<a href="http://www.webraw.com/quixtar/archives/2005/03/_pyramid_schemes_cults.php">- Pyramid Schemes / Cults

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March 30, 2005

Quixtar Is Deceiving You

By QBlog in

Quixtar is promoting something called the "Real Quixtar Blog." It's run by an anonymous Quixtar employee known only as "Kia." The problem with "Real Quixtar Blog," as I've previously indicated, is that it's not a blog. It sort of looks like a blog to the uninitiated and the ignorant, but it's absolutely, positively not a blog. Quixtar and Kia may call it a blog, but that doesn't make it so.

What Is A Blog?
Blogs are many things and what defines them can vary greatly but there are some fundamental characteristics that distinguish blogs from other Web sites.

All blogs share these characteristics:

Chronologically arranged posts

Posts are automatically time-stamped

Auto-generated archives

Most blogs share these characteristics:

Permalinks

RSS or some sort of syndication feed

Ping a directory service after each post

Many blogs share these characteristics:

Comments

Trackbacks

Updated frequently

(Reference: Harvard Definition, Answers.com Definition and Wikipedia)

Of the nine characteristics listed above, how many apply to the "Real Quixtar Blog?" Just one. The site does seem to arrange its posts chronologically which gives it that "blog" look but it's definitely not a blog. And the time-stamp you see isn't really a time-stamp. It's merely a line of text, in bold, manually inserted into the title line (which is why the post for Easter Weekend has no date, just the words "Easter Weekend").

In fact, it looks like the site is powered by Microsoft Visual Studio just like the company that hosts it. That's significant because Microsoft Visual Studio is not a native blog tool and lacks many of the features that define blogs.

Deceiving?
But is Quixtar really "deceiving" anyone? If Kia wants to call his site a blog, and if it sort of looks like a blog, then there's no harm done... right? Wrong!

The "Real Quixtar Blog" may be the only exposure many IBOs have to the "world of blogging." Their entire perception of "blogs" could easily be shaped by a site that is a blog in name only. If that's not deceiving, it's at least misleading. And why would Quixtar knowingly mislead IBOs about blogs? Ignorance? Negligence? Something else?

Mountains and Molehills
"You're making a big deal about nothing you idiot." Possibly. However, what statement is being made by a corporation that can't even run a proper blog? Today they promote a non-blog as a blog. What will they promote tomorrow in a similar fashion?

March 29, 2005

Questions For IBOs

By QBlog in

I have a couple of questions that I'd only like Quixtar IBOs to answer. If you're not currently an active Quixtar IBO in good standing the please don't comment. I reserve the right to remove the comments of those I suspect don't meet those qualifications. Thanks.

Questions

Are IBOs required to sell products to non-IBOs?

Does giving your children Quixtar products count as product sales to consumers?

What happens, if anything, if an IBO doesn't sell any products to non-IBOs in a given month?

Do you sell products to non-IBOs and if so, what is the average PV you receive on those sales each month?

If you sell products to non-IBOs, do you usually mark up the price or sell them at cost?

How often, on average, would you say you're told to sell products to non-IBOs?

Thanks again.

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Wakeup Factor #7 - Fallacies and Credibility

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

At the functions that I attend, I now pay closer attention to the fallacies that WWDB teaches. I believe the biggest and most pervasive deception is the contention that no one is making it in the traditional business world, that we are all on a treadmill and can't get ahead, that business as usual doesn't work. Through their clever stories, the Diamonds create a need that wasn't there before by asking things like, "Do you make all the money you want to make? Is your debt putting you under financial stress? Do you have time to do all the things you want to do? Don't you want your life back?" Then, they dangle the carrot of freedom with ongoing income, and you're hooked.

They fail to mention that most likely the Quixtar business and their motivational system are going to COST you A LOT of money, that you will be under even MORE financial stress paying for their tools and functions, that you will have even LESS time to do things that you've always found time for before Quixtar was in your life, and that the likelihood of you gaining the freedom with ongoing income that you were picturing the first day you heard of it doesn't even exist.

My husband still believes that there is true freedom in this business, and he wants it desperately. He is now permanently discontent with working 8-10 hours per day, 5 days a week, says that he "can't do this much longer" and that Quixtar is the only hope we have for our future.

Ironically, we've been doing very well with our job income in recent years, but he still has the "I don't want to do this job anymore" attitude to which I ask him "well then, what do you want to do?" — hoping that his answer will have something to do with one of the passions we had before we got into Amway. But no, his reply is "I just want to be free." As if we will be free in Quixtar, ha! What he doesn't want to see is that we would work this business for 50+ hours per week too. We'd become vampires — up all night long and sleeping our sunshine away. Diamonds may have freedom during the day, but they work every night. If they don't, then they will lose their business — almost half of WWDB Diamonds are out-of-qualification at this time. It seems that freedom at Diamond is much more a myth than reality.

The Diamonds sound so credible, caring, and wise when they are speaking. They know just what to say and how to say it to pull those heartstrings. I have no credibility with my husband compared to them. They are — or at least seem to be — godly men of character, honesty, and integrity. He thinks I'm arrogant for thinking I know something that they don't know, and for thinking that any of them might be anything less than the pillars of America. Even I have a hard time believing that Ron Puryear is either a deceiver or deceived. He seems too kind to deceive; he seems too wise to be deceived.

My husband blames my "negative" attitude on himself because we haven't gone Diamond yet. He knows I'm wrong, and that it's his fault for not already providing me with riches. Since I used to believe everything the system teaches, he's sure that I'm negative only from our lack of success. He has a system answer to every argument I bring up about the fallacies and deceptions I see, and he doesn't waver from them.

People need to be taught to recognize fallacies. They are everywhere in advertising/marketing. Fallacies are put forward as facts and truths throughout Quixtar plan presentations. I appreciate this forum because the fallacies are exposed as such, and people are shown how to identify the fallacies and how to analyze the facts.

I think most of the Diamonds believe the fallacies they promote. That's why they are so good at promoting them. Some may see through the deception, but those Diamonds don't have the guts, like Bo Short, to publicly say they were wrong and then start over. Would I in their place? I hope so, but I don't know. After all, I kept the Platinum "tool money", didn't I?

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

Guest Blogging 101: Lessons Learned

By Windy Hill in March of Perceptions

It's the end of March and the end of MOP and I have to tell you I'm glad this is over. You all are an interesting — if brutal — lot that I can't say I've thoroughly enjoyed interacting with. Since this is our last time together, I'd like to post a list of lessons learned. In no particular order of importance:

I'm not cut out for "real" links-and-comments blogging. I think I'll stick to the journaling end of the spectrum (and no, I'm not going to give my url here).

People who comment on blogs can be very rude. In fact I dare say they'll type things that they'd never say to you in person.

People who comment on blogs can be very fair, sometimes taking the rude ones to task for impolite comments. In a polite way, of course.

Most people who comment on blogs have their minds made up about a topic and nothing you say can change it.

Some people who comment on blogs remain open minded and are willing to consider another viewpoint.

If you cannot adequately support your viewpoint, stay off the blog.

Even if you supply facts and data in a decidedly dispassionate manner, people itching for a fight will see bias and comment accordingly.

If you are guest blogging, do not expect the webmaster to:

Defend you

Fact check your stuff

Add in all your links for you

Send you a T-shirt

Or otherwise acknowledge your presence

He is busy — why do you think he has guest bloggers in the first place?

If you are guest blogging, you can expect the webmaster to:

Suggest topics if you experience writer's block

Require promptness in posting

Add in links if you didn't have any

Wheedle and cajole posts out of you when nobody else comes through for that day

Get a little exasperated if you post then delete (twice) before he has a chance to publish

You can meet good people if you take up blogging, which is how I came to guest blog in the first place. In fact, I've cultivated a couple of friendships online now and plan to continue getting to know new and different people as I blog.

Just because the people are good does not mean you should guest blog on their sites. It just might ruin that new friendship.

Whew! I am so over March of Perceptions. But thanks, QBlog, for hosting what has been an interesting forum. I hope to see more of this kind of thing on Quixtar Blog. (just don't ask me to guest!) LOL

- Windy

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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March 28, 2005

Monday Reader Mail: 37

By QBlog in Reader Mail

This Reader Mail reads like a script from IBO Head Quarters. It's amazing really. As always, my comments appear in bold

name: Kevin S.
date: March 24, 2005

message: I am an IBO who is making a great financial opportunity come true with Quixtar. I am making much more than your posted average income. Besides I am not average.

It's not my average income but Quixtar's. I just posted the same numbers that they distribute. The Average, Active IBO earns $115 per month.

Average people fail with Quixtar, and then post negative comments on the internet.

Average people fail with Quixtar? Then why is it marketed to average people?

You can make excuses or you can make money, but you can't make both. This is true with Quixtar or whatever your chosen income source is. Sometimes you just have to let losers lose. People quit everything, they quit jobs, marriage, and even Quixtar. Then they put negative crap on the internet, which is the same as the tabloid magazines or writing on the bathroom wall.

Just because it's negative doesn't mean it isn't true. Smoking kills. It's a negative message but still an important one to hear.

This is what they use as their loser's limp for not doing what it takes. I am doing something positive with my life, I wish I could do the same for you.

Not sure what a "loser's limp" is but I guess I'm supposed to have one. Anyway, how many IBOs does Kevin S. represent? In your experience, are his comments typical or unique?

Fasttrack to Diamond Executive

By QBlog in

Let's see, Joe Land ~~got booted~~ resigned from Quixtar December 31, 2004. Before leaving Quixtar, Land had reached the Diamond level and ran his own "tool business" called Alliance Net Solutions (now called ProSystemOne and owned by Joe Pici). Due to Quixtar's "Non-Compete and Anti-Raiding Rules" (Rule 6.5 et. al) one would assume that Land left Quixtar for Oasis Life Sciences with nothing and would be forced to build his new MLM from scratch, just like everyone else. Of course, such an assumption would be wrong, not to mention naive.

According to the Oasis Life Sciences Event Schedule (updated March 5, 2005) Joe Land has already reached "Diamond Executive" status and was one of three "Hosts" for a "Regional Conference" in Tampa on March 19 (Google Cache & Screen Shot)

So, let's see if I got this right. While Joe Land was a Quixtar Diamond running his own "tool business" he was building a competing MLM business called Oasis Life Sciences. He built that business for a few months (I discovered it in November, 2004 but he was probably building it before then) and a little more than three months after ~~getting canned~~ resigning from Quixtar he's a Diamond Executive "Host" at one of the competing MLM's Conferences. Name one Amway or Quixtar Diamond that reached that coveted level so quickly. Go ahead, name one. Can't do it can you?

Also, did you notice the other host on that list? None other than Marshall Douglas. You remember him don't you? Sure you do. He's another former Quixtar Diamond. Was in a little group called Team in Focus.

Here's my question: Will Quixtar enforce its own rules and shut down Joe Land for violating those rules? Survey says! Not likely. Why not? Because Joe Land isn't Bo Short.

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March 27, 2005

Blogging 101 - You Don't Need a Blog

By Matt Wood in Blogging 101

A few weeks ago, my partner QBlog wrote about blogging Rule #1: Don't Suck. Sage advice indeed, but the truth is no matter how hard you try, your blog will suck. It will be unbelievably, mind-numbingly bad. You won't post often enough to keep people coming back, and you'll be mad at yourself. You won't get any comments, and you'll feel like a loser. Then you'll abandon your blog, and the internet will be littered with yet another carcass with six meaningless posts, four of which are apologies for not posting often enough. There are 12,000 new weblogs created every day, and 11,999 of them suck, including yours. So don't even try. Do the internet a favor, and don't clog it up with your "ramblings," "musings," or "random thoughts" in a blog. There are better places for it.

But I just want to speak my mind, you say. Great. Don't do it in a blog. Speak your mind to your friends, your family, your co-workers, or your classmates. If you're angry or excited about something, tell them about it, and get them angry and excited too. Don't waste your time hoping some intrepid, like-minded soul will stumble upon your sad, default-Blogger-templated website. After the initial delusion that everyone from Finland to New Zealand will care about exactly how you feel about Donald Rumsfeld wears off, you'll realize that you're talking to yourself. And you'll be more frustrated than if you hadn't started the damn blog in the first place. So turn off the computer and get out of the house. It's liberating.

But my family and friends don't want to talk about this stuff with me, you say. There's probably a reason for that. You're either A) boring or B) an obnoxious blowhard. Either way, take the social cues from your friends and keep it to yourself. You'll be doing all of us a favor. Remember that guy at your office, the one you can't stand because he's such a know-it-all and won't shut up? Don't be that guy.

But I want meet new people with the same interests, you say. Bravo. Allow me to introduce you to the humble discussion group, otherwise known as a message board, a forum, or an email message sent to more than one person at a time. With four million other blogs to contend with, hardly anyone will be able to find yours, let alone feel compelled to comment on it. That endless succession of "Comments (0)" you'll see after every post will demoralize you to the point that you'll consider leaving the spam comments around just to boost your numbers. So instead of setting yourself up for failure, seek out these other wonderful people, in a place like Slashdot, Kuro5hin, or a Yahoo group, where all the technical bits are taken care of, where the discussion is lively, and where chances are someone will respond to you within five minutes of pressing "Send."

But I don't want to meet other people, I just want a place to record my thoughts, you say. Awesome. Instead of spending $29.95 a month for broadband, $14.99 a month for web hosting, and $69.95 for a copy of Movable Type, take $1.50 and buy a notebook and a pen. They're age-old tools for creating what you really need: a journal. Let's say you're really pissed about what your boss said to you one day, or you secretly think your boyfriend is cheating on you. Are you going to write about that on the public web? Probably not. Every blogger self-censors no matter how tough they talk. So spend some time really getting things off your chest in a good old diary. Trust me, you'll feel better in the long run.

We can't all be so lucky to write for a quality publication like this one. So seriously, don't even try. A blog isn't the right answer for most of the reasons people think they need one. But you don't need one. Your energy is better spent conversing with real people, not hoping to be the one voice heard in the middle of a riot.

- By Matt Wood

Blogging 101 publishes every Sunday and provides blogging tips, advice and tutorials for blog newbies and veterans alike.

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March 26, 2005

Wakeup Factor #6 - Pain

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

Waking up from the nightmare that is the World Wide Dreambuilders system came gradually. I learned about the tool money the Diamonds earn from the system. I figured out that there is no ongoing income at Diamond without continuing to work the business. I didn't see enough people around me moving on. I was tired of feeling guilty all the time about not yet going Ruby and Diamond. However, I could live with those factors and still let myself be blinded, but there was one factor that I could ignore no longer — PAIN.

We became great friends with many of our downline. How could we avoid it? We spent all our time with people in our downline; we'd drifted from our old friends because we were unavailable, could not relate to normal people anymore, and were afraid of negative association! So for years the small amount of socializing we've done has been with our favorite downline who have become our new group of friends.

Most of the people who have been with us from the beginning of our Amway experience had reached 1000pv, 2500pv, or 4000pv at some point during the last decade. Just like the Diamonds, most everyone has sunk back to a lower PV level, usually back to 1/3rd of their highest level. They do not make a net profit because they continue to plug into the system out of loyalty to our group and the hope that someday they will achieve their own dreams.

Plugging into the system (premier membership, standing order tape, functions, voicemail, etc) without the bonus from Quixtar to pay for it becomes a serious drain on one's finances over a long period of time. If you are CORE, this can be $5000 — $10,000 per year, no problem.

I've watched my friends tank financially (repo'd cars, foreclosed homes, ruined credit), but continue to stay plugged into the system paying the same $5000+ per year. It's crazy. They're hanging on to hope because they're told this is the best thing they can do with their lives. Some stay in because now they REALLY need it to dig themselves out of the hole they've gotten themselves into. They do not pursue promotions at their jobs because they're told at functions that if they change jobs they will lose their focus on the business. Some stay in because they have no idea what else they would do — every other career has been maligned by the Diamonds as a dead-end in the rut world.

It's been easier for us to stay in, not as financially painful; we've had significant bonus checks for years, but what about my friends? Most have gotten out, but the most loyal ones don't walk away because of the relationships formed. And year after year, behind their now plastic smiles, I see PAIN.

The pain of financial disaster

The pain of unreached dreams that they've cultivated for years

The pain of missing out on the most cherished events in life â€“ weddings, birthdays, family reunions (the real ones)

The pain of failure at non-achievement

The pain of attendance at ANOTHER function without crossing stage

The pain of being asked, yet again, "Is this Amway?"

The pain of being handed a two-inch pile of papers printed off the Internet by another prospect

The pain of wondering, "Will I ever get to Ruby, much less Diamond?"

Why aren't these people told to let go of the business and move on? When a downline asks if they "should go to the next function," we ARE trained to tell them "no" because a person who's asking isn't ready and doesn't really want to go. However, these are not the people who would ask. Ron Puryear has taught to upgrade AND downgrade people to their true level on a CD, but I've NEVER seen a downgrade in action. No one sets a meeting to tell the old timers to quit, and as we all know, "Winners never quit!"

Diamonds, please stop their pain. Let them move on to something else and keep their self-respect at the same time. Why won't you let them go?

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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March 25, 2005

QBlog's Farcical Help Desk - 18

By QBlog in Farcical Help Desk

Every Friday, the QBlog Farcical Help Desk™ answers the Quixtar questions that nobody dared to ask. Additionally, each Help Desk answer is guaranteed to end with some form of punctuation or we'll refund your money. No fooling!

Question: So where is the Help Desk™ today?
Answer: Everyone's gone for Good Friday.

Q: Oh, that's right. Easter is this Sunday. What are you doing for Easter?
A: Uh, the usual.

Q: Cool. I'm going to see Buffo - The World's Strongest Clown!
A: Sweet. Take pictures, ok?

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March 24, 2005

The business about the business

By Windy Hill in March of Perceptions

I was thinking that QBlog's readers might enjoy knowing a little more of the businesses behind the business that is the subject of so much debate here.

What follows is information anyone can find by perusing the several official websites of Alticor and its subsidiaries, Amway, Quixtar, and Access. But just so you don't have to do too much digging, I've distilled it here for you.

As you no doubt know, Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel were best friends in high school and lifelong business partners whose one-product business begun in Jay's basement in the late 1950s became the multibillion dollar global enterprise most people in the world know as Amway.

Today the company called Alticor Inc. is a global corporation with products, business opportunities and manufacturing and logistics services in more than 80 countries. It is a HUGE operation and is the parent company of:

Amway Corp., the direct selling company founded in 1959
Quixtar Inc., the North American online affiliate
Access Business Group, the manufacturer and distributor of products worldwide for Alticor and non-Alticor companies.

Alticor's world headquarters covers an area of over 1 million sq. ft. The "Miracle Mile" as it is called stretches along Fulton St. in the sleepy town of Ada, Michigan, where the company is definitely the biggest thing going.

Product development, manufacturing, logistics
Alticor's product focus is on nutrition, wellness, beauty, and home products. The company owns or manages manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout the world, including manufacturing facilities in China and the United States and distribution facilities in North America, Europe, and the Far East.

Access Business Group's R & D team consists of more than 400 employees in 65 labs worldwide. Their website says they can take a product from concept to production — including all the formulation, testing and etc. in between. The company holds 450 patents with another 250 patents pending.

Manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. include production of more than 500 different products in a 265 acre manufacturing complex here in Michigan and a half-million square feet of manufacturing space in California. Access also operates about 7,000 acres of organic-certified farmland in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.

As a logistics and fulfillment service, Access covers 1.725 million sq. ft. of distribution space, processing over 14 million packages yearly in the U.S. alone.

Like I said, this is no small enterprise.

Living better lives
More than 13,000 people work for Alticor around the world, including close to 4,000 in West Michigan. It is one of the region's top employers and has always been known as a fair and family friendly company to work for. The company is visible and active in community on many fronts, from partnering with the local school district to provide tutoring to inner city kids to sending busloads of volunteers to help with cleanup and rebuilding in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

In addition, the business opportunities you know as Quixtar (North America) and Amway (everywhere else) help more than 3.6 million people all over the world own and operate their own independent businesses. These are the IBOs you are all so familiar with.

In my view, the company's mission, helping people live better lives, is a statement that applies not only to those helped by the business opportunity, but also to those thousands of others whose livelihoods are inextricably tied to the fortunes of IBOs: people all over the world who are employed by Alticor.

Family legacy
The DeVos and Van Andel families are well known here as successful business leaders whose legacy I'd be hard pressed to imagine is matched in many other communities.

The families' philanthropy has been legendary. Their generosity is visible everywhere around Grand Rapids — from the Van Andel Research Institute, dedicated to improving human health, to the new state-of-the-art DeVos Place Convention Center.

The families were pioneers in the revitalization of downtown Grand Rapids in the early 1980s when they renovated the turn-of-the-century Pantlind Hotel to create the award-winning Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. They continue giving back to the community by funding or supporting initiatives in the arts, health, education, and social services.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

March 23, 2005

The QBlog Podcast

By QBlog in

That's right folks, I'm doing a Podcast... sort of. There are still a few details I need to master, like putting the Podcast into my RSS feed, but this is a start. I'm still viewing this thing as an experiment, so we'll see how it goes and if it goes well, I'll continue but if it's more trouble than it's worth then I'll probably do something else.

Anyway, until I get the RSS enclosure set up you can just download the Podcast like you would download any mp3 file.

» QBlog Radio Podcast - First Ramblings (4 MB - 10 Minutes)

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March 22, 2005

How Do You Like MOP?

By QBlog in March of Perceptions

So what do you think about the "March of Perceptions" so far? There are less than two weeks left for this special project and I'd just like to know your opinion. Love it? Hate it? Get itchy thinking about it?

I'll just say that I'm really enjoying it. It's fascinating to see how IBOs have different perspectives of the same business. If you missed out on the beginning of the project, visit the blog archives and look under the "March of Perceptions" category.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

"By The Pricking of my Thumbs"

By QBlog in

Earlier this month my site received a special visitor. One single visit. One single IP address. No big deal right? Wrong.

This single visit accounted for over 30% of all files transfers and ranks number one on the list of total KBytes transfer. Over 500 Megs of my bandwidth were consumed by this one, solitary visitor.

What I believe happened is that someone "archived" or "cached" my entire site. All of it. This is significant because, to my knowledge, it's never been cached before. Of course, my curiosity was piqued and I ran a Whois on the IP address. Turns out it traces back to a Dallas Firm called ThePlanet.com.

I don't know exactly what is going on, maybe nothing. But my Spidey Senses are tingling and I suspect something is brewing, somewhere. Or it could just be some Texan who really loves this blog?

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March 21, 2005

Monday Reader Mail: 36

By QBlog in Reader Mail

Reader Mail this week is about Quixtar products, specifically XS Energy Drink.

name: joe
date: March 14, 2005

message: Cool site...I'm not a fan of Quixtar or any of the MLM's for that matter, but I do like drinking the XS gear stuff, but I who the hell do I order the stuff without being asked to sell it... I just want to buy it not promote it... why don't they just sell the crap in a store somewhere?

Well, I'm not sure of the rationale behind the restrictions on retailing XS drinks but I do know that rule 4.3 of the Business Reference Guide states:

Retail Stores: No IBO shall permit the Corporation's products or services to be sold or displayed in retail stores, schools, fairs, PXs, ships, or military stores; nor shall he or she permit any of these products to appear in such locations even if the products or services are not for sale. No corporate literature shall be displayed in retail establishments.

If I'm reading that rule right, IBOs are responsible for how products are sold and displayed AFTER he's sold them. So, IBO Bob could sell a case of XS to Larry. Larry then takes the XS to his Deli and says, "What the hey, I'll sell these to customers!" Larry places them in his display fridge and now IBO Bob is in violation of rule 4.3. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the rule? That's entirely possible. It's sort of confusing.

The XS Gear site further explains that:

It is critical that the retail establishments know and follow the resale guidelines established by Quixtar rules and regulations. In short: the actual XS brand (logo) cannot be displayed and the Energy Drink must be poured out of the can and into a container (plastic cup, sport bottle, etc.) ...The XS Energy Drinks cannot be sold in the can through a retail business or in vending machines.

Thankfully, XS Gear also provides some insight into the rationale behind all the retailing restrictions:

To appreciate the reasoning behind this Rule one must keep in mind that it is designed to give people from all walks of life the ability to own their own business. Allowing our products to be sold in retail or service establishments would give those IBO's (sic) that have access to them an unfair advantage and would be contrary to the person-to-person nature of the business.

I applaud Quixtar's efforts to be fair to all IBOs and to maintain a level "playing field." Just one question, is the spirit behind that rule applied universally? Just asking.

March 20, 2005

Blogging 101 - Click Here

By QBlog in Blogging 101

If you're new to blogging then you may also be new to linking content. Links, or hyperlinks, are references to other Web sites or files. Links are the lifeblood of the Web and can greatly enhance your content by providing context that wouldn't otherwise be available.

But how should you insert a link into your content? It's not as easy as it looks. For example, let's say you found a really cool video you want to link up in your blog post. Your post may look something like this:

Just saw an AWESOME Star Wars trailer. It's so cool. You gotta check it out. Click Here.

The above example is the wrong way to link the video. "Click Here" gives absolutely no context. It's also superfluous and makes the link virtually invisible to search engines.

Instead, try inserting the link within the flow of the content like this:

Just saw an AWESOME Star Wars trailer. It's so cool. You gotta check it out.

The link now makes more sense. It's about Star Wars and it's a trailer. It also doesn't disrupt the flow of your post with a big, intrusive "Click Here."

History of Click Here
In the early days of the Web, many believed that people needed clear directions about where to click. Those who were new to the Web didn't understand that an underlined word usually indicated a link and that by clicking that underlined word, they'd get access to additional content. And so "Click Here" was used as a way of guiding Web neophytes along the "Information Superhighway."

However, the Web has since become such a familiar fixture in our modern culture that such guidance is unnecessary and phrases like "Click Here" can actually detract from the value of content.

Improved Linking
There are other ways to improve your linking. Using the "title tag" gives your link even more context. Example:

<a href="http://www.link.com" title="Descriptive Explanation of Link">Linked Text</a>

The title tag generally displays when you "mouse over" a link. Title tags also help search engines understand what the links are and makes it easier for them to return relevant results.

Pointers
You should always be aware of the way links affect your content. Find the right balance. Here are a few tips:

Too many links can be distracting and make your content difficult to read.

Links that are too long can also negatively impact your blog post.

Try to avoid linking punctuation. It's not necessary and looks silly. Same with "quotes" inside sentences. Linking quotes should be done by putting the link inside the "quote."

Be careful with "hover links." If you don't know what a hover link is, don't worry about it. If you do, be sure that your hover link isn't bold or a different font size than the link text. Such spatial changes cause the text to "move" when moused over. It looks silly and can damage templates.

IMPORTANT: Be sure you let people know when your link goes to a non HTML page. In the examples above I linked a movie file. I should have added some indication that the link was directly to a movie file.

Example: Just saw an AWESOME Star Wars trailer (Window Media File). This is especially important to do for pdf files, as you'll see demonstrated on this very blog.

Linking the same word many times in a single post is unnecessary and annoying. For example, if your post is about the Saki Monkey then you shouldn't link the words Saki Monkey every time you mention the Saki Monkey. Two or three times is fine, and sometimes helps the post but if you have a lengthy entry and the word is used dozens of times, then don't link each instance of that word.

Finally, if you have anything to add to this post, please leave a comment. This post discusses text links only. I will discuss image links another day.

Blogging 101 publishes every Sunday and provides blogging tips, advice and tutorials for blog newbies and veterans alike

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March 19, 2005

Wakeup Factor #5 - Guilt

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

Guilt appears in so many forms in my QMO that a book could be written just on this one subject.

The kind of guilt I see at the functions is heartbreaking. As people are chatting before and after opens, rallies, etc., (remember, we are encouraged to come early and stay late!) inevitably they talk about what's going on in their life. If they've moved to a new house, they tell me about it excitedly, but then add the self-deprecating comment, "of course, it isn't my dream house, but then I just haven't shown enough plans yet." And they have true guilt when they say it.

In fact, I would say about 75% of conversations I have with people at functions include some kind of "I'm a loser because I haven't done this thing yet" comment. They don't think anything good should happen in their life unless it stems from this business. They're embarrassed to share about a vacation they took if it wasn't a business trip. They are embarrassed to report any "blessings" in their life if they haven't gone Platinum or Ruby.

I've seen in more than one person in my own downline how instead of building them up, the system actually has torn them down until they don't think they can do anything great in life because after all, they haven't even done this one "simple, but not easy" thing of going Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond. This is over a long period of time, of course. 5-plus years in before one truly loses any self-esteem, I think, because they've now passed the 2-5 year plan mark without having even gone direct. They're told every day on a tape that anyone can do this in 6-12 months. Most veterans in my downline have had to completely break away from the system first, and THEN they begin to build their belief back in themselves that they can achieve in something else. So much GUILT.

I lived for over 10 years with daily guilt that we hadn't been CORE consistently yet, so we weren't fulfilling our calling in life. Oh my gosh, it's overwhelming to see how twisted my thinking was.

It's my mission at functions now to stop people when they begin the guilt comments and to build them up in some way. I'm making progress with my own downline; I see them feeling more freedom to be themselves around me, now that I don't expect them to be AmQuixbots like I was. So good is coming from this transformation in me even now!

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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Complaint Against Dexter Yager

By QBlog in

I recently obtained a copy of a Complaint filed in Kent County Michigan against Dexter Yager. The complaint was filed in July, 2000, and makes some serious claims about Quixtar Diamond Dexter Yager's behavior during a photography session with "IBOA" board members.

7. During the time photographs were being taken, Defendant Yager intentionally, unlawfully, and repeatedly touched Plaintiff in a sexually suggestive manner, including putting his arms around her, fondling her neck, and pinching her in the genital area.

According to the Court Docket, the lawsuit was settled out of court and no details of that settlement are available.

The Court Documents pertaining to this case are public record. I contacted the Kent County Court, simply requested them and paid the nominal fee ($1 per page). Any U.S. citizen may do the exact same thing (and possibly non-citizens but I'm not sure about that). It's your right. There is absolutely nothing that the Plaintiff, the Defendant, the court or anyone else can do to prevent you from reading and distributing this document. It's public record. It's in the public domain. According to the U.S Congress and the U.S. Constitution this document belongs to the people. Always keep that in mind.

» Download and distribute your copy of the "Complaint Against Dexter Yager" (pdf)

Due to the nature of the complaint I've blacked out the name of the Plaintiff.

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March 18, 2005

QBlog's Farcical Help Desk - 17

By QBlog in Farcical Help Desk

Question: For some reason the Quixtar site doesn't look right on my computer. Any ideas?
Answer: What? Is it all green? Do you see penguins doing the tango? What doesn't look right?

Q: It's really hard to see the whole site. Like the login is hidden on the right side of my screen.
A: Oh. You've got screen resolution problems. Go to Quixtar's helpful (but incorrectly named) page on changing your monitor resolution. Follow the instructions and you're done.

Q: Yeah, I already went there. Wasn't much help. See, I'm on a Mac.
A: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait one damn minute. You're saying you're using a Macintosh with a 640x480 monitor? I think that's illegal in every state except Alaska. What OS version are you running?

Q: Uh... System 7, why?
A: I'm afraid I can't help you my friend. In fact, the law says I'm supposed to report you to the One Infinite Loop Task Force. But I like you so I'll let it slide if you promise to never call again.

Q: But I gotta get my PV up so my sponsor can get his Platinum pin this month! What am I to do?
A: Bye.

Q: Amway = Quixtar Scam?
A: Pardon me?

Q: Amway = Quixtar Scam?
A: Are you asking me if Amway is equal to Quixtar Scam? I don't understand. Are you asking if the Amway business is the same as a Quixtar Scam?

Q: No. Pay attention and I'll explain this slowly so you can understand. Amway = Quixtar Scam? Same or Different.
A: Right. So Amway may be the same as Quixtar Scam or it may be different than Quixtar Scam and you're wanting to know if Amway is the same as Quixtar Scam right?

Q: Right.
A: Hmmmm. That's a tough one. So you're saying that Quixtar is a Scam and you want to know if it's the same or different than Amway? So, essentially you're asking if Amway is a scam right?

Q: I forgot. You're confusing me. Stop confusing me you evil, evil man. Be gone from me you Satan Worshipper!
A: Dude, you got issues. Do I know you? You sound familiar. What's your name?

Q: Randy Haugen.
A: Figures.

Q: How much PV is there on goats?
A: Goats? I don't think Quixtar sells goats. You mean like a real, live goat?

Q: Yes. Goats. I just bought a dozen goats from my upline and he said there's a bundle of PV for buying goats.
A: No. I think your upline is mistaken. You may want to get a refund.

Q: Darn. What about Goat Milk? I got six gallons of Goat Milk and I'm thinking there is lots of PV on that. It wasn't cheap ya know.
A: No. No PV on Goat Milk. You sure you're buying this stuff from Quixtar.com?

Q: Oh. Now that you mention it, I'm going to GoatStar.com. Gee is my face red. Sorry.
A: Naaaaah.

= His yard work has drastically slowed down

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

= His yard work has drastically slowed down

"He's recently been learning more about the Quixtar business and goes to weekly business meetings"

March 17, 2005

- Amway is inextricably linked with evangelical Christianity

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- Amway is inextricably linked with evangelical Christianity

"We have a duty to warn our loved ones, our friends"

- They want to get into Quixtar

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- They want to get into Quixtar

"But if $100-something dollars/month is the average income, then no thanks"

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Wakeup Factor #4 - Platinum Slaves

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

TOO MUCH WORK, TOO LITTLE PROFIT — After years of volunteering our efforts, I've finally figured it out. Platinums are the slaves of the system. We do all the grunt work of the business. We service the IBOs, make the retail sales, do the Artistry Clinics, show the board plans, teach the "nuts & bolts", answer a hundred questions a week over voicemail/phone, "counsel" those who ask, and encourage the brokenhearted ones who are trying their best, but just not making it.

We work the functions, come early, stay late, borrow cars to host Diamonds, make fruitbaskets and signs for their hotel rooms, grovel with a smile, and stay up all night, for days on end while telling the Diamonds how grateful we are that they are helping us. Helping us? You mean by coming to our city to speak for a few hours and receiving thousands of our dollars for it? And then they tease us in front of others that we must really love our jobs or we would be Diamonds by now! Gotta love it.

Shouldn't there be decent pay for your efforts at every level? At Platinum, there are so many more costs because the buck stops here as far as Quixtar is concerned. We swallow all the discontinued inventory (I realize this is WWDB only now, but it's still a large expense for me). We refund returned tools (unless we're unethical, which I am not). We go to extra Platinum-only functions at resorts that we can't yet afford. We stay at nicer hotels at the major functions. We drive more miles, are gone more weekends, hand out free CDs and books right and left at the meetings we do. Most of the bonus money we receive goes back into travel, tools, functions and inventory, which means that most of the money we earn from Quixtar is funneled directly or indirectly back into our uplines' pockets (So in a sense, the Diamonds earn ALL the bonus money from Quixtar).

This is A LOT OF WORK on both of our parts for LITTLE profit. To make a respectable RETAIL profit would mean a lot MORE work. 8-10 Hours per Week? Right!

I used to think, "How cool that we will only have to do this for five or so years for riches and freedom!" I didn't like the work. I didn't like the plans, the callin and pickup, sitting for days at functions, doing the Artistry clinics, but I thought it would be worth it. Now I think, "Where could we be right now if we had put this effort into a traditional business for the last 10 years instead?

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

March 16, 2005

Quixtar Web Initiative Roster

By QBlog in

You've seen the blogs. Witnessed the link orgy. Experienced the Google Bombing. Now meet the highly skilled members of Quixtar's elite Web Reputation Task Force.

David Ellyatt (aka "The Fox")
Ellyatt's wicked awesome Web skills earned him the coveted Web Marketing Manager position at Quixtar. He is rumored to be the field leader of the WRTF and publishes the always difficult to spell Quixtar and Beyond blog. He's known as "The Fox" because he is both cunning and clever.

Margaret S. Ross (aka "The Snake")
Margaret (also answers to Maggie and Marge) is a Badass Web Reputation Specialist. She developed her formidable Web expertise while visiting a group of Tibetan Web Gurus during a summer trip to the Himalayas. After returning to her Atlanta home, she founded the Karamon Institute and developed Bully Prevention training for schools. Margaret was recruited by the WRTF in 2004 and currently presides over a horde of Web lackeys who dutifully churn out reams of unreadable PR pabulum. Coincidentally, the Tibetan Web Gurus are rumored to enjoy cold pabulum spread thinly on toasted rye bread.

Kathleen Vandervelde (aka "The Tasmanian Devil")
Kathleen is the WRTF "Blog Sensei" and was personally trained in the "art of blog" by none other than Jason Kottke. She's clearly mastered many difficult blogging moves including "the permalink," "the archive," "the comment," "the reference link" and the ever elusive "trackback." Her single weakness is "the frequent update" but that move is difficult even for veteran bloggers.

Kia (aka "The Rooster")
Kia Kia's identity is shrouded in mystery. His "blog" is the only one linked directly from the HQ homepage so we know he's got connections. Some say that Kia is Ken McDonald's pseudonym while others have argued that it's an acronym meaning "Kick It Awesome!" Whoever he is, it's obvious that he's "the brains" behind the WRTF. Without any real Web skills, Kia prefers to sit in the metaphorical shadows, strategizing behind the scenes. When he's not plotting the next WRTF mission, Kia enjoys spending time at a cottage in North Michigan with his miniature poodle named "Dexter."

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March 15, 2005

Wakeup Factor #3 - No Success

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

I think I really started to see that the system does not work when I realized that NOBODY IS MOVING ON. Ok, well, WWDB has had anywhere from one to twelve new Diamonds per year since I've been; so obviously somebody is moving on, but even many of those have gone backwards since first qualifying as Diamonds.

I was in for about two to three years before I started to notice this lack of success. It takes two years to get your bearings on who people are and who's growing. In the beginning, it seems like everybody is "moving on" because there are people crossing stage at every function.

I've watched most Platinums stay at Platinum, while a few go on to Emerald, and only a handful to Diamond. For ten years I blamed this on the work habit. "Obviously, most are not willing to do the work." We've blamed our own lack of growth on our weak work habit. In WWDB, work habit is defined as "show 10 or sponsor 2."

Then, as we approached Platinum and became "leaders," I looked at my own downline in a different way than ever before. I saw their frustration at giving this their all, but never moving ahead. I watched some prospect and prospect, but never show the plan. I watched some STP and STP, but never sponsor. I watched some sponsor and sponsor, but never go Eagle. And yes, I even watched some retail and retail, but never pass 300pv.

Why? Why weren't they moving on? After all AmQuix products are awesome and the system works, so they must need to listen to another tape or go to another function to get what they need — the magic ingredient that will cause them to do it, right? The Diamonds have such great wisdom and knowledge; if only we could be more like them?

These thoughts nagged at me for a long time, but after ten years, that way of thinking wasn't acceptable anymore. I KNEW these people. I don't really know the Diamonds and the Emeralds, but I DO know my downline; they are my friends. So I know that they are giving it their all. As PW mentioned in the comments of my story, "Can the amount of work you did be defined by the results you got?" and "How much work do you have to do with no results before it counts as work?" It took me over a decade to accept that many of us ARE giving everything we've got, and the truth is that THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK. Yes, a very small few will make it, but the majority won't. (We will NOT get into "The Pyramid Is Negative" here. This is how I saw it before I had a clue about TPIN, saturation, etc.)

The final straw for me was at an FED during my "wakeup" year, when I looked out at thousands of hopeful faces realizing that many were the same faces I'd been looking at for years. I include Platinums most of all in this, because Platinum is a painful place to sit for a long period of time. Platinums do ALL the work for no pay. Once you go Platinum, it's nearly impossible to disappear quietly because everyone is looking to you for hope. The other Platinums become your friends — peer pressure increases dramatically.

In one moment, I saw the scam.

So few Diamonds — so many people who want to be. Surely, more than fifty couples here have put in the "Fast Track" effort? Surely more than fifty in the 10+ years we've been in? And if not, then why not? And why don't they do something else?

Because the Diamonds tell them not to. In a hundred different ways with a hundred different stories, the Diamonds tell them they will be losers if they don't keep trying. That they will live in a "rut" forever, because nothing else will give them "freedom" except this. That they are winners just for being at FED. That they need to hold on and stay in until they make it.

ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS LISTEN TO ANOTHER TAPE AND ATTEND ANOTHER FUNCTION, and then go out and do it.

In one moment, the veil was lifted from my eyes, and I saw it.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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What you can't get from QBlog

By Windy Hill in March of Perceptions

This blog has become an authoritative resource for many who are looking for information about Quixtar. Most of what is here is well-reasoned, well-researched, and well-written. QBlog claims to be objective and for the most part the content bears that out.

There's a vibrant, vital community established here of faithful readers and commenters. The many participants debate, offer advice, ask for information, and bicker, just like in any group of people who partake in communal dialogue on a subject.

If you want information you've come to the right place. If you like controversy, it's here. If you want dialogue, humor, informed opinions, a good read, yeah, yeah you know what I'm saying. QBlog gives good blog.

BUT if you come here for help, if you come here searching something you can't quite articulate, if you're looking for unwavering affirmation for your waffling soul, I say be careful about coming to any conclusions based on what you learn here. Consider:

QBlog is a third party observer, which puts the blog at a disadvantage when it comes to reporting/opining on Quixtar business matters. Although his wife once was an IBO and he has a basic knowledge of the business and how it works, he lacks access to much information available to IBOs.

While QBlog claims to be objective, many of his readers decidedly are not. Those who comment on this blog are overwhelmingly critical of Quixtar and its business. This means that any of the fallout from the discussions here tends to be negative, sometimes to the extent of canceling out - or at least overshadowing - positive aspects of the content.

Objectivity, while a good thing in, say, journalism, does effectively prevent one view or another from being put forward. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Only potentially confusing for one trying to make sense of the varying pieces of information found here.

There is a discussion going on this week in the March of Perceptions section of this site that illustrates my point.

A new IBO is reading here, and he is having a crisis of confidence. He's having doubts about the business, his upline, and his own involvement. He's found some positive attitudes and intriguing information here -- a different way of looking of things that he admires -- and says so.

But he also gets applauded in his doubts by the disgruntled who frequent this site, lurking like vultures for just such a weakness to be revealed. The guy is earnestly looking for help. But he can't get it here.

Think about it. Neither QBlog nor his reader commenters can help this guy out. Nor are they particularly interested in doing so. This blog may be a place to come and learn some things about Quixtar, but it is not a place that will tell you "Join," "Stay," or "Run for your life." The catcalls of negative commentary aren't much help, either.

This new IBO will not get the advice he needs from this community, but someone needs to tell him. Tell him to approach his upline again with his questions. If he still isn't satisfied, tell him to call the company and describe what he heard from his upline. The things he relates here are not right. Tell him the admirable practices that he read on this blog cannot be sustained by working through a different line of affiliation where there is no (tools) system in place to support him. Tell him that that if he goes against his upline's teaching, they will drop him like they never knew him.

Tell him that for those reasons, he probably needs to find himself another business. And that these are things he's not going to get from reading QBlog.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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New Gear That Doesn't Suck

By QBlog in

New gear at the QBlog Store. Check it out! Get it while it's hot. Oh, and if you send me a picture of yourself displaying your exclusive QBlog product, I'll post that pic to the blog and link up your favorite Web site (if you have one). And of course, every purchase helps support this blog.

Additionally, if you have ideas for any QBlog Merchandise, please send them my way. I'm always looking for creative concepts.

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March 14, 2005

Monday Reader Mail: 35

By QBlog in Reader Mail

This week's Reader Mail presents a very interesting question.

name: Laura
date: March 10, 2005

message: I was wanting to ask you a question. My younger brother has been in Quixtar for a year and my parents are trying to help him to see its cult-like ways. He told my parents that it was ILLEGAL for him to divulge that he is losing money to his recruits. Do you know if this is true?

Wonderful. So it's legal to tell everyone that Diamonds are filthy, stinking rich and that buying tapes and going to meetings is the way to do the same but it's illegal to tell anyone that you might be losing money?

I'm flabbergasted. Laura presents an honest question about something she was told by her IBO brother. To answer the question, no, it isn't true. I'm not a lawyer and I don't claim to be all that bright but common sense demands that there is no way it's illegal for an IBO to be honest about his business. At least not in the U.S.

Now, I have a question to no one in particular. Is the statement from Laura's brother the exception or the rule among Quixtar IBOs?

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March 13, 2005

Blogging 101 - Radio Free Europe

By QBlog in Blogging 101

Sing

Beside yourself if radio's gonna stay.
Reason: it could polish up the grey.
Put that, put that, put that up your wall
That this isn't country at all

Raving station, beside yourself

Keep me out of country in the word
Deal the porch is leading us absurd.
Push that, push that, push that to the hull
That this isn't nothing at all.

Straight off the boat, where to go?
Calling on in transit, calling on in transit
Radio Free Europe

- REM, "Radio Free Europe"

What Is RFE?
Radio Free Europe was "established in 1949 as a nonprofit, private corporation to broadcast news and current affairs programs to Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain."

RFE was founded on the conviction that the "first requirement of democracy is a well informed citizenry." By freely broadcasting to countries with limited (or nonexistent) press freedoms, RFE informed the citizens in ways their own governments would never allow. RFE provided an alternative to the propaganda and lies force-fed to the people by totalitarian regimes. Those regimes occasionally resorted to threats and violence in an effort to silence the voices of RFE.

However, RFE was not deterred and continued with its mission to inform those living in countries with controlled media.

Impact of RFE
The impact of RFE is hard to measure, though its influence in changing the political landscape in Eastern Europe (and the former Soviet Union) is undeniable. Boris Yeltsin, former president of Russia had this to say on the 40th Anniversary of RFE, March 1993:

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of your (RFE) contribution to the destruction of the totalitarian (Soviet) regime. No less important are your efforts to inform listeners in Russia about events in our country and abroad. We...rely on your objective illumination of Russian and international events... and in protecting democratic reforms.

The spirit of RFE continues with radio and satellite stations broadcasting to nations that lack basic press freedoms (or are developing those important freedoms for the first time).

And Blogging?
I see some obvious parallels with the way RFE assisted in undermining communist regimes during the Cold War and how blogs are undermining the efforts of Pan-National, Mega Corps to control content. No, I'm not saying Sony Corporation operates like the former Soviet Union, but that blogs erode the historical power of the "Gatekeepers." That erosion is similar to the success of RFE and equally irritating to the regimes it impacts.

But unlike radio, blogs can be published by anyone, from anywhere. The Corporations know this but most have yet to develop a coherent strategy on how to deal with this new, blogging reality (similarly the Soviet Union failed to develop an effective strategy to deal with RFE and resorted to "jamming"). Books like The Cluetrain Manifesto and The Red Couch outline ways in which Corporations can embrace blogging (or the Net in general), maintain their Corporate identity and help the bottom line in the process.

Yes, the idea of surrendering control over information scares the crap out of the average CEO but the alternative is a slow, painful slide into irrelevance. "What if they say my company sucks? What if everyone starts complaining about product X?" Well, the truth is that the conversations will occur in spite of the Corporation's efforts to control them. So, why not earn some of that coveted "good will" by encouraging (maybe even facilitating) that dialogue instead of trying to control it? That makes sense and will, in the long run, help the bottom line.

Conclusion
Like RFE, blogs are here to stay. Like RFE, they can't be silenced by spin, "jamming," fancy propaganda or Google Bombing. Unlike the Soviet Union, Corporations can successfully coexist with blogs and even join in the fun. Does your business embrace blogging? Why or why not?

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March 12, 2005

Wakeup Factor #2 - Ongoing Income

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

Where have all the Diamonds gone? I count 25 out-of-qualification Diamonds from WWDB alone (out of the 56 total that I know of). I was devastated when I first learned of a Diamond falling "out." Now, I see that it happens all the time. So is there freedom in this business or not?

Do you have to be "Brad Wolgamott-driven" to keep your current legs growing without personally sponsoring? We haven't made ourselves do this thing yet — how will we stay that driven for the long haul? It's not who we are, and it's not why we started this.

We started this to fund our true passions, but those dreams are long gone. Now it's only acceptable if this biz is our #1 passion. As I see it, it will only work long term if we work it fulltime forever. Who is there at the top that doesn't work it but has a true legacy? Ron Puryear, Greg Duncan, Brad Duncan?

Brad Duncan shared at Go Diamond Weekend (Platinums & above only) that he worked this 5 nights a week for 10 years straight to have the freedom and money he has now. And he didn't include driving time, function time, voicemail time, counseling time, call-in/pickup time, or nuts & bolts time. In January, all current Diamonds made a public commitment to sponsor 24 new "legs" this year. Why? Just to be an example? Diamond freedom isn't good enough? Or, is it that if a Diamond doesn't keep up CORE habits, then his downline won't either?

That's not what I was shown and not what I signed up for. What happened to 8-10 hrs per week for 2-5 years? When will I get time for my dreams? No, not the fancy house and cars, not the trips with Quixtar IBOs, but the dreams I had when I started this thing — the real passions I had before I attended a hundred functions and listened to a thousand tapes?

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

Overheard...

By QBlog in

"That's a sweet ride you got there. How much you pay for it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You looking to buy one of these?"

"Sorta. Why? You trying to unload this one?"

"Actually, yeah. I was really thinking of selling it but there's some sentimental value attached to it so I didn't want to sell it to just anybody. But if you're interested, it's yours."

"How much?"

"How much you got? Make me an offer."

"Well, I want to know more about it first. How's it run?"

"Oh, it runs like a stallion. Best car I've ever driven. Ever."

"Well, let me take a test drive."

"You don't trust me? Come on man, it's a great ride. You can take that to the bank."

"Hmmm. I don't know. I really want to drive it first. Pop the hood and let me take a look underneath."

"That's really not necessary."

"Why not? Do you want me to buy this thing or not?"

"Well yeah but you really don't need to pop the hood. The engine is fine, trust me."

"I trust you but I want to take a look at the car before I buy it. You have a problem with that?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down. No need to get upset. I can see you're not really interested in this car so maybe I'll just move along."

"What?!? I am interested in the car but for some reason you won't let me check it out. Is there something wrong with it? How many miles does it have? How much oil does it burn? I just want to know about the car."

"Look. The car is perfect but I can see you don't want to accept that and so you're obviously not the right person to buy this car."

"Whatever dude. Bye."

"Bye."

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March 11, 2005

- Disaster of pyramidal proportions

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- Disaster of pyramidal proportions

"Interesting time observing this sub-species of kingdom animalia"

QBlog's Farcical Help Desk - 16

By QBlog in Farcical Help Desk

Question: Hey dude! Did you hear that crazy story about that dog that bit that mailman?
Answer: Wha? No, I missed that one chucklehead. Breaking news huh?

Q: Yeah. It was ka-ray-zee man. This dog was like roaming around this neighborhood and come up on this mailman and bit him. Ouch!
A: Right. Ok, bye.

Q: Wait! Wait! Wait! Don't hang up man. Just heard on the news about the Pope, you know that Catholic dude...
A: What, did he die or something? I know he's been sick.

Q: Nah man. The Pope, he wears a pointy hat!
A: ...

Q: Yeah. Ain't that crazy?
A: That's the news? You're a freakin' moron. Get lost. What is this anyway, some sort of phone prank?

Q: Ah man. Don't be like that. I'm just telling you the news. Gettin' informed and all that.
A: I see. Who are you anyway? Do I know you? Something familiar in your voice?

Q: Yeah you know me. We met at that picnic last year. I'm Harold VanderVander, news editor for the IBOAI.
A: Gotchya. That explains this, this and this. Great work Harold. You've got a true nose for news.

Q: Hey, what I gotta do to start getting some of that juicy tool money?
A: 'Scuse me?

Q: The money that you get for selling tapes and Internet subscriptions and speaking and stuff. I want some of that.
A: I know what tool money is, it's just a strange request. To get tool money you must build your Quixtar business to a certain level and then you start getting the money.

Q: How long does that take?
A: As long as you want. Some people do it quickly, others it takes a long time.

Q: So I'm guaranteed a percentage of the tool money when I get to that level right?
A: Well, yeah.

Q: Can I see a copy of the contract?
A: What contract?

Q: The contract that gives me all that tool money!
A: There's no legally binding contract you silly person.

Q: What?!? You the silly person. No contract? Then how do I get my money?
A: The Diamonds that own the tool business give you the money.

Q: But without a contract, they ain't nothing making them give me a dime right?
A: Right. But they will. You can trust them to give you a cut of the money that they receive and are not legally bound to distribute to you because they are just great guys.

Q: Forget it. This tool money stuff sounds too weird for me. I'm going to Vegas.
A: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Q: I am NOT satisfied with Great Hot Buy. I want my money back.
A: Well of course we'd like to help but first we need some information. Where did you purchase Great Hot Buy?

Q: I got Great Hot Buy from Augustus Letang, and shopping at my fingertips was not comfortable at all.
A: I see. Well, we'll do what we can to make it right ok?

Q: Thank you.
A: You're quite welcome.

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March 10, 2005

No Doubt

By David Robison in March of Perceptions

I decided to order business cards today.

I ordered them from one of Quixtar's Partner Stores, The Complete Printshop (BTW, in regards to Monday's Post at QuixtarBlog; The Complete Printshop has a customized page for IBO visits with Quixtar-specific products. I was unable to find their public site outside of Quixtar. I'm not sure what the arrangement is).

Where was I? Oh yeah, business cards.

Now, I'm sure you have seen countless IBO business cards. The one indistinguishable trait is that you usually can't tell what the heck the business card is about.

They usually have a business name, the contact person is always President (even if it isn't a corporation) and they say clever things like Private Franchising Consultant, E-Commerce Marketing Strategist or some other vague thing.

This all goes to the whole problem of the Mysterious Meeting or Curiosity Approach.

I use a different approach. The Straight-Forward Approach.

This doesn't involve word games, or stalking someone at a bookstore.

It's pretty simple, really.

When I meet someone, and they ask me what I do for a living; I tell them.

"Dave, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a partner in a home renovation business, but I really want to be a comic. I also have a Direct Sales/Multilevel Marketing Business.

Now, if that satisfies them. Cool. They ain't interested in what I do.

If they say, "Oh really? MLM? Hmmmmm, what company are you with?"

I do something really different. I TELL THEM!

"I operate a Quixtar-affiliated Independent Business. I use virtual communities to build an organization of other Quixtar Independent Business Owners and we market products via websites and personal contact." Or something to that effect, depends on how formal I am feeling that day.

If they say, "hmmm, that ain't for me." or "really? that's interesting...I have a hangnail that's giving me some problems."

Then, guess what?

I console with them about hangnails, and don't try to sell them!

It doesn't mean they hate me. It doesn't mean they are losers. It doesn't mean they aren't interested in me, personally.

It just means they got the answer. And they aren't curious anymore.

If they say, "Really? Tell me, does that work for you?" or "I have heard some good things and bad things about that."

Then, they might want to know more, and they might be willing to hear more and I proceed from there.

Okay, back to those business cards.

The cards will have my company name, Robison and Associates (I've used that name for years), my name, address, phone number and something I am pretty proud of — The Quixtar logo and name. The Quixtar website address, my IBO number and of course my personal favorite, the web address to On the Road with Dave.

And right under Robison and Associates will be the line,

"QUIXTAR-affiliated Independent Business Owner (IBO)"

There shouldn't be any doubt as to what business I am in; and I don't want any.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

Where'd It Go?

By QBlog in

Last night I posted a cryptic and emotionally charged message on this blog. It was so cryptic that those it was intended to reach would probably not have understood its message. The post was a reaction, an impulse. I was upset, I posted. After thinking about it for a few minutes I decided it was best to just remove it, so I did. I've only removed 2-3 posts from any of my blogs, ever. And each removal was followed by an explanation such as this.

Trust me, you're not missing anything. And that's what happened to the missing post.

TOD Lawsuit News

By QBlog in

So what's new with Team of Destiny's complaint against Scott Larsen? Well, on Feb. 24 something called a Stipulation and Order to Extend Case Management Order Deadlines (pdf) was filed (you can get an official copy from PACER, a government Web site).

If you're anything like me (and sure hope you're not) then you'd rather be gored by a mad bull than read a court document. And so I've decided to read it for you and present a one paragraph summary so that you may avoid the unpleasantness of reading a three page court document. Ain't I swell?

All the attorneys agree to extend the dates in the case. Hooray. The discovery process, the part where the defendant "discover" things about the plaintiff, was delayed until Feb. 11 because of the mediation (mediated by the man with two first names, Bill Jack). They decided to cut off discovery on July 31, 2005, and the trial is scheduled to begin April 2006! Those wheels of justice move slowly in Michigan.

And that's about it. Looks like the lawsuit is still rolling right along and that the mediation didn't work out. And that reminds me, while I'm talking about courts and documents and all that, let me say a few words about PACER.

PACER
PACER is NOT the thing controlling Dick Cheney's heart. That's a Pacemaker. No, PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Pretty self-explanatory. It's open to the public and provides court records electronically.

"But mister, all them electronic gizmos scare me somethin' fierce."

"Don't worry little Timmmy, I'll walk you through it and you'll be reading public court records in no time. Heck, you can even print them out like I do and distribute them to all your friends."

"Gee mister. That's swell."

Registering With PACER
I registered with PACER a couple of years ago and it's been nothing but fun ever since. It's pretty simple. Just fill out PACER's simple registration form and you're in business.

Once you're logged in, go to the U.S. Party Case Index page and click "USPCI Login." Then, in the "Search" column (as opposed to the "Reports" and "User Options") select the "All Court Types" link. This allows you to search every court case on file. In the "All Court Types" search I recommend using the "party name" field. Be sure you put the last name first. You can search for Scott Larsen, Dexter Yager, Rich DeVos or any other name you know.

Searches are free but it will cost you eight pennies to view each page which isn't such a bad deal really.

Anyway, I encourage everyone to visit this public service and have a little fun. Search the name of your best buddy. Search the name of your high school gym teacher. Search the name of your Quixtar upline. You never know what will turn up.

Oh, one more thing. This is all perfectly, 100% legal and open to the public. These are PUBLIC documents published by our U.S. Courts. I know it's obvious to you but little Suzy there on the back row is always worried about such things. Suzy, don't fear. If it's on PACER then our U.S. courts put it there for you to read.

Ain't America Grand?

March 9, 2005

- Glaring introduction to quixtar today

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- Glaring introduction to quixtar today

"You see simple people, stupid people, the old, the desperate getting conned (hate to use that word) into such things"

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Quixtar PR Scorecard

By QBlog in Web Initiative

The Quixtar Public Relations team is a busy group. They work night and day to publish scintillating ~~articles~~ press releases with headlines like "IBOAI endorses Quixtar's exclusive Artistry skin care line says Orrin Woodward" or "Fred Harteis, IBOAI Endorses Artistry, Quixtar's Prestige Brand of Skin Care and Cosmetics." Wow. I can't wait to read those exciting stories!

Of course the Quixtar PR team does much more than just write cool stories about cosmetics. They're constantly devising new and wonderful ways to relate to the public, which is generally what happens in a Public Relations Department. Sometimes those plans work brilliantly and sometimes they fail miserably. Today I thought it would be neat to rate the performance of the Quixtar Public Relations Team with something I call the "Quixtar PR Scorecard."

The Quixtar PR Scorecard functions just like an elementary school report card. Grades are assigned with an "A" being the best and an "F" being the worst. And because this is my scorecard, I assign each grade based on my own opinions. No, it's not very scientific but I have an excuse — I'm not a scientist.

F - For the Quixtar Google Bombing campaign

Filling the Web with bogus blogs run by Web lackeys who repurpose poorly written PR copy filled with keywords and misleading links is bad form and a bad PR move. It's too "Spam-like" for an organization that loves the phrase "High Tech and High Touch." My advice, ditch the Google Bombing and publish some valuable content that other folks will want to link. That's what I do.

F - For "vandalizing" Wikipedia

What could Quixtar possibly hope to gain by removing all critical commentary from the beloved Wikipedia? It looks suspicious and begs the question, "What are they hiding?" There's also the potential backlash that could result from being labeled as a bully within the quintessential open source community.

F - Trying to suppress The Blakey Report

The Blakey Report was a moderately interesting document expressing the opinion of one man. Had the folks in Michigan decided to ignore the report, it probably would have slipped away unnoticed. However, because they decided to pursue it and tried to suppress it, the report quickly became the court document du jour.

B+ - Not trying to suppress The Postma Memo

Possibly learning a lesson from The Blakey Report fiasco, the folks in Michigan decided to let the Postma Memo ride and publish a spin page. It's not a bad strategy. Hint. Hint.

C - For not putting Ken McDonald on camera for Dateline

I understand that it's sometimes best to decline an interview but I think it was a mistake in this situation. Giving an actual face to Quixtar (Ken's face may not be the one they want but I've seen worse mugs) would have connected with viewers in ways that a letter can't. I know why the Quixtar chose to avoid face-time, I just think it was probably a mistake.

D - For a poor job of informing IBOs about the new Non-Compete Rule

Quixtar did post the info on it's "What's New" page but that's not the best way to communicate important rule changes that can affect an IBO's business. Too many IBOs found out about the rule from my blog. Not good. Contrast that with the effective methods used to inform everyone about the P & G supporting homosexuals rumor.

F - Plays Well With Others

Quixtar is too serious. It should lighten up, get a sense of humor and join the Web revolution instead of trying to control it. Relax. Chill out. Start more blogs like Quixtatic. Start a forum like the one Proctor & Gamble runs. Don't be afraid of public feedback. Sometimes a few criticisms help a company's image more than a thousand gloating press releases. Read The Cluetrain Manifesto. Start a dialogue. Show the world that you're human. Be real. Play well with others.

March 8, 2005

+ The Business

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

+ The Business

"Have signed up with Quixtar! -- used to be Amway, but re-structured"

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Wakeup Factor #1 - Tool Money

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

I was nauseated for days the first time I heard that Platinums and above make money on tools and the system. How much? No one would say. My first thought was, "I can't promote these tapes if I'm getting a cut!" I told myself then that I wouldn't keep any system money personally — just Amway income only. I would pass the "tool break" on to my downline when the time came. And then later, much later, we went Platinum. And I kept the money. I considered it a fair servicing fee for my "hard work" and an inventory bonus that I desperately needed. Besides, it wasn't much at that level. We weren't buying fancy cars with it. It's unbelievable what a WWDB Platinum needs to invest to run Quixtar and Motivation inventory businesses!

They said in the plan, "We don't make money until you make money." A strong hook for me, actually. Then later, after I became a loyalist, they revealed that Platinums and above do make money selling "tools." Diamonds & Emeralds do make money getting people to functions and speaking at them. It's profit upfront with or without helping people make any money. They didn't explain it in "the Plan." It was hidden; it was secret. Then they relied on my loyalty and devotion to accept this new revelation and keep it hush-hush. Have they all deluded themselves into thinking this is ok?

More recently, new IBOs are informed about tool profits if they read the fine print of the BSMAA and the Premier Membership Agreement. No details, mind you, but it is mentioned on paper. However, they still use the "we don't make money until you do" line in the plan, and they certainly don't point out the fine print on the official forms.

It was once explained to me by an upline Diamond that Ron Puryear began giving tool profit to Platinums because there wasn't enough money in the plan at that level. Well what does that say about the Quixtar opportunity? Hmmm.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

A Dare for husbands

By Jennifer7Lee in March of Perceptions

"Quixtar products are not marketable. Too expensive. Only brainwashed, non-thinking IBO will pay for overpriced products," say the critics.

I got a dare for all you critics who are also husbands.

For your wife birthday, mother day, valentine, christmas, or just-because-you-love-her, give her a 6-months supply of Quixtar's skin care system. At the end of 6 months, try and take it away from her.

I dare you.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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March 7, 2005

Monday Reader Mail: 34

By QBlog in Reader Mail

This week's Reader Mail brings up the "partner store" topic. Quixtar is "partnered" with many respected businesses and therefore Quixtar must be a respected business.

name: Chris
date: February 28, 2005

message: First I don't agree with you, quixtar has worked for me, and honestly its not for everyone. (like you) It takes smart and motivated people. Most people who fail lack one of those. I personally didn't think it worked at first but then I thought why are my friends making money if it didn't work and why bass pro shops and circut city partner with them if it was some kinda scam, think about it as a business owner or ceo your not gonna put your company on the line your name is the most important thing.

Circut City and co. like it spent money on lawyers to look it over carefully. The lawfirms name are at stake too. Quixtar is and has to be regisetered with the Fedral Trade Comission. They keep us from getting scamed. One problem with this type of business any IBO can personally scam anyone. -chris

PS your negetive

The FTC comment is obviously false so I won't dwell on it. However, I would like to spend a moment examining the "partner stores."

On the Web, there are different types of "partner stores" and they aren't all created equally. One method of "partner stores" on the Web is affiliates. Affiliates basically mean that you drive customers to a site and get some sort of reward for doing so. The affiliate programs have rules and guidelines but they really don't care who you are or how you do business, they just want customers.

Partner Stores
Another kind of "partner store" is the type Quixtar uses. It involves a contract, specific guidelines that each party must follow, a level of integration between backend systems and usually some type of revenue sharing. One important aspect of this style "partner store" is to note that the participating stores do not change their Web site to accommodate the partner (in this case Quixtar) but the partner changes his site to accommodate the "partner stores."

Why is that important? Well, it means that the "partner stores" have less interest in the partner (ie. Quixtar) than the partner's interest in them. I'll try to illustrate with an example.

Tour Example
Let's say you own a very popular tour guide business. As part of your day-long historic tour you decide to stop for lunch at one of several fine restaurants around town. You approach each restaurant owner and present the following offer:

If I agree to bring my tourists to your restaurant at least once a week, you will agree to give everyone a 10% discount and cut me a check for 1% of all they spend at the end of each month. Your business increases on your slowest days, you get free advertising as an "Official Partner" on all our brochures and I get an incentive to bring them. Everybody wins.

Several restaurants agree and a contract is signed. Now you've got "partner stores."

Obviously, the restaurants owners aren't all that interested in how you run your tour business. They don't want you bringing hooligans to their restaurants but beyond that, they don't care. They don't care if you tell off-color jokes on the tour bus or if you run stoplights and speed. They just want your business. However, you (as the tour guide owner) care very much about the restaurant. Because that restaurant is part of your tour you want it to be nice, serve good food and provide a quality experience for the tourists. Thus you're more interested in their business than they are in your business. Similar situation with Quixtar and its "partner stores."

When you shop at a Quixtar "partner store" you're leaving the Quixtar Web site. That Quixtar logo at the top of the page is just a frame. What tells the store that you're from Quixtar is a special URL code that identifies where you're shopping from. If you "view frame source" and open the store page (with the special Quixtar URL) in a new browser, you'll still get the same deals. (example: http://www.officemax.com/max/ solutions/nav/home.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=no& affCode=QXT &siteID=US1KYpzYJ1g&cm_mmc= quixtar*us*main*link& mid=MQ00101160774) You're leaving Quixtar (or the tour bus) and entering an entirely separate establishment. Quixtar doesn't make that a secret, that's why it can take up to 60 days to get the PV/BV on your "partner store" purchases. I just think it's important to understand exactly what's going on when you shop at a Quixtar "partner store."

The Amazon.com Example
There's a third type of partner store. Amazon.com is a great example of this type. It partners with Target and Toys 'R' Us (and others). When shopping those partner stores the customer remains within the Amazon.com Web site. The experience never changes. Additionally, the packages often arrive in Amazon.com boxes and are tracked through Amazon.com's software. So Target's products are sold directly from Amazon.com's Web site in this partnership, not their own Web site (at least not directly as it is with Quixtar). Amazon has modified its Web site to accommodate its partner stores.

Using the tour example, it would be similar to the tour company building its own restaurant, incorporating the branding of a popular local restaurant and serving food prepared by that local restaurant. The local restaurant would earn money on the food sold and benefit from brand exposure but would not be in direct control of the dining experience. That control would reside with the tour business. Therefore, the local restaurant would be much more interested in how the tour company runs its business because it has less control over the dining experience.

Make sense? I know it's confusing but I believe it's important to understand the nuances of the whole "partner store" thing. Not all partner stores are created equal. And just because a business is "partnered" with respectable businesses doesn't mean that business is also respectable.

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March 6, 2005

Blogging 101 - Don't Suck

By QBlog in Blogging 101

One thing I love about blogs is that anyone can start one and say just about anything. One thing I hate about blogs is that anyone can start one and say just about anything. An obvious and valid criticism of blogging is that most blogs just plain suck. It's true, but not unique to blogging. Most books suck too. So do most television shows. And most radio shows. And most newspapers. And the list goes on. The norm is not to be great and wonderful and cool because if that were the norm, then... well you get the idea.

But, I digress. The point of this edition of Blogging 101 is to highlight some valid (and not so valid) criticisms of blogging. My hope is that you'll read the following criticisms and maybe learn what to avoid in your own blog. To keep things managable, I'm listing five of my favorite criticisms.

Why I F—ing Hate Weblogs! - "As we can see, clearly weblogs are f—ing retarded as a general rule. Most weblog authors either think they have something important to say (self-centered and egotistical authors), or believe that they have an audience that cares what they think (delusional and irrational authors.) What can be plainly seen is that most weblog authors need something to push them back into the real world from the self-centered and delusional world they have created for themselves."
Why "Blogging" Sucks - 'The problem with all of this is the nomenclature of 'blogging' sucks. No, not 'blogging.' You know, 'BLOGGING.' I mean the word 'blogger' or 'blogging'. It's meaningless. Saying 'bloggers are x or y' is equally meaningless. Someone claiming to speak for bloggers is more than meaningless it is delusional. Treating 'bloggers' as a group, a species, a breed, or anything else is meaningless. As I noted previously, the word 'blogger' is an empty vessel into which too many, pour too much, in order to mean too little."
Paglia Pans Blogging - "Blog reading for me is like going down to the cellar amid shelves and shelves of musty books that you're condemned to turn the pages of. Bad prose, endless reams of bad prose! There's a lack of discipline, a feeling that anything that crosses one's mind is important or interesting to others. People say that the best part about writing a blog is that there's no editing -- it's free speech without institutional control. Well, sure, but writing isn't masturbation -- you've got to self-edit."
Blogging ... Blah, Blah, Blah - "U.S. News & World Report reported last week that several senior Republican senators — upon hearing that 'blogs' had uncovered the Dan Rather scandal, helped to defeat Tom Daschle and pushed for the resignation of CNN executive Eason Jordan — demanded that 'blogs' be added to their official Web sites. Even though, as a Capitol Hill Web consultant told the magazine, most of them hadn't the slightest idea of what a 'blog' actually is."
I Hate Blogs - "People who write blogs walk around in their own sweet, sweet smugness, spending their days – I assume – collecting anecdotes ('and then, guffaw, he said "penis" out loud. In public!') and then littering the Internet with them, merely for posterity because, of course, if it ain’t on the Internet it doesn’t exist."

I'll just add that the one of the most important aspects of blogging is to know your audience. Understand who's reading your blog or who you want to read your blog and then write for them. If you don't want anyone to read your blog then why the hell are you blogging?

Blogging 101 publishes every Sunday and provides blogging tips, advice and tutorials for blog newbies and veterans alike.

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March 5, 2005

My "Waking Up" Story

By Dorothy Still In Oz in March of Perceptions

I was an AmQuix fanatic. I was 7/8 CORE for YEARS. We didn't show the plan 10x per month or sponsor 2 per month every month; so I can't say we "did the work", but we gave it our best shot. We ate, drank, and slept AmQuix and WWDB. We've attended EVERY function for more than a decade. We thought it was the best thing that any person could do with their life, and we worked it as hard as we could. We loved the IBOs, the upline, and the system. Along the way we reached Q12 Achievers Platinum.

So what changed? Why don't I want to stay in Oz anymore?

There was nothing specific. Nothing changed with WWDB, my upline, Quixtar. I changed. I woke up. The wrongs of the system had been right there in front of me for the 10+ years we'd been in, but now I was "seeing it" with a new mind.

When we first saw the business, we were idealistic dreamers who desperately wanted this to be real. Who wouldn't?! So I ignored the parts that didn't quite add up, or make sense, and accepted the system's explanations. The bonus claims I was calculating from the SA4400 (Amway used to publish actual $$ for each level) weren't matching up to the lifestyles I was hearing about, but these wonderful people wouldn't lie to me — would they? There was no Internet to research on, no www.amquix.info, no www.quixtarblog.com. And my critical thinking skills were lacking.

When I look back on 2003, I see that my mind transformation began when I committed myself to reading through the Bible in one year. I've been a Christian for years, but been lazy about Bible study. I truly believe that reading 4-5 chapters per day over six months time literally changed my mind. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Over time, the Word broke through the deception in my mind and helped me see truth.

Eventually, after a few months of brain-"washing" (cleaning out the system's propaganda from my mind), when I would listen to tapes and function speakers, I began to "hear" the exaggerations, the fallacies — the shallowness. By FED 2003, I was abhorred that thousands of people in one coliseum were all believing that they would be Diamonds too even though they'd tried for years with no results while giving most of their extra income to the Emeralds and Diamonds.

My husband is the typical, loyal Diamond follower — as was I, so I don't blame him. I was keeping this all to myself, hoping that he might "wake up" on his own, but I couldn't help talking differently about things related to the business. So eventually, he asked, I shared — and he laughed. He was relieved to finally understand what the tension in the house was all about. He isn't mad, and he accepts that I might have different opinions, but he feels that he has a rational, logical answer for every one of my points. I refuse to let this business come between my husband and I; I'm patient. I know eventually he will "wake up". So, for now, we're still in.

I still do everything I ever did: call-in, pickup, retail, functions. However, I'm very different with our downline because I see things so differently now. I encourage people to get OFF Premier Membership and Standing Order Tape if it's obvious they're not attempting to build the business. I encourage people to do whatever it takes OUTSIDE the business to make their finances work TODAY, not wait until they make extra $ from the biz. I encourage people to NOT attend functions if they don't think they can afford it. I encourage people to take vacations. I tell everyone how amazingly wonderful they are, and that not having built the business yet is not an indicator of their worth, their value, their business acumen, or their potential for a great future.

He'll quit if I ask; he loves me that much. But then he'll resent me instead of the biz. How long can I live in Oz? As long as it takes. He's worth it!

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

The Dirty Little Secret

By QBlog in

It's no secret that the Quixtar leadership abhors the so-called "negative Web sites," sites that are critical of their Quixtar business. Last year that loathing led to the creation of the "Quixtar Web Initiative" (also known as the Web Reputation Task Force) which I've explained elsewhere. The strategy of Quixtar's Web Reputation Task Force is simple and easy to understand:

Sites that criticize Quixtar = Bad
People who read those sites = Lost Business
Remove those sites from the Web or make them almost impossible to find = Good
Think of potential ramifications and possible backlash = Never

There are many problems with the WRTF strategy but one flaw is made perfectly clear by The Daily Pondering blog. That flaw? Quixtar forgot to tell the IBOs about the WRTF.

...walked into my local BORDER's Bookstore and began looking at various books, as I usually do at BORDER's. Not long after, I noticed that a female arrived to the same section and started looking at similar books...

...Then, the questions quickly became more personal... where I lived, where I graduated from college, where I worked, etc...

...she began telling me about her small business in "private franchising." This business gave her a flexible schedule. Not knowing what "private franchising" meant, I asked her to tell me what it was. Apparently, she thought this question meant that I wanted to be part of her business...

..."So, what is private franchising?". She responded with a very nebulous answer, "Well, you see, it is just very visual and might take a while to explain. It'd be better if we got together another time and I could tell you more about it."...

...When she called me back, I decided not to return her phone call...

You see, many IBOs haven't quite grasped the whole Web thing. They may be in an "e-commerce" business but they don't understand that each time they use the "Curiosity Approach" or the "Mysterious Meeting" method, that there's a good chance that the incident will end up on somebody's blog, like The Ponderer.

And since the WRTF is working furiously to bury all criticisms in a sea of spam, IBOs that employ the routinely criticized "Curiosity Approach" are just creating more work for the WRTF members. See the cycle?

Certain IBOs go out and piss off bloggers at bookstores, coffee shops and malls with their "Mysterious Meeting" methods. Those bloggers then go home and tell their critical story to the World (just like The Ponderer) which then adds to the total of "negative Web sites" which creates more work for the WRTF.

I think I hear laughing and it's not coming from Ada, Michigan.

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March 4, 2005

? JCM Marketing

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

? JCM Marketing

"BWW and Quixtar are both involved in it"

- Quixtar = Just Say No

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- Quixtar = Just Say No

"The people that try and recruit you are just trying to make money"

QBlog's Farcical Help Desk - 15

By QBlog in Farcical Help Desk

QBlog's Farcical Help Desk

Question: I got this talking bottle and it's not working right.
Answer: Whoa! Wait. You have a talking bottle?

Q: Uh,yeah. Some Help Desk™ you are. Everyone knows about Rex-The Talking Bottle.
A: Oh, THAT talking bottle. Well why didn't you say so in the first place? Of course I know about Ron-The Talking Bottle.

Q: It's Rex, rhymes with Dex.
A: What did I say? Oh, did I say Ron? I meant Rex but I just got off the phone with a Ron and had Ron on my mind. You ever do that?

Q: Sometimes. Anyway, can you help me with my talking bottle or not?
A: Oh darn. Ron's calling back on the other line and I really need to talk to him. Can you call back in like five minutes? I'm so sorry.

Q: Hello.
A: Hi, can I help you?

Q: You wanted me to call back. Can you help me with my talking bottle or not?
A: Oh right. It's you. Ok, Ron was it? Sure, what's the trouble.

Q: The name's Doug but anyway. See, Rex...
A: The Talking Bottle?

Q: Right. Rex is supposed to "read" my medication instructions to me but lately it's been saying things to me that, well, frankly they frighten me.
A: Let me guess. Rex has been telling you to rip the tags off your mattress right?

Q: Exactly! Yes. Is that normal?
A: No, well it's a defect that was recently discovered in some earlier models. Actually, you're lucky. The later models told people to visit Neverland Ranch.

Q: So is Quixtar doing anything to correct this?
A: Sure, they've contacted the Wizzards and are working on a solution. We'll be sure to let you know.

Q: I was reading this article about Rex-The Talking Bottle.
A: Again with the Rex. Don't rip the tags off your mattress and don't visit Neverland Ranch and you'll be fine.

Q: Huh? No, see I was just wondering why the word "hear" is in quotes.
A: Let me see that. Well damn, that is odd.

Rex-The Talking Bottle is an innovative assistive device that allows users to "hear" recorded medication instructions.

Q: So users aren't really hearing the medication instructions? Instead they're "hearing" them.
A: No, I see what you're saying. I really don't know.

Q: So if I buy Rex-The Talking Bottle from Quixtar then I won't hear the instructions but I will "hear" them being "read?"
A: I guess. I mean they won't be read to you, they'll be "read" to you because it's really not reading them but just playing a recorded message. But I guess you won't really hear the recording but will "hear" it instead?

Q: Maybe it's just a typo?
A: I said the same thing about Rule 6.5.

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March 3, 2005

eXtreme Profitability

By Jennifer7Lee in March of Perceptions

Disclaimer: Individual results may vary. Past performance are not indicator of future performance. Just because somebody achieved a result doesn't means anybody can achieve that result. And all other disclaimer from whatever sources in the past, present, and future are also applicable.

So, you want to be a Quixtar Independent Business Owner. You see dollar sign dancing in your eyes. A quarter of a million a year. Part-time. At your convenience. At the pace of your choosing. And only in 2 to 5 years.

Heed Confucius words my young grasshopper. "Journey of a million miles begins with one step." Before thinking about making a quarter of a million a year, think about making a quarter a year.

Listen closely and I'll impart my wisdom so you can make a quarter of a thousand. Part-time. At your convenience. At the pace of your choosing. And only in 2 to 5 weeks.

Equip yourself with the tool of the trade: the BOX. In that BOX, put products that will immediately tickle their senses. Products like XS Energy Drink, XS Sport Drink, XS Power Nutrition Bar, Trim Advantage Meal Replacement Bar, Trim Advantage Protein Bar, and whatever else delight your taste buds.

Da RULE:
He who asks first about the BOX, will buy the BOX.

Remember this RULE, young padawan. Remember it well. Your fate will be determined by your ability to heed it.

Da Prospecting:
Treat the BOX as your lunchbox. Bring it with you to work. Set it on your workstation. Bring it to lunch. Put it on the lunchtable. Bring it to the gym. Prop it up next to you while you work out. Whatever you do, remember da RULE. If you start the conversation on the BOX, you get to eat your profit. Let other start the conversation on the BOX.

Da Plan:
When you're showing the plan in a public place, just place the BOX on the table, in sight, but out of the way. Then proceed with your regular plan showing. When you're doing a house plan, place the BOX on a stand next to your board. Proceed as normal. But remember da RULE. He who asks first about the box, buy it. Don't you be the first.

Da Result:
I told this to two dozens students, but only one listened. In three weeks, his volume increased by 6,000 PV.

He showed this box to an IBO who didn't renew. After showing the box, the IBO still didn't renew. BUT the IBO was the first to ask about the BOX, so the IBO bought it and became a Client.

Next, he showed it to an IBO who wasn't showing the plan. The IBO still didn't show the plan. But she was the first to ask about the BOX, so she bought it and became a "pro-sumer."

A few days later he showed the plan to new prospects. The prospects were the first to ask about the BOX, and they all bought the box. Then each took a box home and showed it to family, friends, and neighbors. When the prospects came back and signed up, one signed up with an order of 300 PV -- a half-dozen of his family, friends, and neighbors liked the BOX and became his clients.

Another woman he knew put in an order of 700 PV -- a dozen of her family, friends, and neighbors liked the BOX and became his clients.

Yet another signed up with a big initial order, following the plan. By the end of 3 weeks, his volume was 2500 PV. BUT he'd only signed up 5 IBOs under him. Most of the orders were from clients.

You want eXtreme Profitability. It's easy.

Demo the products.
Get clients.
Listen to Homer: "duh!!!"

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

Nothing down, no payments. Ever

By Windy Hill in March of Perceptions

Among IBOs, I believe I'm known as a "zero." In my entire two years plus in the business, I have received just one bonus check. Not too long after I signed up I bought cell phone service thru the Quixtar site. I got a 3% bonus -- $6 and change.

I have had as many as three people in my downline; right now just one remains. Whose biggest (only?) purchase was a big screen TV last year right before Thanksgiving.

After that I got an e-mail from Quixtar stating that I was in the 6% bonus bracket and I was really close to tipping into the next at 9%. The e-mail linked me to an area on the Web site called "Bracket Busters," a page with several high-PV items for purchase. I looked through the stuff with some interest, but didn't need anything. In the end, I bought nothing and I remained at 6% based on the efforts of my dear downline. Which earned me a bonus of exactly 6% -- of nothing. Which of course is only right.

So why do I stay in the business, you ask? Truthfully? I live in West Michigan. There's a huge concentration of IBOs here, as you can imagine. I have been shown the plan more times than I can count. And so I find it very convenient to be an IBO — it's a way to save myself and countless others the agony of the recruiting dance. I also like getting the WYW flyer, the Achieve magazine yearbook and the occasional catalog. And of course, I like to get IBO price on my SA8 and XS.

Probably the biggest reason I stay is that I signed up in a way that allows the corporation to automatically charge the annual fee to my credit card to keep my status active. Who knows -- maybe some day I'll put more than nothing into my business and get something back out of it. I'm not quite ready to do that these days, but I'm keeping my options open.

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

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Why do I do this?

By David Robison in March of Perceptions

Why do I do this?

Why does an obviously pro-Quixtar, active IBO visit QuixtarBlog? This site that has gained a reputation for being critical of the business I have chosen to operate?

Why would I subject myself to the Open Forum on this site, when the discussions attract so many others opposed to my business?

Why would I let this site owner persuade me to engage in a blog of my very own, with a view that opposes his? (Not to mention that the very act of blogging can be frustrating, annoying, and time consuming)

Why do I include a link to his blog at my own, knowing that his supporters may visit my site and comment there as well?

On top of all this, I publish my personal pro-Quixtar views, and those views often even clash with other pro-IBOs.

And now, I'm called upon to write my perceptions here at QuixtarBlog in a somewhat official position; leaving myself open for each sentence I write to be dissected, analyzed, critiqued, and argued.

So, I must be crazy, right?

The goals of "March of Perceptions" were stated to me in this manner, "I believe that there is a lot of misunderstanding about the Quixtar business and its related issues. And quite often, that misunderstanding leads to prejudice, stereotypes and worse. My hope... is to find a way to move towards understanding and maybe help others see things from a different perspective. I think this project is a step in the right direction."

Maybe these are futile goals on QuixtarBlog's part; already comments have been made from the opposing side of Quixtar. Mouths are salivating in anticipation, hoping to hear perspectives that are ripe for critique.

Those in favor of Quixtar are girding their loins for battle, second-guessing each sentence they prepare. I know I am. Go Figure.

And thus the stereotypes and prejudice may prevail.

The key to overcoming misunderstanding, is a desire to understand.

I originally visited QuixtarBlog to understand the writer's perspective. In turn, I grew to understand many of the other visitors. Each with a different perspective and experience that led them to believe as they did.

No, I did not agree with all of their points, and in fact still find many of their views, pompous and combative; but not all.

I also see the "brainwashed" IBOs defend themselves, miserably at times, stating their "case" by repeating their "misunderstandings"

So, where do I fit into this "project?"

Maybe, I'm just as pompous, and maybe my brain has gone once around the normal wash cycle.

But, I'll try to state my IBO case simply.

I have chosen to pursue a course in a controversial business model called Multi-Level Marketing, (a model that has as many opposing views as Quixtar itself.)

I have chosen Quixtar; the company, the products and the compensation plan, in spite of any controversy.

The sale of motivational tools is not my modus operandi. My business expenses involve my ISP service, product brochures, printer ink, gasoline for my vehicle to make sales calls, but not attend out-of-town rallies. The types of expenses any normal salesperson might incur.

I operate within the Rules set down by my agreement with Quixtar, not some ideology expounded from an upline pulpit.

And I believe, that one day, all IBOs will take what is "good" about Quixtar and make it better, and will take what is good about business and apply it to their own.

Stereotypes be damned.

I understand the problems involved with this, and I have no notion that I'll ever be truly accepted. But that is someone else's stereotyping that they must contend with.

Okay, I'm done with my "march"; forget the XS, just give me the tequila bottle!

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring the perceptions of four guest bloggers during the month of March.

MOP Introductions

By QBlog in March of Perceptions

The "March of Perceptions" is a special Quixtar BLOG project featuring four guest bloggers who post their opinions, thoughts and feelings directly to this site. But who are these guests? Well, each has a different story and a different perception of the business. What are those perceptions? That's what we'll find out through this project. Hence the corny title, "March of Perceptions."

Below are brief introductions of each participant. Some have chosen to use pseudonyms for this project for various reasons.

Dorothy Still In Oz

Dorothy Still In Oz In the World Wide Dreambuilders QMO for over a decade and reaching the level of Q12 Achievers Platinum, I was once a 100% believer in the system. A of couple years ago, I began to awake from the dream when I stopped listening to "a tape a day" and started reading my Bible everyday instead. At the next major function, I completely woke up from my nightmare and knew that we had made a mistake. Two years later, my husband is still a 100% believer.

Dave Robison

Dave Robison David Robison from Mobile, Alabama has been blogging since June of 2004 at On The Road with Dave. His MLM experience dates back to 1980s Amway. Currently, he is as he describes, "a lowly, plodding IBO." Officially, he is a member of the Louie Carrillo Diamondship, but works with a branch group that utilizes the Internet as their own training medium. He does not participate in promoting "tapes, books and rallies."

His current marketing strategy is targeting the shipping industry on the Gulf Coast.

Windy Hill

Windy Hill Two years in the business; one front line; 0 PV. Living in West Michigan with Quixtar, a husband, and two teenagers. Apprentice (but enthusiastic) blogger who's been sucked into the great Q debate for reasons I can't quite explain, even to myself.

Jennifer7Lee

Jennifer7Lee 35 year old in the software industry. Joined Quixtar in Mar 2004 because I don't want to continue working 70+ hours a week over the next 15-20 years and because the options tanked and went under water.

March 2, 2005

- World Wide Dreambuilders

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- World Wide Dreambuilders

"Those big dreams are what drove a split in our friendship"

The Dream Stealer

By QBlog in

Meet Bill Soistmann. He's the guy behind a new site cleverly titled World Wide Dream Stealers.

Bill has had some involvement, and some success, with MLM organizations. He plans to tell his story in more detail after raising the money he will need for lawyers, but the simple fact is -- he quit. Plain and simple. He is a quitter. The idea for this site came after one of Bill's students asked him if he wanted to sign up for a MLM opportunity. Bill was so distraught that someone so young was wasting valuable time with such nonsense that he needed to take action.

Oh-Kay. The site is a little bizarre and I'm not totally sure if it's a parody or a genuine effort to "take action." Soistmann is selling T-Shirts, linking to books on the Amazon Associates program and runnning Google Ads. There's even a WWDS "plan" with levels like Plutonium, Radium and Technetium. Fun Stuff.

March 1, 2005

? Amway / Quixtar

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

? Amway / Quixtar

"Comments? Experiences?"

- Their little Quixtar Cult

By QBlog in Quixtar Chatter

- Their little Quixtar Cult

" I just don't believe in the methodologies that Quixtar sells"

March of Perceptions

By QBlog in March of Perceptions

Welcome to the "March of Perceptions," a new Quixtar BLOG project designed to showcase a variety of perceptions instead of just mine. During the month of March (hence "March of Perceptions"), four guest bloggers will post their opinions, thoughts and feelings directly to the Quixtar BLOG.

Why?
I've been sharing my perceptions about Quixtar, and its related issues, for over two years and now I think it's time you heard from someone else, even if it's just for a month. It's not a new idea. Newspapers have a tradition of featuring guest columnists in the editorial pages. Think of this as the blogging version of a guest column.

When?
The "March of Perceptions" project will publish every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday beginning this Thursday.

Who?
The guest bloggers are all active Quixtar IBOs in good standing. You'll find out more about them soon enough.

What Do You Hope To Accomplish?
That's a good question and my only answer is a cliche: Diversity. Like quality newspapers, I believe that presenting a variety of opinions works to frame the issues with a clarity that isn't otherwise possible. It's not necessarily about agreeing and disagreeing, but simply understanding.

So, welcome to the "March of Perceptions." This is exciting. Let's see what happens.