Information Control Part 2

Back on August 14th, I posted a response to good ol' Michael and QuixtarIBO on Javert's blog here.

Unfortunately, I guess my response was too in your face and would have generated too much of an exposure as to how weak the Quixtar business really is.

Again, we seem to be dealing with information control, and while it is disappointing, it shows how IBO's choose to deal with resistance. Either ignore and minimize or refuse to acknowledge it.

Javert has a great blog, and most certainly is welcome to do whatever he wants on it. It's his blog. However, I do feel that if you are out there opening the lines of communication, then you are opening them, period. Not just when it suits you. I feel that if you allow comments, you should allow all of them. Not just a few that you agree with.

With QRush, at least there was no attempt to allow dialogue, it was just a smattering of his thoughts. My personal experience is that you do not see selective comments appearing on any of the critic blogs. If you know of one, I would certainly take that back.

In any event, it was a refreshing lesson in how things work in the Amway/Quixtar world. Thanks very much Javert, for showing how you run things, and how you handle criticism towards your business. It was very revealing.

I hope everyone has a great day!

This Is Why

I got a call yesterday from a guy I hadn't seen nor heard from since high school. I had just gotten home from the gym, and my wife told me that this guy was on the line.

I'm thinking when I get on the phone, this better not be what I think it is. I'm sure you all know what I thought this was about.

In any event, he started up with some small talk, asking how things were, how the family is, and what I've been up to. You know, the usual stuff.

The whole time, I'm thinking, "If this is Quixtar, I'm going to freak out". I was getting suspicious of some guy I went to high school with in the 90's who was calling me, and asking how I was doing!

Then he says that he's calling because a mutual friend of ours is getting married at the end of the month, and he's organizing a stag paintball game on Saturday.

I felt like a piece of crap. Here was this super nice guy, asking me genuine things, in a genuine way about how my life is going, and I'm all closed up and short with him. I thought there was no other reason for this guy to be phoning me, other than to share this "opportunity" with me.

Well, we just talked for about a half hour after that, and it was a nice conversation. I enjoyed hooking up with him again, and I am especially looking forward to peppering him with paint this weekend, along with a bunch of other old high school buddies.

I guess I tell you this to help you, constant reader, understand why I have taken the position I have with being anti Amway/Quixtar. It's been over 10 years since I was involved, and I still hate the thought of how it operates, and how it preys on the hopes, fears, and dreams of people, and seldom delivers.

I am still affected by my involvement. Not financially, not emotionally, but just personally. I don't wake up screaming at night, and I don't pee my pants when I use a "negative" product. But there's just something that stuck with me, you know?

I don't want to be suspicious of people who are friendly to me.

Can you dig that?

What's Your Beef?

So I am curious...

If you are a Quixtar/Amway critic, why? In one sentence, why?

If you are a supporter or IBO in Amway/Quixtar, why? In one sentence, why?

I'm having an epithany of sorts today, and this fits my mood.

Congrats are in order for Dave Robison, who is now a guest blogger at Quixtar Blog.

I have decided that my overall view on Quixtar is extremely (ooohh, this hurts) negative. Really. Bordering on an unhealthy level. I gotta address it.

My goal for the next 2 months is to say something good along with everything I criticize. However insignificant the good will be, there will be good.

I would appreciate being kept on track with this, so, if you catch me not doing this, gimmee hell.

Later, Skaters

Information Control

I got to thinking today when browsing around Amway/Quixtar sites.

Any experience I have with IBO's, there is an attempt to control the conversation, or steer it in the direction they want it to go. I think about how when you spoke to people in the system, it always seemed like they were not listening to you because they were thinking about what they were going to say next. When the questions start to get really hard, they (are taught to) all of a sudden are in a hurry and leave without answering any of the questions they aren't comfortable answering.

I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but I think that IBO's try hard to control information. All the time, when they can.

What's worse, I don't think they don't realize they are doing it.

I think 2 way communication is critical, and if you are not interested in 2 way communication, you should think about why that is.

If you think that information can be controlled, you are sadly mistaken, and should quit trying to fool yourself.

Instead of expending so much effort on that, you should perhaps direct the effort deciphering why that type of thing is taught in your "business".

This Just In...

I didn't know this site existed until now.

Check it out

Surprising Six-Figure Jobs

I was browsing through Yahoo! News today and came across this article by Tom Van Riper.

It struck me for a number of reasons, but the two major ones were:

- You can make good money in a number of different ways. You're not without hope because you are where you are now. You can change things. You can make new decisions to be more successful, if you don't feel you're successful enough already, and Quixtar is far from the only way of accomplishing this. Just don't develop a piss poor attitude about jobs because of what certain people may say.

- This was a very telling line here:

"Be a business or life coach but not both"

It seems that the author understands the meaning of the term conflict of interest.

Amen my brother from another mother.

Amen

Straight From The Mouths Of Babes

"I even buy from myself at retail."

This was posted by an IBO in defense of yours truly expressing that the prices in Quixtar are not of good value (again).

I can see an IBO trying to boost their perceived retail sales in Quixtar, but is this really a solution to show profit? I mean really, who's kidding who here?

I'm not sure if this is what the author of that post meant to express, but that's what I'm seeing. You actually document that you pay the retail price for a product, and pay more sales tax on the higher price, but then feel good because you made a little more profit?

What I am seeing is now "I"BO's are fooling themselves into showing profit? AND they admit it?

Am I missing something?