Miscellaneous Archive
July 21, 2008
Is this what it has come to?
Posted by Truth
When I first started blogging about Amway and Quixtar there were a number of blogs and sites about this opportunity and each seemed to have it's own niche. Quixtar Blog seemed to be one that broke stories, had a variety of different weekly posts. Monday Reader Mail, Farcial Help Desk, etc, etc. xanadu had his infamous blog that broke down the tapes and the BS that was on them, Quixtar Demons went to town on WWDB group, and of course On the Road with Dave was and still is a unique blog with an active IBO who was not on either side per se, just really sensible about the whole thing.
Today while approving comments I received two comments that caught my attention. First one was from "whoz" (Scott Larsen) and the second from "joecool". Larsen's comment was about all the sites that Insider (David Steadson) apparently owns, and joecool made a comment that the article on Larsen's site was in his opinion "The Smoking Gun" that Steadson is on the Amway corporation payroll for what he does on the net.
Well no doubt I found the words "The Smoking Gun" interesting and so I headed over to Larsen's site to get the 411 (sorry, my teen told me I needed to try and talk more cool). I was thinking what could he possibly have, bank statements? wire transfers? corporate memo? communications between Steadson and Amway? Much to my dismay I found a bunch of information I already knew for quite sometime. Insider aka IBOFightback aka David Steadson owns many blogs and has a ton of videos on YouTube. The article pretty much tried to paint a picture that it is next to impossible that someone would have this much time to do what is being done without getting paid.
Well before I go any further first of all I have no idea if Insider is paid for what he does. Seems to me he is not, but I could be wrong. Second not one part of that article was anything near resembling a "smoking gun" in my opinion. A list of sites and some speculation does not a smoking gun make.
I decided to go ahead and look into all those sites that Insider is claimed to run since they were all nice and listed there for me to copy and paste in my browser. The first thing I noticed is that many of those sites are blogspot which means they are free to own and operate. From the other sites I can't imagine a burden of cost that is all that great. So now the only thing to look into was the amount of time that was being spent.
Obviously the biggest chunk was the blogspot blogs that were created and so I checked into those first. Out of all of the free blogs I found a total of 81 posts, most blogs have been up for a year with only two being 3-4 years. Even so if you divide 81 posts by 52 weeks in a year that means Insider posted 1.5 times a week. Not very hard to do. Larsen also referred to Insider as a "frequent" editor of the Wikipedia Amway listing. A quick check over there showed roughly 29 edits in a year, which translates to about .5 edits a week. Yet again, not hard to do, and hardly what I would call "frequent".
The other sites owned by Insider seem to be what takes up the bulk of his time spent on this issue. First you have this Truth about Amway site, this is a site that I check out from time to time and I can say for sure that new articles are not going up everyday on the blog, and many of the other articles are cookie cut from news headlines about Amway.
The Amway Watch site is (or was supposed to be) about Amway news only with no other kind of commentary. At least that is what I was told in a private message when I inquired about it. Again most of the articles seem to be cut from headlines with news about Amway or Quixtar. But just for Insider don't think I didn't notice the links at the bottom to many "commentary" articles as well. Something I was told was not going to be part of the site.
Finally Amway Talk and Amway Wiki are the other sites. Amway Talk is a forum and I think that is self-explanatory. Amway Wiki could use up a great deal of time, but I also know there are others who are posting and editing at that site as well. Certainly not a one man effort.
Now don't get me wrong I am no fan of Insider. I have discussions with him on his site from time to time and just recently got on him for trying to paint the conclusion that Larsen makes big coin from his site ads. I also refer to him sarcastically on this site from time to time as well. In my opinion he is the master of the Amway spin, and can usually spin his way out of anything. In the end if you are honest with yourself you have to have to give him a little respect cause he won't back down and he isn't your average everyday drive-by commenter like so many other IBOs who comment on this site.
In the end I have to ask the question "Is this what is has come to?" As far as I am concerned I believe there are still issues with this business and abuses going on in Lines of Sponsorship. Matter of fact from some of the comments and e-mails I get I know it is still going on. But from both sides (Insider included) it seems anything will do when trying to paint a conclusion about others on the web. From comparing critics to jihadists, and posting such vile things that even a Quixtar corporate blogger calls you a cyber-bully, to others wanting "some sort of medal" for their delusional self-promotion of victory over another site, comparing Amway to Nazis, and agreeing with any sort of article, even though ten minutes of research would show it has no foundation, just because you dislike the person it was written about. Frankly, it's all starting to get just a bit ridiculous.
May 24, 2008
Memorial Day Tribute
Posted by Truth
For me Memorial Day means primarily one thing and that is honoring those who lost their lives in service to their country. Of course there are others who hold other meanings for this day and it is not my intent to belittle those meanings, but rather express who I think about on Memorial Day. This year, much like the past few years Memorial Day holds a more present meaning for many families around the country. Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Sailors, and Coast Guard who have lost their lives not only to keep America free, but fighting for the freedom of others.
While this weekend also means travel plans for many, and getting together with family and friends please take time out to remember the hundreds of family and friends who are affected each time a warrior dies in service to his/her nation. Those who are in harms way have put everything on the line so keep them in your prayers, but raise you glasses, pay tribute, and remember those who sacrificed everything.
Please no political rants in your comments, whatever your views keep it about those who gave all.
April 5, 2008
Go Memphis
Posted by Truth
I don't really follow College Basketball or any basketball for that matter. Right now I am actually going through football withdrawals, and using baseball to get me through as rough as that is. But I know Qblog loves his Memphis basketball team and they are in the Final Four so I thought I would make mention of it and let's see if they can win it all.
January 17, 2008
Gotta Love Technology
Posted by Truth
I just saw an article on Fox News website about a Marine who was able to see his child born thanks to streaming video over a webcam. I thought it was a nice story to see. I know so many of those troops are not only in a high stress environment the likes of which many of us will never know, but many of them miss out on life back at home. Away from their young children missing some pretty special moments. I know it's not the same as being there, but it's pretty cool how technology can make moments like this happen.
January 11, 2008
How to consume more books
Posted by Truth
One activity that I enjoyed doing while in Quixtar was the reading of the books. While I would have preferred to get the book I wanted rather then just the book they were sending out that month I still enjoyed the task of reading nonetheless. I have often been told that going to a bookstore with me is much like the age old story of men going shopping with their wives. But I believe that reading on a regular basis is one of the best things you can do. One of the recent posts on one of my favorite sites lifehack.org has tips on how to become a glutton of reading with listed benefits of reading and tips on how to read even more books this year.
January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Posted by Truth
I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve, and I hope for everyone to have a great and prosperous 2008.
December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas to all.
Posted by Truth
Just wishing a Merry Christmas to all who read this blog. Whether you agree, disagree, or in some cases severely disagree with me I hope you have a wonderful Christmas no matter how you are spending it.
December 15, 2007
Job Mentality Defined
Posted by Truth
Finally after all this time we now have the definition of "Job Mentality" thanks to a regular poster over at Insider's forums who goes by the name "TB2IBO". Here is the gem of wisdom from the oh wise one:
Job Mentality (as defined by me)--To negotiate the highest wage for the least amount of work possible. To always check results (ie.work a few hours and ask immediately "where's my check?") Desires security, although false as it is. Typically knows how to work hard, very hard for money, but doesn't always understand how money works.
So now a few comments of interesting things I noticed about this definition:
-First thing I notice is that they say it is "as defined by me", basically telling me they don't have it in them to call the spade a spade, they need that back door out.
-Next I point your attention to the arrogant, snobbish view of those who work for others. Saying that the objective is to do as little work as possible for the most money. I don't know about anyone else but I can say that many times I look for the work in my jobs to be challenging and fullfilling, and I seek a fair compensation for that work. But apparently to IBOs those of us who work are nothing more then blood sucking leeches. Wouldn't that put us in the same category as the Kingpins of AQMOs?
-I would also like you to notice that by this definition not only are those of us who have jobs blood sucking leeches, we are also apparently financially stupid. I find it amazing how apparently if you work hard for your money, you don't know how the money works. Is this to say then that if you don't work hard for your money, you do understand how it works? I will stop there but the questions left unanswered by that part of the definition could go on for a while.
Sadly as with many IBOs TB2IBO has failed to realize that no business, or business owner would be anything, or have any money if it was not for those who worked for them. Many times companies are taken to greatness not because of the person who founded the company, but rather because of an employee, or employees. I have said it before and will continue to say it, any IBO showing this kind of disdain towards those who hold a J-O-B doesn't know the first thing about business.
I assume in the interest of fairness TB2IBO also offered to define "business owner mentality" as well, I will be on pins and needles waiting.
November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Truth
A post that really needs no more to be said. So stop reading this blog, go watch some football, eat some turkey or whatever it is you have today, don't forget the troops who are not home with their families, and most importantly give thanks.
May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
Posted by Truth
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
April 17, 2007
Visiting San Francisco
Posted by QBlog
I'm currently in the Bay Area and will be here for the next couple of days. If you are around San Francisco and would like to have a drink with me, send an email (subject: San Francisco Drinks!) to webraw@gmail.com. I'll buy the first two rounds!
UPDATE: I'm home now. San Francisco was fun. I must return and see more of it. I was at the Web 2.0 Expo by the way.
April 16, 2007
Take Notice
Posted by Truth
With the tax deadline coming due very soon there are all kinds of articles to read about taxes and all the subjects that go along with that.
One article I found in the New York Times was interesting to me, and I thought many IBOs should also take notice. David Cay Johnston wrote an article today about the increased audits of the middle class and found some very interesting information about middle class Americans who run a business:
"Middle-class Americans most likely to have their tax returns examined under the new strategy are those who own a business, even a side business, or are landlords or have investment income."
"Middle-class taxpayers who file a Schedule C — freelancers, consultants and very small businesses — are three times as likely to be audited as those in the same income group with no such business income."
So make sure you got those records in order and all of your ducks in a row just in case the IRS comes a calling.
March 25, 2007
Tigers Fall
Posted by QBlog
Tigers lose to Ohio State. It was a great game until the final few minutes when OSU just ran away with it. Next year perhaps.
March 23, 2007
Tigers Advance
Posted by QBlog
The University of Memphis Tigers advance to the Elite Eight. Aggies, go F*#@ yourself.
February 27, 2007
My Exit Interview
Posted by Truth
After reading a post about performance reviews over at the Real Quixtar Blog, Dave Robison left a comment with a link to an exit interview that he put together for IBOs who quit the business for whatever reason. I read through it and found it interesting and figured "why not?", and decided to sit down for the exit interview. The questions will be in bold and my responses will be in normal text.
Name Drew
Immediate Sponsor We will call him Dwayne.
Date 2/27/2007
State Clear-minded and feeling good
Date Sponsored April 2003
Date of Separation Date I quit was October 2004
REASON FOR RESIGNATION
Another MLM Company Nope
Regular Employment Conflicts Nope
Unsatisfactory Income I think this is an understatement
Hours of Work Unsatisfactory For the compensation, most certainly
Family Conflicts Not really, nothing major
Other Oh I am sure I could think of a few.
1. What are your reasons for leaving? And, what prompted you to leave now?
Well the reasons can get quite long, but in a nutshell I just don't feel like this is worth the effort that is being put into it, this same effort channeled elsewhere would be more productive. What prompted me to leave now is that I have gotten involved in another opportunity, and my upline's reaction to this has told me all I need to know about them, and I know it's time to move on.
2. What was the most enjoyable part of representing this company?
The people. I enjoyed contacting people (even though I felt like a stalker) and showing plans to them. I really enjoyed many of the folks as part of various teams. Lots of memories and good stories to tell.
3. What was the least enjoyable part of representing this company?
The deceit that goes on in the business. Not mentioning the Quixtar name, things that are said just to get someone to a meeting, things that happen in the open meetings, etc.
4. Was this business opportunity what you expected? Please explain.
Not really. I thought there would be an even focus on the aspects of the business and in reality the major focus was on sponsoring new IBOs, and very little, if any, focus was placed on actually selling the products.
5. Would you have made any changes to the way your business operated? If yes, please describe.
Yes, first I would do away with SOT and Book of the month. I would encourage people to buy their books through B&N partner store. There are plenty of resources out there to find good motivational and business related books. I would put more focus and training on selling the products rather then stalking people at malls and trying to sponsor everyone with a pulse. Just to name a few things I would do different.
6. Would you ever consider representing this company again? If not, please explain.
No, not because of my experience so much, but rather because I have moved on to other things that take the time I have. They are much more enjoyable and profitable for me and I would choose them over Quixtar.
7. What did you like most about this company? And, what did you like least about this company?
Didn't I already answer this? As far as Quixtar the company goes I liked the Ditto Delivery program, it was very handy. I didn't like how everyone just seemed to clam up when it came to discussing the criticism of this business. To much secrecy about nothing, made me wonder what everyone was afraid of.
8. Would you still recommend this business opportunity or team and our products in the future
I would not recommend the team I was with. However, I will side with Robert Kiyosaki and I would recommend network marketing for the skills that one can learn from trying to build a network marketing business. I would not recommend Quixtar for it's compensation.
9. As a new distributor, was your training helpful for what you were actually doing six months later? If not, please explain.
No, many of the things I was taught to do was very counter-productive. Such as don't sign up anyone who is not willing to get on tools. I learned some things from upline, but most of my learning just came from experience. I ended up using very little of what I learned from the system.
10. What could have been done to prevent you from leaving?
Most likely nothing. There was nothing that could have been done at the end, it would have had to have been a different experience all together.
11. What was the quality of supervision you received? Good? Fair? Poor? What could your sponsor or team do to improve his/her management style?
Communicate? Motivate? Facilitate? Recognize? Other? Please explain
Depends on what your idea of supervision is. I would say it was pretty much micro-management. My upline needed to stop meddling in the downline group so much. Many times my sponsor and upline stepped way over the line, and in some cases got just downright rude.
12. What does your new company offer that this company does not offer?
Much, much better money for my efforts.
13. What points would you make if you could tell your entire upline how you feel about this company?
Basically the points I have made in this entire interview. I don't hold anything against them personally, I just don't agree how they handled situations and how things were done in general.
Final comments
So there it is, that is my exit interview make of it what you will. I am sure many of my answers could spur some follow on questions. So if you have other questions feel free to ask and I will answer them the best I can. I am sure there will be some of you who will do nothing more then make snide comments about how I was lazy or how I wasn't willing to do this or that, etc. But I guess that just comes with the territory.
February 1, 2007
Jobs are Charity?
Posted by Truth
After blogging for close to a year and a half I have seen many comments made by IBOs and those who support Quixtar and the motivational organizations. Some comments make very valid points, some are just downright funny, and some are just plain sad. I would like to draw your attention to perhaps the saddest comment I have seen to date. Brad, who is known to the members of the Quixtar Blog Forums made the following comment while starting a thread over at Insider's Forums.
There are always the few that make great sacrifices in laying a path for those to follow. You can see that in Rich and Jay, in many of the leaders in this business, as well as leaders in every business. I am always quick to point out that jobs aren't all bad, but you must be honest about them: they are positions which you are given, almost like charity, that were put in place by the blood, sweat and tears of that entreprenuer who blazed a trail that many of the people working for the company would never be able to complete, or even attempt!
Now, first I would like to point out that this is not a sad comment because an IBO spelled entrepreneur wrong, that's just funny. The truly sad part of this comment is the mentality that jobs are like charity. Now I know there are jobs out there where it doesn't matter who fills the slot as long as it is a warm body that will work for 8 hours a day. But, there is also something called a career. One who focuses on, and properly manages their career can see very rewarding results. After leaving Quixtar and getting focused back on my own career I have seen some very rewarding results.
Now, I will concede without the entrepreneur there would be no company with jobs for employees, but what is clearly missed here is that without employees the entrepreneur is nothing more then a man with an idea that will never be larger then him/herself. Charity is defined as "generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering". The problem with calling a job charity is that the business owner is in fact the one in need and is receiving the most help. I don't know too many business owners who hire people and pay them even though they don't need their help.
Every business that became big needed their employees to accomplish what they did. Without employees Microsoft would still be two guys writing code and trying to sell it. Without employees Michael Dell would still be selling computers out of a room in his house, and without employees you would never know who Donald Trump is. I could go on all day with examples and even point out some businesses that never got on the map until the right CEO (an employee) guided the business to great heights, but I think you get the picture.
So if you are truly honest about jobs, they are a vital part of any business. Truly successful business owners know this, and see their employees as assets and not charity cases. To me it is sad to see an IBO take such a view of people who are the lifeblood to many successful businesses. It also gives me cause to implore those of you who are researching this business to critically examine the things you are told by IBOs, and if you are current IBO to critically examine what you are told by your upline. This comment clearly shows that there are some IBOs who seem to miss, or ignore very important concepts of business.
January 25, 2007
Tax Time again
Posted by Truth
Yes it is that time of year again and everyone I am sure is excited to do their taxes. The wonderful task of figuring out how much you are going to get or how much you are going to give is always enough to put a smile on your face.
I remember doing taxes while I was in Quixtar and the excitement that many IBOs would have about all the deductions they were going to take and how that was going to amount to a big payday for them. My wife and I however were never excited about this. Now don't get me wrong deductions are always nice in taxes, but having a big payday pretty much meant our business had a bad year. Bad year meaning we most likely spent much more then we made.
This is an area every IBO needs to deal with and they should do so with great care. The IRS has many rules and restrictions on the deductions many IBOs take and even has some rules about the difference between a hobby and a business, and yes some IBOs qualify under the hobby. I think (actually more like hope) everyone understands the serious potential consequences of taking deductions you were not allowed and later being audited.
My suggestion is to not take any advice from your upline on this one unless they are certified when it comes to taxes. I would recommend either studying for yourself the rules on the deductions you plan on taking, or solicit the help of a tax professional who can assist you. Hopefully you kept good records for your planned deductions.
I am no tax professional by any stretch of the imagination but I did a podcast last year on this subject and passed on some of the information I learned after doing my own research. You can listen to that below to get an idea of some of the things you may want to watch for this year when doing your taxes.
Good luck everyone and may your tax liability be as small as you can make it.
January 22, 2007
MLM Documentary: "The Downline"
Posted by Truth
As far as I know never before has a documentary been done on the MLM industry. Well until now that is. Eric Martinis is the director/producer of a new documentary titled "The Downline". In this documentary Eric follows four distributors for a fairly new MLM called Agel. This documentary will make it's premiere at the Park City Film Music Festival on January 25th. Recently, I had the chance to talk with Eric about his documentary and MLM in general. You can listen to that interview below.
As of right now there is no way to purchase a copy of this documentary but Eric has said they are looking into multiple options of distribution. For updates you can visit the MySpace page for the movie
Here is the trailer clip that was posted on YouTube:
December 26, 2006
New Quixtar Discussion Forum
Posted by Truth
For quite some time now the Qblog Forum has been the only forum of it's kind for discussion about Quixtar and all the other aspects that comes with that subject. Well this post's purpose is to annouce that the Qblog Forum now has company. As the owner of the Quixtar Inside Out blog I have created a new forum for discussion on the topic of Quixtar.
Why a new forum?
Well first of all I want to make it clear that this forum was not set-up to be a replacement or a competing forum with the Qblog Forum. Matter of fact I talked with Eric quite a bit before I even got the forum installed and he was the one who recommended the forum software I am using. However, with another forum comes more discussion on this topic and more discussion only leads to more information available about Quixtar and the motivational organizations.
Why announce it on Quixtar Blog?
Simple! Quixtar Blog draws more traffic then any other site with information about the Quixtar opportunity. Making an announcement here ensures that the word will get out much quicker. A quick thanks to Eric for letting me post this announcement.
Forum Differences
This forum is not a clone of the Qblog forums and has quite a few differences. First of all the software used for the forum is different and the discussion boards in the forum are different. There is also a debate hall set up for two members to request their own thread for debate where only those two members will be able to post, and a thread set up on another board for other members to comment on the debate.
Another feature is the ability to embed streaming audio and video into your posts, including Google and YouTube videos. Attachments are allowed in posts, and every board has it's own RSS feed so you can keep track of new posts from your favorite RSS reader.
There is also one board dedicated to Quixtar Testimonials only. A good spot for people to publish their Quixtar story for others to read without having to start their own site or blog.
One thing that will remain the same however is that this community will belong to it's members. Whether you are a supporter or critic of Quixtar you are more then welcome to sign-up and participate in the discussions. So I invite you to go on over to the forums today and sign-up.
December 2, 2006
It's the little things
Posted by Truth
OK, so this post is going to be pretty much way off-topic. I usually reserve these kinds of posts for my blog where I feel much more comfortable going in any direction I want seeing as how I pay the bills. But I figure I will go with this anyway and if Qblog doesn't want it here he can take it down, ban me from blogging, and write me a nasty e-mail telling me about the bodily harm he is going to inflict upon me for cluttering up his blog with such nonsense......OK, maybe that is getting a bit carried away considering I know Qblog and I don't think he would go quite that far. At any rate let's get on with this off-topic post.
Some of you may know that I am from the great state of Nebraska and therefore I am a HUGE Nebraska football fan. Well if you follow college football you may know that my Huskers will be playing for their conference championship tommorow against our old-time rival Oklahoma Sooners. I have been waiting with great anticipation for this game all week.
Today, I went to one of my favorite sites for Husker football huskerpedia.com. A great site to find articles and information about Husker sports. Anyway the top linked article was to the JournalStar in Lincoln and was titled "Brothers in arms, rivals in red" talking about the Husker and Sooner fans who are currently in Iraq that will be watching the game together. Reading that article really gave me an appreciation for what I have.
I served six years in the Army and had my share of deployments on various exercises. I never served in a combat zone with bullets flying or having to be concerned about every pile of dirt on the road being a potential bomb, but I know that feeling of missing home all too well. I also know how it's the little things about home that you think about the most.
Think about what it is everyday about home that you may take for granted. I am not trying to condemn anyone we all take things for granted from time to time. But, just for a moment think about those little things, or little moments that makes home home. Now think about being away from it with only your memories to hang on to.
That is pretty much how the soldier's feel when they think of home. It is the little memories that keep them going and if only for a second it brings them peace and joy. It is those little things that they long to get back to. It is those little things that they long to be a part of once again.
So whatever you are doing this weekend whether it be watching football on TV, going somewhere with your family, or even just kicking back in your favorite chair to read a book in peace and quiet. Give a thought to those brave men and women miles and miles away who at that very moment would love to be doing exactly what you are doing at that very moment, and remember how sacred all those little things really are.
November 11, 2006
Veteran's Day
Posted by Truth
As a veteran this day certainly holds meaning for me, however it should hold meaning for everyone. It should hold a meaning of thanks and gratitude to those who served and those who died fighting for freedom. Gratitude to those who served and to those who died fighting for your right to speak out, your right to dissent, your right to pursue your own passion and pursue your own happiness. Whether you agree with the wars these soldiers fought in is irrelevant. Soldiers do not make distinctions about what war they get to fight and which ones they don't. They volunteer to fight when their country calls them to it.
When you see a veteran say thanks. Thanks that you are free to dissent and express how you feel. Thanks that you are free to make your own path in life, and thanks that for more then 230 years brave men and women have been serving, fighting, and dying to keep you and your family free from tyranny. If you are a veteran I say thank you to you and to all of those who have gone before us.
October 31, 2006
Alticor Is Hiring
Posted by David Robison
The Michigan Governor's race has brought up the issue of Alticor laying off hundreds of jobs, while Dick DeVos was at the helm.
But, don't let that deceive you into thinking that Alticor is all staffed-up. Openings are plentiful, if you meet the qualifications for the job; from Human Resources to operating a skid loader. The jobs aren't just located in Ada, either. You may have the chance to work for Alticor in your very own state, or even abroad.
Here's one example:
Job title Legislative Affairs Specialist
Positions Available 1
Department Washington D.C. Office
Company Alticor - 800
Location/Worksite Washington DC
Type of employment Full time
Shift 1
Job description
Provides support to Alticor's Washington office, within the Legal Division, by performing complex secretarial and administrative tasks under minimal supervision and basic legislative and political research, document preparation and coordination and/or administration of complex matters under close to moderate supervision. This includes drafting of documents and correspondence, direct communication with Congressional Staffers, administration officials and others that interact with the Washington Office.
Minimum Education/Experience Requirements
Associate’s degree and 2-3 years experience on a Congressional staff or in an office dealing with Congress.
Other Requirements:
Computer and office equipment skills. Strong communication skills. Ability to work well with a variety of personnel. Knowledge of legislative terminology and procedures as well as office procedures. Some basic legislative research and writing skills, general business knowledge, basic knowledge of Congressional procedure and regulatory rule making.
Preferences
Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics or other public-policy related area plus 3-5 years of experience in a professional environment. Experience on a Congressional staff is highly desired.
I thought it would be beneficial to Alticor, and to loyal Quixtar Blog readers looking for a job to show you what's available. Dust off those resumes'.
August 16, 2006
30 Days
Posted by Truth
Do you remember Super Size Me? You know that documentary done by Morgan Spurlock where he ate nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days? Anyway, in case some of you don't know a year ago FX networks aired the first series of documentaries simply titled "30 Days", of course done by Morgan Spurlock. Well recently season two has been broadcasting, and as usual it is very interesting to watch.
The whole idea is to take two people from different points of view and put them together. For instance, on season two we have so far seen a "Minuteman" live with a family of illegals, an Atheist live with Christians, and a programmer who lost his job to outsourcing live and work in India. On a side note this programmer reminded me of Eric Janssen. Not in looks or anything like that, more because of his inquisitive nature and the way he carried on discussions.
So I started thinking, (I know scary concept) what about pairing up a Quixtar IBO, and a critic for 30 days? We could have a critic go live with an IBO for 30 days in which the critic would have to attend all meetings with the IBO, and basically participate right along side the IBO. Of course it would be much more interesting if the IBO was "sold on the system" (Sorry Dave, no offense but since you have been dubbed "the critic's choice" I don't know how interesting it would be).
Of course on the flip side we could have a hardcore system IBO go live with a critic for 30 days in which the IBO would have to actively participate with the critic on producing content for their blog or site, and again generally participate right along side the critic. Can you picture an IBO crashing meetings with Perceptive?
In all seriousness though, what do you think would come from such a pairing? Could the critic see anything new or different about this business that would get them behind it? Could the IBO have their eyes opened to see why such criticism exists? One interesting point my wife brought up is that most critics have been IBOs, but most IBOs have never walked in the shoes of a critic. Very true point, but I think with all the different systems and groups there is still some new things for the critic to see, not to mention there are still some critics who have not been IBOs.
So what pairings would you like to see? I thought of a few:
Scott Larsen and Jody Victor (Jody Victor helping Scott with amquix.info), Imran and Brad (Imran going with Brad to meetings, and helping show the plan), Perceptive and Michael (Michael going with perceptive to crash Quixtar meetings)
Tex and MasterGunner99 (scratch that, too many hospital visits could occur for Tex).
And of course my personal favorite... Insider and Qblog (Just think of the possibilities).
August 4, 2006
Moving on...
Posted by Xanadustc
I would like to announce my retirement from the great debate. When I first set out to do this work, I was not certain if it was something that I would be doing long term, or short term. Like all things, I took it to the Lord in prayer. It was actually something that I prayed about for over six months. I was pretty sure in March that I was going to stop, so I selected the one year anniversary of the founding of the Standing Order Tape site as the appropriate closing day.
I wish to extend a special thanks to Qblog for the privilege of writing for QuixtarBlog. I certainly never sought out to do such a thing, but I was granted the opportunity anyway. It was a great privilege to serve with Qblog, Drew, and Preston.
As successful as I have been in this debate, I have been equally successful in other areas as well. I have over 40 kids that I have mentored in some way. Over half of those are very regular. I lead kids in Sunday schools, camps, clubs, as well as a few other things. I am also in the process of completing a doctorate degree which adds time and stress constraints. Further, I am building an online educational resource website around my hobby which leads me the offers to perform demonstrations for schools. With all these commitments, I need to cut some things out, and this debate is one of the things that I wish to end.
I would like to recap now with a brief accounting my life since I saw this thing. It was July 2000 when I first saw Quixtar. I first became a member, then an IBO. Since early on in my involvement, there were two major negative impacts on me. The first was my grades in college dropped drastically. To give you an idea, it was that single semester that caused me to drop from Summa sum lauda to Magna cum lauda. My interest in college work stopped almost instantly. This was a very bad thing. The next thing that happened is that I started to accumulate debt. I was totally against credit card use prior to Quixtar, but afterwards, it was easier and easier to use a credit card because of the fact that material things were seen as being so important. There were other negative consequences to me but those are the two that are the deepest seeded and they are the ones that still get in my way today. I have also noticed that with the sole exception of a small period at the end of 2004, ever since I have seen Quixtar in 2000, it has dominated a large chunk of my life, both as a participant, and a critic. I wish to recoup that lost time in my days, weeks, and months.
I am pleased to report that my credit cards are paid off, but I still have over $25,000 of other debt due to my involvement in this business.
Should you wish to keep up with me, I will be devoting a little of the time spent on this site to my new ministry site, religious debates Forum, and blog called Our Walk in Christ. I will also continue to check my email should you with to contact me: xanadustc@hotmail.com.
I have a little bit more detail on of my retirement on my post on Standing Order Tape today.
With this, I say farewell, it has been fun. Good luck in your endeavors,
Over and Out,
Xanadustc
July 1, 2006
Will You Comment to the FTC?
Posted by Truth
Recently the FTC has made a proposal to make some rule changes that will require more disclosure from MLM companies to their prospects before they sign up. Being one who started blogging to give others the full disclosure I never got, naturally I was quite pleased when I heard this.
At this stage the FTC is taking comments or as they would say it:
The Commission invites interested parties to comment on a proposed Business Opportunity Rule which would prohibit business opportunity sellers from failing to furnish prospective purchasers with material information needed to combat fraud and which would prohibit other acts or practices that are unfair or deception within the meaning of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Scott Larsen has put up a page on his website detailing some of the provisions that are contained within the new rule proposal. Larsen has also put on that page some tips on what to write to the FTC about. Consider them if you like or you can just tell the FTC what you think of the new rule and whether you believe it is a good idea or not.
So go on over to the FTC webpage and make your comments then let us know whether you think the FTC will implement this rule, and tell us if you are for or against this new proposal and why?
June 10, 2006
Gnarls Barkley - Enjoy
Posted by QBlog
Absolutely nothing to do with Quixtar but I just have to share this video.
June 6, 2006
Conversations with the Critics - Rara
Posted by Xanadustc
I had a chance to meet with a new critic on the scene: Rara. She was in BWW under Kanti Gala for about a year and a half. From the very beginning she was a little skeptical, but signed up with her sponsor, who was her boyfriend, to support him in the business. I did notice a few similarities within our experience in BWW as well as some differences.
Differences
While we were both in BWW, there was a removal of a few of the teachings between our teams. This is important to note so that we do not clump all experiences into one mold. On the other hand, there seem to be critical abuses in many of the systems, so to play the "My system does it right" card is not necessarily the correct approach either!
One critical difference was the relationship of the crossline in our teams. In my team, crossline friends were normal and even accepted. Some of my best friends in the business have been crossline, and that trend held even for the leaders on the team, including two Emeralds who were friends and crossline with each other. Rara says that on her team you were not permitted to associate with crossline unless your upline was present. To explain: Even in our group, we were not supposed to discuss our businesses with crossline because they were not our counselors. On Rara's team, they did not allow such interaction at all, because they figured that since you both have the business in common it was too easy for the conversation to move to business.
Another difference that I noticed was in how questions were answered. I got the impression that my team was a lot gentler with questions. We would try our best to answer questions that people had. Rara reported that questions were often deflected. This does seem to line up with some of Kumar's reported teachings -- that you don't answer questions directly, but appeal to the questioner's emotions and STP some more because it doesn't really matter.
Products
Rara and I talked in detail about the products. As I have often reported, everything I bought was much more expensive from Quixtar, and the quality was nothing to write home about. Rara did tell me that the jewelry line from the Personal Accents Catalog was very well-priced, especially since it included shipping. The perfumes were also nicely priced. These were the only two products she was comfortable promoting, because she felt they actually were a good deal. Overall, we both agreed that there really are no products that we would consider using now that we are not involved in the business, mostly because the prices are high, the shipping cost adds even more to the price and you have to wait too long for your order. Also, the overall quality of the products is nothing special.
We also talked about Artistry for a bit. I liked the Artistry skin care systems. I switched to Tolsom after that line came out, but I found the quality to be terrible and the price absolutely outrageous, so I switched back to Artistry before quitting the business. Regarding the price of Tolsom, I honestly think it is a test to see how committed people are to buying overpriced products. In a personal test, I found Tolsom shaving gel to be less effective than Edge shaving gel. Where I shop, the price of Edge averages $2.50 for 8 oz while the Tolsom is $9.65 (IBO) or $12.45 (Retail) for 7 oz. Rara thought it was interesting to see how many skin care products the upline could convince the men in her group to buy. She commented on seeing her sponsor's bathroom full of skin care products, even though they're typically targeted at women.
Reasons for leaving
One of the differences between Rara and me is that while I was involved in the business I was not interested in maintaining any part of my old life. But Rara said, "I consciously tried to maintain my individuality while in the 'biz,' but I did wish I was 100% CORE." She also did 7 of the 9 core steps with varying consistency.
It is interesting to note that we both left Quixtar for the same reason: We were spending too much money and earning too little in return. I totally submitted to the system. I was plugged in, doing meetings, driving miles, contacting, listening to several tapes every day, reading many books per month and attending all the meetings I could (even though I was driving 300 + miles every month to attend them). Following the system and buying the products required to maintain my 150-300PV per month was costing around $400-$600 a month. I flat ran out of money. I finally left the system when I could not afford to participate any more due to having a car payment.
Rara, on the other hand, was never as committed to the system as I was. She never bought any books, only borrowed them. She was on Standing Order Tape for a period of time and even bought extra tapes. She tried to listen to a tape every day, but found it difficult because she really did not like them.
She got to the point where she did not have enough money for herself, and she refused to go further in debt for Quixtar. At this point, Rara was going to slow down on buying and focus on finishing school. Then she would pick up the business again when she had a better job with more disposable income. This is when she found out about the tool profits. She says, "When I confronted my upline about the tool profits, I think my upline's response was more like, 'Well, we didn't tell you because you didn't ask,' making this somehow my fault." This was her final convincer that Quixtar is not the greatest opportunity in the world.
May 28, 2006
This DeVos Is Cool
Posted by QBlog
The Grand Rapids Press is reporting about the newest business venture from Rick DeVos, son of gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and grandson of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos. The business is called Spout and it's not multi-level marketing.
About Spout
Spout is a kind of Web 2.0 social networking site focused on promoting and distributing films.
"As the site develops, Spout will organically build a foundation for its ultimate goal: creating a grassroots alternative to Hollywood's promotion and distribution model and allowing the work of more filmmakers to reach their audiences," the company's launch materials said.
The article describes DeVos as a 24-year-old who "gets" what online business is all about. He's a "Mac guy," dresses in dot-com fashions and launched the site at the uber-trendy South by Southwest Film Festival. Maybe Quixtar should hire him as a Web advisor?
For the record, he said, the company is separate from Alticor and its online unit, Quixtar, which are owned by the families of Rich DeVos and the late Jay Van Andel.
"Obviously, that's my family's business," Rick DeVos said. "There are similarities in that they are both about the power of people and relationships and networks, but there's none of their technology and nothing else that comes from Quixtar."
Joining and Connecting
The Spout registration process was very simple (unlike the Quixtar registration process) and the user interface is fairly intuitive. However, I was surprised to learn that there's no way to upload movies, clips or even trailers. I thought that with the goal of marketing and distributing movies it would have some way to actually watch video. But it turns out that the site is really just a way for film buffs to connect, learn about movies and then buy the DVDs.
I like Spout though I'm not sure it's something I'd regularly use. It includes community building tools and a blog feature which is kinda cool. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
May 27, 2006
Touretzky Speaks on Scientology
Posted by QBlog
One of the most popular destinations for Quixtar information seekers is Dave Touretzky's "Amway/Alticor/Quixtar Sucks!" website. Touretzky is a world-famous research professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an avid Free Speech proponent who's had some personal clashes with Quixtar.
However, his real passion is exposing the "vengeful religious cult" known as the Church of Scientology. I found an interesting video interview of Touretzky on YouTube from a recent episode of Keith Olberman's show on MSNBC.
"Dave Touretzky appears on Countdown with Keith Olbermann to discuss Tom Cruise, Silent Birth and Scientology."
May 20, 2006
Domain Names for Sale
Posted by Truth
Found a site the other night at work that would give you the value of your domain name if you wanted to sell it. Thought I would have some fun and run a few familiar ones through and see what I came up with:
- quixtarblog.com - $4,538.00
- webraw.com/quixtar - $17,174.00
- webraw.com/quixtar/forum - $10,334.00 (Guess it is safe to assume the forum is being used)
- amquix.info - $65,522.00
- quixtar.com - $345,600.00
- thisbiznow.com - $3,038.00
- quixtarinsideout.com - $2,282.00
- quixtardemons.blogspot.com - $1,838.00
- bwwsot.blogspot.com - $10,334.00 (WOW! Go Tom!)
- And finally QRUSH - $1,634.00 ( I think he should sell now and cut his losses)
I know there are more sites that we could do, but I don't want this to be a mile long, so do your own and post them in the comments.
March 11, 2006
Odd Isn't It?
Posted by QBlog
How did Amway get its name? According to the Amway website, the name is short for "American Way." Today this "American Way" multilevel marketing business provides an opportunity for people to sell exclusive products and recruit others to do the same.
What is this "American Way" opportunity called in America? Quixtar.
Isn't it odd that the business opportunity has a different name within the namesake country? Wonder why that is?
February 22, 2006
HA HA
Posted by QBlog
The Qrush Blog appears to be no more.
To quote Nelson from The Simpsons, "Ha ha!"
UPDATE: Well the site is back. I swear it was down while I was checking it at lunch. Still a pretty lame site. I've been hearing rumors Qrush is Rich Florence, Billy Florence's son. Reader feedback on the AmQuix site describes Rich Florence as a "high school dropout."
Rich is a high school dropout who's never worked anywhere but for his father. He's achieved the Gold Producer level but regularly does meetings such as opportunity meetings, net-sems and mini rallies. Normally a person at that level is hardly allowed on a stage.
I have no way to verify the veracity of those claims but it would explain the seeming chummy connection between Qrush and Billy Florence.
UPDATE II: Billy Florence responded to an email I sent him asking for the identity of those responsible for the Qrush blog. Here's what I sent:
Hi Billy,
It's come to my attention that your son, Rich Florence, may be responsible for the Qrush blog. Would you either confirm or deny this? The latest attacks on the blog are especially troubling and it is common knowledge that someone (possibly you or the IBOAI) funded advertising for the blog when it first began. If your son is not responsible for the blog, do you know who is behind it? Any insight on this matter would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric
Here's his response which came surrounded by quotes:
"I have no idea whatsoever who runs or finances the Qrush blog and would appreciate anything you can do to ensure that neither my name nor my son's is falsely linked with the site , to include removing any such information you currently have on your site ."
Thanks,
Billy Florence
Let the record show that Billy Florence denies any involvement with the Qrush blog whatsoever.
February 17, 2006
Brilliant
Posted by QBlog
Jerry Giebeig is the blogger and Monavie distributor who recently sent me a free sample of Monavie Active Juice. He's also a genius.
Ok, maybe genius is overstating things just a bit but I was incredibly impressed to learn that he's the creative force behind the hilarious and quirky "Carl Loves Mustard" podcast (iTunes link). What does a "variety show hosted by 'Carl Mustard'" have to do with MLM or Monavie? Absolutely nothing and that's why it's so brilliant.
Giebeig has crafted a truly entertaining audio program created with a unique idea — to befriend folks in Voice Over IP "chat rooms" and make them laugh. That's it.
Network marketers should take note. By creating a podcast with real entertainment value, Giebeig is offering something most of his competition can't offer — a laugh. Why is that important? Because he's moving outside of the narrow, MLM-minded circles. He's not interfacing with people who are searching for MLM or running from MLM. He's in touch with people who want to have fun.
Think about it. Where do most network marketers target their online recruitment efforts? Buying Google ads with keywords like "Quixtar" and "Business Opportunity" or hanging out in Rich Dad forums or running blogs with titles like "MLM Today."
The general strategy (and statistically it's a good one) is to market the MLM business to people familiar with the industry or who are searching for more information about MLM. But that strategy misses the kid addicted to MMORPGs or the mom who loves funny podcasts.
Don't Misunderstand
Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. The genius isn't concocting a funny podcast to get new recruits. That's not what's happening here and if it were, it would fall on its face. What I'm saying is that Network Marketers should break out of their MLM mindset and make online contributions that have value wholly unrelated to their business or industry.
And what happens if Carl Loves Mustard becomes the next Internet Meme? Well, then Giebeig would have a runaway hit on his hands. Do you see the value in that?
» Subscribe to Carl Loves Mustard in iTunes
February 4, 2006
Super Bowl Eve
Posted by QBlog
The Big Game is tomorrow. It's one of my favorite events of the year though lately I've been spending it at home with my family instead of attending the traditional "pah-tay." I would like to see the Steeler's win but have this gnawing suspicion that their ride is over and it's the Seahawks time. I don't bet and don't really care who wins but if I had to pick a dog in this fight, I'd pick the Seahawks. Who are you pulling for?
January 30, 2006
Can It Get Any Larger?
Posted by QBlog
This is too funny to keep to myself.
Yesterday Ty Tribble published something called the "QBlog Diamond Rally" on his MLM Blog. The post has received some modifications and edits but it originally read this way:
Have you heard the QBlog Diamond Rally?
Like most rallies, it's not big on the details of how to build a downline of Anti-MLM Bloggers and Forum Posters, but it is an interesting listen.
I wonder when the book will come out.
Since I've never been to a Diamond Rally (though I did hear Dexter Yager speak at a weekend seminar once) I was a little perplexed about what Tribble meant by his comments.
I asked my friend, and former Quixtar IBO, Shawn Cannon if he could shed any light on the post. He explained that Diamond Rallies generally consist of a Diamond standing up on stage and talking about himself without giving any real business information. A sort of egotistical brag-fest.
Ah ha! Now I think I understand.
The Podcast
The link in Tribble's post was to my November 7, 2006, QBlog Radio podcast titled "All About QBlog." The podcast was a bit of a departure from my usual format (though that format is always evolving) and my goal was to simply share some things about myself so people could get to know me better. It's not a particularly great podcast but it is what it is.
The link on the MLM Blog was directly to the mp3 file. It was linked without any real context and without linking to the source blog (QBlog Radio). In fact, unobservant listeners might believe that the file was being served off of Tribble's site and eating his bandwidth instead of mine.
All of which is fine. I don't believe there's anything wrong with "hot linking" a publicly available audio file without proper context. That's Tribble's prerogative. However, I'm also free to have a little fun and modify those "hot linked" files any time I choose.
And that's exactly what I did.
The Switcheroo
Last night I fired up my PowerBook and recorded a nine minute audio clip (mp3 - 2.2 MB) discussing Ty Tribble, Oasis LifeSciences, Al Keranen, Operation Cure.All and blogging motivations.
I uploaded the audio file to my QBlog Radio server and gave it the exact same file name as the "All About QBlog" mp3 file. Of course I didn't want to lose the original podcast so I renamed that file as well and updated the related links on the QBlog Radio website (including the RSS feed). The hilarious result was that the file Tribble linked to was no longer "All About Me" but nine minutes of me discussing his new MLM business, Oasis LifeSciences.
No Comprende
Funny stuff right? Apparently Tribble didn't see the humor. Here's what he had to say:
Update: After taking the time to record a podcast solely about himself, apparently "QBlog" aka Eric Janssen does not want his QBlog Diamond Rally Podcast to be listened to. Sometime in the last 12 hours, he changed the recording and monkeyed with the link. I fixed the link, but this seems odd to me that someone who has "cornered the truth" on MLM would do such a thing.
Actually, I don't care who listens to the podcast since it's always been on my servers. If I didn't want anyone to hear it, I would have deleted it entirely. All I did was change the file name. Visiting my QBlog Radio website would have provided listeners with the complete podcast.
But there wasn't a link to QBlog Radio on the MLM Blog, not until the second update:
2nd Update: The link has been changed again. What is Eric hiding? I wonder if this deception has to do with the 2nd coming of Qrush? Is Qrush really QBlog? Was QBlog behind the plot to get Martha Stewart to endorse Malt Liquour and sell it through the MLM Model? Anyways, I linked his site this time. If he wants to change the link again, he will have to make a change to his QBlog Radio Blog.
Mission Accomplished
Well, I won't be changing the links on QBlog Radio. I have no reason to do so. If people want to listen to the podcast they can visit my site and at least have the opportunity to understand its proper context. And maybe, just maybe, we've all learned a valuable lesson today.
January 28, 2006
Reviewing Monavie Active Juice
Posted by QBlog
A
few weeks ago Jerry Giebeig, a blogger
and Monavie distributor, sent me a free
sample of Monavie Active
Juice. I wasn't interested in joining his Multi-Level Marketing business
but Giebeig piqued my curiosity about its flagship product by making some bold
claims during one of our Gizmo conversations.
"This product contains all the nutrition you need to survive," said Jerry.
"No way," I replied in shocked amazement. "I have to try this stuff."
So, Giebeig rushed a bottle of Monavie Active Juice to my door and I opened the box with eager anticipation.
"Is
that wine?" my wife asked as I pulled out the bottle.
"Nope, this is Monavie! It's fruit juice."
I read the product label to my wife and she was impressed that a portion of the profits help preserve the Amazon rainforest. She's got a special place in her heart for rainforests.
How Did It Taste?
One thing that concerned me about the Monavie Active Juice was that the recommended
serving was one to two ounces, taken twice a day. I'm not a "vitamin guy"
and didn't like the idea of measuring out a "dosage" of fruit juice
every morning and evening and so I put the Monavie in the fridge with the intention
of getting back to it when I was in that "vitamin" state of mind.
A
couple of days later I was talking to Giebeig and he asked me how I liked the
juice.
"I haven't tried it yet," I replied.
He asked why.
"I just don't feel like measuring out my fruit juice."
"That's a recommendation," Giebeig said. "You can drink as much as you want."
What a relief. The next day I opened the bottle and drank a glass. It wasn't bad. It was fruity with a hint of pepper. The taste reminded me of raspberries. It was thick, almost V8 thick but without the tomatoes. It's a lot like drinking Looza Nectar.
The smell was very strong and not exactly pleasant. It's possible that the smell negatively impacted my taste buds a bit. My overall impression was positive but I think it would take some time for me to acquire a taste for Monavie Active Juice. And I could see that happening if it weren't so expensive.
How Much Does It Cost?
Giebeig explained that the juice retails
for $45 a bottle and that the wholesale price is as low as $21. It's a 750 ML
bottle and many good wines costs less for the same quantity.
"But the fruits are exotic and the profits help the rainforest," my wife explained.
"Honey, it's $45 per bottle of JUICE," I protested. "I don't care if it cures cancer. That's a lot of money for fruit juice."
"Doesn't it make you feel better?" she asked.
Does It Work?
Ah,
does Monavie Active Juice work? I'll cut to the chase — no. Not for me
anyway. True, I only drank one bottle and didn't take the recommended servings
but I didn't feel any different after drinking the juice. Giebeig tried to explain
all the scientific research and data supporting the health benefits of Monavie
but I stopped him short.
"Jerry, I don't want to know all that stuff," I said. "If it works, I'll feel it no matter what the scientists say. And I don't want to be psychologically influenced by any marketing material and develop some placebo effect."
And I didn't feel anything. I don't really have anything bad to say about Monavie Active Juice but it's just not something I can see myself spending money on with one exception — if it were cheaper. If I could snag a bottle for $7 or so I might become a Monavie fan. I wouldn't join the MLM but I could see myself drinking it regularly after I got used to the taste.
What Is Monavie?
I'm not exactly sure what Monavie is but I'll tell you what I know. It's an
MLM that has very few products (compared to Quixtar) and has recently been joined
by former Amway/Quixtar Diamonds Brig
Hart and Bruce Anderson, both of whom have recently been involved in legal disputes with Quixtar.
Is Monavie better or worse than any other MLM business? I have no idea. Monavie distributors like Giebeig certainly believe it's better but what MLM distributor doesn't believe that their latest endeavor is the "greatest opportunity in the world?"
On The Radio
If you'd like to hear my audio review of Monavie Active Juice check out the
January 13, 2006 podcast from
QBlog Radio.
January 17, 2006
Domino's And DeVos
Posted by QBlog
The AP reports that the CEO of Domino's Pizza will head Dick DeVos' gubernatorial campaign.
Domino's Pizza Inc. CEO David Brandon will head Republican Dick DeVos' campaign to unseat Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Brandon, who lives in Ann Arbor and serves on several nonprofit boards in the Detroit area - including Detroit Renaissance and The Parade Company, which produces Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade - said he wants to help the Kent County businessman improve his ties to the vote-heavy region.
Here's what the blogs are saying:
- Want Some Pizza With That Pyramid?
- MLM Today
- My Michigan Connection
- Amway Nation
- Domino Pizza/DeVos Alliance
December 26, 2005
IBOAI Yanks OCS Page
Posted by QBlog
Looks as if the IBOAI website has finally removed its page claiming that Quixtar is an Order Consolidation Site. The original page is available for now as a Google cache. A search for "OCS" on the IBOAI website yields no results.
However, the Spanish language version is still live and makes the same claim, that Quixtar is simply an OCS (English translation).
UPDATE: Well this was a wasted post. Turns out nobody yanked anything. What happened is that the IBOAI changed the way it names its pages. Instead of using underscores (_) it now uses hyphens (-) and so the link changed.
Hell, Quixtar still is an OCS according to the IBOAI. Thanks David Robison for pointing out that nothing's changed.
Ugh
Posted by QBlog
So much for the triumphant return of Blogging 101. I spent most of Christmas day hugging the toilet, depositing copious chunks of vomit into the porcelain throne. Instead of eating Christmas ham and pumpkin pie I drank orange kool-aid and slept.
Anyway, I'm not vomiting now so things are heading back to normal.
December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas - 2005
Posted by QBlog
Happy Birthday Jesus!
December 15, 2005
Inside and Out Podcast
Posted by QBlog
There's a new podcaster out there talking about everybody's favorite MLM. The Quixtar Inside and Out blog featured its inaugural podcast today discussing the "truth about tool money."
Check it out and listen. It's only about 12 minutes long. Good stuff. I hope to hear more.
The Passport Question
Posted by QBlog
I was chatting with a former Passport Associate today about Bo Short's recent move to Oasis LifeSciences. He posed the following question:
How many people would have joined Passport if they knew that it would end like it did?
That's an excellent question.
How many people who signed up with Bo Short's Passport business would have done so with the knowledge that it would essentially fold after four years and move to Oasis LifeSciences? Would you?
December 11, 2005
Impersonation Game
Posted by QBlog
Rich Little is a comedian whose claim to fame is impersonating celebrities. His acts include impersonations of people like Peter Falk, Richard Nixon, Cary Grant and Dr. Phil. I've always been fascinated by people, like Little, who can skillfully mimic the voice and mannerisms of others.
Today I'd like to experiment just a bit and try an impersonation of my own, on this blog. You'll have to use your imagination since the impersonation will utilize text instead of voice and gestures. I'll do the impersonation and you try to guess who it is I'm trying to mimic.
Who Am I?
Man, Quixtar is awesome. I love it. You really need to join and experience this wonderful business. The products are superior and the opportunity is so exciting. Our team is one of the best in the business and our leadership will guide you to the type of success you desire.
Man, Passport is awesome. I love it. You really need to join and experience this wonderful business. The products are fabulous. It's so much better than Quixtar. All the problems and abuses present in Quixtar are absent in Passport. And the Passport leadership is so much better than Quixtar's leadership. It's run the way MLM businesses should be run.
Wow, Oasis LifeSciences is awesome. It's so much better than Passport and Quixtar. The products are superior to any product on the market. And the leadership is the best in the industry. This business will provide you with the opportunity to achieve the type of success you desire.
Enter your guesses of who I'm impersonating in the comments. Thanks for playing.
November 30, 2005
Don't Click
Posted by QBlog
I warned you.
Lovingly PhotoShopped from this link.
November 27, 2005
Amway "Lukewarm" About China's New Rules
Posted by QBlog
The Wall Street Journal reports that new direct sales rules recently passed in China are "eliciting a lukewarm reaction" from companies like Amway.
An unnamed Amway official complained that the "administrative intervention goes too far into the micro facet of business operations." Seriously, that's a quote but I'm thinking it was translated from Chinese. The article goes on to explain some of the reasons why Amway is complaining anonymously.
In addition, commission rates for a company's sales force will be capped at 30% of its total retail sales, a much lower rate than in other countries, where both individual and group performances are taken into consideration when payment is made.
The new rules also have strict disclosure requirements. Companies must provide the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce detailed information on their direct-sales staff, including their names, registration numbers, primary occupations, monthly income, tax records and what percentage of their total income is generated by direct sales.
In addition, companies will be required to disclose significant lawsuits and arbitration proceedings in which they have been involved, their corporate compensation structure, recruiting and training methods, and entitlements and obligations contained in sales contracts signed between the companies and their salespeople.
You know, China may be a communist country that regularly tramples on human rights but I think it has the right idea about regulating multi-level marketing. Isn't that ironic?
November 24, 2005
No More Pretending
Posted by QBlog
Quixtar recently modified its "70% Rule" to essentially remove the requirement for retail sales. Prior to the changes IBOs were required (though it was seldom enforced) to sell 70% of the products they purchased. However, the revised rule states that "products used for personal or family consumption or given out as samples are also considered as part of the sales volume."
Using products at home (self-consumption) is clearly not a retail sale but Quixtar now states that it is a retail sale. The lawBlawg has done a thorough analysis of the changes to rule 4.18 (IBOs only).
To sum up the changes Quixtar is basically saying that to earn money in the business you must sell products to customers — unless you don't want to sell products to customers in which case you may just use the products yourself. The "buy from yourself and teach others to do the same" philosophy is now clearly reflected in the Quixtar rules. That's refreshing because before the rule change the "buy from Me-Mart" mentality conflicted with the 70% rule. Now the message is consistent.
One downside to this rule change is that retail-minded IBOs like Fred Johnston don't have the 70% rule to back up their efforts. Now a new recruit has to carefully consider the options — do I work my tail off selling products to retail customers or do I sit in living rooms teaching others to just change their shopping habits. Which would you choose?
November 22, 2005
Randy Bancino Resigns?
Posted by QBlog
I just heard a rumor that Randy Bancino, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Quixtar, has resigned. That's about all I know as details have been sketchy.
I will add that his resignation comes on the heels of numerous firings at the Quixtar Corporation, mostly of low-level grunts and apparently one alleged member of the Web Reputation Task Force.
If you have more details, please post a comment.
UPDATE: David Ellyatt, Web Marketing Manager for Quixtar, confirms that Randy Bancino resigned yesterday. I've been told that Ellyatt worked closely with Bancino on Quixtar's Web Reputation Task Force.
November 4, 2005
Copyright Question
Posted by QBlog
You think the United A.B.L.E. Association got permission to republish all the news articles it hosts on its Dependence page? I am in the news business and we generally require written permission for republication. But maybe papers like the Orlando Sentinel, St. Petersburg Times, Fairfield Daily Republic and The Miami Herald don't mind.
Or maybe the Bennetts got permission? Yeah, that's probably it. They got permission.
But, I'm sure those newspapers wouldn't mind a friendly inquiry, just to check.
Bennetts in WWDB?
Posted by QBlog
I just came across a blog post titled "Help Out a Disabled Person." The author explains an encounter with a disabled Quixtar IBO in the World Wide Group.
Also, a posting by someone claiming to be disabled. They say they still want to work, and if you'd only go shop online at their website.
This sounds a lot like the Bennetts, who operate the (now changed) United A.B.L.E. Association. Are the Bennetts in WWDB? Maybe so, maybe not. And I wonder if this new "disabled approach" could be replacing the standard "curiosity approach?"
Anyway, the author of the Help Out a Disabled Person post is understandably concerned about how to handle the situation.
So the question of the day... if this person is being taken advantage of, do I have any sort of obligation to save them from themselves? I'm really torn... part of me wants to say "Stop! You're going to end up in real trouble!" But these people, once they've gotten in, they've usually been brainwashed to the point that they refuse to listen. Frustrating.
Frustrating indeed.
November 3, 2005
Sales Grow at Alticor
Posted by QBlog
The Detroit Free Press reports that Alticor sales have grown for the sixth year in a row.
Sales at Alticor Inc., the Ada-based owner of direct-selling giant Amway, rose for the sixth consecutive year.
Alticor, which ranks third among Michigan's privately held companies, said Wednesday that sales at its global operation rose to $6.4 billion in the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31. The 3.6% growth was considerably slower than the previous year, when sales grew a whopping $1.3 billion, or 26%, from 2003. Last year's growth was propelled by sales in the Chinese market.
Elsewhere...
Worth Noting
Posted by QBlog
United A.B.L.E. Association
It's worth pointing out that the United A.B.L.E. Association websites (werable.org, smartershoppernetwork.com & giftalbumchoices.com) have undergone significant changes since Monday's post about the organization.
Some of the changes I've noticed:
- giftalbumchoices.com is now gone, replaced with an email link (anyone have a screenshot?)
- Smarter Shopper Network is now password protected
- The About Us page has been edited to remove the following:
As a sustainable organization, there is no need to hold fundraising events, beg the community for money, or get government funding. This unique funding program provides a perpetual, residual funding stream for the organization while directly benefiting children and adults with disabilities, and their families.
- The John Sestina (an IBO) quote is gone from the How We Help page
- The following disclaimer is now missing from the Help Now page:
This is not a get-rich-quick, or a pyramid scheme. In fact, it's a business plan that has been approved by the government and is accessible to virtually anyone interested in operating an independent business. Thousands of individuals faced with a disability are already successfully using this business plan to improve their lives.
Please let me know if you find other changes that I've overlooked.
Emerald Passport
Also worth noting are the changes made to the Emerald Passport EPI site after I mentioned it last week. All references (text, audio and images) to Quixtar have been removed. Also, I should note that even thought the page title is "Emerald Passport - EPI," there's a disclaimer at the top of the pages saying that the site is not an official site of Emerald Passport INC.
This site is owned by EmeraldBusinessSystem.com, and Independent Distributor of Emerald Passport, Inc and this site is not an official site of Emerald Passport Inc.
So, I guess the site wasn't related to Quixtar after all.
Jody And The IBOAI
One site that hasn't changed is the IBOAI page claiming that Quixtar is simply an Order Consolidation Site. The blog that originally brought that page to my attention (quixtar-team.blogspot.com) is gone but the IBOAI page is still going strong.
That may explain why Jody Victor's MarkerMan site only contains one mention of the word "Quixtar" (according to Google) in a reference to Jay Van Andel's death. And maybe that explains why Jody Victor hates This Biz Now. This Biz Now makes it pretty clear that Quixtar is not just an Order Consolidation Site.
QBlog Comments
You're welcome Quixtar. I am glad to point out problems online and I am glad to see those problems corrected. We'll never know whether or not the site changes resulted from pressure by Quxitar but it's good to those changes nonetheless — online.
However, what is painfully obvious is that what happens online is merely a tiny reflection of what occurs out there in the "real world." Quixtar has the enormous task of policing what IBOs say in living rooms and hotel lobbies around the country. It's a challenge to be sure. But is Quixtar up to that task? Do they want to be? Or is Quixtar content to know that as long as IBOs misrepresent the business in private, undocumented settings, the FTC won't swoop in to clean house.
Only Quixtar can answer those questions. The rumor is that Jim Payne is a reformer, brought in to replace the ousted Ken McDonald and right a ship that the IBOAI has been sinking for the last six years. We'll see if Payne has the backbone and the power to get that ship back on course.
For now, I'll continue to point out what I find online and hope that it makes a difference, even a small one.
October 31, 2005
Frowny Face
Posted by QBlog
As you may have guessed, problems persist on my server. I'll be back when the server is fixed. If that never happens then I'll be back when I switch to the new hosting company.
UPDATE: The problem seems to have been corrected. Let's hope it stays that way.
October 28, 2005
Quixtar Related?
Posted by QBlog
Hey there Quixtar employees. Yes, I'm talking to you. Don't be afraid, I promise I won't bite... much. ;o)
Listen. I found a website called Emerald Passport EPI and I'm wondering if it's related to Quixtar, your employer? It's confusing because the site has the Quixtar logo on it a couple of times. And it also includes a quote (and audio) from Andrew M.
In The Last 9 Months (Jan 7/05) I've Made Over $105,000 With Emerald Passport & The Profit Masters Team.
There's also this neat little link at the bottom of the page directing non-IBOs to contact a Quixtar IBO in your area. That's neat because it's a shorter form than the official Quixtar IBO Contact Page. Or maybe they're both official.
I can't find any disclaimers on the Emerald Passport site so maybe it's Quixtar kosher? I'm sure Ron Mitchell wouldn't let a site stay on the Web if he had a problem with it. Just ask Peter Salzman.
UPDATE (Nov. 2, 2005): All the Quixtar references are gone. The logo is gone. The word "Quixtar" is gone. The link to contact an IBO in your area is gone. Good work Quixtar. Glad to help!
A New Amway in China?
Posted by QBlog
No more group PV/BV? Increased commissions for retail sales? According to Shanghai Daily, Amway will significantly change the way it does business to comply with Chinese laws.
AMWAY Corp said yesterday its sales may fluctuate between a 10 percent drop or rise this year as its business model faces a tough transition with China forbidding payment based on team sales starting next month.
From Tuesday, all Amway China sales representatives will draw commissions directly from the company based on their individual sales performance, said Vincent Hwang, general manager of Amway China East.
Sales teams, in which authorized agents can generate additional commission from sales representatives they recruit, will no longer exist as payment based on team sales is illegal under new regulations released in September this year.
This is very interesting stuff. Read the whole article.
October 26, 2005
Make You Happy?
Posted by QBlog
I'm out of town again. I'm in Knoxville attending a Job Fair trying to find bright students interested in doing an internship with my employer. During slow times at the Job Fair I pondered the following question:
"How much money would it take to make you happy?"
Do you have an answer? Have you thought about it before? Please post your answer in the comments.
October 21, 2005
Live Each Day
Posted by QBlog
You've no doubt heard the saying "live each day as if it were your last." It's the type of advice given to encourage people to savor the moment. A modified version of cape diem with a role-playing twist. We imagine that tomorrow may never come and hopefully live today to the fullest.
It's really not bad advice because there certainly aren't any guarantees of what the future holds. Yet, like many good things, the advice has been overused and trivialized by Chicken Soup books and Dr. Phil shows. It's the same thing the sports industry has done with words like "legendary," "dynasty" and "hero" by tossing them around almost indiscriminately.
Mutations
The "live each day" phrase isn't just overused, it's also mutating. We now see (especially in the Self Help industry) phrases like "take each breath as if it were your last" and "treat your spouse as if it were the last day you'll ever see him/her." I recently read Tonya Grimes (link via MLM Blog) advice to "Work Like It's the Day Before Vacation!."
Enough! Or is it? Maybe if a little is good, a lot is better? Sure, why not? So now I'm jumping on the bandwagon and offering some advice of my own. Feel free to add yours. If we're going to trivialize something let's not do it half-assed.
Live Each Day
- Burn Each Fire As If It Were Your Last
- Wash Each Plate As If It Were Your Last
- Smoke Each Cigar As If It Were Your Last
- Drink Each Beer As If It Were Your Last
- Spank Each Child As If It She Were Your Last
- Fry Each Fish As If It Were Your Last
- Build Each Dam As If It Were Your Last
- Prospect Each Friend As If It He Were Your Last
- Sell Each Widget As If It Were Your Last
- Fly Each Plane As If It Were Your Last
- Kill Each Deer As If It Were Your Last
See, isn't this fun? I'm writing this blog post as if it were my last.
October 18, 2005
New IBOAI Board Members
Posted by QBlog
A recent Press Release welcomes new board members to the Independent Business Owners Association International.
Billy Florence, president of the IBOAI, announced the association's new board members.
"We are delighted to welcome Brad Duncan, Chuck Goetschel, Kanti Gala, Don Held, Scott Holland, and Bill Newton," said Florence.
Welcome!
October 10, 2005
FYI AmQuix
Posted by QBlog
Scott Larsen's AmQuix site is down for now but it will be up soon enough. Many have wondered what happened but there hasn't been any foul play that Scott can identify. He's moving the site to a new host.
October 6, 2005
I Hate Redundancy
Posted by QBlog
The bar opens at 4 p.m. Monday-Friday but on Saturday, things change. The bar opens at 4 p.m. on Saturday which is... wait a second. That's the same time. And, not even a word about Sunday.
And no, it's not strictly an issue of redundancy, but more of just not making good use of the copy. It would be better to say Mon-Sat open at 4 p.m.
October 3, 2005
Live Up To Your Potential
Posted by QBlog
Last Friday Quixtar was featured in the Life section of USA Today. The two-page spread was sponsored by the DSA and promoted the Quixtar business opportunity. That's cool because Quixtar doesn't advertise.
September 29, 2005
The Way Things Were
Posted by QBlog
Check out this old Amway recruitment brochure (pdf) from 1991. It's pretty interesting to read the types of things that were disclosed to new Distributors. I wonder how it compares to the Quixtar plan being presented today?
Here are a few excerpts that I found quite interesting:
(page 1) Like all other distributors, you start by being sponsored by another distributor and obtaining the literature portion of the Sales Kit.
You can begin building your business in any of several ways. You can merchandise products to your friends, neighbors, and relatives. You can also sponsor others as distributors and train them to merchandise products. It's not important which you do first, as long as you do both...
...BV for Amway products and services, excluding catalog, averages 87% of suggested retail price. The amount of Performance Bonus is determined by Both BV and PV. Presently one point of PV is equal, on average, to slightly more than $1.80 BV...
...The Average Monthly Gross Income for "Active" Distributors was $65. Approximately 46% of all distributors of record were found to be "active."...
(page 5)
(page 6) Q. Do I have to sell products to retail customers?
A. Yes. Money is made in the Amway business through the sale of Amway products. Products sold to retail customers create the profitability of your Amway business. In order to to receive a monthly Performance Bonus payment on the volume of your sponsored distributors, you must have ten retail customers during the month.
September 26, 2005
Kiyosaki On Yahoo!
Posted by QBlog
MediaWeek reports that MLM hero Robert Kiyosaki is one of several new, exclusive columnists on the Yahoo! Finance site.
Yahoo! is launching a series of exclusive columns on its Yahoo! Finance channel from a variety of top names in the world of finance and economics.
The new columnists are David Bach, Stephen Covey, Ken Dychtwald, Robert Kiyosaki, Daniel Pink, Laura Rowley, Jeremy Siegel, Ben Stein, and Charles Wheelan.
I first heard of Kiyosaki from my wife's Quixtar friends but after searching Google, I find it curious that his name doesn't appear on any official Quixtar, Amway or Alticor websites — except for the Quixtar leader blogs of course.
Home Improvements
Posted by QBlog
There's no Reader Mail today as I work on a few improvements to the blog. I'm trying to optimize it so that it loads faster and I'm changing the Quixtar Chatter feature.
While I work on the blog, check out John Cady's comments about Quixtar at AbusiveChurches.org »
I also questioned the ethics behind CFCMI [Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International] being more involved with Quixtar/Amway. I will refer back to the 2000 conference when Pastor Paine addressed the single men about Quixtar; I did my own reading online on the Amway website and I was not comfortable with the idea. I had seen family members get burned in pyramid schemes like this, and I had no interest. I personally view that when a pastor gets involved with a business like this, and gets the members in his upline or downline, a conflict of interest is created, and the ethics are questioned.
There are some who think Quixtar is a great way to spread the Good News of the Bible while others, like Cady, have real concerns about its presence in the church. What do you think? How does Quixtar help or hinder your walk with God?
September 17, 2005
Name Please
Posted by QBlog
Can you name a successful Quixtar Diamond who achieved his "financial freedom" by using the prescribed motivational tools and training systems but who is not also profiting from the motivational tools and training systems?
September 13, 2005
The Conference
Posted by QBlog
I'm attending a conference so I may be scarce over the next couple of days.
Unfortunately, I won't be blogging this conference or posting cool photos of people posing at the podium. This isn't that type of conference but it should be that type of conference.
September 10, 2005
Awesome!
Posted by QBlog
Daring Fireball: The iTunes 5 Announcement From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal User Interface Theme
From Kottke.org
If you're a Mac nerd, you'll love this because it's pretty damn funny and if you're not, you probably won't get it.
And for the record, I never really liked Aqua even when it was hip to drool over Aqua.
PS: The Daring Fireball link contains some rough language, so sensitive ears be warned. Also, one of the reasons I found this so funny is because I just installed iTunes 5 on my old G4 dually and sat there stunned for a few moments as the absense of Brushed Metal sunk in. In fact, I was confused for only a nano-second, thinking "What the hell happened to iTunes?!?" but it's all good now.
And if none of this makes a lick of sense, don't worry. I'll be back to normal tomorrow.
September 8, 2005
Free FED
Posted by QBlog
An IBO in WWDB sent me an email about Quixtar's Free Enterprise Days (FED). Apparently there's an offer for WWDB Premier members to receive two free non-IBO guest tickets.
The IBO believes that such an offer, to non-IBOs, is unprecedented. The tickets reportedly cost $125.
Can anyone shed more light on this or provide more context?
September 7, 2005
Misleading Ads?
Posted by QBlog
Eric Scheibeler sent me a couple of emails last month pointing out that the Direct Selling Association was advertising on my blog. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about that since most of my blog displays Google Ads. However, what Scheibeler noticed is that the DSA ads were hard to spot since they appeared to be advertising something else.
See that ad above? That's an image of an actual DSA Google Ad that appeared on the Quixtar BLOG. Notice that it says, "Pyramid Scheme Alert?" Scheibeler doesn't believe that's an accident and I tend to agree with him. You see, Pyramid Scheme Alert is a non-profit watchdog organization that has been very critical of many DSA members in the past. So, why would the DSA use the phrase "Pyramid Scheme Alert" in their Google Ads? Maybe hoping to cause a bit of confusion?
In addition to the Google Ads, the the DSA also owns the URL "pyramidschemealert.com." The Quixtar Sucks blog explains:
Now what is www.pyramidschemealert.com? It is redirecting to http://www.dsa.org/selling/pyramid.htm. Not only that, look at the google ads on my blog. Pyramid Scheme Alert.com.
So What?
So, basically the DSA is running ads that say "Pyramid Scheme Alert" and direct people to a DSA website. Is this a problem? Well, that's really hard to say. The DSA site does have some information about Pyramid Schemes so the ads aren't exactly fraudulent. But are the ads as clear as they could be? No, but isn't that the case with most ads?
The important question to ask is Why? Why do you think the DSA is running the "Pyramid Scheme Alert" Google Ads? Is it to inform the public or to confuse them? Or is it a little of both? What do you think?
Tactics
If I were a member of the watchdog group, Pyramid Scheme Alert, here's what I'd do — I'd buy some Google Ads that are exactly like the ones pictured above and of course have them link to pyramidschemealert.org. Fight fire with fire is what I say.
August 22, 2005
New Addition
Posted by QBlog
Over the past few weeks many things, including this blog, have taken a back seat in my life because at the beginning of August my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Priorities have shifted. Schedules adjusted. Diapers changed.
Additionally, this wonderful new arrival coincides with the first days of school and the baby's two siblings have been busy embarking on new adventures of their own. All of this means that sleep has become as precious to our family as water is to the Fremen.
However, I'm happy to report that things in the QBlog household are finally settling down to normalcy and I think we're beginning to develop a routine once again. And yes, I'll be ordering her new "Blakey Says!" infant creeper very soon.
August 13, 2005
Amway Happy in China?
Posted by QBlog
Forbes is reporting that China is closer to approving legislation that would allow Multilevel Marketing companies like Amway to more actively participate in direct sales.
The newspaper [National Business Daily] quoted an unnamed senior official with Amway China as saying the company is happy with the approval of the draft law governing direct sales and is working to prepare for a license.
In April, MLM giant Avon won approval to test direct-selling in China while MLM businesses like Amway and Mary Kay were given the cold shoulder. In 1998 China banned direct-selling due to widespread abuse.
August 12, 2005
It's QUIXTAR You Idiots!
Posted by QBlog
A regional manhunt ended Wednesday when the fugitive couple, Jennifer and George Hyatte, were captured by authorities after a cab driver tipped off police. CNN reports that Mike Wagers didn't believe his fares' claims of being Amway distributors and grew suspicious.
Wagers said he had doubts about the Hyattes' story because they "just didn't fit the type."
"They didn't strike me as the Amway type because to be honest they weren't very pushy about their product and I've dealt with them before so -- that was my only real suspicion," Wagers said.
Wagers may have encountered pushy Amway distributors in the past but not since 1999 unless he's been driving cabs in Asia. For as we all know, Quixtar replaced Amway in the U.S. over five years ago. D'oh!
August 4, 2005
So You Know
Posted by QBlog
I've had a lot of things going on the last few days so I haven't had much time to devote to this blog. I'll be back to a regular schedule soon.
In the meantime, I suggest discussing colour perception.
July 31, 2005
Where You Stay At?
Posted by QBlog
Where do you live? If you live in the United States, what state do you live in? If you live outside the states, what country do you currently call home? This site has received thousands and thousands of visitors and I'd like to take an informal survey to see where you are when you visit the Quixtar BLOG. I'm from Tennessee in the United States. How about you?
Just leave a comment with your location. Please, no specific addresses. Your country or state is fine.
July 30, 2005
Sales Goal missed by 98.9%
Posted by QBlog
Scott Larsen's the king of Amway and Quixtar parody. His latest effort, Quixtar Exec Axed for Missing Sales Goal - Sales Goal missed by 98.9% is both hilarious and poignant.
According to an anonymous source inside Quixtar the reason for Ken McDonald's sudden "retirement" from the top position was that he could not make good on his goal to have Quixtar sales at $100 billion in just 5 years. Even after five years of business Quixtar sold just $1.1 billion, falling short of the $100,000,000,000.00 goal by $98,900,000,000. 00 To make things worse, Quixtar still has not exceeded the 1997 peek sales of the North American Amway operation, which Quxitar replaced.
Be sure to listen to the audio clips and compare them to what your favorite Diamond is saying Quixtar will be earning five years from now.
July 27, 2005
Need A Change?
Posted by QBlog
Tired of the Quixtar BLOG Forum? Yearn for the freewheeling Amway boards of yesteryear like GetFacts and Quixtar NOW? Well, Bruce Anderson runs a forum called the Baboon Brief that just might scratch your itch. Check it out, you might like it.
July 26, 2005
Majority or Minority?
Posted by QBlog
In most organizations, from multinational corporations to your local chess club, there are "good" and "bad" apples. A good apple might be someone you like and respect while a bad apple might be someone you despise and avoid. Most people can tolerate a few bad apples in an organization if it's primarily comprised of good apples.
However, when the good and bad apple ratio shifts, and the bad apples begin outnumbering the good ones, the entire organization suffers and often becomes intolerable. To better illustrate my point I'll provide an example.
Imagine that Mary volunteers at a homeless outreach. She enjoys working with others to help those less fortunate. Mary doesn't mind that out of the 15 staffers and 40 volunteers there are a couple of men who swear like sailors and tell crude jokes during break. She makes it clear that she doesn't appreciate such behavior and chooses not to fraternize with them during her breaks.
Now, imagine that same outreach filled with cursing sailors. Almost every staffer, including the director, is a crude son-of-a-gun who pokes fun at the homeless behind their backs. After volunteering for a couple of uncomfortable weeks Mary decides to find another outreach, one where she feels more comfortable. She later learns that the outreach she started with has a bad reputation within the community.
Professor Yeti
Yesterday I discovered an interesting post about Quixtar from Professor Yeti. Get Behind Me, Quixtar describes a first encounter with a Quixtar IBO who's pitch is legally challenged at best.
But now was the time for the method of this miracle machine to be unveiled. Quixtar, he explained, is like an online mall where you get paid to shop. The secret is that you can only sign up through word-of-mouth advertising - in this case the mouth being Jerry's. You buy things you'd buy anyway, like soap and toilet paper, but with key differences: the products are 30% cheaper, you get a percentage of your money back, and you have the chance to sign up others and receive percentages of profit from what they buy. And who of your friends and family wouldn't want to sign up, knowing they're getting things cheaper and that you, their friend or relative, are making money in the process?
You absolutely must read the entire post, it's quite revealing. There's not a single mention of retailing products to anyone.
What I'm wondering about is if Professor Yeti's experience is the exception or the rule? I've asked this question before but I think it deserves repeating.
Time and time again I find blog posts recounting a Quixtar IBO encounter where the IBO misrepresented the opportunity, misled or lied to the blogging prospect. Such experiences are consistent with the testimonies I find in my inbox, on Forums and in the comments of this blog.
I hear that there are some IBOs who correctly and ethically present the plan. I know a few who do this and I applaud them for obeying the law and Quixtar's own rules. Yet I can't help but think that those IBOs are a small minority, outnumbered by the types that Professor Yeti (and others) describe over and over again.
Does Quixtar have some heroes? You bet. Does it have some scoundrels? Of course. Are there many more heroes than scoundrels? I'm not sure if I can answer that question. Can you?
July 24, 2005
Sticky Wicket
Posted by QBlog
I love saying "sticky wicket." Go ahead, say it. See, isn't that fun?
And to increase your pleasure try pronouncing it with a faux, cockney-flavored British accent. Now say it with an Indian-English accent, like Apu from The Simpsons.
Having fun yet? I know I am. Sometimes I find myself in a bit of a sticky wicket. It's bloody 'ell.
Another fun word is chrysanthemum. Fill your mouth full of jelly beans and say the word "chrysanthemum."
I suppose I should get the regulars caught up on what's what. I survived the "family vacation" with just a few minor injuries and the kids are already plotting planning next year's summer adventure.
And a big thanks to the mysterious QBlog alter-ego known only as "Not QBlog" for keeping things interesting in my absence. I wish I could say that "Not QBlog" was my first choice for the guest posting position but there were several others who passed on the opportunity for various reasons.
Gene Simmons had to do an interview with Carlos Mencia, John Moltz said he's "too popular to waste time on QBlog" and it turns out that Pedro Sanchez is a fictional character played by actor Efren Ramirez. Bummer.
And of course Jason Kottke couldn't do it because he spends all his free time watching movies that he rents with money donated by gullible bloggers. So as it turns out, "Not QBlog" was "Not Busy" and "Not Working" which made for a perfect guest blogger person while I was "Not Around."
Now, say "Mid-South Mitsubishi Distribution Center" five times fast. Go ahead. Don't be shy. It's fun.
July 23, 2005
Won't let the screen door hit me
Posted by Not QBlog
Hey, Q Blog is due back and I'm on my way out. It's been fun sitting in the "big chair" for a few days.
One thing that was confirmed for me this week is that the Quixtar BLOG and Forum mean a lot to a whole lot of people out there, whether they're seeking information, looking for a fight, trying to persuade others, or just looking for some meaning in what they've been through.
I applaud Q Blog for providing a place for all of that and more. It is an awesome responsibility, and probably an equally awesome burden at times. Still, his commitment keeps the blog and forum vital and relevant for everyone who comes here, for whatever reason.
So thanks, Q Blog for sharing some of that with me. And thanks to you all for reading and commenting. It's been an honor.
Not QBlog
July 23, 2005
July 22, 2005
Walking the talk on "Walk With Me"
Posted by Not QBlog
I see that Quixtar is a corporate sponsor of the Easter Seals "Walk With Me" program, in which people in cities around the country participate in various "walk-a-thon" type events to raise money to help those with disabilities.
Easter Seals, for those who aren't familiar, is an organization that long has provided assistance to people with disabilities, along with support to their families.
According to Quixtar's online "Newsroom" the company recently won recognition from Easter Seals for its 2004 contributions, which totaled $800,000 from Quixtar and its IBOs. Clearly the company and IBOs alike have a soft spot for this particular charity. And who wouldn't, after all. It is a worthwhile cause.
Teams can sign up online to participate
Because it's Easter Seals and it's on the up-and-up, I decided to do a little more research on Walk With Me. A link from Q's Newsroom led me to the Team Quixtar page, where you can search for an event in your own community.
You can sign up for an upcoming event right there on the website. The teams and participants who've already registered in each city are listed there, along with registration deadline and route details for each event.
No teams yet for the Grand Rapids event
I didn't see a Walk listed for my community, but for fun I did a search on Michigan, which is Quixtar's home state.
The search turned up a Walk With Me event scheduled for October 1 in Grand Rapids, which is the city nearest Quixtar's headquarters in Ada. Curiously, it is not listed among the events taking place in other cities this year.
But here's something even more curious: NO teams are as yet registered to participate on behalf of Quixtar in the October 1 walk. No IBO teams. No teams from Quixtar headquarters.
Now maybe the teams haven't yet been posted to the site. Or maybe it's just too early to have signed up to participate in an event that is over two months away. I'm willing to give Quixtar the benefit of the doubt here. Surely this is something they'd promote with employees big time. With what, 900-plus people working for the company (I believe that's the number I've seen), surely Q could turn out a good-sized team. And surely they will.
I'll keep my eye on it. I just know they'll come through for such a worthwhile cause.
July 20, 2005
How was it for you?
Posted by Not QBlog
Do you remember the first time you were prospected by someone in the Amway or Quixtar business?
The first time, you ask? Well, yeah, haven't you been prospected several times over the years, like I have?
The first pitch came from a college classmate. Phil always wore a suit to class -- it was a night class, so this wasn't so unusual. Though when I think back, it showed the extent to which he embraced the business at the time. Anyhow, we were all aspiring writers, and his writing was ambitious, if uneven, fast-paced, trying-to-be detective fiction, which to me, also is on "type." We read our stuff aloud to the class, and somehow during a break he zeroed in on me.
I don't even remember how he wrangled an invitation to the married housing unit my spouse and I occupied at the time. I do remember he was surprised that we didn't seem to live hand-to-mouth like many married students did. Undeterred, he went ahead with his pitch over coffee in our tiny little kitchen, asking about our dreams and drawing circles on a pad of paper. We were unmoved. The idea of trying to convince a bunch of other people to do such a thing with us made it a no-brainer. "No way," we said. The end.
The next pitch: same time period, same place. This time it was our next door neighbors. Jenni was pregnant. Steve was ambitious. They approached us from the product angle, and they actually got somewhere with us at first, albeit only as retail customers. We bought into the SA8 system hook, line, and sinker: Detergent, fabric softener, Smashing White for the hard water. Oh man, we loved that stuff (being newly marrieds, we did the laundromat thing together religiously). But I marvel still at how much money we irresponsibly spent on that initial order -- the power of concentration notwithstanding.
The final time was more recent -- right before the start of Quixtar, as near as I can tell. Someone the spouse works with offered up a mini CD describing an Internet business in a very oblique but intriguing way. The pitch was from the perspective of an online business that just seemed to perpetuate itself. It was the closest we ever came to signing on. But then came the nagging doubt again: yes, this idea may be easier to spread via the Internet, but you still have to convince people to go with you. Maybe it's not as hard as cold-knocking on people's doors, but it is, at its base, the same principle. Again -- no way.
The funny thing about all three of these encounters was that each time, the idea seemed really exciting to us (even with the product pitch -- the idea of buying these special, super-concentrated products that you couldn't just get anywhere was somehow very appealing). But then -- fortunately, I guess -- reality set in, and we could not bring ourselves to sign on. I don't know about the spouse, but that always left me feeling slightly inferior -- like I wasn't quite good enough to meet the challenge. Yet I was always thankful that I knew myself well enough to realize this was not a business I could do.
July 19, 2005
Duck and Cover
Posted by Not QBlog
OK, you guys talked quite a bit yesterday about films. Not one of my favorite subjects (you'll notice I didn't mention movies; someone else brought it up), but hey, I'm only facilitating here.
The 1951 Civil Defense film "Duck and Cover" was added to the National Film Registry last year as "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" motion picture.
If you're too young to remember civil defense drills, this will seem especially hilarious. If you're more of a geezer, I imagine the memory evoked by this film is uncomfortably haunting.
To me, it is simply an amazing example of what we can make ourselves believe ... what we can let ourselves fear.
Reference: boingboing
July 18, 2005
The House Guest
Posted by Not QBlog
So. Here I am. In charge of the mighty, mighty Quixtar BLOG.
Wow. What an awesome responsibility. Just me and all you thousands of readers. What should I write about? Q Blog didn't give me any instructions, really. Just a few "don'ts" like,
- Don't get personal
- Don't post pictures wider than 320 pixels
- Don't respond to a comment when you're mad
Stay away from those and "you'll be golden," he told me.
Well, I've been reading this blog for awhile and I know better than that. Q Blog holds himself to a high standard for content (most of the time) and you guys are tough customers. The only way I figure I can possibly measure up is to do something different. But what?
Nothing might be nice ... Or how 'bout a quote?
Right away I thought maybe I could play hooky. Yeah. I could not write something and you could not read it and you could totally not leave any comments and ... Oh. Wait. I think he'd catch on to that. No posts. No comments. That would be kind of obvious. He might not appreciate it, either, if over the course of four or five days I lost his reader base.
Then I thought I could just post a week's worth of pithy quotes. Something to get you thinking as you began each day. Something brief, yet so powerful that you'd be inspired to go forth and make the world a better place. Something like:
"Don't let anyone steal your dreams."
Hmmm. Well, on second thought, maybe not.
The easy road's always best
So in the end I'm left with my fallback idea, the easy way out. And I want to tell ya, it's an original: Let the reader decide.
How 'bout it girls and boys? What do you want to talk about? We could talk baseball. Dogs. Music. Saving the world. OK, Quixtar. Anything you want.
Leave a comment. Spark an idea. Get something started with me. Who knows? Maybe we'll start our own spin off: Son of Quixtar BLOG. Or The Not Quixtar BLOG. No matter what: Let's just have some fun this week while Q Blog's away.
July 13, 2005
Do The Math
Posted by QBlog
A member of the Quixtar BLOG Forum recently posted a thought-provoking entry that analyzes the math of the Quixtar business. I made a few edits for grammar.
» From Let's Do The Math on a Direct Group
2004 commissions paid ($373,000,000) divided by average commission ($115/month x 12) = ($1,380)
Number of active IBOs (270,290) times the success rate of Diamonds (0.0076%)
Number of Diamonds (21) divided into number of "active" IBOs (270,290)
Number of IBOs per Diamond = (13,158)
That's 13,158 people making practically nothing. Of course the Diamond is only making about $149,942 before business expenses and taxes.
That's good money, but not exactly millionaire money. Gee, I wonder where that million dollar lifestyle comes from? Oh yeah, the 13,158 people below them throwing (conservatively) $200 a month into the tool system.
$200 x 12 x 13158 = $31,579,200.
NOW THAT'S MILLIONARE MONEY!
Now, after reading that analysis tell me what's right or wrong with it. Is the number of IBOs per Diamond off? If so, what should that number be? Keep in mind, most of the numbers in this analysis come straight from Quixtar.
July 11, 2005
DeVos For Governor?
Posted by QBlog
From NixGuy.com, "a network administrator blogging about tech and politics from suburban Cincinnati."
Focus on the MI Governor's race: Oh, no.
In an ideal world, the Michigan GOP would do a sister-souljah on the Devoses and tell them while their money is welcome, their influence and control is not. Unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world and Dick Devos, son of the founder of Amway and former chairman of the company has announced his candidacy for governor of Michigan.
With the money he's spread around and his longtime activities he must be viewed as frontrunner for the GOP nomination. On the issues his conservative credentials are solid, that's not the problem. The problem is that the pall of Amway is going to hang over this campaign and remind every Michigan voter that Amway money controls the Michigan GOP. Not good.
July 8, 2005
Revenge of the QBlog Curse
Posted by QBlog
I'm beginning to believe that the QBlog Curse is real. I'll explain.
My wife is a Quixtar Member. She joined up last year with the intent of buying some Artistry products. She never actually bought those products for various reasons but I ended up buying some XS Cherry Blast last October. And while I really enjoyed the drinks, the Quixtar shopping experience didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped. But what the hell, mistakes can happen in any business right? You bet.
So today I decided to shop around Quixtar to find something else to review. The Kahveccino drinks on the Beverages page looked tasty so I got out my bank card to purchase a 12-pack. Notice the KAHVE promotion in the graphic below? That's what I clicked to start the purchasing process.
However, after clicking the promotion I was greeted with the following error page. Was this a temporary glitch? Apparently not. I checked back several times throughout the day with the same results.
But hey, errors happen right? Sure. Now, where would Quixtar put a flavored Cappuccino drink? Hmmm. Maybe under the "Cappuccino, Hot Cocoa, Cider & Soup" category? Well, as you can see below, the Khaveccino I desired was absent from the Cappuccino category. Where to next?
Aha! There's a Khave Coffee category which I suppose is the parent brand of Khaveccino. Success right? Well, maybe not. As you can see the Khaveccino was placed at the bottom of the second page of the Khave category. I nearly overlooked it but my persistence paid off.
Now the delicious Kahveccino was just a few mouse clicks away. I noticed the price, $25.65, but heck that's just a bit more than $2 per 14 ounce bottle which doesn't seem so bad. Sure, it's pricey but I can deal with that for a product review right?
Wrong! After taxes and standard shipping the bill totaled $34.05 for a dozen 14 ounce bottles of Mocha Kahveccino. That's over $2.80 per bottle. My common sense kicked in and whispered, "there's no way you're paying $34.05 for those 12 bottles." However, after doing a little Froogling I found that buying a dozen bottles of Starbucks Frapuccinno actually cost a little more per ounce ($.26 per ounce compared to Quixtar's $.20.2). Yipes! This coffee stuff ain't cheap.
So, about that QBlog Curse...
Maybe I'm not really cursed but I was a little miffed that getting the Kahveccino in my shopping cart wasn't as simple as I'd expected. Oh well, next time I bet everything will work perfectly and the QBlog Curse will go the way of the Bambino's Curse.
June 30, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Getting A's In Business
Posted by QBlog
This is the sixth and final installment of the Quixtar Leader Series.
» Harteis Business Insights: Getting A's in Business - (originally posted June 29, 2005 at Randy Haugen Headlines)
Quixtar IBO Fred Harteis offers his advice on getting straight A's in business: Accept, Approve, Applaud, and Appreciate.
by Fred Harteis
When working with my potential or developing leaders, I keep the four A's in mind. The letters remind me to Accept, Approve, Applaud, and Appreciate.
Accept means that I accept my responsibility as the leader. I model the behavior that I want to see in my team.
The next three A's remind me that people tend to thrive in an atmosphere where they are Accepted, Approved, and Applauded. Potential leaders will take risks and learn lessons if they are not penalized for the behavior.
Great leaders in every field know that acquiring and keeping good people is a leader's most important task. Equipment tends to lose its value. People are assets. They can grow and add more value over time if the leader understands how to develop their potential. That's our focus at Harteis International and Harties Associates.
About columnist Fred Harteis
Information: Fred Harteis owns Harteis International and serves on the Independent Business Owner Association International (IBOAI) board. A background in construction and agri-business laid Harteis' business foundation. Under Fred’s leadership and vision, Harties businesses like Harteis Associates have grown exponentially.
Keywords: Fred Harteis, Harteis International, Jerry Harteis of Harteis Associates, Business News
© 2005 provided to Randy Haugen Quixtar blog by Esource News.
Keywords: jerryharteisofharteis, randyhaugenquixtar, harteisassociates, esourcenews, hartiesinternational, fredharteis, harteis
I hope you enjoyed the Quixtar Leader Series. I know I did. If you missed any of the previous entries here they are for your reading pleasure:
What did you learn from the Quixtar Leaders? How have their messages helped improve your understanding of the Quixtar business? In what ways do you see their blogs impacting the overall quality of so-called Blogosphere?
Please leave your comments and thank you.
June 29, 2005
True Lies
Posted by QBlog
Yesterday a site visitor sent me an email that he received from some IBOs in Orrin Woodward's TEAM organization. The site visitor, whom we'll call Ludwig, is good friends with the TEAM IBOs and explained that they are contemplating an exit from Quixtar and TEAM. Ludwig also said that his IBO friends had expressed some concerns to their upline after recently discovering Quixtar's direct connection to Amway.
In response to those concerns, the IBO's sponsor sent them an email to convince them to stay in the business. After receiving the email, the IBOs forwarded it to Ludwig and he then, with their permission, forwarded it to me.
I was given permission to publish portions of the email under the condition that it remains anonymous and doesn't directly identify the IBOs, their upline or Ludwig. What I did is excerpt the most interesting portions of the email and edited them a bit to maintain anonymity. I'm also adding my own comments after each excerpt.
...We know about all the websites that bash TEAM and Quixtar. As with all businesses, there are always a few people that are negative and like to make it known.
Often on these sites, the people do not reveal their identities and if they do, they represent someone else that is not necessarily honest.
For example, there is a man that bought lots of stuff from Quixtar to inflate his PV to go Diamond. He wrote a book which was sold as the most expensive book by the system.
After his diamondship fell apart, because he just did not have the organization to back it up because he basically bought his diamondship, he decided to head up a movement against Quixtar and anyone and anything affiliated with it. He has a website and signs it under a different name where he only tells half of the story to make it look bad - but the picture is incomplete - which is quite unfair in my opinion. So a question to ask ourselves is "How reliable is the source? Who do we listen to?"
Who is this man? Bo Short? He's admitted to buying most of one leg in Honduras but I haven't seen or heard anything accusing him of buying products to reach Diamond.
Or maybe the email isn't referring to Bo Short? Maybe it's some other former Diamond. I don't know. It doesn't provide a name.
And ironically the vast majority of websites that criticize Quixtar are run by people who are very upfront about their identities. There's Scott Larsen, Robert Todd Carroll, Dave Touretzky and Robert FitzPatrick to name a few.
Contrast that with the Quixtar and Diamond run blogs. There's Kia, Bobble, ahb and TheNedster to name a few.
...So what does this all mean?
Well Quixtar has a team of lawyers looking after all the legal issues for their affiliated IBOs.
TEAM is standing strong by the following principle: "People who have integrity expect to be believed and if they are not, they let time prove them right."
Also check out Orrin's site where you will find an attorney's perspective.
It's also convenient that the attorney perspective linked from Orrin's site is an IBO in the TEAM organization. That couldn't possibly be a conflict of interest.
...TEAM's founders did start out in the old business model so they obviously kept all that they thought would be beneficial to the growth of the TEAM including books and CD's.
Why? Because our business is not shopping on line but developping leaders. So, they had to keep and improve on the system to help people develop the necessary skills.
That is why the TEAM is known today to have the best leadership development program — the growth of the TEAM proves it. In 2003 the entire TEAM membership was 30,000, now we are near 100,000. So does this work, yes.
TEAM has 100,000 members! Someone better tell WWG. Also, that would mean that roughly half of all active IBOs are in the TEAM organization. Interesting.
...The TEAM is also the only organisation that profit shares below diamond. Usually all the money from the system would go to the diamonds and they decide what to do with it. The TEAM is run differently, it is based on franchising principles not multi-level. The money goes into the TEAM pot and is profit shared back down to a little lower than Platinum level.
...So the benefits of participating in a concept like Quixtar remains the convenience of e-commerce, the great customer service they have, and the profit sharing program on our purchases. No other store gives us up to 25% of purchases back.
Notice that there's no mention of actually retailing products to customers.
Where to begin? I really don't know what to say. Such emails are consistent with my limited experience with Quixtar and consistent with what IBOs have shared with me over the last couple of years. There's a mountain of misinformation that's repeatedly fed to IBOs and nobody seems to be doing a damn thing about it. Not one damn thing.
And you know what? Ludwig's friends are leaving the business partly because they feel like they were misled. How many others leave for similar reasons? How many more IBOs would there be if Quixtar acted more aggressively to stop the flow of such misinformation.
Why won't they do it? Why won't Quixtar draft a comprehensive strategy to end the lies and swiftly punish those who spread such rubbish? I don't know. Maybe it's money. Maybe it's ego? It's the big mystery.
What I really want to know is if YOU have been told similar things by your upline. If you want to keep your anonymity, post a comment with a pseudonym using a fake email address. Just let us know what group you're affiliated with and what misinformation you were told by your upline.
Thanks.
June 28, 2005
Burning Ears
Posted by QBlog
I don't normally use this blog to promote the QBlog Radio but today I'd like to direct your attention to a couple of recent shows that I believe are worth a listen. There's a Conversation with LawDawg and an Interview With Imran. Great stuff, fun and educational.
If you're not a regular QBlog Radio listener then now might be the time to get in the habit. There's at least one new show a week and now that I can record Skype conversations I may produce shows a bit more frequently.
June 24, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Getting Along
Posted by QBlog
This is the fifth installment of the Quixtar Leader Series.
» Getting Along With People - Be Like-Able - (originally posted February 22, 2005 at Billy Florence - Founder of TeamDCI)
One of the greatest predictors of a person's success is their ability to get along with a wide range of people. Job skills without people skills can make your work life unnecessarily difficult. Billy Florence is a master at people skills.
Orrin Woodward: If a young professional was interested in developing their people skills what's one tip you'd give them, Billy?
Billy Florence: Orrin, I'd suggest that you focus on developing their relationship skills in baby steps. It takes persistence and practice. I've noticed that many of the people who do this best, had to learn this skill over time.
Orrin Woodward: That's sensible. What is a first baby step?
Billy Florence: Step one would be to focus on the word "like." Orrin, if we genuinely like people, like to talk to them and like to be helpful to them; they will genuinely like us, too.
Orrin Woodward: I agree, Billy. And thanks for stressing the quality of being genuine. It is vital.
Billy Florence: How about you, Orrin? What do you suggest for the second baby sep?
Orrin Woodward: I'd add "able" to the word "like," Billy. I've known some brilliant and talented people, who make it tough for others to be "able" to like them.
Billy Florence: What's causes that difficulty, Orrin?
Orrin Woodward: I've noticed that they have parts of their attitudes or personality that can be described as "scratchy."
Billy Florence: Scratchy?
Orrin Woodward: Yes! They can often rub people the wrong way.
Billy Florence: So, am I hearing you say that developing the skill of genuinely liking people and listening to them is an excellent exercise for smoothing out any scratchy personality patches?
Orrin Woodward: Exactly.
© provided to Bill Florence blog by Esource News. Keywords: Orrin Woodward, Billy Florence
June 22, 2005
Alternative Weekly
Posted by QBlog
Why do Quixtar Employees and IBOs read this blog? Does it make them laugh? Cry? Angry? Do they read it because they secretly agree with me or maybe because they love to disagree? Or perhaps (and I hope this is why) they read it because it's just a damn good blog and they appreciate quality writing even if they don't always agree with the expressed opinions? Maybe.
Most large cities have at least one daily paper and what's commonly referred to as an "alternative paper." The Alternative Newsweekly in each city is generally published as a tabloid (while the daily is usually broadsheet) and has a habit of taking shots at the local daily.
I work for the local daily.
The "alternative weekly" in my area hits newsstands every Wednesday. I make a point to pick up a copy each week and the first thing I read is the column that takes shots at my employer.
Why am I so eager to read the "bash the local daily" column? Is it because it makes me laugh? Sometimes. Cry? Never. Angry? On occasion. Is it because I secretly agree with the criticisms? I agree at times but disagree just as much.
The reason I regularly read the "bash the local daily" column is that it's about me. Ok, it's not really about ME (well, once it was about me) but it's about something that consumes a large portion of my life and creative energy. It's about something that I know a lot about. It's about my friends, colleagues, associates, bosses, etc.
Even when it's critical (and it usually is) and even when I don't agree, I still like to read the column because... well, because it's about something I know.
So, why do Quixtar Employees and IBOs read this blog, even though this blog is often critical of what they do? Maybe for the same reasons I read the "alternative weekly." Maybe this blog is the equivalent of an "alternative weekly" to Quixtar's local daily? What do you think?
June 21, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Customer Focus
Posted by QBlog
This is the fourth installment of the Quixtar Leader Series.
» Ron Puryear Talks: Customer Focus - (originally posted June 19, 2005 at Fred Harteis International & Biznet News Today)
No matter what the business type customer focus is number one. Afterall, where would business be without customers? To stay in business you have to keep your customers happy and Ron Puryear has valuable tips in customer focus.
Ron Puryear, WWDB: "Business rises on falls on its customers. The people who interact with the customer should be the most highly trained, but this is rarely the case. These three quick quotes address three important principles of having a costumer focused company..
If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful. - Jeff Bezos
We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better. - Jeff Bezos
Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships. - Michael DellRon Puryear leads WWDB (World Wide Group) and is a member of IBOAI.
Billy Florence, Fred Harteis, Greg Duncan, Don Wilson: IBOAI
IBOAI, official trade association, lead by 2005 board president, Billy Florence, with past president Fred Harteis , vice president Greg Duncan, treasurer Don Wilson serves and protects the business interests of Quixtar powered IBO's (Quixtar IBOs) throughout North America.
Fred Harteis owns Harties International.Billy Florence leads the Team DCI TEAM and owns Equad News www.e-quadnews.com. Greg Duncan leads WWDB World Wide Dream Builders.
© provided to Fred Harteis blog by Esource Business News
Keywords: Puryear, Ron, SmallBusinessNews, RoyPuryear, quixtar, IndependentBusinessOwner, Harteis, fredharteis, Fred
I can't resist adding just one little comment of my own. The three quotes that Ron Puryear mentions above are among the top six quotes on the Customer Quotes website. Ok, I'll try to keep quiet for the rest of the Quixtar Leader Series and let the esteemed Quixtar leaders have the metaphorical floor.
June 20, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Choice Hotels
Posted by QBlog
This is the third installment of the Quixtar Leader Series.
» Orrin Woodward: Partner Review of Choice Hotels - (originally posted June 19, 2005 at Ron Puryear WWDB Quixtar)
Quixtar IBO Orrin Woodward reviews one of Quixtar's partners, Choice Hotels. Independent Business Owners can enjoy up to a 30% discount when they stay in any of the Choice-brand hotels. That adds up with business travel!
A relevant value added benefit for business travel. --Orrin Woodward
Membership does have its benefits. Independent Business Owners have a great discount on Choice Hotels. That always comes in handy with business travel.
Choice Hotels are everywhere so you are sure to be able to stay and save no matter where you travel. Save up to 30% off the regular rates at participating Choice(TM) Hotels, worldwide. Choice Hotels International is one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world. Built on the foundation of the venerable Quality Inn chain, a pioneer in consistent mid-priced lodging, Choice Hotels today is the worldwide franchisor of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn brand hotels.
Quixtar IBOs can reserve online or call 1-800-533-2100. Have your Quixtar ID card ready.
Orrin Woodward and Laurie Woodward are members of IBOAI.
IBOAI: Serving and Protecting Business Owners
IBOAI, official trade association, led by 2005 Board President Billy Florence, with Past President Fred Harteis, Vice President Greg Duncan, and Treasurer Don Wilson, serves and protects the business interests of Quixtar-powered IBOs (Quixtar IBOs) throughout North America.
Fred Harteis owns Harties International.
Billy Florence leads the Team DCI and owns Equad News: www.e-quadnews.com.
Ron Puryear WWDB and Greg Duncan lead WWDB World Wide Dreambuilders.© 2005 Ron Puryear WWDB Quixtar blog
Keywords:
orrinwoodward, ronpuryear, billyflorence, teamdci, donwilson, ronpuryearwwdbquixtar, quixtaribos, gregduncan, quixtarpoweredibos, gregduncanleadwwdb, wwwequadnewscom, fredharteis, hartiesinternatioanl, lauriewoodward, iboai, Quixtar
June 17, 2005
Daddy, What's A Pyramid Scheme?
Posted by QBlog
An alert reader sent me a copy of something called the "Pocket Plan." It's a fascinating little document, a tiny brochure small enough to fit snugly into a pocket or purse. Of course the "Plan" referred to in the "Pocket Plan" is the recruitment pitch used by Quixtar IBOs to generate new business.
Apparently the "Pocket Plan" is being distributed by the EiBiz motivational group, part of Quixtar leader Dexter Yager's InterNET Services Line of Affiliation.
What's noteworthy about the "Pocket Plan" is that not once, in the entire script, does it mention that IBOs are required to sell products. The script explains that by "redirecting your buying power, you create business volume" but never mentions that IBOs must meet "specified retail selling requirements each month" to receive any income.
The Facts
According to Quixtar's "Scam Alerts" page the sales-based compensation plan is what distinguishes Quixtar from illegal Pyramid Schemes.
1. Sales-based compensation. Compensation in the Quixtar Plan is based on sales of products and services to consumers. An IBO who sponsors other IBOs earns income based on his own sales and on sales made by the IBOs he sponsors. IBOs cannot receive income based on sales by downline IBOs without meeting specified retail selling requirements each month. Unlike Quixtar, pyramid schemes often do not require the sale of products to non-plan participants to earn bonuses.
Additionally, Quixtar's Business Reference Guide (pdf) clarifies the specific requirements for selling products to retail customers:
4.22. Member/Client Volume: In order to obtain the right to earn a Performance Bonus on downline volume during a given month, an IBO must (a) make not less than one sale to each of 10 different retail customers (e.g., Members or Clients); or (b) have at least 50 PV of sales to any number of retail customers; or (c) have $100 at Member/Client Volume Cost.
So if IBOs are required to sell products, why doesn't the "Pocket Plan" mention that requirement? Why does it repeatedly characterize Quixtar as a way to "buy from [your] own business?" Isn't that a Pyramid Scheme? Let's see what the FTC has to say about such plans:
In pyramids, commissions are based on the number of distributors recruited. Most of the product sales are made to these distributors - not to consumers in general. The underlying goods and services, which vary from vitamins to car leases, serve only to make the schemes look legitimate.
Deception?
Ouch! It looks like the "Pocket Plan" is promoting a Pyramid Scheme instead of a legitimate business (anyone know how to contact Quixtar Business Conduct & Rules?). Coincidentally, the "Pocket Plan" is very similar to what I was shown several times while my wife was involved with Quixtar. We were encouraged to change our shopping habits and teach others to do the same. We were also admonished to ignore the Member/Client Volume Rule (Rule 4.22 cited above). My wife didn't know any better and she trusted her "friends" and believed that they wouldn't lie to her about how to operate her Quixtar business. And maybe her upline didn't know any better either, seems that ignorance of the rules is pretty common among Quixtar IBOs.
IBO Cost
I want to point out one more problem with the "Pocket Plan." On page 5 of the plan it states that one can become an IBO "for around $130." The problem is that it only costs $42 to become an IBO and Quixtar makes that very clear in the Business Overview.
What does it cost to get started?
The annual business fee for IBOs is $42. It includes:
- Quixtar Business Services and Support fee.
Quixtar's corporate services include full access to the Quixtar website, order processing, customer service, business information services, bonus payment administration, business reporting, technical support, and more. You'll also receive selected product catalogs and other business materials.- Independent Business Owners Association International (IBOAI) membership fee.
As an IBO, you may support your trade association, the IBOAI, which, through its Board of Directors, provides a channel of communication with Quixtar on key issues affecting your business.- Independent Business Owners Benefits Association (IBOBA).
IBOs automatically are eligible to participate in this nonprofit association offering valuable business liability and property protection plans at this favorable group rate.
To repeat the earlier question, why is the "Pocket Plan" misleading? My guess is that those who created it understand that selling soap, energy drinks and water filters is hard work and not something that excites the average Joe. But telling the average Joe that he can earn thousands of dollars by simply shopping at Quixtar is virtually guaranteed to get his attention. And the dirty little secret at Quixtar is that nobody in Ada seems to care whether IBOs sell products to customers or not. That's why the "Pocket Plan" gets published and distributed.
I'll even make a prediction: Quixtar won't do a damn thing about this "Pocket Plan" and those responsible will continue to misrepresent the Quixtar opportunity with impunity. Just call me Nostradamus. If there's one thing Quixtar has perfected over the years it's the art of "looking the other way."
June 16, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Seeing The Good
Posted by QBlog
This is the second installment of the Quixtar Leader Series.
» Orrin Woodard of Team - Seeing the Good - (originally posted May 12, 2005 at Orrin Woodward Team Resources)
Saw in interesting quote yesterday: "NO ONE IS SO GOOD THAT HE HAS NO BAD IN HIM, AND NO ONE IS SO BAD THAT HE HAS NO GOOD IN HIM."
We human beings are a complex lot. Most religious writings and great literary works are based upon the constant struggle between good and evil that goes on inside every one of us - a struggle that is as old as mankind itself. Yet, while we recognize our own inner struggles, most of us are often quick to condemn others. Not so Orrin Woodward. Years ago, Orrin decided to focus on the good he found in others and point that out ot them.
Rather than being so quick to criticze, why not make it a point to look for the good in others? Nurture the good character traits. Like plants in a garden, the character traits that grow strong and productive will be those that are fed, watered, and weeded regularly. Feed the good and watch the results.
June 14, 2005
Quixtar Leader Series - Priority
Posted by QBlog
Several Quixtar leaders (such as Fred Harteis, Brett Deimler and Billy Florence) operate personal blogs. However, I fear that nobody reads them and I want to do my part to end their blogging obscurity by exposing the Quixtar BLOG audience to the insight and wisdom of Quixtar's most exciting leaders.
I'm calling this the "Quixtar Leader Series" and each entry will be an exact duplicate of the Quixtar leader's blog post with links back to the source. I will not edit for grammar, spelling or anything else.
If some of these blogs seem familiar, you may remember them from the infamous "So Busted" post from January. Yes, they're still around and better than ever!
Ok, enough with the intro crap, let's get to the "Quixtar Leader Series."
» Deimler: What's The Priority - (originally posted June 13, 2005 at Deimler International Inc.)
I ran across an article the other day titled "Harteis Business Insights: Setting Priorities". This is a great article for helping anyone set their priorities in the right direction to be successful. Wheather success is at work, in their own business, at home, etc. this article will help you out. I always hear Brett Deimler say the same thing that was mentioned in this article: "Priorities set people apart. Leaders never grow to a point where they out grow their need to prioritize."
I found this to be so true! To me a leader starts at home. Being a full-time wife and mother I have to set my priorities even more today. I like what was say about a list in this article: "Daily everyone should write a list of the thing that need done tomorrow and list them in order of importance not convenience". I don't know what I would do with a list to keep me focused and on track.
I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.
Keywords: i, harteis, brettdeimler
June 12, 2005
Do You Remember When?
Posted by QBlog
Please leave a brief comment if you remember the old QBlog design pictured below. Since we can't raise our hands, just saying "I remember" will serve as a substitute.
Thanks.
June 11, 2005
The QBlog Curse
Posted by QBlog
Beware the QBlog Curse!
Or maybe I should say Beware the QBlog Jinx! Beware!
Scary stuff ain't it? Have you ever been hesitant to publicize your sporting predictions for fear that you'd somehow jinx your favorite team and cause them to lose? I know I have. Or how about that whole "knock on wood" thing? You've done that right? You say something definitive like, "I've never been in a car wreck, knock on wood." That's the fear of the jinx. Knocking on wood is some sort of superstitious jinx antidote.
So, where was I going with all this? Oh yeah, Quixtatic. There once was a wonderful blog run by a Quixtar employee named Kathleen. The blog was young, still finding its place in the world but had tremendous potential. After holding my breath for a few months I decided the blog wasn't just some blessed accident and lauded its departure from the fare other Quixtar sanctioned blogs produced. My post, titled "Thumbs Up Quixtatic" pointed out why the blog was worth reading and for a brief moment I felt a glimmer of hope for Quixtar's blogging future.
Alas, last month David Robison reported that Kathleen, the Quixtatic blogger, had shuttered her blog for good.
I contacted Kathleen, author of Quixtatic and expressed my dissapointment over the demise of her Quixtar-related blog. I told her that as an IBO, I had grown to rely on her insight and thoughtful posts as they relate to MY OWN Independent Quixtar Business.
She expressed some remorse over closing Quixtatic, but has decided to pursue blogging on a more personal scale. For those readers that enjoy her style of writing, even if it doesn't relate to Quixtar, you can still enjoy Kathleen's thoughts at "Things I Have Seen."
And the curse... or jinx. Well, I posted my Quixtatic kudos at the beginning of April and about a month later the blog was gone. And when I say gone, I mean gone. Deleted. Vanished. Coincidence? I sure hope so but the circumstances sure do have the old gears in my head spinning — all three of them.
Why did the entire Quixtatic blog get deleted? Why not leave the content up but just end the updates and even disable comments? Or why not move the posts to draft state, instead of deleting the whole blog? This whole thing has me suspicious but of what, I'm not sure. It just reminds of the Memory Hole from 1984 and I really don't like Memory Holes. Doughnut Holes I like. Memory Holes I don't like so much.
So, good-bye Quixtatic blog. Wish there were more like it. And if my "thumbs up" post jinxed anything, I'm truly sorry. Now, this year the Cubs will win the World Series for sure!
June 9, 2005
Mainstream Baptist Discusses Amway
Posted by QBlog
According to his blog (Mainstream Baptist), Bruce Prescott is the host of "Religious Talk," a local radio show, and president of the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS, pronounced Oz-Cuss). Last month he posted about "Amway's Victims" and pointed out an article by Bill Berkowitz that explored the story of former Emerald Eric Scheibeler.
What's interesting to me is that Prescott is publicly stating that Amway is a pyramid scheme. But he doesn't stop there, he continues by calling out "fundamentalist ministers."
I suspected that Amway was a pyramid scheme with a lot of hapless victims. Too many fundamentalist ministers that I knew were so heavily invested and so blindly committed to it that it was impossible for them to make objective judgments about it.
I often find that people either vigorously support or vehemently oppose the Amway/Quixtar business. However, I don't often find public figures (locally or nationally) who speak so definitively about the business and I take notice when they do.
June 6, 2005
Forbes Must Read
Posted by QBlog
The Mark Glaser article about Quixtar's use of Google-bombing made the Forbes list of Ten Must-Read Tech Stories. Cool.
June 4, 2005
Retirement Strategy
Posted by QBlog
Man Retires Comfortably from J.O.B at 55!
Ada, MI (Amway Parody Press) - In news that shocked the Multi-level Marketing world and especially Amway/Quixtar, a man named "Ken" has announced his retirement at just age 55 as an employee from a lesser known multi-billion dollar corporation called Alticor.
The man had been an employee since 1977. "Ken" noted that he was not an Amway/Quixtar distributor and he was able to accomplish this feat without havng any residual income from any Amway/Quixtar distributorship.
May 27, 2005
AutoBlogger
Posted by QBlog
If you blog, you must watch this advertisement for AutoBlogger.
Maybe the WRTF should use this tool instead of the Google Spam they churn out.
May 25, 2005
An American Moment
Posted by QBlog
I depart from the usual Quixtar-related rhetoric for a moment to refelct on a column by Keith Thompson titled "Leaving the left." I was struck by Thompson's clarity of thought, his honesty, his love for his country and most importantly, his courage to stand up for what he believes is right.
Here's an excerpt but I encourage you to read the entire column:
Nightfall, Jan. 30. Eight-million Iraqi voters have finished risking their lives to endorse freedom and defy fascism. Three things happen in rapid succession. The right cheers. The left demurs. I walk away from a long-term intimate relationship. I'm separating not from a person but a cause: the political philosophy that for more than three decades has shaped my character and consciousness, my sense of self and community, even my sense of cosmos.
I'm leaving the left -- more precisely, the American cultural left and what it has become during our time together.
I choose this day for my departure because I can no longer abide the simpering voices of self-styled progressives -- people who once championed solidarity with oppressed populations everywhere -- reciting all the ways Iraq's democratic experiment might yet implode.
No matter what you're politics may be, Thompson makes some damn good points.
May 19, 2005
Define Prosumer
Posted by QBlog
"Prosumer" is a word I frequently heard when my wife was an active Quixtar IBO. From the way it was used I assumed that a prosumer was someone who bought products from Quixtar instead of a traditional retail outlet. "Don't be a consumer and buy from Wal-Mart, be a prosumer and buy from Me-Mart!" What marketing genius came up with "Me-Mart" anyway? Ah, but I digress.
So, what does "prosumer" really mean? I can't seem to get a conclusive answer from the IBOs I've asked so I searched the Internet. Tipped by an alert reader I found a prosumer definition at World Wide Words.
...coined in 1980 by the futurist Alvin Toffler — in his book The Third Wave — as a blend of producer and consumer. He used it to describe a possible future type of consumer who would become involved in the design and manufacture of products...
And a site called The Word Spy describes a prosumer thusly:
- A consumer who is an amateur in a particular field, but who is knowledgeable enough to require equipment that has some professional features ("professional" + "consumer").
- A person who helps to design or customize the products they purchase ("producer" + "consumer").
- A person who creates goods for their own use and also possibly to sell ("producing" + "consumer").
- A person who takes steps to correct difficulties with consumer companies or markets and to anticipate future problems ("proactive" + "consumer").
And of course Wikipedia has a very thorough definition of the word including a reference to that wonderful book, the cluetrain manifesto:
More recently, the cluetrain manifesto noted that "markets are conversations" with the new economy "moving from passive consumers ... to active prosumers."
So, what does prosumer mean and are Quxitar IBOs using the term correctly? From my limited exposure to the word's usage within Quixtar I'd say the word is used incorrectly or at best, in a new way. But I may be wrong. I honestly don't know. The word is just one of those words that people hear and nod and don't think much about. It's a good word, I like saying it (unlike Me-Mart which I hate saying or hearing). Prosumer. I'm a prosumer. You're a prosumer. We prosume.
So what do you think prosumer means? And do you believe Quixtar IBOs are using it properly or do you even care one way or the other?
May 8, 2005
Return to Routine
Posted by QBlog
I'm finally back home from the BlogNashville conference. Had a great time. Did a brief podcast about it available at QBlog Radio. Frankly I'm too tapped out to provide a full recap right now but I'll have one posted sometime soon.
I met a lot of really cool people. Met a few snotty assholes. Learned a lot. Got some new ideas. I want to do something similar (on a much smaller scale) here at home. Get some of the local bloggers together and maybe just toss ideas around and see what happens.
Ok, off to bed now. Take it easy cheesy.
April 26, 2005
Old School Blogging
Posted by QBlog
Old School Blogging — Just to prove I still "got it" though I'm not entirely convinced I ever "had it."
It's now 6:48 a.m. and the house is still quietly snoozing. Even Wendy the Wonder Dog is sleeping soundly in her crate. Of course the cats are awake. That's the way cats are. When I think they should be sleeping, they're awake — scratching on a laundry basket, protecting us from attacking socks and knocking things off tables.
I've developed a few "Cat Laws" that I believe are universally true and definitely apply to my beloved felines.
- A purring cat resting on a lap renders one immobile. It could conceivably be used by law enforcement as a perfect (or should I say Purrfect?) and humane restraint system.
- A cat will never want to leave a room unless the door to that room is shut.
- Cats have long memories and like the Klingons, enjoy serving their revenge cold (reference).
Anyway, I like my kitties but one continually vexes me by urinating on various door mats. She's been to the vet and we've tried everything but nothing works. My wife and I have a theory — she's exacting revenge on me for accidently stepping on her several years ago. She's small and I'm not and she's never been quite the same since that fateful day.
Oh yeah, I won the Incredibles XBox game over the weekend. What a fun game! And when I say that I won the game, I mean that my kids demanded that I play while they watched. And they loved watching. I guess a good game is one that's as fun to watch as it is to play. I think we'll be getting Robots next.
Well, that's about all the news from Lake Wobegon. I must get a coffee refill and go wake the rest of the family. My friend Allegra D is kicking in now so I'm almost feeling myself again. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.
April 20, 2005
What Is LGTWO?
Posted by QBlog
What exactly is this Let's Get The Word Out website? That's a great question and one that I wasn't able to answer until recently. When I first learned about LGTWO, I thought it was some sort of online "Free Speech Network" that former Amway Emerald Eric Scheibeler was using to promote his whistleblower book, Merchants of Deception. Why I thought that, I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was the design? Maybe it was the Free Speechy name? I really have no idea but I later realized that LGTWO is a site specifically designed to promote Merchants of Deception and not some larger network open for similar book promotions.
What is MOD?
Merchants of Deception is an "insider's look at the worldwide, systematic conspiracy of lies that is Amway/Quixtar and their motivational organization." It was published online last year and is still circulated around the globe. If you haven't read it yet, grab a copy (for free) and get busy.
And So What is LGTWO?
A guy named Dan Hollings runs the LGTWO website. It's actually a pretty cool site, once you get past all the ads and multi-links. The way it works is that visitors can log into the site and "sponsor" a word for a couple of bucks. According to the site:
Most of the monies donated will be used to further the cause, help others who have suffered, or cover legal expenses in worthwhile lawsuits. To this end, LGTWO will work with Pyramid Scheme Alert (www.pyramidschemealert.org), a non profit consumer rights organization. We of course must feed the crew, pay for developers, licenses, techie stuff, hard costs and invest a bit in getting the word out, so we've estimated between 20% to 30% will be used in this manner.
So, when you sponsor a word LGTWO provides a personalized page that you edit and can use to tell your story. You may also add links and photos and a bunch of other stuff. It's really not a bad little tool and I believe Hollings built the whole thing himself (correct me if I'm wrong) so that's pretty impressive.
Sponsor A Word? Huh?
I didn't "get" the whole word sponsorship thing at first but I sort of understand it now. LGTWO is publishing Scheibeler's book as HTML (which can be indexed by search engines more easily than a PDF) and each word is up for sponsorship. For example, visit the first page of chapter one and notice that a few words are actually links. Click a link to read the story of whoever sponsored that word. There's some real potential there. Imagine MOD becoming the platform for literally thousands of others to tell whatever story they have to tell.
So, check out the site. It can be confusing but hang in there and it sort of makes sense. I'd personally rather just read the PDF version of the book than wander around LGTWO but to each his own I suppose.
Criticism?
I should also add that there's something about the entire LGTWO site that rubs me the wrong way. The design and all the links and... I just don't know but it doesn't excite me. Pages like the Expanded Site Map scream, "Search Engine Manipulation" and I'm not too keen on that practice. I understand why it's done but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm not sure it violates Google's Guidelines but it sure seems... well, a little spam-like.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that some questions have been raised about Dan Hollings' motives. I'm not really sure what to think. I've had a couple of email exchanges with Hollings and he seems like a decent fellow and I don't have any reason to suspect anything but I'd just really prefer a lot more disclosure on the LGTWO site. I think that's it actually — there's not a robust "About" page and I there really needs to be one. A page that just lays it all out in simple black and white.
Just Read
Anyway, the main point is that LGTWO is a nifty way to get people to read a book. That's about it and to that end, I think it works. The technology underneath LGTWO is pretty slick and I'm not sure I've seen anything exactly like it on any other site. So, I encourage you to at least check it out and see what's going on for yourself.
It's 420 Dude
Posted by QBlog
If you're a youngun' then you probably understand the significance of today's date. I won't tell you why April 20th appeals to young people, you'll have to guess!
And while you guess, let's see what was happening on this blog two years ago:
The Quixtar Revolution - Found this out-of-print book on sale at Amazon.com. Seems to be a very inspiring look at the Quixtar business and the success it has achieved in a short time. Odd that it's out of print but maybe the Quixtar faithful didn't really need to read the book because they already know all the details. Here's a couple of reviews of the book on Amazon
Not a very exciting post, but hell, it was April 20th! That's worth something, right?
April 16, 2005
QBlog Sucks In Ada
Posted by QBlog
A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words.
» Get your own QBlog Gear at CafePress. A portion of every purchase helps support this site.
April 13, 2005
A Moment of Zen
Posted by QBlog
A blog entry by MavRyx succinctly describes how IBOs have "given up the right to have a normal conversation."
But everything that he said, no matter how innocent, and no matter how far off subject, I just kept looking for clues .. clues that he was trying to make a pitch. A pitch for Amway, Britt, Quixtar, take your pick... and as I sat there and listened and dissected his conversation I learnt something interesting. It dawned on me that this was EXACTLY the kind of conversation that someone making that pitch would try to create. I engaged in it -- constantly looking for the loophole that he would step thru and say, aha, "yes, but I have this great new idea, that I think you should try..."
The strange part of the story is that he never did. He was just a guy, talking to another guy, on a train out to suburbia, looking to make new friends. I was sorry that I was such a cynic for a fleeting moment there... (more)
April 9, 2005
Chinese Give Avon Nod, Not Amway
Posted by QBlog
News reports indicate that Avon has been given the greenlight to "test direct-selling" in China.
Avon was the only firm to get such permission from the Ministry of Commerce while global rivals such as Amway and MaryKay failed.
Analysts believed the approval was rooted in the government's appreciation of Avon's abidance with related rules in China and its favoured business model.
Guess Amway's got its work cut out for them in China.
April 6, 2005
Idea For Founders Diamonds
Posted by QBlog
When you reach the Founders Crown level in Quixtar you might consider buying one of the cool islands off the coast of Dubai. The artificially created islands are positioned to form the shape of the continents of the world. Sweet!
There's much more info available from TEN Guide and of course The World, as the islands are cleverly named, has its own promotional Web site.
February 5, 2003
Comments and losers and other notes
Posted by QBlog
Hey, I think something got screwed up with the commenting system at Haloscan, the people who facilitate the comments. If you left a comment and don't see it here any more I did not delete it. It just disappeared. If you left some comment and now it's gone then please re-comment or send me an email.
Also, this is from one of the comments left on this site:
Losers will always find a way to defend losing, while winners will continually outperform all spectators and naysayors. I have been an IBO for three years, and have never accheived beyond the 1,000 point level. I will be the first to tell you that this is strictly a failing of my own activity level, and no reflection on the business. Within 2 years, I will be at q12 level, pulling in over $50,000 per year in passive income. Winners make $$, losers make excuses. Losers usually have much more time for creating excuse-based websites than winners do.
- louie gimbutis
I really love the last comment, "Losers usually have much more time for creating excuse-based websites than winners do." I have no idea if this is a reference to this site and don't really care, what amuses me is when others take the time to explain why you are wasting your time doing something that you enjoy. If a guy enjoys posting pictures of ham salad on the Web then by golly, go for it. If some lady gets a thrill out of telling the world the habits of her cats then I say Hooray. It's interesting to me that when people hear a voice in opposition to something they believe in they immediately assume that the other person is wasting her time.
People are funny like that. If you feel someone is wasting his time building and maintaining a Web site then ask yourself whether you're wasting your time reading it. Anyway, I appreciate all comments, good, bad or ambiguous. This site is mainly for me, and if you like it too then cool. If you don't like then cool too. By the way, for the curious, this site is not costing me any money at all. However, Quixtar is costing me a lot of money. I know, I know...can't compare them...but it's just an observation.
February 4, 2003
Upline and help
Posted by QBlog
I called my upline the other day asking for help or advice or direction or something. This whole Mortgage thing (see previous post) had me pretty scared and I began to realize that my wife was convinced that spending for Quixtar stuff (tools, conferences, etc.) was inherently beneficial no matter what the cost to our family now. After all, every business requires some investment to achieve success, which is true but hardly what I wanted to hear when I was pulling money out of retirement to pay our mortgage.
So I called my upline and basically just ask for any tips, guidance or advice on how to present the reality of our situation to my wife in relation to Quixtar. I was just asking because he's a "friend" and "mentor" and NOT because he has any sort of responsibility for my present financial situation. I made this extremely clear, that I was simply looking for pointers and didn't know who else to call. He got a bit aggressive and began telling me that he undoubtedly spent as much or more money coming to my home and helping my wife build our business than we had in the past month. This did not make me happy. It suddenly seemed like a competition to see who was MOST devoted to Quixtar and that maybe he was suggesting that I just not worry about all the money I spent on Quixtar this past month.
So I asked him if he had spent close to 50% of his net income on Quixtar and Quixtar related products in the past month. He suddenly didn't want to compare our expenditures any more. Ha. And I'm not making that up...my wife spent about 46% of our Net income on Quixtar tools, trips, products, etc. and you know how much Quixtar paid her this month? Less than 1/2 of 1% of our Net income.
In all fairness, my upline is a decent guy and graciously offered to go over my finances to see what could be done. I didn't ask for this but he offered. My only hope is that when he sees how bad our situation is that he will quit pressuring my wife to spend so much on trips and tools and crap and we can begin repairing this financial mess and maybe even building a business where expences won't exceed income by 1000 to 1.
February 3, 2003
Mortgage Update
Posted by QBlog
Just so you know...we can pay our mortgage, it's just that I've gotta take money out of savings (retirement money) to pay it. Just wanted to be sure nobody thought I was about to be homeless.
January 18, 2003
A brief note...
Posted by QBlog
Went to a Quixtar house meeting last night where a silver showed the plan to about 15 people. Briefly I just want to mention one thought I had during the plan. There was a graphic he drew on the WhiteBoard showing a house and a job. He drew lines showing the trip from home to work and from work to home. Each line for each day of the work week ended up looking like a circle. The "cycle of the J-O-B." I couldn't help thinking, "Well, let's replace the work with someone else's home, or a Quixtar conference or my home or hotel banquet room, etc." The cycle remains. What changes is where you are going and what you do when you get there. If you like doing the meetings and events then Quixtar is FOR YOU. I happen to like my job to some extent. Yes, I hate this particular cycle but swapping it out with a Quixtar cycle doesn't really appeal to me either.
January 13, 2003
Contrary opinions
Posted by QBlog
One of the primary things you'll hear in Quixtar is that you should look to the winners. If you have questions about the business or how to succeed then simply look at those who are successful and learn from their triumphs and mistakes. At the same time they mention that examining the "losers" is a bad idea because they don't teach you anything except how to lose. By losers, they generally (but not always) mean those who have something negative to say about Quixtar. People who have "failed" at the business are not deserving of your time or ears.
This actually makes sense and I don't have much problem with the logic behind it except for one point ... it discounts ALL contrary voices as those of losers and unworthy of your time. Anyone who says that you should never listen to other opinions seems to have something to hide. Enron would love for you to never listen to those who have something negative to say about their business practices. Does that mean that the naysayers are losers without the ability to see or speak the truth? We could also list WorldCom (a business affiliate of Quixtar), Martha Stewart or any number of "Pyramid Schemes" (Quixtar is not a pyramid, just using examples here folks) would love to have you never listen to contrary opinions.
My point is that voices of opposition can often be extremely valuable. Don't shrug them off or dismiss them as losers but instead try to discern which voices (pro or con) are actually telling the truth. People lie. People in Quixtar lie. People out of Quixtar lie. Don't trust anyone. Depend upon yourself to find the truth and learn to filter out the crap from the good stuff.
January 10, 2003
Challenge
Posted by QBlog
Just looking around at all the Quixtar-related sites out there and good-gracious. They all look like crap. Every single site related to Quixtar looks like it was designed by some high-school kid with FrontPage in 1997. You people are making millions in an INTERNET business, buy a freaking clue and hire a cheap Web designer and get some help. I'm serious. What is it about Quixtar? People who are against Quixtar are just as guilty. All the anti-Quixtar sites out there just plain suck. But at least they have an excuse because they aren't multi-millionaire double diamonds. Anyway, my Challenge is if ANYONE can find at least ONE decent looking Web site somehow primarily related to Quixtar I will send you an hours worth of good wishes. Doesn't matter what the slant of the site is, just needs to be primarily about Quixtar. Thanks. Prove me wrong kids.
December 26, 2002
Multi-Level Marketing
Posted by QBlog
The next time someone in Quixtar says that the business is NOT multi-level marketing ask them if they've seen This Page that says, "The Amway Sales and Marketing Plan, which has been recognized and cited by federal and state courts as the example to follow for multi-level marketing plans and after which many other direct selling companies have modeled their plans."
Then ask them if they'd like to modify their earlier statement.
November 24, 2002
Become a Navy SEAL
Posted by QBlog
Here is why I'm not in Quixtar. It's just not me. I'm not cut out for it. Most of the tapes I've heard say that it isn't for everyone. I'm one of those people. Not everyone can be an astronaut, president, navy SEAL or lawyer and I just can't be a Quixtar IBO. I kinda wish I could be. It would seemingly solve a lot of problems. But I can't.