« - Quixtar Is Amway | Main | Quixtar and Blu Sphere »
August 23, 2005
Quixtar 2.1
By QBlog in Quixtar
Quixtar launched a much-needed redesign of its website last September. And while the revised Quixtar.com, codenamed RedStar, was a vast improvement over its outdated predecessor, I believe that the site could still benefit from some modifications and enhancements nearly a year after the initial launch of Quixtar 2.0.
I'm proposing improvements to the Quixtar.com homepage that will build upon the existing design. My proposal isn't a redesign but more like an upgrade. Think Quixtar 2.1 instead of Quixtar 3.0.
Additionally, all the suggestions in my proposal were included with the idea that each could be utilized by Quixtar right now. Everything fits snugly within Quixtar's rules and fully complies with FTC regulations. Some elements could be live on the site tomorrow while others may require a full development cycle. But make no mistake, all suggested improvements could be used by Quixtar if its leadership chose to act on them.
Why?
Why am I doing this? Honestly, I'm just trying to help. I don't want recognition or compensation if Quixtar decides to use any of my suggestions. I just want to see the site improve to better serve IBOs, new recruits and curious web surfers.
I also hope that my upgrade proposal will get your creative juices flowing and inspire you to think of other ways to make the site better, especially if you're an IBO.
The Upgrade
The Upgrade is shown below in a small version that you can enlarge to actual size by clicking on the graphic. If you use Internet Explorer, or some browser that automatically resizes images, you may need to mouse-over the image to be sure it's full size.
I've listed each of my suggested improvements below. Be sure to add your own suggestions and ideas.
- IBO Discussion Forum for IBOs to share ideas, concerns and successes
- Message center for improved communications
- Alert! box for Quixtar to quickly communicate a variety of very important and timely messages
- Cost of becoming an IBO very clearly displayed which could link to a more detailed explanation
- Find the number of IBOs in your area to view a total of active IBOs within a 50-mile radius of your zip code
- Quixtar 411 with links to detailed descriptions of "average income," "top achievers," "system tools" and "rules & laws"
- Remove a lot of unnecessary cruft
- Four-step explanation of how the business should work
Of course, much of this is open to interpretation. The question that you should be asking is "why won't Quixtar implement some of these ideas?"
Concept inspired by Wired Magazine's popular "Found - Artifacts from the future" series.
Comments
Awsome! not an order consolidation site :D sell products, $42 registration, average income and ......
IBO discussion forum......
That looks like a real and honest business.
Wow, that's great!
That does look like a real and honest business...much better than some secret meeting in a hotel in in your house that no one can seem to talk about before hand.
Unfortunately, I think the business would still fall apart after that. The compensation is too complicated and gives people a feeling of distrust. Then there is the issue of sticker shock that the prices create. If Quixtar could fix their pricing problems, the compensation problem wouldn't be a big issue at all. However, the shady looking compensation followed by the sticker shot blow most people out of the water.
Just think of what would happen if Quixtar prices could compete with Wal Mart or even K Mart? Does anyone question how easy it would be to get customers? The pricing truly hurts their business.
Watch me dig out a little of my own "tapespeak" - "If you appeal (read sell) to the classes, then you'll live with the masses. If you appeal (read sell) to the masses, then you'll live with the classes." This is the idea behind Wal Mart. Take less profit and have a huge market base.
Just think of what Quixtar could be like. They would go from a base of about 300,000 people to a base of 3 million or maybe even 30 million if their prices were truly competitive with the products real people buy every day. Having a specialized market is killing them because they have saturated at that market level.
Good thoughts Doug_G. But too many amholes bumping into each other would have it killed much quickly. I think.
Well Doug G., I think you are little too pie-in-the sky.
E-commerce is a means of eliminating the middle man, or the distributors of everyday product.
AmQuix actually creates MORE middlemen in the e-commerce chain by building the 'volume' of distributors under the AmQuix umbrella.
So it is counterintuitive for the A/Q business model to co-exist within an e-commerce infrastructure.
Considering that e-commerce is booming and A/Q is struggling (to say the least), I think we can all see how this is gonna end...
no doubts here about how this is going to end...
Big Q has had numerous chances to fix their problems, but they seem pretty well determined to go down with the ship they've been sailing all these years.
A/Q has struggled for quite a few years now. Most of their yearly increases in revenue were smoke and mirrors...no real growth happening. Amway saw growth when they opened new countries and Quixtar saw growth when they forced Amway IBO's into Quixtar and continually raised prices. Heck, if you look at the various sources of info out there, you'll find that Amway had around 300,000 IBO's way back when they were investigated by the government in the 70's. Guess what, they still have about 300,000 IBO's. :)
You can only raise prices so far, and the word about Amway, Quixtar, or whatever they will call themselves tomorrow is out there for anyone to see. The slide into zero and negative growth is happening now. The Internet is a big factor in their upcoming demise. We'll see how quickly it happens, but I would be very surprised if their business is still around in 10 years.
df, the Intenet is not just about eliminating the middle man...it's more about reaching a much larger market than you ever could previously. Some would even argue that you start adding a layer when you play on the Internet (gotta have someone designing, maintaining, and policing your site). Heck, eBay allows me to sell stuff from my garage sale to anyone in the world who has Internet access. However, eBay is the middleman and they get paid whether I sell my product or not. From what I've seen, competing in the larger market and adding convenience to your customers are the biggest advantages for most businesses doing well on the Internet.
Doug_G> df, the Intenet is not just about eliminating the middle man...it's more about reaching a much larger market than you ever could previously.
DF>Agreed. The internet is a mass communication tool. E-commerce (which is what I CALLED OUT) is an efficient business model, used to keep overhead low by limiting [not eliminating] the # of middlemen/distributors.
Big difference--I hope you can see it.
Doug_G>Some would even argue that you start adding a layer when you play on the Internet (gotta have someone designing, maintaining, and policing your site).
DF>Not really, an amount of protection is needed for "click and motar" stores; just as as protection is needed for "brick and motar" stores.
So, protecting your assets is a standard business expense in either case.
Protection isn't a layer of distribution in either case. So, it doesn't apply to this argument.
Doug_G>Heck, eBay allows me to sell stuff from my garage sale to anyone in the world who has Internet access. However, eBay is the middleman and they get paid whether I sell my product or not.
DF>Right, eBay has been very successful by linking buyer-to-seller with little overhead in-between.
You're starting to get it!
Doug_G>From what I've seen, competing in the larger market and adding convenience to your customers are the biggest advantages for most businesses doing well on the Internet.
DF> Agreed again. You're very close to grasping the concept.
What you don't get is that the marked up product on A/Q is done that way to pay out
bonuses and incentives to the NUMEROUS distributors in the "upline"
The word upline is of some concern to me. I don't want to mess with a long line of people. Who would?
Give me the best product, for the lowest possible price, pronto!
Don't give me an artificially demanded product (how many drank energy drinks heavily before joining A/Q?) at a high price just so the people in my 'upline' get a piece of my volume!!
Nuh-uh, no way. NO THANKS!!!!!
df is just the master of the condescending reply...heck, I was even agreeing with him for the most part. He must be murder on people who disagree with him.
:)
It would be nice if he read my other stuff before he decides what I get and don't get.
http://www.webraw.com/quixtar/archives/2005/08/quixtar_and_blu_sphere.php#comments
Ya know, he could have just said "MLM's suck because they're inefficient and their high prices reflect all the bonuses they have to pay out." That would have been much more concise and to the point. Unfortunately, that only explains 30% of the huge Quixtar price mark-up. Stair-step breakaway plans are capped. There seems to be a huge mark-up aside from that. Devoss and VanAndle became far richer than any of their distributors and they didn't rely on motivation crap...all theirs came from the products.
I didn't think that I was condescending. But you are right, I am harsh on the ambot idiots that get on here and post drivel.
But I don't think you are one of them Doug.
That's why I kept it to a minimum.
But you are confusing the concepts of the Internet and ECommerce. The internet is a TOOL used in the ECommerce business model.
Don't get me wrong, MLMs do suck because they are inefficient and their high prices reflect the bonuses they have to pay out.
I was trying to express both views.
You may disagree with me on one or both ideas. That's fine. Let's see you refute it.
But Qblog,
If quixtar ran their business that way, it wouldn't be looked at as "cult-like" and we wouldn't have all this fun posting on your
blog.
You got too much time on your hands to be critiquing an E-commerce web site. One which by the was is owned by Alticor and is seperate from Amway. Ive done the research and shoot I was an Amway baby if you will. Born into the system of World Wide Group which by the way is one of many TRAINING companies that help IBO's figure out what they need to do in order to succeed. Amway never helped anyone figure out how to be a business owner. They more important things to do like run a business. Quixtar doesn't help business owners figure out how to succeed. They recommend a training company to do that. Huh funny WWG is featured on their website along with others Im sure. And by the way....BLU SPHERE!!!??? Are you kidding me...Its a site for kids. Its intent was to allow the children, who see their parents build a business or sit on their ass and not build one, get excited and do something themselves to get some pretty cool stuff.
So do yourself a favor....Take a deep breath, Count to ten and finally realize that youre wasting your time.
Later Im going to Peter Island and enjoying what that awesome website has to offer everyone who can take their head out of their ass, stop the job mentality bull and stop complaining about everything that you dont understand or that takes you out of your comfort zone and finally JUST pay attention to what the UPLINE is saying....thats why there is no stupid discussion forum you twit, thats what your upline is for.
My uplines don't talk to me now. What a blessing I'm missing. They can't! I have told them that any communication (when they were threatening me about my blog) regarding this matter will be recorded and will be online. They told all negative sites will be 'deleted' very soon. It was a year ago. Quixtar lost google ranking for a couple of months. Nothing happened to negative sites.
And I like my head in my ass. At least it's in my ass.
Quote : "You got too much time on your hands to be critiquing an E-commerce web site."
What E-Commerce site would that be? Quixtar is NOT an E-Commerce business. Just because you place your orders through and internet site does not mean it is E-Commerce. Quixtar/Amway builds business on the "high touch" idea, meaning person to person contact. The E-Commerce model is just the opposite of that, it is "low touch"
"TRAINING companies that help IBO's figure out what they need to do in order to succeed."
No. They don't.
And blu-sphere, great... I can earn PV from my kids and their friends! Woo!
Yes, training and motivation should not be confused. Both may have their place, but they are not interchangable.
IBO2760bot>Later Im going to Peter Island
Really? When?
I'd love to see your 3, 5 and 10 year business projections as well as a set of your Schedule C's.
You've been an IBO for a long time (almost since birth), so I know that you have these documents organized and readily available.
Now, I am going to St. Thomas this fall.
Maybe we can sit together on the flight and review your paperwork.
IBO2760>Later Im going to Peter Island
Been there and done that already, and guess what? I didn't need quixtar to do it.
(sarcasm)
Where did IBO2760 go ???
I asked him some basic questions and he just upped and left....
..that's surprising...
Where is the "motivational tools link?
Also, the $42 joining fee might want to get downplayed a bit -- that's a nice revenue driver if you don't read the fine print.
Sorry, just trying to help.....
Posted by: df | August 23, 2005 6:50 PM