What were the most common Quixtar problems? I was involved with Quixtar from 2002-2004. In essence, Quixtar was the new name that Amway North America gave itself from 1999 to the 2007-2008 time-frame. In all other countries, Amway kept its name.
I was introduced to the opportunity from a fellow Army Officer while I was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. After I watched the business presentation at an in home party, I signed up immediately. I was so excited. Up until that point in time I had never heard of Amway, Quixtar or network marketing. I was 24 years old.
Within a few months of getting started, I started to build momentum in my business. I was sponsoring distributors, building depth, and counseling with my upline. I was plugged into the WWDB system. I wasn’t getting rich, but I was making a profit and developing my network marketing skills.
Looking back, there were a few Quixtar problems. I don’t think it had much to do with Quixtar itself. Most of the problems were from the system. I was affiliated with the World Wide Dream Builders. Although the training was beneficial, it simply drained my cash-flow each month.
For most serious distributors, the system would cost between $200 and $400 per month, depending upon how many tools you purchased. These tools included the standing order tape, books, seminars, Communikate, and other business support materials. While the tools were helpful, the costs were simply too high.
The major Quixtar problems I experienced were the following: (1) an ineffective training system, (2) an overpriced training system, and (3) outdated training techniques. I will explain more below.
1. Ineffective System: Once again, I was affiliated with the WWDB line of sponsorship. Like every other system, they claimed that they were the best system in Quixtar. Unfortunately, that system has produced less than 10 new American Diamonds in the past ten years (feel free to verify this yourself). And of the people who qualified as new Diamonds, many of them were Diamonds previously. And almost all of them were Emeralds prior to 1995. That means that new Quixtar distributors were not attaining success using the system. Other systems were experiencing similar results. We were all taught that if we worked the business hard for two to five years we would be financially independent. From my experience, that is simply not true. Most of the Diamonds took 10+ years to get to that point.
2. Overpriced System: For the serious distributor, the system would cost somewhere between $200 and $400 per month, minimum. Although most distributors do not use the systems, the ones that do normally lose a lot of money. We all know that it takes a few years to build a substantial part-time income in network marketing. But with distributors losing lots of money each month, few of them stuck around long enough to build a successful Quixtar business. Even worse, many of the profits from the system were lining the pockets of the Diamond level distributors, without the lower level distributors knowing it. I would have much rather purchased business support tools from the company itself, rather than from my upline.
3. Outdated Training: Distributors were taught how to build their Quixtar business the old fashioned way, using the three foot rule and talking to friends and family. No one was taught how to leverage the internet. No one was taught the principles of attraction marketing or direct mail. No one was taught about newspaper ads or direct response marketing.
Most of the seminars and training tapes were of distributors talking about their success stories. Very seldom, if ever, did you learn how to generate leads, how to follow up, how to close a sale, or how to find customers. To this day, I challenge anyone to show me a Quixtar tape with high quality “how to” information. Most of them are motivational, not educational.
On a side note, I must admit that even though there were some Quixtar problems, the idea itself was magnificent. The idea that you could shop from more than 100 different online partner stores from one website, and earn cash back is pretty amazing. Especially, since many of these online stores were popular stores that people would shop at anyway. I actually feel as if Quixtar was a little bit ahead of itself, back when it first launched in 1999.
In addition, I don’t think the systems were totally bad. I did learn lots of beneficial skills that I still use today. But it sure would have been nice to learn “real” network marketing skills (as covered above). In addition, I wish the distributors did not make money from the systems. I wish they sold everything at cost. That would eliminate 99% of the problems that people have with the company.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there were some Quixtar problems. Within a few short years of launching Quixtar, the company transformed its image back to the original Amway name. Personally, I think this was a good business idea. Although I never got rich during my Quixtar experience, I became a better person and entrepreneur in the process. And I learned skills that I could take with me to launch other successful business ventures.
On a side note, I would love to hear from you. If you spent any time in Quixtar I would really like to hear about the problems you had with Quixtar and/or building your business. Just leave a comment to share your story.
Disclaimer: Quixtar is a registered trademark. I am not affiliated with the company in any way.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
I too had been approached by a Quixtar representative. It did sound like a great opportunity, but after realizing it was just Amway with a different name, I immediately became quite suspicious. It seemed almost on the level of being some kind of scam. I just did not have a good feeling, so I bypassed. Looking back, I now realize it wasn’t a scam, but I am still happy I didn’t take part in it. After reading your post, it seems that the system just wasn’t keeping up with technology.
Thanks for the comment, Greg. Most people in Quixtar experienced the same type of problems: the motivational organizations.
I was approached by a Quixtar distributor about 7-8 years ago, and though the presentation was impressive. There was just something that didn’t resonate. It appeared to be pretty pricey and I wasn’t really sure how they were going to help me build a strong business. In the end I decided against it and went with another MLM company that inspired a bit more passion in me, and didn’t cost so much to maintain.
I guess everything happens for a reason. I’ve been out of the business for more than a decade now and I have only been approached by one Amway rep during that entire time.