pay microsoft money in return for microsoft's consulting services
quixtar is projected to be the 5th largest shopping site in the world
quixtar is a combination of the high tech and high touch
The Quixtar Discussion Continues
By QBlog in
Found The Complaint Station today. It's a site "to provide you with a central location to complain and file your complaints or research previous complaints. Quixtar has its own complaint section though it doesn't seem very active.
January 30, 2004
Conference Call With Bo Short!
By QBlog in
UPDATE: Apparently the conference call info has been publicly available for quite some time. The message below might give someone the wrong impression that such info was intended to be private. I apologize for any confusion. The main reason the site caught my eye was because of this ad:
It's the first Passport ad I'd seen that specifically emphasized the free downloads and conference calls as a selling point. The ad caught my attention so it's obviously effective on some level.
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Found this site from a Google Ad today. It caught my attention because it wasn't the normal looking Passport Associate site that I'm used to seeing and it is also hosted on Homestead.com instead of the mpoinfo.net that I'm familiar with.
So, the site lists upcoming conference calls with Bo Short and gives a number to call:
To participate in the Live Meetings call 319-279-1000. When prompted, dial 491560#.This is the first public posting of the number that I'm aware of (though a Google search reveals one additional site). Interesting.
I Love Quixtar
By QBlog in
Quick, go to Google and type in "I Love Quixtar" and then hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button. What do you think of that? Ha!
January 29, 2004
This is the site your upline warned you about!
By QBlog in
WARNING: If you're a Quixtar IBO this site may cause you to think for yourself. Visiting these pages and participating in these discussions can be hazardous to your financial future. This site is run by the worst kind of losers, Quixtar Losers! That's scary stuff ain't it. And yeah, as a matter of fact, this site IS trying to steal your dream. What you gonna do about it, huh? What you gonna do PUNK?!?
But wait, there's more. Not only will this site destroy your financial future, it rots teeth, causes severe diarrhea and will lower your IQ by a full 30 points. That's right. This site is B-A-D. Bad to the BONE! Look out. This site just stole your dream. Oh no!
This site does NOT buckle up. This site drinks expired Milk. This site does not play well with others. This site does NOT think Dexter Yager is the Messiah! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Oh yeah, this site smokes too. Smokes pure, unfiltered tobacco grown in vats of alcohol. Pure grain alcohol too baby. This site plays with FIRE.
So, if you're a Quixtar IBO you better RUN. Run away fast. Hit that back button. Go back to Quixtar.com or TOD or wherever you came from. This site will NOT be held responsible for anything that happens to you after visiting. Now get outta here. You're a Quixtar winner. Quit hanging around this loser site. Be gone!
January 28, 2004
Blogger says, "Bad Business"
By QBlog in
Found "Stephen's Homepage" on Google tonight and saw some interesting comments about Quixtar. The blog doesn't have permalinks (for shame) so you'll have to just scroll around until you find the entry titled "Bad Business". As I've stated in the past, I love such blog opinions because they are raw and honest impressions of Quixtar.
Stephen writes:
The entire meeting was designed to intensify money: money worries, money desires, money needs, money injustice, etc. But it was all BS. This guy Andrew played out just about every card that he thought would appeal to us. He started off with disillusionment in higher education and how college doesn't guarantee a good job, saying that the only reason he went to college was to learn to make money and that didn't pan out. Gosh, you think?Be sure to check out Stephen's current blog. It seems rather fun.
January 27, 2004
The Bo Short Timeline
By QBlog in
I receive a number of inquiries each month asking me what I know about Bo Short. As a response to those inquiries I've compiled a brief Timeline documenting specific dates and events that will hopefully answer many of those questions. The Timeline information was obtained from court documents, Web research and email interviews with Bo Short. While I consider the Timeline information to be accurate and fair, it is necessarily brief and may omit some events and details. If you know of information that should be added or changed please contact me immediately.
1995 - Bo Short qualified as an Amway Diamond.
1997 - Bo realized that "there was a problem in the business" but could not specifically identify the problem. He noticed that attendance numbers seemed to be declining as he spoke for different organizations and that the decline was happening "across the board."
February, 1998 - A group called ProNet was formed by Bo's upline and crossline. The ProNet group, headed by Hal Gooch, Tim Foley, Steven Woods and Bill Childers, "promised" to fix the problems that were causing the declining attendance numbers. One of the main components of the solution was to break away from Dexter Yager. Rumors were spread about Yager, alleging that he was ultimately causing most of the problems.
September, 1999 - Quixtar.com launched
July, 2000 - Bo Short realized that ProNet had not lived up to its "promise" of fixing the "problems." Reportedly, the numbers were still declining and the launch of Quixtar.com had not done much to change that trend. More importantly for Bo, the ProNet group seemed to be acting exactly like the rest of the groups, the same methods and the same problems. Bo Short and a handful of Diamonds from various organizations decided to meet and discuss the problems and to search for a solution.
The group met in Chicago and quickly realized that most of the problems were tool-related (books-tapes-seminars). They noticed certain names kept surfacing while discussing the problems in different organizations. Those names belonged to small group of tenured, high-level pins and it became apparent that they were the ones controlling the tool distribution money across multiple organizations.
The group also realized that the training system was ineffective and also inequitable. The tool money was primarily moved to the tenured, high-level pins and the newest people, those at the bottom, did not share in the financial benefits of the tools. The group sought a method to remedy that inequality and to make the tools more effective. The group also realized that making the tool business public, by publishing details and discussing its operation, was the most important component of their planned changes.
Soon after the Chicago meeting, the Diamonds met with Quixtar to discuss their conclusions and offer solutions. During one meeting with Quixtar Bo Short learned that the Corporation had been aware of the tool problem, and its inherent inequality, since 1965.
Shortly after July, 2000 - Team In Focus was formed. The formation of TIF was a direct result of the Diamonds meeting in Chicago and their subsequent meetings with the Quixtar Corporation. The purpose of TIF was to reform the tool business and to transfer control of the tools from the high-level pins to the masses. With Quixtar's "blessing," TIF set out to construct a tool compensation plan that paid similarly to Quixtar's own bonus plan.
The main goal of TIF's tool-reform effort was to approach the business from the bottom up instead of the top down. TIF pursued changes such as:
July, 2000 - September, 2001 - Bo Short continued to meet with Quixtar as the TIF liaison. Bo's job was to interface with Quixtar on the behalf of TIF. The Corporation assured Bo and TIF that they would be protected from the very people they were challenging with reforms — the tenured, high-level pins. The Corporation initially said that everything was open for discussion including tool manufacturing and distribution as well as help with management and compensation. However, shortly after TIF broke away from their respective upline groups, the Corporation withdrew much of their promised support. TIF was left with Corporation support in name only, without any sort of real collaboration with Quixtar towards tool reform. In fact, they were prohibited from telling their groups that Quixtar was distributing their tools through a sister company known as Access Logistics.
September, 2001 - Bo had come to realize that none of this (tool reform) was working out. TIF was not really an instrument for change and some of its participants seemed to behave more like the other groups with each passing day. The Corporation had abandoned their promises. The tenured pins wouldn't budge. Bo realized that he was unable to change Quixtar and the established tools system from the inside and decided to leave it all behind and walk away. He resigned his income, tool money, bonuses — everything. Bo said, "I refuse to be a part of something that I believe has been corrupted."
Shortly after he notified Quixtar that he was leaving (by not renewing), Bo began to develop Passport as an option to offer the few friends he was leaving.
October, 2001 - While Bo did not renew with Quixtar in September and no longer received any income from Quixtar, the Corporation insisted that Bo send them a formal resignation letter (read more about it here). To end the resignation/renewal squabble, Bo sent a resignation letter to Quixtar.
On October 12 Bo resigned from Team In Focus. Around that time Passport was officially formed.
December, 2001 - Passport ships its first products.
April, 2002 - Team In Focus broke off from Quixtar and became an independent group.
November, 2005 - Bo Short joins Oasis LifeSciences.
January 26, 2004
Quixtar and Immigration
By QBlog in
The Louisiana Weekly is a publication that attempts "to represent the interests of our multicultural community in its individual and collective quest for a richer, more dimensional, and meaningful quality of life."
Christopher Tidmore has written a column for The Louisiana Weekly discussing immigration in the United States. He begins his column by describing a recent Quixtar conference he attended in Dallas:
Sitting at a Quixtar conference in Dallas two weeks ago, I became convinced that President Bush's proposed Guest Worker program would work. Throngs of brilliant Indian immigrants, who came to America on a temporary visa for high-tech workers, had played a key role in building one of the fastest growing direct marketing companies in the world. And, it all happened because of a guest worker program.Tidmore goes on to describe how Quixtar has helped thousands of Indian immigrants become a positive economic force within the U.S. economy.
The column is actually about immigration as it relates to Bush's recent proposals but it was interesting to see that immigration topic framed within the context of Quixtar. Misspellings, errors and slopping editing aside, the column is interesting and worth a read.
January 25, 2004
Why?
By QBlog in
Just a simple question. Why?
Why are Quixtar critics seemingly so numerous? Why are so many of them former IBOs? Why are they so vocal? Why does the criticism persist? Why do the critics seem represented by every demographic group? Blue collar, white collar, rich, poor, white, black, old and young. So many unified in their criticsim of Quixtar or various Quixtar organizations. Any ideas why?
Get to know Doug DeVos
By QBlog in
MLive, a Michigan news conglomerate, did a nice piece on Alticor president Doug DeVos. The Style of Doug DeVos gives a brief biography of DeVos and some insight into the culture of the company.
DeVos grew up in a family devoted to Christianity.For some reason the paragraph that really stood out to me states:"Faith was a prominent part in our life," he said. "My mom and dad lived the faith. It was part of who we were and how we lived. Dinner was a time for prayer. Before we went to bed was a time of prayer. When the family faced challenges, it was a time to rely on our faith.
"My faith is demonstrated in everything that I do. I would hope I am no different when I am at work or when I am home with my family."
It also has added Internet sales through its Quixtar division, and its international operations have grown to the point that more than 80 percent of all sales are outside the United States.Think about that. I've known that Alticor, via Amway, was growing outside the States but had no idea it was 80%. Did you know that? That means (obviously) that Quixtar in the U.S. doesn't even account for 20% of Alticor sales. A truly global corporation.
January 24, 2004
I'm no Quixtar expert
By QBlog in
Many people assume that since I run this blog I must be some sort of expert on Quixtar lore. I'm not. I know the Quixtar basics, a few details and a lot of rumors but when anyone starts naming names and specific events or lawsuits my eyes usually just glaze over. Gooch. Hart. Stewart. Shwartz. Pronet. WWDB. All are names that I know but have trouble putting into proper context. I know a little about each, and much more about others but it's often difficult to gather all the various names and incidents and then weave them together into some sort of coherent, historical tapestry.
However, during the past couple of weeks things have begun to make a little more sense. I think my diligence is beginning to pay off. I am beginning to see connections that were invisible a few months ago. I am understanding how an incident in one group affected a specific reaction in another. That historical tapestry is beginning to snap into focus and I don't think I like what I am seeing.
My hope is that the Dateline story on Quixtar will connect some dots, put a few things into historical perspective and generally help define the Quixtar narrative. I believe that the key to understanding this business is to understand the narrative and how everything fits together. It's like a giant puzzle and you can't complete it if you can't see all the pieces. For a long time only a few have been able to see all the pieces. We all need to see those pieces.
January 22, 2004
FLASH: Think Quick
By QBlog in
Quick - What's the difference between this splash page on the MarkerMan site: MarkerMan Intro Splash Page
And this splash page on the Team of Destiny site: Team of Destiny Intro Splash Page
Joe Land is The Diamond
By QBlog in
Who is Joe Land? Below is a page copied from the Joe and Lynn Land vs. Scott A. Larsen lawsuit (link to pdf document). I found this particular page interesting mainly because it questions whether Joe Land re-qualified as a Quixtar Diamond. The whole "pin-level qualification" thing is something I never quite understood but maybe that's because I always thought all the various Quixtar levels and titles were a little silly. I mean, what the hell does a Platinum or Ruby mean to anyone outside of Quixtar? Now, vice-president, CEO, Supreme Commander - those are some titles we can all identify with. But Triple Founders-Ambassador Crown Diamond Commander? What the hell is that?
Anyway, the court document below is actually a printed screen capture of Scott Larsen's Web site as it existed at the time of the lawsuit. It's a bit of history preserved by our beloved judicial system.
According to Dave Touretzky, Scott Larsen yanked all the audio excerpts and references to Joe Land to avoid a lengthy and costly legal battle. Too bad this never went to court because on page 4-5 of the complaint is this:
Upon information and belief, Defendent's use of the false and misleading descriptions and representations of fact regarding Plaintiffs has damaged Plaintiffs by actually deceiving potential Independent Business Owners and present Independent Business Owners with respect to the financial health of the Plaintiffs, the value of the Land Network, the status, purpose, and goals of the Land Group International and AllianceNet, and the honesty and integrity of the Lands, causing Plaintiffs damages in excess of $75,000. (emphasis added)
I would love to have seen the proof backing the $75,000 claim. Not saying they didn't lose that money as a result of Scott's actions, just saying I'd like to see the evidence that supports that claim.
Anyway, the weird thing about this is that the Larsen Web site is still up, with the words "The Diamond" replacing the name Joe Land and all the Land audio removed. So, basically it's now like a scavenger hunt. If you go to Scott's page on "The Diamond" you may wonder, "Who's this Diamond?" and then run to other Web sites to find out the identity of "The Diamond." I actually think that's sort of fun. I mean, we all LOVE scavenger hunts right? Now the Joe Land page is truly interactive. Isn't the Web wonderful?
Mommy and Daddy have been busy
By QBlog in
Team of Destiny has some new sisters! Last week Team of Destiny had three sisters (see bottom of page) and this week TOD has six sisters (see bottom of page)! That's three new siblings in less than a week. Maybe they're triplets?
The weird thing is, MLMBlog posted something about the three original sisters and some guy named Jody Victor earlier this week. Now Jody's site is just one of six sisters instead of one of three. Whee!
Speaking of Jody, isn't that a girl's name? Or is it like Tracey or Marion where it can be either a boy or girl's name?
What's good for the goose...
By QBlog in
I've heard quite a few Quixtar IBOs, as well as our own upline (when my wife was in the biz) disparage Web info and strongly advise that we avoid the Web as a source of Quixtar Info. However, as one observant Web surfer opined, many of those very Quixtar leaders are themselves searching the Web and reading info and commentary about Quixtar.
Interesting how the big boys tell you to stay off these boards, but they obviously montitor them and sick their scary attorneys on you! Shame on them!So, what's good for the goose is obviously NOT good for the gander... whatever the hell that means. What exactly is a gander? No fair looking it up.
- C (camrynn at chartermi dot net)
Quixtar IBOs Meetup
By QBlog in
Presidential candidate Howard Dean has received a lot of attention as a result of successfully using the Internet to fund his campaign, organize events and communicate with constituents. One of the most talked about portions of his Web presence is the Meetup.com site. Using that site Dean supporters are able to organize events and meetings. The Dean camp has learned how to leverage the Web to their advantage.
What does this have to do with Quixtar? Well, guess what? There is now a Quixtar Meetup page. If you want to get together with other Quixtar folks in your town just sign up and go. It's that simple. Look for a QBlog Meetup coming to a town near you!
January 21, 2004
According to Ty Tribble, CEO of Tribble.org
By QBlog in
From Market Wire: Former Quixtar Business Owners Change Approach to Network Marketing
What do high priced products, leaving home 3 or 4 nights a week, expensive training, and time-consuming meetings have in common? According to Ty Tribble, CEO of Tribble.org, "Everything that is wrong with network marketing."Tribble learned the down side of network marketing the hard way, as a Quixtar independent business owner (IBO). He says, "All I knew about it was what I heard from my Quixtar sponsor. He had a very nice home, luxury cars, and traveled around the world. It just seemed reasonable that if I listened to him and worked hard, I would have those things too." But it didn't work out that way for Tribble -- or for many other Quixtar IBOs.
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My thoughts on the Market Wire press release:
I saw the above "article" on Google News (which does NOT take money to post links to my knowledge) earlier today and thought it was very curious. I have a habit of posting curious links related to Quixtar (either directly or indirectly) and this was no exception. Time constraints prohibited me from adding my own comments to the initial post until now.
I have a very good understanding of news and the news business and my attitude towards press releases is that they're a necessary evil. While most press releases are just pure pablum, some do convey useful information like announcing a new product, scientific discovery or newsworthy event. I'll let you decide the value of Ty Tribble's press release.
There are three reasons this particular press release caught my attention:
1. It was published the same day that an air date for the Dateline NBC story on Quixtar was unofficially announced.
2. It contained no real new information and had little actual news value.
3. It stated that Ty Tribble is the CEO of Tribble.org.
The third reason is the one that was most perplexing to me. From all appearances Tribble.org is simply a Passport site. I've been told that Tribble.org is much more than that but I find no evidence supporting that notion. Interestingly, one of Passport's primary selling points is that there are no titles. Bo Short states on his own Web site:
As an author on books about leadership I have been struck by something very interesting while interviewing great leaders; the more confident they are in their ability, the less concerned they are with titles. I believe that many people in this industry that achieve so-called pin-levels, while hard-workers, are not necessarily leaders. Each of our teammates are called Independent Associates. A leader should be allowed to make an impact immediately, even if they do not wear a fancy title. If it is your business your voice should be heard.Now, CEO seems like a title to me. In fact, of all the titles you can get in a company CEO is about the most impressive sounding title I can think of besides maybe Chairman of the Board, Founder or Supreme Commander. So, I ask the question, is Tribble.org a Passport site? And if it is, then why does Ty get to sidestep the whole "no titles" thing and be a CEO?
Now, I guess the explanation is that Tribble.org is not ONLY Passport but much, much more. And, if Ty owns this business (which happens to be tied to Passport in some way) then he can give himself any title he damn well pleases, and this is absolutely correct. When you break it all down, there's nothing wrong with Ty being the CEO of Tribble.org (and I never said it was wrong). Hell, Bo Short is the CEO of Passport, the company that doesn't have titles. There's just something about that whole press release that doesn't sit well with me. Maybe my personal dislike of press releases in general is coloring my perceptions? There's just something in my gut that says, "This is just an effort to create some type of status" (though my gut is often wrong, that pizza I had for dinner is reminding me of that fact). I really can't put my finger on it but if I were writing that press release (God forbid I ever write one) I think I'd have ditched the CEO references and said something like "a highly successful Passport Associate." That gets across the truth (as reported by Ty), is impressive and yet does not incorporate a title.
Anyway, I'm just sharing my personal reactions. I wish I could do a better job explaining this but I can't. Sometimes I just have a hard time putting my thoughts and emotions into words. I hope you can understand.
Dateline airing Quixtar story Jan. 27
By QBlog in
Dateline NBC is scheduled to air the Quixtar story January, 27 at 9 p.m. Eastern.
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UPDATE: The Dateline NBC story about Quixtar has been rescheduled. Apparently the story will air soon, we're just not sure when. To be clear, Dateline DID say that this story would air on Jan. 27 and then changed their minds. This is not uncommon with such News Magazine shows. I've received this information from more than one reliable source.
January 20, 2004
I'm not too smart
By QBlog in
There are two Quixtar rules that seem to create a lot of confusion. Orrin Woodward authored a clarification of sorts (complete text here) which explains:
The 50 PV Member/Client rule ensures that Team of Destiny IBOs are creating Member/Client volume on a monthly basis. And the 70% buying rule protects Team of Destiny IBOs from inventory loading, i.e., stocking their basements full of product simply to attain higher pin levels.Scott Larsen wrote a rebuttal titled "TOD Explains Two Rules." In the rebuttal Scott points out that:
Orrin's explanation of the seventy percent rule is contrary to the plain language of the rule. It specifically says that seventy percent of the products must be sold. Nowhere does it suggest that this can be satisfied by your own purchases or those of your downline.I guess confusion creeps in when trying to define the word "sold." Maybe buying products for your own consumption is a sale? Maybe not. Maybe there's some other interpretation of the rule? I'm still confused.
In the actual "article" Orrin states that:
The second rule (Rule 2) protects IBOs from stocking their basement full of product to hit new pin levels. The Seventy Percent Rule ensures that no more than 30% of products bought by IBOs are retained for future buyers. The leaders of the TOD are very supportive of this rule because it protects a new IBO from spending money on products he cannot move or use. An example of this rule in action would be if a person was at 4000 points and wanted to go 7500 points. If he stretched the 3500 points and didn't have any IBOs, Members, or Clients to whom he could move the merchandise that month, he would be in violation of the Seventy Percent Rule. (4000 / 7500) = 53% which is less than 70%.Being a diligent fact-checker I decided to take a look at the Quixtar Business Compendium (pdf document) to see exactly what Quixtar has to say about the "70% buying rule."
4.18. (Page 55) Seventy Percent Rule: An IBO must sell at least 70% of the total amount of products purchased during a given month in order to receive the Performance Bonus or recognition due on all the products purchased; if the IBO fails to sell at least 70%, the such IBO may be paid that percentage of Performance Bonus measured by the amount of products actually sold, rather than the amount of products purchased, and recognized accordingly.Well, honestly I'm still confused. Reading the Quixtar rules it looks like selling 70% of your products is pretty important. I'm not sure that falling short of the 70% means the business is illegal but it should certainly affect your bonus total. However, what I find interesting is that in Amway vs. FTC the 70% rule is explained in this manner:
4.18.1. Performance Bonuses are intended to be earned on sales volume. However, since the Business Volume during a particular month will, under normal circumstances, approximately equal the sales volume, or retail value, of the products an IBO sells during that month, and since it is cumbersome to administer the payment of Performance Bonuses on the basis of products actually sold (which would involve knowing the product inventory of every IBO), the payment of Performance Bonuses is for convenience based on monthly Business Volume rather than on a monthly sales volume.
To ensure that distributors do not attempt to secure the performance bonus solely on the basis of purchases, Amway requires that, to receive a performance bonus, distributors must resell at least 70% of the products they have purchased each month. The 70% rule has been in existence since the beginning of Amway. Amway enforces the 70% rule.Now, call me stupid but it looks like there are three different interpretations of this little rule. Does this look correct?
I admit, all this legalese gets a bit confusing and so maybe I missed something that's clearly obvious. Maybe Orrin is right on and I just don't understand what he's saying? Maybe Scott Larsen is correct in questioning the legality of what TOD is promoting? I really don't know. But the more I read all of this the more I'm convinced that the confusion revolves around the definition of the word "sell." I guess the word means different things to different people. According to Ron Mitchell (of the Quixtar Business Rules Department as stated by SamT) TOD is in full compliance with respect to the Quixtar rules in both their practices and teachings. Ron explains in a letter to Orrin Woodward that
specifically, the Rule requires that an IBO sell at least 70% of the products purchased monthly to downline IBOs, members and clients. For purposes of this Rule, products used for personal consumption, given out as samples or used for demonstration would be considered part of the sales volume and not part of the 30% an IBO is allowed to inventory.So Ron seems to be saying that the 70% product sales can actually be free samples and personal consumption. And that's where I just don't quite follow. And that's where I guess we need to figure out what the word "sell" really means. As I read the Quixtar rule it clearly says "an IBO must sell at least 70% of the total amount of products purchased during a given month." Maybe someone can explain this to me. After all, I'm not too smart.
January 19, 2004
The Orrin Woodward articles that just won't disappear
By QBlog in
Well, our good friend Orrin (or maybe his Web lackey) is at it again. The post I made last week about OrrinWoodward.com had links to four articles on his site. For some unknown reason he's decided (or his Web lackey decided) to hide the "complete text" of those articles from everyone except Team of Destiny Affiliates.
That's right. Pages that were originally accessible by anyone and everyone are now hidden behind a password script. Why would Orrin (or his Web lackey) do this? Why would he place an article on the Web for all to see and then move it behind some CGI script a few weeks later? Your guess is as good as mine.
However, Orrin (or his Web lackey) forgot about one important Web reality while scurrying to move all this content behind a password. What Web reality is that? Google!
That's right you goofballs. All your lovely, super-secret articles are available to the entire world on Google!
So, enjoy the articles. Go read them on Google. Read them and try to figure out why Orrin (or his Web lackey) is spending so much time to hide these articles from the general population. Is he embarrassed by them? Do they contain Team of Destiny secrets? Don't they hold up to public scrutiny? Or is it something else entirely? Who knows? I'm clueless. Maybe he's got a thing for password protected sites? It could happen!
January 15, 2004
Scott Larsen Visits TOD
By QBlog in
Scott Larsen attended a Team Of Destiny meeting and has written about that experience.
Bo Short Responds
By QBlog in
The MLMBLog has posted comments from former Quixtar Diamond Bo Short that respond to Orrin Woodward's "Business Within a Business" article that I mentioned in yesterday's post.
Interesting.
January 14, 2004
Team of Destiny, Quixtar and Orrin Woodward
By QBlog in
I've been meaning to say something about the Orrin Woodward site for several weeks but just haven't made the time to sit down and collect my thoughts until now. For those unfamiliar with Orrin, he's the Quixtar Diamond at the top of the Team of Destiny Quixtar group.
When visiting Orrin's site my first reaction was "yuck." I simply can't understand how someone with his apparent resources could approve of publishing such a horrible looking site. Maybe the real purpose of the site isn't to disseminate information but to exploit search engine placement by cross-linking to other TOD member sites? Could that explain why every mention of Team of Destiny is linked to the TOD site? On the Orrin Woodward home page alone I count 9 instances where Team of Destiny is both mentioned and linked. Talk about overkill! We get the point! I think we figured out how to get to the Team of Destiny site after the first three or four links. Maybe dude has some sort of link fetish? It could happen.
Popcorn
The Orrin site is basically comprised of four "articles" plus a links page. The "articles" are titled:
The "Business Within a Business" page seems to compare Quixtar (or Team of Destiny) to a movie theater and compares the "tools and training" to movie theater concessions.
The apparent intent of the "article" is to offer some sort of justification for TOD tools and training costs by demonstrating that society accepts overpriced popcorn sold to a captive audience at movie theaters. I'm not sure if I get this comparison because I personally avoid movie theater concessions whenever possible simply because they're so overpriced. I feel like I'm being mugged every time I buy a $5 soda. Why would Orrin want to associate that negative experience with his TOD business? Maybe I missed something? Who knows. His second example using Michael Jordan makes much more sense because everyone loves Michael Jordan. Everyone does not like movie theater popcorn prices.
How the Money Works
The "How the Money Works page is probably the most confusing of the four. Orrin explains that TOD has a primary business (Quixtar) and a secondary business (tools, tapes, seminars and speaking) and compares this business model to that of an auto dealership. The comparison makes a certain amount of sense but ultimately breaks down under scrutiny.
The problem with the comparison is that selling parts, services and used cars is quite different than selling tapes, tickets and tools. One revenue source (the cars, parts and service) has a specific and measurable market value. The other (the tools, tapes and seminars) has a value that is much more difficult to pin down. The value of TOD's secondary revenue source can vary greatly from one individual to the next. However, in addition to the questionable value of the TOD "products" is the fact that such "products" can only be "sold" within the closed TOD system. While their value is hard to measure within TOD, it's easy to measure outside TOD: virtually worthless.
The Residual Income
Another interesting aspect of "How the Money Works" is that the entire secondary revenue source involves some amount of labor. Those who profit must speak at functions, organize and sell tickets to events and put together motivational and training material. Where is the residual income we've heard so much about? The graph on the page points out that such secondary income is part of the "B" quadrant but it seems more like "S" to me. You don't speak at a function, you don't get paid. You don't organize an event, you don't get paid. How is that residual? Maybe someone will explain that to me.
The TOD Club
Personalities are funny things. We get along great with some while others can royally piss us off. Every large business is full of diverse personalities and I imagine that TOD is not immune from this fact of life. And if TOD experiences this reality of occasional personality conflicts then I wonder what might happen if some "rising star" conflicts with Orrin or others at the top of the business? Would such an individual suddenly find himself (or herself) pushed out of the TOD speaking circuit? Surely such a scenario is conceivable. And if so then how is "rising star" supposed to cash in on the secondary income? Form a new group? Shop around to other groups? I don't know but whenever your revenue comes from a closed system it's hard to maintain that revenue if you've fallen out of favor with those who make the decisions. Just ask those actors and writers who found their names on McCarthy-era black lists.
Conclusion
To sum this all up I'm frankly just a bit confused by Orrin Woodward. Does his site really help pitch his business? Do visitors read his "articles" and think, "Wow, this TOD is for me baby"? I don't know. I just know that after I visited my only response was, "TOD is the Tony Robbins flavor of Quixtar!"
January 12, 2004
Quixtar thoughts from an active IBO
By QBlog in
Here are some thoughts about Quixtar from an active IBO:
Why the hell does Sumitro keep bringing up that all you have to do is "change your buying habits"? *sigh* Seriously, the self-consumption model doesn't work. If you want proof of that, there's some pretty nifty websites out there. (check this site for links and cool research material). The profitability from Quixtar comes from having clients and members. Clients you get the difference between "Retail" and "IBO" prices as profit for your business, on top of having their Point Volume/Business Volume count towards your group. Members, while you don't get that profit, you do get their purchases counted towards your volume PV/BV.The author seems to be an independent thinker, not one to blindly "follow the herd." It's just good to see blogs (or LiveJournals or whatever) with positive comments about Quixtar once in a while. It's rare but when I find them I post it here.
Bitter Amway Loser
By QBlog in
Here's a petition to the FTC addressing some concerns about Amway.
I decided to submit this petition for enforcement review because it seems that most distributors, after failing in what they thought was a valid business enterprise, are not motivated to complain or seek redress. They have, in many instances, been conditioned to believe that any failure was their fault. Many such distributors have lost life savings, stable jobs and their marriages. After having spent most of my career dealing with these companies from an enforcement standpoint, and witnessing the damage first-hand, I feel some obligation to these victims to make this effort on their behalf.Be warned. This petition is authored by a Bitter Amway Loser who is only trying to steal the dreams of those... oh... wait a second. It's actually submitted by Bruce A. Craig, the former Asst. Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin. And, apparently Bruce has over 30 years experience prosecuting pyramid schemes. But how can that be? I thought the only people who had concerns about Amway were Bitter Amway Losers? What's going on here? I'm confused.
January 7, 2004
Secret audio recording
By QBlog in
I found this secret phone conversation between Dexter Yager and Orrin Woodward's wife, Laurie. It was apparently recorded while Laurie was the General Manager of some type of resort community in Florida. Very fascinating.
For more recordings go here ;o)
The IRS and Alticor
By QBlog in
Just saw this headline five minutes ago.
IRS wants Alticor records for tax probe
The federal government wants to know whether Alticor Inc.'s independent dealers and other customers are using offshore bank accounts to shield income and escape paying taxes.This may be old news for all I know but it's the first I've heard of it.The Internal Revenue Service is playing detective. It is seeking the identities of people who bought soap, vitamins, cosmetics or other Alticor products with credit cards drawn on accounts in the Bahamas, Barbuda, Antigua and the Cayman Islands.
UPDATE Apparently this is not old news. Alticor is one of 123 businesses that the Feds have requested records from (since 2002) in a national investigation of offshore credit-card abuse.
January 5, 2004
Taping phone conversations in the United States
By QBlog in
I posted a link to a site that describes U.S. telephone recording laws back in March, 2003, but apparently that link no longer works.
Never fear. I've found a much better resource for those interested in taping phone conversations, recorded messages and any other fun stuff that might be heard on the telephone.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has a nice page called "Can We Tape?" that explains the laws about taping phone calls. Be sure to check it out.
Basically all but 12 states allow what is called "one party consent" before taping a phone call is legal. This means that taping your neighbor's phone calls without their knowledge is illegal. However, "one party consent" does mean that you can record your own phone call to your neighbor without needing to inform him of the taping. You're the "one party" and since you're doing the recording then you obviously have consented. Cool huh?
The 12 states that require "all parties consent" are:
This means that if you call your neighbor (or he calls you) in one of those 12 states you must inform him that you're taping the phone conversation for it to be legal. All parties in the conversation MUST be informed (possibly even the phone company). This would include conference calls.
So, there you have it.
But wait, isn't recording phone calls kind of creepy? I mean, it's sort of dishonest isn't it? And besides, I need all sorts of hi-tech gizmos to do it right? Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.
Recording phone calls is the American way. It's safe, fun, educational and so easy to do! All you need is a tape recorder and this little gizmo from Radio Shack. Simply plug it in and let the fun begin. It makes a lovely Christmas gift too. And it's Oh So Fun at Parties.
So, what are you waiting for? Start recording today!
January 4, 2004
$900,000
By QBlog in
The document linked here is a few years old and it allegedly came from the Britt Worldwide organization. The most interesting part of the document is the fine print at the bottom of the page. You'll have to click the link to read the small text.
This info can also be found at AmQuix.info.
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UPDATED: Thanks to an alert reader we now can provide this updated document showing some Quixtar numbers. As before, you must click the link to view the complete document and be able to read the small text at the bottom.
January 1, 2004
Oops!
By QBlog in
The Miami Herald reports that the "company that supplied Quixtar with millions of dollars worth of travel vouchers was liquidated. And the 22,000 travel certificates it sold to Quixtar and distributed through its dealer network were useless."
Apparently, Crown Marketing and Sabre Marketing Group is responsible for this "travel mess" and Quixtar has spent $1.2 million to replace the now worthless vouchers. Quixtar is also suing the company.
Say what you want about Quixtar but you gotta respect the way they're handling this mess.
Quixtar stepped in and began paying the hotels directly - paying for the vouchers for a second time. Sullivan said the company is committed to "making it right" for its IBOs and customers.