On The Road with Dave

Tomorrow, I leave for Alabama to spend 12 glorious fun-filled days at home. Ok, I may be overstating the "glorious fun-filled" part, but it will be good to spend some time home.

I'm sure some things have accumulated while I was gone, that will need to be taken care of. Plus, I'll be helping my business partner remodel his new home there in Alabama, as well. So, it will be kind of like a working vacation.

It seems like there is work for me wherever I go. That's a good thing about being a Quixtar business owner too; because since it's all done mainly online, I am in business as long as I have a computer up and running

My partner had some minor surgery today and can not lift any thing heavy for a couple of weeks. I'll pretty much be on my own with his house. I'm sure he is going to attempt to help me as much as possible. He's one of those people that can't stand not to do anything. But I hope he just takes it easy, and lets me just work on his house at my leisure.

He and his wife, have been very busy arranging for their re-location to Alabama. This trip, we will be pulling a small U-haul trailer of boxes and building materials; so we will have a few less items to carry on the day of the "big move".

I have been in Maryland again for almost a month and I need some "Home time". It will be good to see the family, mow my yard, sleep in my own bed and maybe visit a bar or two during the weekend.

Remember the deck I told you about a few days ago? Well, it's complete! It's a 12x20 deck with a 5x5 landing complete with BBQ grill. The deck itself is 8 feet off the ground and is constructed of a pressured treated frame and joists. The decking we used is a composite decking material called Trexx. It looks a heck of a lot better than the old deck we tore down and the client is very happy with it.

I hope to upload some "before" and "after" pictures, so you can take a look at what kind of a handyman I really am.

So don't look for a new entry in the blog tomorrow night as I will be making the 15 hour trek back to sweet home Alabama. Most likely we will leave tomorrow evening and stop for the night somewhere in North Carolina, which is about half way there.

I'll let you know how the trip went in a day or two and catch you up on the "homefront"

Until then, dig out your Honeysuckle Rose album, cause I'm on the road again.

I originally posted this in a public MLM forum on AOL. It appears here in a somewhat edited version.

I admit I am a big opponent to the motivational systems used by MLMs to siphon off more money from downlines. The recent Dateline show about Quixtar, of course, showed what happens when people fall prey to motivational tools and not true business building practices.

But, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Multilevel Marketing, Network Marking, Direct Sales, (pick your favorite term) requires knowledge and training. Reading books is an integral part of learning.

But as happens in most MLM circles, is that the only books read by the MLM masses have to do with MLMs, sales, business, or "feel-good" inspirational stories.

These are fine and good, but lead to memorized passages, biased views, and in my opinion a dumbing down of the people involved in MLM.

If MLMs are truly a "people-business", then why do we restrict our potential to interact with people by merely reading and reciting the motivational tidbits of writers whose sometime goal is to merely sell more books?

How about reading books that contribute to challenging our thought processes? How about increasing our general knowledge so that we might relate to people on more than one level? How about just knowing a little something more than "pay plans" at a dinner party?

Last year or so, a friend recommended to me the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Popper and Ludwig Von Mise. At first glance, these names have very little to do with Network Marketing. But marketing, in general, is about relating to people. Being well read, in turn, makes you more "relatable" to more people. An ability to think and reason, to follow a conversation, to interject your thoughts on a wide variety of subjects make you more accessible to a wider variety of people.

The Modern Library List of the 100 Greatest Books of the 20th Century was released around 2000. Many of these books, you may have heard of, many contain phrases and passages that are an integral part of our American vernacular and culture. These books are not just for those interested in literature, they could and should be an integral part of your business building.

The Modern Library | 100 Best | Novels

The Modern Library | 100 Best | Nonfiction


They are thought-provoking, idea-inspiring, and yes, sometimes even motivational.

The next time your sponsor asks you, "Have you read Think and Grow Rich?"; ask him if he has read Winesburg, Ohio or Lord Jim.

Sure, Og Mandino can be a big help to you, but so can George Orwell.

If we are to change the perspective most have of us involved in MLM, then we need to quit being "experts" and "mentors" and "consultants" and strive to become students instead. Continuing education is not just about learning all we can in our field, it's about expanding our critical thinking processes, it's about strengthening our logic and it's about "being" intelligent, as well as "acting" smart.

Think about this, the next time you place that book order with your sponsor.

This blog is not a "recruiting" vehicle for my Quixtar Independent Business.

You can not purchase Quixtar products through this blog. I am not seeking potential partners for my business through this blog.

Quixtar is a part of my life. I write about things in my life. I enjoy discussing Network Marketing/MLM and I like to discuss sales and training practices about the industry. I may even write entries that may help someone in their own business. It's what I like to do.

I have other avenues that I like to use to introduce people to my business or my services.

In order to introduce potential partners to Quixtar, a more interactive forum is necessary. Other than comments on the blog, this site is fairly non-interactive.

I have no qualms about answering reader questions about Quixtar, and anyone can feel free to ask questions without any fear that they may be "sold" or "pitched" a sales plan about becoming involved in Quixtar or any other Network marketing company.

I hope that clears up any issues.

"Always Remember...In 1000BC Sampson slew 10,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an Ass. Everyday, 10,000 'Sales' are killed with the same weapon!"

(attributed to PARfour72; Mike O'Donnell, Rest in Peace.)

Labels: "Sunday Thoughts"

Dear Aaron,

It's been twenty years ago today that you "purchased" an E-ticket ride to the Robison family. What a wild rollercoaster ride it has been!

My memories of you growing up, are vivid today. I find myself reminiscing about the first time I fed you pizza sauce from a Domino's pizza; when you were only 4 months old,(I still feel like this spawned your love for spicy food). I remembered the first time you decided to defend yourself in fourth grade. I think about your first date, the day you signed up for the Army Reserves and the time we searched for a place for us to play pool that would let you come in.

I also remember the time you were lost, when you were eight. I remember the police arriving, asking for clothes that you wore for the dogs to sniff, the pictures of you that were requested. I also remember crying that day like a baby, because I had feared that I had lost my own baby.

I know at this point, you are looking back at childhood and living at home, with some fondness and a wish that you could be young forever, and also a desire to get "out on your own" and be a man.

You are such a strong-willed individual, determined and persistent in your beliefs; and I know that has caused problems between us. It's no surprise that we are so much alike. I know I have yelled at you in times past, but usually not from anger, but in frustration, because you are so much like your 'ole man'.

I want you to know, to always know, that no matter what you do in life, that I have faith in you. I know you are capable of all you dream about. My wish is that you work towards those dreams with the same persistence as you might express when you are convincing me that I am wrong and you are right.

Also, know that no matter where in life you are, I am always there for you, no matter what. My love for you is unconditional, no strings attached for any behavior.

Happy Birthday, Son. I love you.

Dad

I've received a few nice emails in the last few days about my little blog. One reader advised me that she tried to leave a comment on the blog, but her only options were to leave it Anonymous or sign up as a Blogger. Apparently, when you register to leave a comment it also asks you to create your own blog.

I have to check this out, but in any case, you can leave a comment as Anonymous, but you can always type it out and leave your name as well in the body of the comment. Just a suggestion for future reference.

I changed the "Archives" section today, too. My first few posts were not showing up in the Archive section, the way I had the settings saved. I was losing my first few posts in the listings. Hopefully that has been fixed, and you can go back to the very first day, this hair-brained idea was initiated.

I have been sending the link to this site to a few close friends I have online to get their opinions and feedback. So far, so good.

I have a special entry in mind for tomorrow. The day is kinda special to me, hope you make it back here again to read it.

Yesterday and today, I demolished a client's old deck, to make room for a new one. I really like the "destruction" part of construction. There's something primal about taking a sledgehammer, a saw, and a crowbar and ripping boards down.

The deck was on the back of a two-level house so it was about 8 or 10 feet up, and so I would rip and saw the boards up, throwing them down to the lawn below.

The scrap wood was cut to manageable pieces and loaded into a trailer, and the back of a pick-up truck.

We then drove all this to the local landfill facility, where we were weighed as we went in, and then weighed as we left.

The total load weighed 1.09 tons.

Now this is significant. First, I had to load all this at the job site and then unload it all at the landfill.

So as of today,I am able to lift 2.18 tons all by myself.
I am the strongest man in the world!

Imagine me making the "oh oh" sound that Tim Allen is famous for.

Vision is important to any business. We have to
set goals. We have to have a plan. The plan can be
formal, typed up, put in a binder, and made suitable
for acquiring financing from a bank. Or it can be
simple one-line sentence stating where you want to be
in five years. If you're like me, it's a list of
things and accomplishments I want to achieve. I cross
them out, when I reach that goal.

Some oft-chanted phrases of Network Marketers are
"a man without vision will fail" or "In failing to
plan, you are planning to fail". Both of these
statements carry truth. But what about over-planning?

I call it the "playing bid-ness-man syndrome". As
you all know by now, I can't really write an entry
without telling a story; this one will be no
different.

Back when I had dreams of being a big star, I was
17. I practiced everyday, my technique was flawless,
my jokes were funny and I was ready to get "out there"
and start the auditions. There was little doubt that
I could succeed, all I had to do was a "little
planning" and " I have to look professional".

I went to the bank to open a business checking
account, so I could cash all those checks that the
clubs would be showering me with. I found a graphic
designer to design a really "cool" logo. I visited the
printers and had stationary and business cards
printed. I had brochures and posters made. And because
every popular performer sells T-shirts to adoring
fans, I had 50 printed up, just to get started. Now I
was a "bidness man". I had no gigs, no money, but I
was in "bidness"

I did all this before my first audition. I did all
this before contacting other comedians (networking)
to get booking advice, tips or referrals. I did all
this before searching for a single club to play in,
(reading forums, researching, and making contact), I did all this before a single "open mike"; that would have given me
exposure for free. (joining the Chamber of Commerce Mixers, Toastmasters, volunteer work, etc.)

We know what must be done to succeed..

We must network, make ourselves available online and offline; establish our expertise by just helping someone with a problem, address the concerns of people; connect with them, build a relationship; and wait for them to say, I'm looking".

After they join us, we make sure they get proper training, we disclose the pitfalls as well as the pinnacles and we make sure they know the whole team is there to help.

We discuss building volume and sales, by encouraging them to
get started with a few products, and we teach some successful retailing methods.

After that, we encourage them to duplicate the
above efforts, without losing their own individuality.

Sure, we can network with CPAs, attorneys,
stockbrokers, and financial advisors, to insure we get
proper financial counsel. We can draw up legal papers
to establish our business identity. We can open up
our checking account or our Pay-Pal account. We can
do all those things; BUT, did we even say "Hi" to anyone?

If we are not putting the basic principles into action first, all these other "plans"
is, as they say back home, "like putting the cart before the horse."

It's been an entire week since my little baby blog was created. I'm happy to report father and blog are doing well.

I wonder if the multitude of readers(okay, it's more like 11) have been inspired and enlightened by their visits here. I would imagine that most are just surprised that a poor Mississippi boy could string together some words into sentences with some semblance of coherence.

I contacted BlogSpot to see if they could help me with adding a Links section to my Blog. I did some copying and pasting of some HTML code, but I'm apparently doing something wrong(imagine that) so it's not looking like I want it to. Hopefully they will respond this week and I can link you to some sites that I like.

I was contacted today by a guy I discussed Quixtar with about a year or so ago. We had some philosophical differences and he decided to move on to other areas of his life.

Now he wants to register.

I was pleasantly surprised. Not because he made his way back , but because it was such an example of giving people room to grow and make decisions in their own time. I sincerely hope that he has found what he's searching for.

So now week two begins. Keep them cards and letters coming in. Or, here's an idea; START those cards and letters coming in.

"Be kind whenever possible....It is always possible.

(His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Labels: "Sunday Thoughts"

I got an email today from Quixtar announcing I had a new Client. Wanna hear how I "sold" them on becoming a customer of mine?

For two weeks I was in this client's home working my "day job". She was having my partner and I remodel her bathroom and convert a walk-in closet into an extra laundry room on the upper level of her home.

With 4 kids involved in all sorts of sports activities, she was doing literally dozens of loads a laundry a week, and going all the way down in the basement many times a day was beginning to wear thin.

This woman is very active, very involved in her kids' lives and just has little time to herself. As she checked in on our work each day, we started to talk about raising kids, being married, our jobs, hobbies, interests; all the little things in life.

So when the job was completed, she stood there admiring her new tiled floor with a new washer and dryer, where once there was racks of clothes and shelves, she said "Didn't you say that you were going to email me a link to your Quixtar site, so I could just order laundry detergent and some other stuff?"

Yes, at some point, in all our conversations, I had mentioned being a Quixtar Business Owner. She had told me about her Stationery business that she did part-time.

So I said I would send her a link with my referral number, and that was that.

That's the way simple marketing should be. You have regular conversations with people with no predisposed agenda to sell them anything, and if they like you, and grow some respect for you, they will come to you. No pressure, No hype, and no one ever complaining that all you ever want to talk about is that "cult business"

So, I'm sitting, staring at the screen, asking myself, "What will you write about tonight?"

The one thing I'd like to avoid doing on this blog, is writing about me having a hot dog for lunch today(Which I did) or about some guy cutting us off in traffic on 270(which did happen).

So, the first thing , I'd like to mention is that fellow blogger, QBlog at Quixtar Blog mentioned my little blog at his site today. His encouragement is most appreciated.

I am in the middle of learning how to add a Links Section to my blog. I've read the tutorial, but the Preview doesn't look like what I want it to, so I hope to finish my crash course in HTML this weekend, so I can return the favor to QBlog and let everyone else know about some of the sites I like. I promise to keep the porn site links to a "bare" minimum. Look for the Update sometimes this week-end.

Last thing for the night, I hope to have developed some form and function to this venture by next week. I may devote certain days to certain topics. Most likely Sundays' entries may be shorter than other entries, possibly quotes that I feel like repeating, maybe occasionally I'll bring up a religious topic, that will probably spur some interesting comments from my readers. It will be the readers' job to figure out what form, function or dysfunction that I chose.

Have you ever had something happen to you, that made you thankful for where you are in life? One of those things happened to me yesterday.

My wife is sick. No, that's not what I'm thankful for.

Several years ago, I had quit my job, had started a new business, and was facing a serious mid-life crisis. The mid- life crisis is still happening, but it's less serious at the moment.

Anyway, bills were getting paid at the time(at least some of them) and the utilities weren't getting shut off(but, I often paid the guy at the door, when he showed up to turn them off)

Nobody in the family was starving, but we also weren't exactly eating steak every night, or frequenting a lot of restaurants.

If the car broke down or someone was sick, we just "toughed" it out, until some money was available.

Now, here comes the "thankful" part.

My wife called me yesterday to say she had a serious sinus infection with fever and she had to go to the doctor. The doctor's visit was $65.00 and he gave her a $100 dollars worth of antibiotics to take.

She called to say, she wrote him a check. And I said, "Great!, I'm glad you went". I did not say,"What did that cost?" or "Can we afford it?" All I was interested in was if she was feeling any better.

In the last six months we moved into a newly remodeled house, that I help remodel. We have new paint, new carpet, a brand new tiled bathroom, that my wife likes to call "the spa" and all my bills are paid on time every month.

So I have a lot to be thankful for, but something as small as my wife being able to get an "emergency" appointment with a doctor and the proper medication made me sit back and take notice.

Yep, sometimes it's the little things in life that are the most important, and that makes me smile.

Normally, when I'm on the Internet, I am in the realm of America Online. I first started posting on message boards at AOL and then discovered all the other forums to express my opinions at out on the Web.

At the MLM Discussion Board on AOL, we have a resident critic of MLM named Sitemistic. He's a smart intelligent guy who just happens to hate the concept of Multi-level Marketing. He's often criticized not for his MLM stance, but for his seeming lack of acknowledgement that there are real people on the other side of his monitor. He refers to the other posters as mere "pixels on the screen". I guess this is his way of not being affected personally by whatever is said about him or whatever he may say about someone else. Although he rarely makes personal attacks. He's more than likely attacking a newly "sold" person's particular company.

I'm also a frequent visitor to the AOL chat room, Entrepreneur under the News,Sports, and Finance category. In the "E" room, I have come to know many of the regulars and even grieved over the passing of one the regulars, PARfour72 in April.

PAR and I had emailed a few times and he was great guy, from what I knew of him. Always quick with a joke or a kind word to a budding business person. I included a short tribute to Parfour72 in my AOL profile.

The chats aren't always about business there, and there are some bitter rivalries in the room, and an ample amount of sex talk and innuendo as well( Most chat rooms thrive on this), but occasionally a serious business discussion will erupt, and most regulars are quick to answer a new person's question or offer advice.

I even met my current best friend and business partner of late, in the room. The idea of actually meeting someone from online was strange for the both of us, but it worked out well. Not only did I find a new friend, and decided to work with her and her husband, she initially joined with me in my Quixtar business on the shear merits of our online conversations.

Some would say that people on the Internet are just mere pixels, but I guess there are some REAL people out there too, as I am definitely not remodeling a house with a pixel.

I'm a firm believer that the Internet, is just a collection of communities. You move into a community, you make friends, you conduct business, you share heartache, laughter (or an LOL!)and you learn something about another human. You just do it via a keyboard and an instant messaging program or email service rather than talking over the fence with your neighbor or having lunch with a co-worker.

Blogging is also like a community. By reading the day-to-day exploits of fellow bloggers, you come to learn who they are, what affects them on a personal level. Some you like; some you don't.

Has anyone else met anyone in person from their message boards or chat room talks? Do any of you go to any chat rooms on a regular basis. If so, which ones? Maybe I could stop by and talk to you when you are there.

Just a quick note. Day Three of Blogging and I notice a curious aspect of the spell check program on this software. Blog, Blogger, and Blogging are all not recognized by the spell checker. They become bloc or blocker or something else. Of course you can tell the spell checker to "learn" the word, but it struck me funny, that the Blog software didn't recognize the word it was designed to do.

I also noted that I had to make it learn the word "Quixtar". I know the word was a "coined" word; so it would not be recognized, but it was kind of funny that it suggested I use "squatter" instead. I've been called a lot of things because of my affiliation with MLM companies, but I have never been insulted by software before, That's a first!

Call it practice for my first Blogging Anonymous meeting, but I figure I need to tell everyone a little bit about myself

First, my name is David Robison...no middle "N" and it's pronounced with a short "O" like Robinson, not with a long "O" like the actor Paul Roebeson.

I lived most of my life in the small town of Caledonia, Mississippi. We had a grand total of 518 and 1/2 in 1980. I know, because I was hired to take the census. The 1/2 was because a lady was pregnant when I was taking the census. That's how I reported the total.

I now live in Mobile,(that's MOE-beele, not like the trailer homes) Alabama. That's on the Gulf Coast. Currently I'm working with a business partner in Maryland. We do home remodeling construction and my partner is investing in some real estate for re-sale and rental income. I hope to get involve in that in some small way, as well.

I also have an independent business powered by Quixtar(That's a multi-level marketing company) That company usually illicits responses of either venom or praise. It has it's pros and cons, that I may discuss later, but suffice it to say, that I participate in it because it's a business, I don't subscribe to the "brainwashing" or "motivational rallies" that so often make people flee when they hear the words, "Quixtar" or MLM.

I first got involved in MLM over 20 years ago. I was working as an Animal Control Officer during the summer before college,(1980) when I was "prospected" for Amway. I was "sold" immediately on the "get rich" aspect. 6 months later, my upline Direct( that's like the "big cheese") was killed in an automobile accident. Everyone above me quit the business after that, except me. So I hooked up with another "big cheese" in Florida. I started selling products to commercial clients instead of going to homes door-to-door, or bugging my friends and family and I made some pretty good money.

I got "moved" around alot between those above me for many years, until about 5 years ago. By then I was restless with the way the group of distributors I was involved with conducted their business.

Training was done via these huge seminars and rallies and a constant flow of motivational cassette tapes.

Religious and political ramblings were rampant on the tapes and I was always leery of the seemingly constant admonitions to listen to the tapes, not the corporate literature. I kept renewing until 1999. During that year, Amway reorganized into a new company and split their North American operation into a new company called Quixtar. It was to be web-based and allow more independence to the business owners. Amway continued to be the name of the company in Europe and Asia.

While all this was going on, I got married at 21.
Married an LA girl and brought her back to my same small town. (with apologies to John Mellencamp) I had three kids, had a brief career in stand-up comedy, held a variety of sales jobs and went back to college and got my degree in Journalism and Public Relations. Started a Video Production company; sat on various state and national boards; won some awards and specialized in video safety training for major chemical companies such as Kerr-McGee Chemical and Weyerhaeuser Forestry Products.

My dad died of a terminal illness three years ago, and as I sat at a bar one night; I discussed with a fellow that I was looking for something different. He mentioned that construction WAS different and the next thing you know I am working as a gopher on a construction site. I found out I had a knack for construction work, and became a foreman. The company I worked for, built cold storage warehouses. My last project for that company was a 125,000 sq. ft. cold
storage warehouse for Dairy Fresh. I built that one in Detroit, Michigan in the dead of winter. That was really different for a small-town boy from the Deep South.

I left construction to come back to Mississippi, to take care of my mother. She died last December. Losing both parents within a year and a half was tough.

Somewhere about two years ago, I find this lively discussion board on AOL about Amway. The views expressed were varied, to say the least.

It rekindled my interest in MLM and Amway in particular. With Quixtar up and running and books like "Permission Marketing", "Net Gain", and "Building Communities on the Web" available; I found a group using web communities for training and building Quixtar online without the confines of the old "Tapes and Rallies" system.

Attraction Marketing and becoming a "renegade" Independent Business Owner that people ran to, instead of "away from' became my passion.

To further let you in my head, I'm a liberal Democrat, enjoy a few beers on Friday night and an occaisonal shot of 1800 tequila. I like to sing Karaoke, and I get pretty good reveiws. I sing a lot of Mellencamp, Meatloaf, some Blood Sweat and Tears, and Neil Diamond's "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" I normally say the "F" word when I hit my finger with a hammer, and I play with dolls.

I have been a ventriloquist since the age of ten and used it in my comedy career when I was younger. I hope to revive that career later on. My act is not for kids, and can be pretty risque'

This should more than answer most of the questions you have. Feel free to ask more.

Blogging is really popular, and the available names are really limited. "Dave's Blog" seemed too simple and was taken, and I really ain't into the obscure blog names, you know, like "Ants crawl in my Room" or "Honey on my Body". Although if you have honey on your body, most likely, ants will be in your room.

I chose "On the Road with Dave" for two reasons.

First, I was an aspiring comedian in my college days, (I'm a ventriloquist, among other things) and in the past year I have been practicing my craft again and was going to make a trip to New York City to attend a few comedy workshops and try and see if I "still had it". I'm in my 40s now, and there's so little that I do "still got". So being on the road as a comedian was one reason.

The second reason was because last year I met a friend online. I know it sounds very "Jerry Springer" but we became very close, even though both of us are married. Now don't get the wrong idea, no hanky-panky was ever involved but we did meet(with our spouses) and her husband offered to take me on in his construction company.(I have had some construction experience, more on that later)

So I'm currently living in two cities. My home in Mobile, Alabama and the state of Maryland. So I'm doing a lot of traveling back and forth.

Sometimes you kick around an idea for months before acting upon it, this journal is just such a case.

I have been reading several blogs over the last few months, and thought, "I could do that." but not until I was issued an indirect challenge by a friend and "blogger-renown" did I decide to act upon it.

There's a fellow named Qblog, that started a blog about his perspectives on a multi-level marketing company named Quixtar. The Blog, called Quixtar Blog: One Man's Perspective is a fast riser on most Google searches, but is not always a favorable look at the company.

He issued a challenge to those involved in Quixtar, to start their own "positive" blog about the company.

My new fledgling blog will not be living up to the challenge in the way Mr. Qblog intended, in that it's purpose will not be 100% devoted to that company. But since I'm involved in the company you may have to endure some posts about Quixtar.

Other days, you may have to wade through other drivel about other areas of my life, my history, my hobbies, my never-ceasing need for attention. Stuff like that.

So, bookmark this blog, drag it into your "Favorites" file, and email your friends that there's a new blogger in town, and they call him, Dave.