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May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
By Truth in Miscellaneous
I hope all of you take the time to reflect and give thanks for the sacrifices that were made so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we have today. You may not always agree with those that are elected to run this country, but never forget it is because of the sacrifices made by those who serve this great nation that you have the right to disagree.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." -General George S. Patton
May 27, 2007
A Sprinkle of Negative
By Truth in Quixtar
Around a week ago I wrote a piece about the first story that was posted over at the True IBO Stories blog in the Opportunity Zone. Of course I saw it as a bad start since the author of the story was calling his friends "broke", critical people "losers", and apparently left his wife out of the loop on his decision.
Well this past Monday Nick Katsarelas, who is the one who posts the stories on the blog, responded to Insider's comment, and my article about his decision to leave the terminology in place. You can go over to the blog to see his comment in full. I do have one little excerpt from his comment that I would like to respond to:
When I edited the Spiro's story, I left in the passage you referenced because I felt it bolstered Steve's explanation of how he doggedly pursued the business opportunity. He did what many people do when they don't want to be deterred from a goal: He surrounded himself with positive people who supported his pursuit.
I of course appreciate seeing Nick respond, giving certainly a better understanding of why it was left in and his thinking. My response to this is not necessarily addressed directly to Nick, but rather as a general response to those who hold the ideal that in order to achieve a goal you need to keep away from the naysayers.
On one hand I agree that being around a bunch of negative people all the time while you are pursuing a goal is no fun at all. It's hard enough to achieve your goal, you certainly don't need constant hammering in your ear about why you shouldn't or can't do it. However, on the other hand this concept can be taken too far in my opinion and having a little negative around just might actually come to benefit you if you know how to handle it.
After leaving Quixtar my desire to own and operate my own business didn't go away I just focused it towards something that I had a passion for. Unlike how I was taught in Quixtar however I never blocked out the negative, or ignored it. Heck in some cases I actually went looking for it. What I knew, is that no matter what anyone had to say about the business that I was pursuing, I was going to do it anyway. That is what happens when you get involved in something you have a passion for. If you are truly passionate about what you do, negative shouldn't be a factor.
What I had found out though is that I actually learned many good things from the negative that I would hear and read about. I learned about some of the challenges that were potentially ahead, I learned about the mistakes of others, and was able to see ways to improve on or avoid the issue all together. Negative even from those who tried to discourage me was a learning experience because I asked the key question of WHY? "It's too hard to break into that industry." "WHY?" etc. The other negative that I just thought was silly I was able to laugh at and thank the person for their concern about me.
So I started thinking at that point why was negative such a taboo in Quixtar? So what if your new downline reads Scott Larsen's site? So what if they see the Dateline special tommorow on You Tube? Who cares if their friends tell them about their brother's, friend's, daughter's, mother's, uncle's, cat's, bird who signed up and lost all their money? It's going to happen eventually so wouldn't you rather they see it now and decide they want nothing to do with it, instead of later after you invested your time into them?
I am afraid the comments made in that first IBO story do not explain how someone doggedly pursued a business opportunity. As far as I am concerned it explained how someone made a decision based upon half the information, and most certainly missed out on some good information that more then likely could have made him more profitable, and at a faster rate.
If you are an IBO the first question you need to ask yourself is are you passionate about what you are doing. If the answer is no, then you need to ask yourself if you are passionate enough about what you are using Quixtar to get that you are willing to put up with it. If the answer is no then you need to quit and find something you are passionate about. I promise you, there is something out there you can make good money at that you have a passion for.
Finally, don't ignore or try to avoid negative. Now use some common sense and understand that I am not saying only associate with negative folks. Associate with all people, and don't be afraid of their opinions. Only those that are weak in their convictions will try and eliminate negative opinions, those who are passionate about what they are doing will listen, see if there is something to be learned, and move on.
May 24, 2007
Update on the UK
By Truth in Amway
Today on the Amway Media Blog there is an update about what is going on in the UK involving complaints from the DTI. I will not repost the entire article here but will post some excerpts and have some comments about this update. You can go to the blog to read the entire article for yourself.
The first thing I noticed was that the DTI's complaint was against Amway, Network 21, and Britt WorldWide, and that the complaint was based off of a year long investigation. I guess that puts to bed Insider/IBOFightBack's argument that Network 21 is different from all the other tool organizations, and that this action by the DTI is a result of complaints from people who don't know the business. But that of course doesn't surprise me since I have been telling everyone that Insider is nothing more then a propaganda artist from the start. Time has just now taken it's toll, since you can't hide your true colors forever.
So now let me post some excerpts of this article and after each excerpt I will post my comments:
The heart of the DTI’s position, as we understand it, is that the business opportunity is promoted by incorporated and unincorporated organizations in a manner that does not reflect the financial rewards people are likely to earn when they participate in the Amway business.
Well if that is the heart of their position I would say the DTI is right on the money. How many times have you seen a video, or heard a Diamond talking about buying mansions, cars, vacations, etc. and paying cash for everything? Well if the average Diamond is making somewhere in the ballpark of $150K gross, then I would say that is a HUGE misrepresentation of the financial rewards people are likely to earn in Amway or Quixtar. Anyone remember Greg Fredericks? $250,000 in 12 months? I hope you are not naive enough to believe he was the only one saying such nonsense?
The DTI also objects to the manner and frequency in which meetings and BSMs are promoted by the sales organizations in conjunction with the Amway business opportunity.
...and once again the DTI is right on the money with this objection. How many times have you heard from former and current IBOs about how often tools are referred to and how little actual product sales are referred to? There is a real problem when the support materials are talked about and promoted more often then the actual business you signed up for in the first place, and that is exactly what goes on in many of the meetings and seminars.
Amway’s fault, according to the petition, lies in our failure to take sufficient action to prevent these abuses from occurring.
Looks like the DTI's year long investigation pretty much revealed exactly what has been being said for years. I agree that Amway and Quixtar for that matter are both at fault for failure to take action on these abuses. My hope is that finally some action is being taken and I hope in the end it amounts to more then just a bunch of saber rattling. I think those IBOs who join this organization because they are trying to better their lives and the lives of their families deserve better then just a bunch of tough talk.
There have been enough of these disappointments. They are serious distractions to the operations of the company, embarrassments to the many IBOs and Amway markets that provide exemplary service to the public, and a threat to the company’s long-term health.
Is there an echo in this blog? I don't mean to sound so cynical about this, but why does it take government action to get Amway to finally realize what has been being said by IBOs for years? Perhaps if Amway and Quixtar would actually listen to what is being said instead of parading the pompous ass Rob Davidson on camera talking about how the critics are just a bunch of people looking to get something for nothing, they could have stopped government organizations from bringing lawsuits in the first place.
Don't get me wrong, I am pleased that it seems action is finally beginning to take place in that organization, but I can't help but shake my head when the corporation acts like these complaints is news to them. It's been being said for years, and sadly it took a government agency bringing a lawsuit to spark action instead of IBO tales of abuse.
May 20, 2007
Bad Start for True IBO Stories
By Truth in Quixtar
I checked out the True IBO Stories blog today since I had heard they posted their first story. Overall it's not a bad story about how a couple got started in the Quixtar business. What I find sad is that the first story comes from an IBO who sees his friends and those on the internet who have different opinions as "broke" and "losers". Now I don't care if this guy made his decision by only viewing one side of the story, to each their own. But I don't think IBOs really think about what they are saying sometimes.
What kind of friend would belittle his other friends in such a manner as this IBO did? If all of your friends are broke and their opinion is worth nothing to you, then are they really your friends, or does that mean that your friendship is simply that shallow?
Now by saying he didn't check with a "loser on the web" I will assume I fall into that category since every other IBO who likes to use the word "loser" usually lumps me into that category. Now if you don't want to do your full research on this business before getting started that is up to you. I however recommend that anyone looking into this business get the story from all sides and make your decision based upon that. I still cannot understand why anyone would advise anyone any differently. Are you that easily influenced by the thoughts and opinions of others that you need to keep yourself blind to them? Somehow I am thinking you may want to give going into business for yourself some second thoughts if that is the case.
If you come to find that Quixtar is something you truly enjoy doing, you should not have any issue with hearing or reading another's opinion on the topic. But maybe, just maybe, by educating yourself on the image of your business you will learn how you can operate in a more successful fashion. Contrary to what IBO leaders say they have not done all the work for you. There is always more to be learned and new situations to adapt to in business and any business leader that tries to tell you otherwise isn't worth their salt, and certainly isn't worth paying money to listen to.
But in conclusion I leave you with some words from one of the men who started it all, Rich DeVos! I would suggest that Quixtar blogs review these words taken from the Directly speaking tapes, the emphasis is mine:
I hear that very often. "There's winners and losers. Are you a winner? Are you a loser?" Almost insulting people who don't sign up. You even got bad terminology. "We're the winners. Over here are the losers in life." They're not losers. They may have a richer, fuller life than those of you that got fancy cars and new clothes or big rings have got. You know, they -- Life is not geared by materialism. You do not decide who's a winner or a loser. There's too -- Life is too complicated for that. We must make sure we always speak of everybody being a winner, even though they may have different goals. My plea here is that when you have a program, you make sure you have people on there who are making $100.00 and thrilled with it, as well as those who make more. Present it as a plan so that everybody can realize their goal, whatever it is.
-Rich DeVos "Directly Speaking I"
You know, when you became a Direct, we offered you a chance to be free and independent; and then I read your mail, and I find out you've lost your freedom. And all we want to do is give it back to you, to be as big or as small in Amway as you want to, to make as much or as little as you like in the Amway Plan by working it, and to go to whichever meetings you want to, and to feel comfortable to stay home if you don't want to, without being branded a loser. Winners go to the meetings; losers stay home. Would you help me get rid of such terminology?
There are no losers in Amway. There are people who choose not to do it; but who are you to tell some teacher that chooses to spend the rest of his life as a dedicated teacher that he's a loser? Who are you to tell a truck driver that chooses to spend more of his time doing things other than Amway, and maybe just drivin' his truck, that he's a loser? Whoever gave you a license to brand people? This business was designed to make everybody a winner, to do as much or as little as they wanted to; and if they chose to do nothing, to make them feel better for having had the experience. We only have winners in this business; and then we have some other winners who choose not to do the business. They just might be bigger winners in life than some of you that have branded them losers. I stand in awe of all people, and I hope you do, too.
-Rich DeVos "Directly Speaking II"
I must say I have always been puzzled by IBOs who claim to care about people, but clearly only care about those people who agree with everything they say and are interested in signing up as IBOs. They couldn't give a crap about anyone else, but somehow they see themselves as a "people person".
May 15, 2007
Quixtar Leaders want your help
By Truth in A/QMOs
Our old friend Xanadustc forwarded me an e-mail today which was sent to him by someone named Steve. Steve claims to be part of a Quixtar Leadership Team called QTalk. He says they are looking for information about challenges experienced with Quixtar. Anyway there is a video uploaded to YouTube which is posted below, and they also have a forum that was created to field the information.
Could it be that some leaders are trying to get themselves out of the circle of complaints that Network 21 currently finds themselves in? I suppose time will only tell.
May 12, 2007
Amway not impressed with N21
By Truth in Amway
Well the recent drama with Amway/UK has taken another turn and one that I find quite interesting to say the least. Anyone who has spent anytime in the Quixtar Blog forums may know a member who goes by the name of Insider. For those of you who do not know Insider is an Amway Distributor overseas, he defends both Amway and Quixtar, is part of Network 21 (N21), and runs a site called "The Truth About Quixtar" under the name "IBOFightBack". So now that we are all caught up...back to the story.
Recently on his site Insider posted a letter from Jim Dornan who, from what I understand, is the founder of Network 21. Not sure what the letter said exactly because Insider has since removed it. I will comment on that more in a bit. Well apparently Amway saw the letter as well and had something to say about it over at the Amway Media Blog.
Now the reason I find this interesting is because much of Insider's past efforts has been his defense of the Network 21 group. Often Insider would try and convince others that Network 21 did not operate anything like the Quixtar Motivational Organizations here in the US. As expected many people were skeptical of his claims, with some just outright dismissing his claims as bogus. Well now it appears Amway/UK has shown that others were right to be skeptical of Insider's claims. Some of the following tidbits from the Amway Media Blog's post don't bode well for Network 21:
In its complaint against Network 21, the DTI makes serious allegations about the way Network 21 represents the Amway business opportunity in the UK.
Action first. Not ducking, not dodging, not playing games of “not me.“ Self-reflection, and then action. That is how we are approaching this matter.
The spin that Network 21 is putting on this situation is not productive.
I do encourage all readers however to go on over to the Amway Media Blog and read the entire post for yourself. You can even read Insider/IBOFightBack's comments as well.
What is most curious to me however is that Insider has now removed the letter from his website. Amway has made it clear on their blog that they did not request the letter be removed and they were simply stating that they disagreed with what Jim Dornan had to say. No doubt having Amway disagree with a letter that Insider posted doesn't exactly bode well for Insider but in my opinion his removal of the letter after that fact, without Amway requesting that it be removed, only serves to show that he must not stand as firmly behind Network 21 as he once tried to make others believe.
This of course is just another example of why I strongly encourage everyone to get every side of this business you can before you make any decision about getting involved. Trust but verify! That goes for anything I write as well. Those who want you to know the truth won't take down letters they claim to stand behind no matter what someone else's opinion about it is. Interestingly enough though Insider still leaves up his hit pieces on Eric (aka Qblog) which are full of more holes then a hunk of swiss cheese. Somewhere down the line true colors will always come out.
May 10, 2007
Sharks are in the water
By Truth in Amway
UPDATE: Dale has sent me an e-mail requesting that I remove or edit his e-mail address so that the "bots" don't pick it up and spam him to death. I wonder if Dale thought about that before sending out his own spam e-mail. I don't recall asking for an e-mail about how great his opportunity is compared to Quixtar or Amway. At any rate I will have mercy on Dale and do as he wishes, but I thought this was a nice lesson in "what comes around goes around." I hope there were not too many bots that picked up his e-mail address before I could make the change.
Well it was bound to happen but I didn't think I would be the recipient of one of the e-mails. Well a gentleman by the name of Dave Windle sent me an e-mail. The entire e-mail follows with only his phone number blanked out:
Hi Drew:
Not sure if you are aware of this, but Amway UK (the business operates as Amway outside of Canada and the US where it operates as Quixtar) has just implemented the first stage of a company wide, world wide clamp down on the Business Support Materials (BSM) business.
The BSM business is extremely lucrative for the big "king pin" diamonds and is causing massive problems for the business. It has for years - that's one of the main reasons why we as Emeralds, who were full time in the business decided to become side line rather than active IBOs. There are other reasons as well, that I'd be pleased to discuss with you.
Have a look at the email sent to UK IBOs and contact me if you'd like to discuss an alternative that we have moved over to with several other Emeralds and other high pins, with a free support system, fairly priced advertising tools, free prospecting web sites, free seminars, a pay plan that pays out more than double what the Quixtar Plan pays and with 100%+ growth per year, not the current 1% per year for Quixtar.
Letter: from Ben Woodward Branch Manager Amway UK UK/ROI IBO
Communication
May 4, 2007
To: UK/ROI IBO Leader
From: Ben Woodward, Branch Manager, Amway UK
RE: Significant change to Amway's mode of operations in UK/Republic of Ireland.
This letter is to inform you of significant changes to the way Amway will conduct its business in the UK and Republic of Ireland. These changes are effective immediately. While these changes may cause short-term challenges for some of our IBOs, we strongly believe the changes will make our long-term business in the UK/RoI stronger.
Effective Immediately: 4 May 07.
Amway will prohibit the production, sale or promotion of BSM that are not authorized and distributed by Amway; this includes websites. This includes any BSM (books, tapes, meetings, CD's, websites) that have been already been approved by Amway UK/RoI. They are now considered unauthorized for use.
All meetings for which an entry fee is charged are suspended until Amway has approved, in writing, the meeting and its content;
Amway has imposed a moratorium on sponsoring new IBOs for at least 60 days and until current IBOs are re-trained and re-qualified; We are evaluating all costs associated with joining Amway;
We are also sanctioning a number of IBOs based on contract violations that have come to our attention.
Failure to comply with the above mentioned points 1 to 3 will lead to a suspension and/or termination of the respective IBO contract. Please also note that Amway is in no way limited to these sanctions, but can impose further corrective or punitive measures.
In addition, the company is announcing a thorough review of its business practices globally with the goal of ensuring a consistent, rigorously enforced set of rules and regulations governs its relationships with IBOs and consumers.
That global audit has begun, and we expect it to be completed in June, and will share the results with you later this summer.
These are important steps, but in some ways, they are not surprising ones. Many of you know that for the past 10 years, Amway has been moving to exert more control over the way we do business globally.
In newer markets that has meant, for example, outright bans or tight restrictions on the sale of non-company BSMs and the requirement of a more consistent, approved messaging and branding by IBOs about the Amway business opportunity.
While most changes in other markets have been carried out gradually around the world according to our timetable, we need to move more quickly here. This is in response to serious concerns raised about Amway by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) following the receipt of complaints about BSMs and misrepresentation of the business to prospective IBOs.
At this time, we can not specify when sponsoring will be allowed to resume. We will continue to communicate with key international and local IBO leadership to update them on developments of a new operational mode in UK and Republic of Ireland.
Enquiries
For example, if any IBO has a planned meeting for which tickets have been sold (that is required to be cancelled and ticket purchases refunded), or they have unsold inventory of BSM, or have unsold Starter kits, or have completed applications not yet submitted to Amway, they may contact the dedicated enquiry telephone number 01908-629400 (press option 4).
In the following weeks, we will seek to meet with you personally to discuss the implications of this policy change and respond to any questions you may have. Meanwhile, please feel free to call me at 01908-629404.
Amway has been in the UK/RoI for more than 30 years, and today is a strong, growing £13 million business with more than 100 staff and 30,000 IBOs. We are entering into a challenging period of time.
But we believe in this business, we believe in our values and we believe in our IBOs. We are committed to making the changes we need to make in order to ensure the continued growth and success of Amway in the UK/RoI.
BEN WOODWARD
Branch Manager UK / RoI
Here's what Networking Marketing expert Ty Tribble has stated as well:
"...this is a shot over the bow of Quixtar in the U.S. This is about Alticor showing the IBO Leaders (Britt , Winters , Puryear , Woodward , Yager , etc) that the company is serious about cleaning up the training and tools mess.
If the old school tools boys don't clean up their act, it is now apparent that the company will step in and clean house.
But...(you knew that was coming, didn't you?)
But, Quixtar is not nearly as lucrative as an opportunity if you remove the tools income that begins in many cases at the Platinum level. I would even go as far as saying that the tools income is what keeps Amway/Quixtar leaders from leaving for a different company with a better compensation plan.
Quixtar pays out roughly 30% back to it's IBO base, yet the average of the top 30 companies in the industry is roughly 37% payout. Why would IBO Leaders stick around Amway/Quixtar for years when there is more money to be made elsewhere? It's all about the secondary business of books, CDs, seminars, voice mail, and web sites, collectively know as the tools business. Take away the tools business and Quixtar Leaders are paid 20% (a conservative number) less than leaders in other companies for the same volume.
The IBO leaders are in a bit of a bind. They clean up their act or the leaders keep on trucking and Quixtar comes in and cleans up. Either way the leaders stand to lose a lot of money.
Will all of this be better for the individual Amway/Quixtar IBO? Probably. Would the individual Quixtar IBO be better off by finding a new opportunity at this point? Probably. I would be willing to bet that BIG TIME IBO leaders are already looking around at other opportunities."
Feel free to contact me if you'd like to discuss an alternative that we have moved over to with several other Emerald and other high pins.
___________________
Dale Windle
Day: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Eve: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Find all the meeting dates, free training system and free mp3s audio downloads at our support web site - ask me for the login details.
All the news about what is going on in the UK is interesting. I have my own comments and thoughts that I will write in a later post. By the way I checked out Dave's site he has put down for his e-mail address and for a business who claims to have a better system then Amway/Quixtar he might want to try and get his links fixed. Too many page not found errors on that site when clicking links. At any rate it is apparent that the sharks are in the waters and some are smelling blood over the Amway/UK news.
May 6, 2007
You Wanted Changes?
By David Robison in A/QMOs
I received a copy of an email from Ben Woodward, manager of Amway United Kingdom to IBO leaders in Great Britain.
The email requires no comment from me, but I acknowledge Rocket for sending it to me.
Letter: from Ben Woodward Branch Manager Amway UK UK/ROI IBO
Communication
May 4, 2007
To: UK/ROI IBO Leader
From: Ben Woodward, Branch Manager, Amway UK
RE: Significant change to Amway's mode of operations in
UK/Republic of Ireland.
This letter is to inform you of significant changes to the way Amway
will conduct its business in the UK and Republic of Ireland. These
changes are effective immediately. While these changes may cause
short-term challenges for some of our IBOs, we strongly believe the
changes will make our long-term business in the UK/RoI stronger.
Effective Immediately: 4 May 07.
Amway will prohibit the production, sale or promotion of BSM that are
not authorized and distributed by Amway; this includes websites.
This includes any BSM (books, tapes, meetings, CD's, websites) that
have been already been approved by Amway UK/RoI. They are now
considered unauthorized for use.
All meetings for which an entry fee is charged are suspended until
Amway has approved, in writing, the meeting and its content;
Amway has imposed a moratorium on sponsoring new IBOs for at least 60
days and until current IBOs are re-trained and re-qualified;
We are evaluating all costs associated with joining Amway;
We are also sanctioning a number of IBOs based on contract violations
that have come to our attention.
Failure to comply with the above mentioned points 1 to 3 will lead to
a suspension and/or termination of the respective IBO contract.
Please also note that Amway is in no way limited to these sanctions,
but can impose further corrective or punitive measures.
In addition, the company is announcing a thorough review of its
business practices globally with the goal of ensuring a consistent,
rigorously enforced set of rules and regulations governs its
relationships with IBOs and consumers.
That global audit has begun, and we expect it to be completed in
June, and will share the results with you later this summer.
These are important steps, but in some ways, they are not surprising
ones. Many of you know that for the past 10 years, Amway has been
moving to exert more control over the way we do business globally.
In newer markets that has meant, for example, outright bans or tight
restrictions on the sale of non-company BSMs and the requirement of a
more consistent, approved messaging and branding by IBOs about the
Amway business opportunity.
While most changes in other markets have been carried out gradually
around the world according to our timetable, we need to move more
quickly here. This is in response to serious concerns raised about
Amway by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) following the
receipt of complaints about BSMs and misrepresentation of the
business to prospective IBOs.
At this time, we can not specify when sponsoring will be allowed to
resume. We will continue to communicate with key international and
local IBO leadership to update them on developments of a new
operational mode in UK and Republic of Ireland.
Enquiries
For example, if any IBO has a planned meeting for which tickets have
been sold (that is required to be cancelled and ticket purchases
refunded), or they have unsold inventory of BSM, or
have unsold Starter kits, or have completed applications not yet
submitted to Amway, they may contact the dedicated enquiry telephone
number â 01908-629400 (press option 4).
In the following weeks, we will seek to meet with you personally to
discuss the implications of this policy change and respond to any
questions you may have. Meanwhile, please feel free to call me at
01908-629404.
Amway has been in the UK/RoI for more than 30 years, and today is a
strong, growing £13 million business with more than 100 staff and
30,000 IBOs. We are entering into a challenging period of time.
But we believe in this business, we believe in our values and we
believe in our IBOs. We are committed to making the changes we need
to make in order to ensure the continued growth and success of Amway
in the UK/RoI.
BEN WOODWARD
Branch Manager UK / RoI
You Got Changes!