Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar

Every Friday, Sinking In Quixand will post a new entry titled 'Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar'. This is of course, not official Quixtar commentary on the subject, but your rights as perceived by myself and others.

As an IBO powered by Quixtar, you have the right to: Learn from the experts.

Then, when you're financially independent, you can purchase a stationary Bike! : )

Breaking the 'Curse'

The Red Sox win the World Series! Woohoo!

What's it gonna take?

I've taken a few days 'off' so to speak to gather some perspective. As I read through the posts on various blogs, it strikes me as curious that there is such a polarity in pro/con Quixtar dialogue as of late.

I know, I know...No surprise there. But it made me ask myself two interesting questions:

There are some very hard working IBOs out there who, no matter what us critics say or no matter what information we present, will never convince you that there is reason to consider walking away. So to that, my question is this:

What is it that would have to happen to cause you to reconsider your efforts in a business powered by Quixtar?

On the flip side of the coin of course are those of us who are critical of the Quixtar opportunity or even MLM as a whole. The question here is obviously similar but worthy of consideration as well:

Is there anything in the Quixtar business model that, if it were changed, would cause you to re-evaluate the opportunity and sign up?

Since I present these questions, I feel obligated to answer the second one.

In order for me to consider the Quixtar opportunity as one that presents itself as a viable alternative to a conventional carreer I would have to see the following:

1. Elimination of the tools system and arbitration process.
2. Steady growth over a five year period after the elimination of the tools and arbitration process.
3. Greater success rates.

Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar

Every Friday, Sinking In Quixand will post a new entry titled 'Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar'. This is of course, not official Quixtar commentary on the subject, but your rights as perceived by myself and others.

As an IBO powered by Quixtar, you have the right to: Arbitration.

It's always good to know that your protected, isn't it?

Who's Who

The big stuff. It happens now and then. You have a big decision to make and you need to bounce it off of someone. You know, get a different perspective. So who do you talk to. I'll give some scenarios and as you read them ask yourself "who would I think would be the best person to talk to about this?".

I'm wondering if private or public school would be best for the kids. Who do I talk to?

I'm thinking of a career change. Who do I talk to?

I'm thinking of buying a new car. Who do I talk to?

I'm looking for a good church to join. Who do I talk to?

I've been having some problems with the wife/husband. Who do I talk to?

Now, I know that there are at least some IBOs who say that their upline is the best source for advise on one of these subjects. Heck, I'd say that anyone who is looking to buy a car could ask me for my opinion and I'd give them tons of info (although a bit more skewed to favor Audi, but we all have our preferences). But for those who would seek upline advise for all of the above (and I know there are some), I would ask why? Is your upline so influential and well read that you would trust them to sway even your biggest decisions?

Just curious.

Rice, Rice, Baby!

Ah, the great ones. Unitas, Payton, Favre, Montana, Marino. And who could ever forget the great Seahawks receiver Jerry Rice.

Sure, some will call him an old has been. But what a valuable mentor he'll be.

Nothing like a good mentor (now, where have I heard that before?).

Go 'Hawks!

The Big Conundrum

In reference to the questionable ethics of the Quixtar business, I've heard it said many times by many IBOs. "Sure, some people will always be dishonest, but you will find that in the real world too. I will choose to run my Quixtar business ethically and above reproach." (I'm paraphrasing of course).

A noble idea, and one that should be commended.

There are, however, two main problems with this way of thinking.

First there is the issue of turning a blind eye to the wrong doing that is admitted in the above statement itself. The IBO admits that there is indiscretion, yet decides that it is not egregious enough to warrant not being involved. At what point then, does condoning dishonesty through your involvement become an issue? Does it at all? How does this not become an issue for the otherwise good intentioned IBO?

The second problem in this statement is the fact that this method of IBOship cannot be accomplished, despite the best efforts of the IBO. The business model itself is inherently structured to be one that is dependent on the failure of the majority. So an IBO is left to make a choice as to just how low the ethics bar needs to be set in order to have a somewhat clear conscience in the matter.

How do IBOs deal with this conundrum once it is presented and realized? Perhaps it is yet another issue to turn a blind eye to.

Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar

I'm going to try something new for a while:

Every Friday, Sinking In Quixand will post a new entriy titled 'Your Rights as an IBO Powered by Quixtar'. This is of course, not offical Quixtar commentary on the subject, but your rights as perceived by myself and others.

As an IBO Powered by Quixtar, you have the right to: Make $3.38 per hour.

"Wooo Hoo! Sign me up!

Can I get a witness?

One of my main areas of concern with the business of Quixtar has always been the religious angle that is promoted.

I was once given a tape by my now former upline who knew I was strong in my Christian beliefs. I think he felt that by showing me that the business lifts up the name of Christ and expresses their belief that the Quixtar plan is 'blessed by God’, that he'd ease some of my concerns. The effect was the complete opposite.

Something was definitely not right with this. I was really upset about it and I immediately turned to God's word for guidance. I'll say this right now to all the Christians out there who may be considering this endeavor: ALWAYS seek the wisdom of Christ through the teachings of the Bible. Your upline will NEVER be able to give you the spiritual guidance that the word of God will.

I prayed about this because I was unsure if I was just being critical or if there was something God was trying to say. I asked for wisdom in finding the scripture that could help me discern the truth. I turned to psalm 146 (New International Version):

1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their PLANS come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-the LORD , who remains faithful forever.

What stuck out for me was verse 3 and 4 where the Psalmist talks about the PLANS of the Princes. I looked further to try to find out what was meant by this description. He is referring to Princes as influential people who are in reality mortal. It reminded me of the Diamonds who are exalted to such a high place that they become like gods. The word PLANS also stuck out for obvious reasons.

I was also reminded of a sermon our Pastor preached on the 10 commandments:

"You shall have no other gods before Me." I thought of the kingpins and the perpetuation of materialism.

"You shall not make for yourself an Idol" spoke to me about the pursuit of riches and luxury.

"You shall not covet." This is a great reminder of the attitude of jealousy concerning your boss’ income.

"You shall not take the name of the LORD you God in Vain." How could this relate to Quixtar? Now, most consider this the offensive 'Goddammit' or "Jesus Christ!" exclamation. But I think it goes further:

Anytime someone uses the name of God as a means of furthering their own agenda or manipulating the will of others they are taking the name of the LORD in vain.

The last commandment that stuck out was "You shall not steal". Of course, much debate could be said about how this relates to Quixtar. More than the material or monetary things that are stolen from those involved in Quixtar, it’s the issue of time being stolen that I have issue with. I’m talking about time from children, time from spouses, and time from family. This breaks my heart when I see this in the families of Quixtar. Your kids are only kids once.

I'm not perfect. Far from it in fact. But I know that Quixtar is not going to make me a better Christian.

Please, prayerfully consider this decision and look to God's word for guidance. Not your would be upline.

God bless.

A stroke of genius.

Check it out. Here's the link:

http://www.cafepress.com/quixtarblog

Qblog, you're a genius.

Make it stop!

I was going to post today, once I gathered my composure after my beloved Seahawks fell apart yesterday and lost in OT. But then the packers get their butts handed to them on national television. Oh, man! My head's spinning. Maybe tomorrow.

I think I need a hug.

Plants?

I'll never forget one of the living room presentations I attended.

There was a guy there that was a 'friend' of the host who had an unusual amount of questions as the plan was shown. Most of his questions seemed to be of the sort that opened the door for the host to be able to expand on his previous talking point and the question asker would respond with a "Wow, that's amazing!" type of an answer.

I left with the feeling that this guy was planted by the host.

I remember hearing somewhere that this was not uncommon, but never heard about it from anyone else.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Do IBOs sometimes use 'plants' to influence the group? Does this raise any moral dilemma?

Sign of the times?

What does it mean to the hard working IBO who discovers that the average Joe can now purchase products from Quixtar's site without a referral IBO number?

Qblog and MLM Today (www.quixtarblog.com & http://mlmtoday.blogspot.com/ respectively) are both posting about this latest news from the Quixtar front.

MLM Today brings up some interesting hypotheticals regarding Britt, Yeager, and Qrush and Qblog has generated some expanded commentary as well. But what I'd like to know is if there are any who share my genuine concern for the hundreds of thousands of IBOs who could potentially be left out in the cold so to speak (I use those words because Quixtar's site mentions nothing about this new availability, at least not that I could find even when logged in as an IBO).

Now, I realize that us bloggers are all speaking hypothetically, but what if? What if this is a sign of bigger things? Certainly Quixtar is in a position to separate themselves from the bad publicity of late, what with Dateline's story and the legal troubles of key leadership. As MLM Today suggests, the relationship between Quixtar and the IBOAI has been stressed. He also points out that Quixtar has been running ads for Nutrilite products for months now. The AQMOs are an obvious hurdle to Quixtar's credibility on the e-front. What would stop Quixtar from making the unfortunate but necessary business decision to dissolve the 'system' concept in order to become a big player in e-commerce?

So I ask again. What does this mean for you?

This One Thing.

My wife and I had a great conversation last night about her involvement in Quixtar. We don't talk much about this as it can get a little heated (who would have thought that Quixtar would be a point of contention in a marriage?).

It was a really great conversation. I asked her one question that I realized will have different answers for different people, so I thought I'd ask it here.

What is it about the MLM concept that appeals to you on a business level over a conventional occupation? I'm not talking about Quixtar here. I'm talking about the basic concept of Multi-Level or Network Marketing. There was something about it that made you decide that it was a better choice for you than what you were doing at the time. What was it?

I asked my wife this question, and ask it now because I have a difficult time understanding what it is about making an honest living that doesn't appeal to those involved in MLM.

I give you the floor.

The dreaded bye week

I'm a football fanatic. When September rolls 'round, my kids and I like to sit in our family room and cheer on our beloved Seahawks.

So today is my least favorite week in the NFL. The 'Hawks have a bye week so I'm stuck having to watch the Broncos and the Bucs until we get to the evening game where I can at least root for the 49ers to beat the Rams.

But this post is not about football. It's about the concept of resting. I'm a firm believer in it. You gotta make sure you take some time out for yourself. This is one of the toughest things for us Americans to do. We're so busy, that we forget to give ourselves a rest. We pay for it with our health a lot of the time. I wrote a similar post last month (http://sinkinginquixand.blogspot.com/2004/09/labor-day-10-15-hours-per-week-for-2-5.html#comments ), but I think it's important enough to reiterate again.

You work hard whether you are in a J.O.B. or an IBO so make sure you give yourself your own 'bye'.

Take it easy.

And, Go Seahawks!

Here's to good friends...Tonight is kind of special.

Well, tomorrow will mark one month here at "Sinking in Quixand." I will say it has been quite an experience.

Through the last thirty days as I look at what I've posted, I'm learning some interesting things about myself.

I speak from the heart at times, speak from the head at times, and according to some (including myself), speak out my @#!&* at times. I've tried to be light-hearted with stuff and have even managed to get a little heated with some of you.

So what does all of this mean? I guess I'll let you decide. My only assessment would be that I'm doing okay with this blogging thing, but I could probably use some help with the technical end (I'm still trying to figure out how to put a links menu on the side bar, so if anyone can help speak up).

To all those who've visited, thanks. I appreciate each and every one of you. Even those who may not necessarily agree with me. That's what makes our dialogue so dynamic.

I'm looking forward to continued conversations in the months to come.

Take care. Here's to you (I'm hoisting a cold one right now).

Jason