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March 31, 2005
Awake But Still in Oz
By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions
"This business is the only thing out there that's working," we're told at Quixtar open meetings. However, it's NOT working for us. Who is it working for? Very few people. At what cost to the people downline from them? There were so many red flags during the first couple of years of participating in the WWDB system that I should've gotten the clue, but I wanted to believe.
If we're not even doing the CORE steps right now, why are we still in? Hanging on out of false pride? Too embarrassed to quit now? Hoping beyond hope that this year we will make ourselves do this? Meanwhile we keep giving our hard-earned money to the Diamonds. This is wrong. If this were a conventional business, we would have stopped after five years of losses and moved on to something else.
I do understand why it's hard for my husband to wake up. After investing over a decade of our lives, it would be very painful to quit now. We'd be acknowledging that we've wasted 25% of our working life on this. We'd be acknowledging that we were wrong, that we'd been duped, that all those prospects that turned us down were right. Since waking up, I've had to study and learn and rethink EVERYTHING that I once believed — not an easy process. I've had to reexamine all that I thought was true. I now don't trust my judgment or my instincts like I used to. This waking up process has shaken my world in countless ways. The business was my life. It would've been easier to stay deceived.
So what now? I've woken up from my nightmare of Oz, but I'm still choosing to live in it. Can I function within a system that promotes exaggerations and fallacies? Can I make this work and go Ruby by focusing on retail profitability like Jennifer7Lee? By getting excited about talking about our best, most price-competitive products, truly teaching others how to sell them, helping lower pins to be profitable? Sure I could. So then, it IS direct selling. Direct selling is not what was promoted to me and not what I signed up for. I was all for buying from ourselves and teaching others to do the same (before I learned that it was illegal). Direct selling is NOT what I want to do with my life; so I'm not going to try to redeem my previous years by making this into a real retail business for myself. I'm ready to move on from this to a new life.
Besides, what about the completely unacceptable BSMAA contract which Quixtar puts out for the protection of the AQMOs and itself? What about Quixtar's support of the kingpins over individual IBOs as evidenced by stories like Jeff's, Eric's, and Bo's? I can't promote a company that acts that way — can you?
So, for now, I smile, I listen, I love people and I do what I can to help those downline from me treat this like a real business, even if we don't. I love on my husband, I go with him to the functions, and I do call-in/product pickup. Why don't I set my foot down and refuse to participate with him? Because I want to keep his heart and our oneness, not put a wall between us. I want him to see it for himself and then resent the business, not me. He knows what I think; now I can be patient. I wouldn't expect others to do the same, but this is what I'm choosing to do. The fact that we're not charging forward right now makes it easier because I'm not in the position of contradicting him; if it came to that, we'd be having more discussions, that's for sure! Quixtarblog has become my "Q-Anon" meeting that helps me to cope while I'm still in the middle of Oz.
Thank you, QBlog, for inviting me to share my story on your blog; it was an honor to be asked. Thank you for your time and efforts with the blog and forum, which have helped me to keep my sanity and have added so much to the Internet Quixtar conversation. Thank you to all the participants of quixtarblog for sharing, discussing, and debating; you certainly have caused me to think!
Quixtarblog rules!
The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.
Comments
Dorothy:
Your story kind of reminds me of that hit movie that came out several years ago called "The Matrix".
David - you're right - it is a shame. Yes, we did know it was direct sales, but they strongly emphasized at the time that it was better than other direct sales businesses in that we only needed 10 customers buying one product per month (this was a long time ago). Then, we weren't even kept accountable to that goal; so in reality in WWDB it was a teaching accompanied by a wink. Which IS what I wanted at the time. Selling product was my only hesistancy about getting involved and we were assured that there was little to no selling - just finding others to buy from themselves. WWDB is putting a lot more emphasis on selling product these days - as Jennifer7Lee has discussed. But still, no one is kept accountable by having their bonus withheld. And it is definitely still minimized during the public plans shown.
It is a shame.
Great posts, BTW; I wish you had written a lot more this month! (Yes, I check out your site too). Your approach is the most reasonable. The way you guys helped Josh, the new IBO, was classic. That's why I love quixtarblog!
It's a shame.
"It's a shame." - Oops :)
Thanks Dorothy.
I have enjoyed hearing your perspective, as well.
I have one more MOP due out. So keep looking for it.
I told Qblog, it's hard to guest blog with something well written and still have some content for my own blog.
Some days it's hard to get the creative juices flowing.
I did notice at the Quixtar and Beyond blog today that WWDB is finally going to direct fulfillment.
Maybe those IBOs like yourself still involved can now access Quixtar with out the WWDB hoopla, and new IBOs can read the site within it's own environment, and also not be subjected to product pickup and the subsequent "control" of week to week influence at pick up times.
BWW is on direct fulfillment like always, but its quite financially abusive. I don't know if going on that would change a thing.
Also, blogging rocks. But this blog is quite wider audience. I dunno.
Dave:
Think of it as a "loss leader" to drive traffic to your blog.
Lawdawg,
Qblog told me something similar...anyway he has my final contribution in "save" mode.
Maybe he'll do the the Monthly IBO Soapbox feature, and all the really good contributors will return for encores.
I have enjoyed it, and the extra spike in traffic to my own blog was a welcomed benefit.
I wish you well, Dorothy. It's been edifying to read your posts.
Dorothy, YOU and YOUR STORY is what this blog's about. And, as anti-Q as I am, I applaud you for putting your dislike for Q beneath your love for your husband & family. Q isn't worth losing a family for . . . . but anti-Q isn't, either. It's just work; it's just money. With a little luck & a pinch or salt, your marriage & family will LONG survive the brush with Q. 25 years from now, when you're both out, 10 years won't seem so long. I originally wrote "50 years from now," but we all have our limits, eh?
"Meanwhile we keep giving our hard-earned money to the Diamonds."
Could you state how much money you are paying for admissions to Regionals, Opens, SLMs, Leadership, Reunion, FED and Dream Night?
Thank you.
H-E-L-L-O??
It's really sad that you were not told that MLM IS Direct Sales.
Everyone I sign up is told MLM is a compensation plan within Direct Sales.
You can have Direct sales without MLM, but you can't have MLM without direct sales.
Posted by: David Robison | March 31, 2005 7:35 PM