Tex On Dex Yager

Most of the blog entries here at "Tex's Quixtar Blog" are derived or inspired by comments Tex has left on other blogs or here at his own.

The following is from recent comments here at "Tex's Blog."


TEX SAYS...

"I received the following e-mail message, looks like the Yager tool system is about to be accredited.

Note there is no mention of the tool profits, even though the tools are the major source of profit for the upline and a major source of loss for the vast majority of IBO's, as the accreditation process unfortunately does NOT require tool profits to be disclosed to IBO's or prospects.

To: All Yager Group Diamonds and Personals (Intended for all
ibos)

Fr: The Yagers

Dt: 4/30/08

Re: Best Practices Message: Acceptance

One of the criteria for accreditation with Quixtar is that
all IBOs understand Quixtar/Amway Global's best practices as explained
through the Quixtar/Amway Global IBO Communications Platform. The following
message is sent in accordance with the Quixtar Professional Development
Accreditation Program.

Acceptance

We often describe this as an I-commerce business. Which
means that this business brings together the Internet, the Individual, the
Independent Business Owner Compensation Plan, and the full-service
Infrastructure provided by Quixtar/Amway Global. It means that anyone can
say, "This is a business I can do." And it also means it's a business open
to everyone.
With a business powered by Quixtar/Amway Global, you don't
have to be of a specific race or religion to have the opportunity to
succeed. You don't have to be affiliated with a certain political party. You
can be married or single, with kids or without, middle-aged or fresh out of
school.
You see, this is an opportunity for anyone who has the will
to work hard and the drive to succeed. As long as we all have the common
goal of building this business bigger and better than ever, and building it
the right way, we can overcome any differences. In fact, we should embrace
our differences, because life would be pretty boring if everyone thought and
acted the exact same way.
It's important to remember that this business is about free
enterprise and the rights of Independent Business Owners to pursue their
dreams. That's a right that shouldn't be denied to anyone, if they're
willing to put forth the effort.
Thanks for all you do to build this business.

For Your Success,

The Yagers"

From http://www.quixtaraccreditation.com/us-en/criteria.html,

"Quixtar reviews all applications based on the above criteria and awards accreditation to individuals and/or organizations that satisfy all requirements. IBOs/organizations are accredited for a two-year period and are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure they remain in compliance with Accreditation Program criteria. Any breach of Quixtar's Rules of Conduct or actions that mean an IBO is no longer in good standing could result in revocation of accreditation."

The issue isn't whether they maintain accreditation, the issue is whether initial or ongoing accreditation fixes the biggest problem this business faces in the first place.

[The biggest problem is the tool scam and the lack of tool profit transparency][Accreditation] only requires transparency for those participating in the tool profits, which normally means Platinum and above. Also, I don't expect Platinums to know what Emeralds make, Emeralds to know what Diamonds make, etc. I confirmed this with Quixtar within days of accreditation being announced a couple of years ago, and commented on this issue on qblog.

This results in the tool companies getting the "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval when they don't deserve one. Prospects and IBO's will see the tool company is accredited and think everything is okay, when in fact they are being scammed with the same bait-and-switch scenario as today.



ADMINISTRATOR'S NOTE:

Tex said...
All of my comments would make a good blog article, in my humble opinion.

April 30, 2008 4:23 PM

He May Be Right!

What Tex Thinks?

I haven't consulted with Tex on this entry, so it might hit him from left field and he may not choose to participate. If he doesn't, that's okay--I'm just experimenting here.

Consider this entry a press conference or an "open-line" talk show.

Is there something you want to know from Tex?

Ask your question in the comments; and see if Tex answers. I'm going to say it can be non-Quixtar related--BUT no questions that could be personal enough to divine Tex's identity.

Just questions. And hold off on follow-ups. Let's see what Tex tells us. He's a pretty smart guy.

I'll start.

"Tex, how tall are you?"

TEX Answers The Prague Questions

As most of you know, Tex was invited to Prague by Alticor to speak to, along with 4 other bloggers and blog commenters, a conference of PR and External Affairs Staff on the phenomena of blogging and its impact on the direct sales industry, specifically Alticor, Amway, and Quixtar.

The blog panel was asked a series of questions by a panel moderator and then allowed to follow up.

Tex was articulate and to the point.

Over at "On The Road With Dave", I reprinted the questions asked of the panel and Tex gave his answers.

I'm reprinting them here.


Let me say, that at no time during the conference were we told NOT to blog about the conference. It was pretty much expected that we would.

The conference session opened with Dino giving a short Powerpoint presentation on what Blogging is, What blogs can do, and how Quixtar, Amway, and Alticor are using blogs. The ease of setting up a blog was mention and different Blog platforms like WordPress and Blogger were mentioned.

The Alticor Media Blog and the Amway Media Blog were began to address questions from, who else, but the Media. At the time, Dick DeVos, son of Amway Founder Rich DeVos was running for Governor of Michigan and his connection with Amway was an issue during the campaign.

After the campaign(and DeVos' loss) the two media blogs began to address Alticor lawsuits and troubles with terminated Independent Business Owners affiliated with Alticor.

Dino then introduced the invited bloggers and briefly explained their blogging efforts.

Again, the panel consisted of Dave Robison; "IBOFightback" (David Steadson); Bridgett, "Tex", "Big Apple". and Quixtar's own, Robin Luymes.

Although, the conference organizers knew all the attendees' real names, each blogger was introduced as their Internet personae. Their anonymity was important to the organizers.

1. When did you first start blogging about Amway, and why?

This is when the "No Tool Scam" sign came out, and I described how the business has been hijacked by the "kingpins" as a tool profit business, and A/Q as a secondary business. I mentioned Rich DeVos and the Directly Speaking recordings, and encouraged the attendees to listen/read them. I started blogging about 3 years ago to put an end to this bait-and-switch scam.

(Blogger's Note: Tex also told the audience that the corporation had lost millions of dollars because they had not addressed the issue of IBOs losing even more millions of dollars through the "tool scam".)


2. Many blogs have their own ground rules, and certainly the blogosphere has many rules of the road. What rules—if any—do you govern yourself by when you blog, and for what reasons?

I treat others as they treat me. When I started blogging, I soon found others were very nasty and had no interest in my ideas. After trying to stay "above the fray" for some time, it became apparent the only way to get my message out was to push back. I don't insult anyone, but I do return insults, and I continue to do so until they apologize for the original insult. (However, since returning, I've agreed with Chuck Lia to be "nicer", as he has indicated he will police his blog fairly with all bloggers.)

3. In your opinion, what do you think of our company’s approach to blogging?

I think I generally agreed with their approach.

(Blogger's Note: Tex? Didn't you also disagree with some panelists,(not me) in that you respected the "strong" approach of the Alticor and Amway Media Blogs?)

4. How has blogging helped you as an individual, as an advocate for the company, and as an "online citizen"? (In my notes, this question was "Has Blogging made you a better person?)

I responded blogging hasn't made me a better person, it has revealed who I am, which is someone who wants to be treated with honesty in a business dealing, which has clearly NOT happened with the tool scam.



5. Do you participate in other online venues, such as with sites like MySpace or Facebook, or do any podcasting? Do you feel that our involvement in these venues makes sense given the nature of our business? Please explain your answer.

I responded I do not participate much in these other venues, although upon reflection I have done some podcasts.




6. Our bloggging presence – the way we blog, how we blog and what we say – is evolving over time. We are still in the learning stages. Many of the audience members here are professional communicators from our Amway affiliates all over the world. What advice can you give our audience members as they continue to embrace blogging as a tool of communication?

I don't recall responding to this question.


7. Do You Make Any Money Blogging?

No, but I believe I have caused a lot of tool scam money to NOT be made that otherwise would have been.


8. Many of the people in this audience primarily deal with reporters and are just now beginning to deal with bloggers. There has been much debate in recent years whether bloggers carry the same rights and privileges, as do traditional journalists. Do you feel bloggers and journalists are one in the same, and should we treat bloggers with the same level of professional courtesy as we do with reporters?


I replied I don't know, I would need to know how they treat reporters.


9. As a global company, we must cooperate with different governments and respect their laws and customs as a rule of doing business. That said, how has blogging impacted the global marketplace?


Many companies have realized they need to pay attention to blogs, as this is a real impact on their reputation.


10. Do you think that blogging has changed the direct selling industry as a whole? Why or why not?

Yes, but I don't recall any further details.

FINALLY, Dino said that over the past year or so; Alticor was trying to transform itself and its companies and its online reputation. In a one-word, "Yes or No" answer; Do you believe the company is already being transformed?


I responded yes, but only because he asked for a single word, I didn't add this question is a bit like asking someone if they have stopped beating their wife. We have started the transformation, but have a long way to go.