Now Appearing in an Extended Engagement! Join David Robison as he takes you into his world and his daily life of reviving a stand-up comedy career. Prepare for side trips exploring the "art" of salesmanship and business ethics and his experience with Multi-level Marketing. Enjoy some frequent detours describing his observations on life. Read the exploits of this self-proclaimed Renaissance-man and blooming blogger as you go
On The Road With Dave.
Recent lawsuits, legal disputes, and critical opinion of the Quixtar/IBO Arbitration procedures have been reported at several blogs, such as LawBlawg.
At the core of the discussion lies the fact that during a Rules of Conduct violation and resolution by a Quixtar IBO, the corporation requires an arbitration process.
The arbitration process is was administered solely by a firm named JAMS.
According to a new rule adoption by Quixtar, a change has been made. One can speculate that the change may be because of the recent publicity surrounding this arbitration process.
The option has been added that interested parties can now acquire the services of any member of the American Arbitration Association in the event that suitable arbitration by the JAMS roster is not possible.
Interesting also, is that arbitration itself, can also be circumvented in certain cases and may be tried by a federal court or a Kent County Circuit Court. (Kent County is the jurisdiction that Quixtar falls under)
I'm sure other bloggers will dissect this rule change and it will be the talk of the Quixtar blogosphere, but my only opinion is that I'm disappointed that this "openness" comes only after bad publicity.
We, Quixtarites, have to initiate transparency from the start, not merely react and adjust every single time. If we want an innovative business opportunity, then we need to innovate at every level, and that includes the "legal-beagle" side of the business.
"The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people - that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature."
Well some clever programmer has changed the "lady's" face to that of our President and added a suit and shoes. So now you can Bounce The W like you know you've been wanting to.
In my original entry I wrote:
"You can click on the "lady" and slow her descent or keep her in a somewhat comfortable position as she falls, but some of the bounces will make you wince as you notice that her "body" does exactly what you'd expect it to do free-falling and hitting an object."
Something tells me that there'll be less wincing when you see Georgie fall.
For several years now, I have corresponded, and Instant Messsaged with Tom Taite. Tom is an expatriate living in England and teaching at Oxford University.
Tom also has an MLM business affiliated with Pharmanex but more recently focused on Nourish The Children.
His experience with the MLM industry first attracted me to talking with him, but I quickly learned that MLM is but one small facet of the man's knowledge.
In our countless conversations we have discussed the arts, religion, history, business, philosophy, politics and family. Tom is never without a thoughtful learned insight.
And while I often joke with him that he probably never expected to have a 40-something Mississippi "good ole boy" as an online student along with his other undergraduates; I do credit Tom with expanding my thinking in several areas and reawakening my claim of being a "self-proclaimed renaissance man.
But, I finally got to inspire Tom as well. (Okay, I'm taking some credit here)
Since I have been blogging, I have said on numerous occasions to Tom, that he should write a book or at very least; begin a blog.
Check out Oxford NTC Alliance Ambassador, Tom's blog regarding Social Entrepreneurism and making a difference while making a living. While the blog has a slant towards Nourish The Children; the ideas expressed beyond that good effort are worth reading for any business person, MLMer or otherwise.
First, the title is inspired by blogger, Imran Aziz, at Quixtar Sucks. Imran's article deals with a different subject regarding Quixtar, but uses the "sets it apart" idea based on the MLM company, Passport, founded by ex-Quixtar Diamond Bo Short.
Second, my idea for today's post was inspired by a discussion in a chatroom regarding, "What MLM should I join?" asked by a visitor to the chat.
During the discussion, the visitor was "pitched" by several different MLMers regarding their products they offered.
"Mary Kay is good, their products have improved and you can still get a car"
"I used to go to Pampered Chef parties, but I can't cook"
So, this got me to thinking. If you go to the site of the Direct Selling Association you can view a long list of Direct Sales and Multi-level Marketing companies all vying for a chance to sign you up as a representative and/or client.
All of these companies must feel that the product or opportunity offered by them, must "set them apart" from the competition. Both Quixtar and Amway are included on the list.
In the sea of MLM competition, each company touts their exclusivity in the marketplace. The key to success must lie in the "niche" that the MLM company has over their competitors.
Or is it?
Here's what I think REALLY sets Quixtar apart.
In 1974, Rich DeVos, co-founder of Amway, gave a speech entitled "Ten Points That Make Amway Special". In the speech, DeVos tells the story of being at a conference among other Direct Sales company executives.
On his right, sits a Fuller Brush executive who says, "You guys in Amway have it made." DeVos asks why the executive has this opinion. The executive explains that Fuller Brush was a male-dominated opportunity, unlike Amway that included couples. "If we could get the gals interested, we'd really be on to something"
Moments later, to DeVos' left, The Avon executive said, "You guys in Amway really have it made...All we get is the gals in business, if we could get the guys interested, then we'd really take off!"
And while these statements by these two executives "set Amway apart" in 1974, we can take this "inclusivety" a step further regarding products as well as "opportunity".
Avon sells cosmetics. Quixtar offers the Artistry line of cosmetics, as well as providing hundreds of other products to compliment the cosmetic line.
Pampered Chef sells cookware and kitchen accessories. Quixtar offers the iCook line of cookware, as well as hundreds of other home products to offer the client for every other room in the house.
Xango sells a nutritional vitamin drink. Quixtar offers the Nutrilite line of nutritional products, including vitamins, drinks, and nutritional supplements; as well as hundreds of other products, including exercise equipment to compliment the nutrition and name brand clothes to update your wardrobe after you get into nutritional shape.
Many other MLMs offer products direct to the home consumer, Quixtar and Amway offer home and personal products, but also, have a complete line of B2B products to offer to commercial clients and the opportunity exists to introduce the very same home clients to applications for the products at their work-place as well.
And consider this as well: Other MLM companies offer their opportunities to residents of the USA or Canada or the UK or the country of their origin. Quixtar and Amway representatives to include over 80 countries in their business.
Maybe what REALLY sets Quixtar apart is not the "exclusivity" of the opportunity or the products, but the "inclusivety" of the opportunity and the large range of products that can be specialized and or packaged to fit the individual needs of each representative or client.
Today I found, tucked away in my files regarding Multi-Level Marketing, a training article for prospecting recruits into an MLM company. I find it amazing that so many companies and MLM "gurus" would let an article, such as this, be the "norm" for recruiting prospects.
It really might work for the first few that try the script mentioned, but I can't imagine that it would have long term results.
Tell me what YOU think.
"It takes far too long and is far to difficult to turn a "satisfied user" into a million dollar business builder. It CAN be done, but as I said takes far too long.
Instead, look for people who have the million dollar mindset and are looking for an opportunity NOW!
The product is awesome and as they put a bunch of people in the business it will produce results, and build loyalty - but you'll never get the explosive growth if they don't understand the upside of the opportunity.
So what we are saying here, is to LEAD with the business. Shock them with the upside potential.
My script is simple, yet powerful and it works. I ask: "Jim, let me ask you a crazy question - but give me a serious answer. If there were a business where you could earn $100,000 a month and retire in 3 years with that income coming in for the rest of your life - is that a business you would want to know about?"
When they laugh and answer positively - ask them to GRAB A PEN and take down your 5 minute GAP call, and website. Tell them to do some research and get back to you if they are interested. That's it. Simple, gets their curiosity, and works. If they ask you to tell them more - REFUSE! Just tell them the call and website will explain everything. The more you talk - the more you risk making this "NOT DUPLICATABLE" and risk giving them information to prejudge the opportunity without researching the information. Let the tools do the work.
WARNING - some people feel funny about talking to their prospect about the $100,000 a month figure. Keep in mind that we have people in the company already earning that much - SO IT'S NOT THEORY! Avoid the temptation to change the script and talk about: "earning extra income from home" (YUCK!) "earning an extra $2,000 to $5,000 per month" These types of phrases make our opportunity sound small and insignificant!
You MUST get their attention with the $100,000 a month potential upside and don't worry about whether they believe it or not. If they don't believe it's possible to earn that much - they have a self-image problem and won't do anything anyway - no matter what figure you give them! Most prospects will "water it down" to where they want to be anyway - the key is to let them know what's possible. Now that you know how to get people's interest and attention, how many people a day can YOU approach with the CRAZY QUESTION?"
Would YOU use the "crazy question" approach, or am I the only one that thinks the method is crazy in and of itself?
"Home" as in I am in my new home. A nice apartment as apartments go; an apartment with a fitness room, two pools, and two laundry rooms. It's in a great neighborhood; I have nice neighbors, and it's close to everything.
Sounds good, huh?
Well, it does have its drawbacks.
The biggest drawback was this past weekend.
Remember, I had a three bedroom house and 21 years of accumulated married-life accessories?
Think about moving all of that into a two bedroom UPSTAIRS apartment.
Think about having the SMALLEST U-Haul truck available to move all that stuff, in multiple trips.
Think about one of my storage building being UPSTAIRS and having to move everything DOWNSTAIRS; onto the little truck, and then UPSTAIRS to the apartment.
We did all that over Friday Night, Saturday, and Sunday morning.
Today, I feel like I am 103 years old.
Every muscle aches in my body.
I'm the type guy that likes to think he is eternally 19; always thinking young.
Today, I'm thinking about sitting in my rocking chair, covering myself in Ben Gay and reading the local obituary page while listening to the weather report on TV.
I might even need to consider taking in a bunch of cats and begin to ramble to strangers in the supermarket. (Okay, I already do the last one)
Anyway, I have more boxes to unpack now, but it's good to be "Home" again.
That's one good thing...There's really no place like home; no matter where it is.
Multi-level Marketers are some of the least creative business people that I know. And it's not really our fault, because we are taught from the "get-go" to follow EXACTLY what our uplines tell us to do.
Okay, sure, there are select few MLMers that break away and do their "own thing", and there are innovative MLMers that try to change the industry, and occasionally you meet an MLMer that thinks for himself, but more times than not, the only time you hear creative thought coming from the MLM world is when the MLMer quits and begins to come out of the hype-induced fog that has clouded his creativity.
Now, as far as I know, Dave Pollard has nothing to do with Multi-level Marketing; but he may be just what the doctor ordered, in terms of MLMers coming up with original thought.
Dave writes "How To Save The World" way up in Canada, and he offers some helpful advice that any MLMer could take and run with. (Maybe it's the cold weather and months trapped inside; but these Canadians can say some pretty smart things)
Dave recently commented on blogger, Hugh MacLeod's, ideas on creativity and then added his own.
From Pollard's blog:
How to Imagine
Hugh MacLeod is famous for his 30 rules for How to Be Creative. In a recent post I contrasted creativity with imagination -- creativity (the domain of artists) is an ability to model things concretely in the real world, while imagination (the domain of dreamers) is an ability to conceptualize something not limited to the real world.
Pollard quotes some of MacLeod's lessons.
Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.: Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with books on algebra etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, "IÂd like my crayons back, please."
Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.: Your plan for getting your work out there has to be as original as the actual work, perhaps even more so. The work has to create a totally new market. There's no point trying to do the same thing as 250,000 other young hopefuls, waiting for a miracle. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one.
Merit can be bought. Passion can't.: The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does.
Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.: Everybody is too busy with their own lives to give a damn about your book, painting, screenplay etc, especially if you haven't sold it yet. And the ones that aren't, you don't want in your life anyway.
The best way to get approval is not to need it. This is equally true in art and business. And love. And sex. And just about everything else worth having.
Pollard then adds some rules for being more imaginative:
Spend time with children: If they're young enough, the imagination has not yet been pounded out of them by television and games with stupid rules and teachers telling them to stop daydreaming. Listen and play with them and your imagination will come back to you, creaking through the rust.
Change your point of view: Lie down and look up. Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot.
Collaborate: Work with other people, ideally those who have imagination, and who think very differently from you. Have fun with it. Open your mind to other possibilities. Strive to produce something greater than any of you could have come up with alone.
Transport yourself: Go somewhere different, physically or intellectually. Read lots of fiction and poetry. Visit places you'd never have thought of going. Stay with the locals. Volunteer. See how the other half lives.
Improvise: Explore your mental images. Go with them. Make something out of nothing. Imagine what you'd do if you needed to do something and didn't have the tools. Look inside the windows of your mind. Briefly, slough off your protective arrogance and be open, submissive, vulnerable.
Break the rules. Or at least change them. Whatever the game, or the business process, or the routine, change it. Don't always play Texas Hold 'em. Play Countdown instead. Combine stuff. Make stuff up.
If you are one of the uncreative, unimaginative MLMers out there, still trying the same old system and processes that seem to populate the MLM world, then you owe it to yourself to visit Pollard's site and the MacLeod site that he references.
Don't expect a discussion on sales techniques, or the saturation theory. They aren't there. Maybe Pollard won't "save the world", but he could save your creativity.
Dave Stone at Network Marketing Today is undertaking a series on MLM compensation plans this week. Dave Stone is Vice-president at Passport; a company started by former Quixtar IBO; Bo Short.
Dave writes several blogs and I respect the guy. We have linked different articles of ours back and forth at our blogs.
Today, Dave begins coverage of the grand-daddy of MLM pay-plans by intoducing the stairstep or "break-away" plan. Dave says,
"Next time, I will elaborate on the Stair Step model in greater detail as I have the most extensive background in this type of pay plan. In the future, I will also post about the other common plans like the Binary, Unilevel, Australian 2-Up, and Matrix plans (in no particular order)."
In any disscussion of MLM pay plans; there is the tendency to favor the plan that one is currently asociated with; I'm no different and prefer the "stairstep model".
But, I'll be reading "another Dave's" series with great interest to find out what he favors and his reasons why.
"Talent alone won't make you a success. Neither will being in the right place at the right time, unless you are ready. The most important question is: Are your ready?"
"The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind; the answer is blowing in the wind."
That song verse is a whole lot better than saying that I'm "twisting in the wind"; which has the connotation that I'm strung up to a tree somewhere in the high desert, awaiting the vultures; and so I'll take the "blowing in the wind" analogy.
The answer to our current situation has been delayed. We won't have an apartment ready for one more week. The apartment manager assures us that we will be able to begin moving in on Wednesday of next week. And although I am ready and more than willing to get our family back into a place of our own; I can wait ONE more week.
I have been doing some writing offline and hope to have some articles ready for "ye olde blog", when I can post more consistently.
If you are trying to contact me, you can still reach me by email. I do get to check that daily.
I'll keep you posted as changes are blown in on the wind, and I'm crossing my fingers that any further "ill wind" is not in my future.
Somewhere in one of two 10X10 storage units, along with all my furniture, appliances, beds, books, lamps, TVs, and everything else the Robison family owns except our clothes and some toiletries.
The house we were living in was put on the market not more than two weeks ago and sold fast.
And due to the shortage(from Hurricane Katrina) of other available houses and apartments for rent; we are temporarily staying with my daughter and son-in-law for a week.
Our new apartment is being prepared and will be available in a few short days.
My wife and I moved every stick of furniture ourselves onto the U-Haul truck Thursday and Friday in a non-stop effort to get out of the old house as the new owners were moving in. It wasn't fun, to say the least.
On top of THAT change, the temporary position I was working at, turned into full-time work last week, and so I had no time to make a lot of pre-arrangements for "the move" after work-hours, and everything was done at the last minute.
But, after this week, all should calm back down and return to normal. It just means that next weekend, I'll be moving everything back out of storage, back on to a truck, and then unloading it again at the new residence. It's basically moving twice in two weeks.(Not a curse, I would wish on anyone)
"They" say that change is good for the soul; and I believe that to a point. But, I hope that I won't have this kind of change again for quite some time.
