Amway Global.com - Official Site of Amway Global / Quixtar Inc.
I am Amway Global. Are you?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I just finished reading a post by Chuck Lia about the business transformation we're going through. He praises the company for the journey we've begun, but points out areas where he feels we need some more work. One of those concerns is continuing use of the curiosity approach and the damage to our reputation that it causes.

When a prospect asks an IBO what business is being presented, they have the right to a straight answer and, in fact, many of the programs we've put in place over the past year or so are all about providing those straight answers.

Last year, when we introduced the Quixtar Business Opportunity Brochure (QBOB) to replace the SA-4400 as a mandatory document prospects must see when being shown the plan, we did so to ensure no person joining this business was unclear about what they were being asked to join and knew what activities would need to happen in order to earn income, especially in the short term. I think the QBOB does a good deal more, but its basic role is to provide a basic snapshot of the business opportunity and the information people need to make an informed decision.

The current ad campaigns and sponsorships like Tina Turner's tour and the YMCA, meanwhile, help in another way. These promotional campaigns will primarily help IBOs who proclaim to the world that they are indeed Amway Global IBOs. At the San Francisco National Spotlight event, I heard numerous testimonials from IBOs about people who called them to find out more about the business or the products because they saw the ads. This wouldn't happen unless people knew they were in our business. 

The same thing's true for products.  If people don't know you sell Nutrilite and Artistry products, our promotional efforts won't help you. For instance, check out a recent review of Artistry Time Defiance Illuminating Essence.  Or the one provided for Artistry Essentials Soothing Creme. When one of your friends reads the positive reviews, she should know that you sell Artistry so that she can give you a call.

I have received more calls this summer than ever before. Now that our ads are appearing and we're announcing sponsorships, people with ad space, services and events to sell are all hitting me up -- because they have seen in public places that I manage advertising, PR and sponsorships for the company.  (HINT: You will get swifter response if you submit proposals to Advertising@Quixtar.com or Sponsorship@Quixtar.com).  The point is, people know how to get hold of me. Do they know how to reach you?



Comments

e.rod. said:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 #

Hi Robin!

I have a couple of questions. Do I have an Amway biz or do I have a business in partnership with Amway? Do you get what I'm saying? When I present myself to folks, I say that I have a business of my own. My company is XYZ...and I market Amway products. But isn't that different from saying that I am Amway? For example, I can sell X soda in my store but I am not an X soda salesperson. What is your interpretation of the "independent" in IBO? I think some of us are still struggling with this presentation of ourselves. Should we be known as Amway salespersons, or respected business owners who happen to operate from home, on the internet, with a wonderful line of products. Does this make sense? Can you help me out with the answers to these question - I think it's a matter of balance. Thanks!

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EDITOR'S NOTE:  You definitely are independent. In the eyes of the world, however, you represent Quixtar North America/Amway Global. So, telling someone you have your own business is great. But you need to state that your business is affiliated with Quixtar/Amway. So, you're right, maybe I AM Amway is too strong for some people. But, I also hope that everything we're doing right now to increase awareness and favorability for our brands will make IBOs want to say that anyway.  I hope that makes sense!  -- RL

rdknyvr said:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 #

Robin, your posts are not showing up on the Opportunity Zone home page.

With respect to the "curiosity approach," you would be surprised at how many people have had it ingrained into them to say anything but "Amway" or "Quixtar" when asked "what's this about?" The QBOB has to be used when showing the plan, yes, but not when prospecting, and it's the prospecting stage where the "curiosity approach" has been standard operating procedure. You're not going to displace it merely by coming up with a brochure that is used later on in the process.

I agree that folks would be fools to not take advantage of the fresh wave of positive publicity and image building thats come from the ads (and sponsorships -- thank you!!!).

Dwight Spaulding said:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 #

Robin,

I had written to Beth D. about the posibility of a cap with the Amway Global logo and something like "Great Products, Great Opportunity" on it.

Also, some guidlines/examples of ads that we can put in the newspaper/C of C Newsletters and other local ways of advertising would be nice; as well as a format for a listing in white/yellow pages we could follow with our own information would be great also.

Tex said:
Thursday, August 14, 2008 #

Robin, let's be clear what the point is we're talking about.

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There are different groups of people, and different situations, that we are exposing the business to.

.

For instance, you may approach some folks at your church, and word probably gets around real fast that you're the Amway guy. No big deal. There is also a sense of trust in a group that you a member of. In that setting, there's much less of an issue with posting your Amway business card, etc.

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If you post your business in a neutral location (telephone book, newspaper, etc.) and people look there after seeing an advertisement, no problem.

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However, if you bump into someone you don't know at a store, for example, and declare "I'm in Amway, how 'bout YOU?" (I know I'm going overboard a bit, but you know what I mean), they will probably go home and google Amway and find all kinds of true and untrue dirt related to Amway. In this setting, you don't have a chance, partly because people like me have taken great effort to educate propspects about the true dirt.

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In this situation, it is much better to not use the Amway name until you show them the marketing plan. I personally don't have an issue with using your own business name (Tex Enterprises, for example) when asked this question. You will lose some people immediately if you tell them it's Amway, and you will lose others later because you didn't tell them it's Amway (during the contact only, not hiding it while showing the marketing plan, like TEAM used to do), but I believe the number you lose in the latter case is MUCH less than the former.

.

Clean up the tool scam and allow the reputation to recover, and I'll be happy to use the Amway name when contacting.

GA said:
Thursday, August 14, 2008 #

I used to agree with using the curiosity approach in fact I built a platinumship using it.  But I had to sponsor 100 partners to do it because most couldn’t deal with the stress of people ‘finding out its Amway’ and the feeling they were being deceptive.  So many quit over it that we fell out of qualification.  

The transformation has helped us develop direct/product approaches that we use with far better results.  I agree an approach has to be appropriate for the setting but would argue even when dealing with a new acquaintance directly bringing up the Amway Global products and business model as the best solution for what they want is the secret to future success.  People are just too savvy and sensitized to the deception of the ‘Amway dance’ and as Robin said you miss out on the support of a national media campaign if you don’t mention QA.

We have lost a few prospects/customers by disclosing the Quixtar / Amway Global affiliation up front but I think most of those would have bailed later anyway.  What we’ve gained is fewer people quitting the business – I think because the whole deception thing is gone.

Jeffrey said:
Thursday, August 14, 2008 #

As INDEPENDENT business owners, the very first thing we need is a customizable receipt where we can customize our logo, business name, LOS or LOA, contact information, and the ability to sell products in eaches, such as the Meal Replacement Shakes or other things that the COMPANY REFUSES to break out in eaches. We also need to be able to generate a receipt for non-registered customers. I and others have asked for this for nearly two years and we have yet to receive any kind of response, even when I have called and asked. What is the big deal about it? I'll see you in Omaha to ask again in person. I'm not going to stop asking for this simple change. This is something we need TODAY.

Tex said:
Friday, August 15, 2008 #

GA,

.

I don't have an issue with you taking a different approach. However, the curiosity approach issue pales in comparison to the tool scam. What are YOU and YOUR group doing about the tool scam, which typically keeps IBO's from generating a net profit until they reach about the Platinum level for most IBO's?

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Jeffrey,

.

Breaking everything into eaches is expensive. You can generate a receipt for non-registered customers right now. Go buy a receipt book at Office Depot and go for it.

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Robin,

.

Speaking of "I am Amway Global", when is there going to be a response to the 2 recent lawsuits filed in Texas? See http://www.amquix.info/amquix_whats_new.html, August 12th and 15th entries. These are both MUCH bigger issues than the curiosity approach or eaches. The Amway/Alticor blogs have been "dead" for months. I get the idea you want to promote your own agenda, but you also need to figure out how to shine some light on the other side of the issues so you don't appear to be a "Gestapo" organization. Even a high level, legalistic, non-statement statement with comments disabled is better than silence. Welcome to the internet age.

.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Oh Tex. Sigh. Really? You said "Gestapo?" Oh well. The "size" of an issue depends on your perspective, I guess, although I don't know how a lawsuit about insurance is bigger than deceptive business practices. You will have to approach the administrator for Amway/Alticor blogs to determine when they will post again. I honestly don't know what's happening with the lawsuits so there's nothing I could possibly say about them. This has been true for litigation in general. Our legal counsel likes to abide by court directives to keep things confidential. We need to let the process work itself out, I guess! 

.

P.S.  I agree with you on eaches discussion, although I'm sure there are exceptions to every rule.  It's just very hard trying to be all things to all people in this business.  With regard to your comments to GA, I think business reputation and the curiosity approach go hand in hand -- the first necessitated the other. That said, the curiosity approach is itself contributing to reputation issues. People don't like it when IBOs don't give them straight answers to the question "Is this Amway?" -- RL

Jeffrey said:
Friday, August 15, 2008 #

Non-registered customers do not count towards the CVR and we already have Customer Order Forms on the site. I don't feel that the request is out of whack. And if breaking up cases is too expensive, how much money does the company make on cases of cereal, meal replacement shakes, and Smart Menu entrees that sit in the warehouse because people do not buy them? I'm really trying to be nice about it but it is extremely frustrating.

Tex said:
Friday, August 15, 2008 #

Robin,

.

Oh Robin. Sigh. Really? I said "appear to be a "Gestapo" organization." It's not me saying these things, it's others. Again, you misinterpreted what I was saying. I hope I got across the idea you don't have to put out very much information to take the initiative, instead of handing it over to others. What's the point of claiming transparency and allowing others to trash you about posting some lawsuits and not others? I "get it" when it comes to keeping necessary legal information confidential, and a simple statement that all information on a certain lawsuit is being kept confidential under court order would suffice.  

.

If not blurting out Amway is so deceptive, why have you allowed it to continue for several decades?

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On the other hand, the insurance lawsuit appears to affect all IBO's paying for the insurance, and giving them a sense of confidence of coverage, that they should not have.

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Just like Quixtar not taking action to revise rules that have been ruled "unconscionable" in several federal courts, some of which have been on the books for several years, which is the subject of the other lawsuit referenced above.

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I already have some requests on the Amway/Alticor blogs, and have seen several others who have submitted posts asking for an update that have received silence for several months. But I will take up your suggestion to contact them via e-mail.

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EDITOR'S NOTE:  Tex ... yes, I know, you never say those things.  You only repeat what others are saying.  Show me where someone compared us to a Gestapo organization.  Until you told me in your comment that there were such lawsuits, I wasn't even aware of them. Besides, transparency doesn't mean you have to "blurt out" a statement the second happens. The courtesy of a response is always appreciated, of course.
.
And you're right, transparency doesn't mean you have to "blurt out" that you represent Amway. It does mean that you don't obfuscate that you do when asked a direct question. I don't think I've ever said that there isn't room for concepting. I understand that. After awhile, however, some people go through several different "concepting" approaches and they begin to recognize the signs and ask, "Is this Amway?"  At that point, it would be dishonest to say anything but "Yes."

TWS said:
Friday, August 15, 2008 #

The curiosity approach has not caused damage to the reputation of this business, being deceptive and lying has caused the damage. There have been many instances when people misuse this approach, but the approach itself isn't bad. I use this approach all the time with high levels of success.

But let me point out one thing. If a prospect at anytime during the initial contact process asks me if this is or has any affiliation with Quixtar, my standard response is: Yes. Quixtar, is the contracting corp. What have you heard about it?

But the main reason I use this approach (among others) is 20-28 year-olds (my main target demographic) may not have a preconceived idea about this business, but Uncle Charlie TRIED it back in '79 and says its a ripp-off. So before I can develop any relationship/trust and share MY story, Uncle Charlie blows them out.

I'm very optimistic about the ad/image campaign and believe it will make a big difference in the near future. And if the direct approach (which I have used) seems to be a good strategy, I will add that more regularly to my "bag" of approaches.

But please don't hang the "curiosity approach" out to dry just because some people have misused it. That would be like saying, "I knew a guy who was in Amway. He was a con-man. The whole thing must be a scam." Hmmm...sounds familiar.

Tex said:
Friday, August 15, 2008 #

I used "Gestapo" in quotes to characterize behavior, not to quote someone else's exact words. However, you can find links by googling Amway/Quixtar and Gestapo. The point is some lawsuits are given lots of visibility (various TEAM lawsuits last year, both sides), and there is silence on others (like the ones above). I've seen plenty of comments on various blogs regarding this behavior, and the word "Gestapo" is mild compared to some of the characterizations. You would see them if you googled Amway or Quixtar. Don't have time? Our prospects do, and that should be a concern to both of us. Also, the insurance lawsuit has been around for a while, and only recently got posted.

Tex said:
Monday, August 18, 2008 #

Jeffrey,

.

Non-registered customers used to count towards CVR. In fact, I told the rules department my upline Platinum taught us how to "fake out" the web site to label some of our personal volume as customer volume, so we could receive downline IBO volume bonus. I'm glad this is no longer available, as it was a rule that was openly broken by the upline. After all, customers can now get free shipping for orders of $75 or more. I think this is a great incentive for our customers to consider additional items to qualify for free shipping. I even encourage my customers to wait a month or two if they want to, in order to get a large enough order to qualify for free shipping.

Jeffrey said:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 #

I meant CSA for the leads program, not the CVR.

Anyway, I always get hung-up on some small things when I take my eyes off the big picture.

However, the biggest complaint I get is from customers (and even some IBOs) that would like to see case lots broken down into 4-packs, 2-packs, and eaches. I live in a small home (800 sq. ft.). Finding storage space for cases of paper towels, TP, cereal, and other stuff is difficult.

I know more things will change, maybe even the receipt function. I guess I just want it to happen all at once.

I must say that I really like the new Choices Catalog. I love it all in one book. I think it will lead to larger orders.

I also think the new "Take A Look At Us" DVD is incredible. I've watched it a lot of times already.

No matter how poorly I express myself sometimes, I really like the business and I'm never going to quit. If I would ever quit, my hope is gone.  

visioneer said:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 #

Jeffrey,

Thanks for being so honest, I appreciate you wanting our Amway Global business to improve.

Where can I find that "Take a look at us" DVD?

Stay strong buddy!!

Jeffrey said:
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 #

It was in the Seize the Excitement envelope that was in the August polybag.

Sowmya said:
Thursday, August 21, 2008 #

People who have approached me, have done so in a  wrong manner, as following me around walmart and telling they want to be your friends. The moment you believe them give out ur number, afew days later they call u and say i'm in Quixtar. People who work for any company should be able to say proudly that I'm an agent of Quixtar not run around chasing people giving them wrong ideas about Quixtar. So far I have been only been approached by such people. Anyone working should be proud to present their company in a graceful manner. IF you have a graceful strategy i would be interested. Thanks and regards.

Tex said:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 #

Jeffrey,

.

If you have no hope without Amway, you are a lost soul. Amway is primarily a business, not the source of all hope.

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Sowmya,

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Why don't you just join and contact the "right" way?

.

Jeffrey said:
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 #

You just don't get it, do you Tex? I meant my hope for a decent future as far as something to look forward to, rather than 20 more years of cleaning toilets. What a burden it must be to always be right.

j4.1776 said:
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 #

jeffrey,

ahh, dont worry about it m8.  he (tex) gets it.  sometimes he just has items blocking his vision so that he cant see too straight.  thats what happens when you are constantly trying to look throgh the holes in the cd's/tapes.  you get cross-eyed and eventually all you see is the ribbon in the middle.  and if all the ribbon is on one side, its in your way of that eye and that is all you talk about because that is all you see!

;-)

Emet said:
Thursday, September 04, 2008 #

In an era of change, it's good to see some things remain the same, like Tex complaining about the tool "scam."

I personally believe that a lot of the negatives arise because we are seen as a threat to the political agendas of some people.

And there may be some merit to their concerns. Opensecrets.org has a list of the 100 Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2008, and there in 92nd place is Amway Corp. which is alleged to have contributed virtually 100% of its political contributions to candidates of one party -- Republicans.

Now surely there must be one or two Democrats, at least, who's personal integrity and philosophy justifies support.

At the very least, avid Democrats may feel that they have little in common with people in the Amway business.

tex said:
Thursday, September 04, 2008 #

Jeffrey,

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Do you honestly think you will be cleaning toilets for 20 years because the ONLY way out is Amway?

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It's not much of a burden to always be right, but thanks for your concern.

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j4.1776,

.

You may think it is funny to make fun of me, but did you know the UK policy is only the leaders pay open costs, seminar/major function  ticket prices cover ONLY the room/facility costs, cannot even cover the transportation/lodging costs for the ABO speakers, and there are no books/tapes/CD's allowed to be sold unless approved by Amway, and there can be NO profit made via the tapes/CD's? Now, as it is commonly said during this political timeframe, THAT is change U.S. IBO's can believe in!

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Emet,

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I don't understand what point you were trying to make.

j4.1776 said:
Friday, September 05, 2008 #

HA!  lmao.  that is funny emet.

there HAS to be some truth in your statement!

;)

Jeffrey said:
Friday, September 05, 2008 #

Tex, take a vacation. You wear me out. Better yet, do what I'm doing. Go get some new customers. I'm not going to even acknowledge you anymore--no matter what.

visioneer said:
Friday, September 05, 2008 #

j4.1776, Sorry to go off the post here, but what is Imao?

j4.1776 said:
Monday, September 08, 2008 #

visioneer,

LMAO, google it m8!

Laughing

My

Bootie

Off

;)

visioneer said:
Tuesday, September 09, 2008 #

Hahaha, thanks for the explanation j4.1776!

I thought the L was an I.

By the way, in case you didn't know it... I am an IBO powered by Amway Global.  :)

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