At Quixtar, Recognition Outranks Cash
A
recent NBC "Dateline" report on Quixtar, the highly touted
Internet marketing organization, was not favorable
to Quixtar or its directors. As a component of Amway, the sometimes
infamous home marketing organization, Quixtar was shown as benefiting
only executives who sell motivational tapes and books, not the rank
and file members who resell consumer products. In response, Quixtar
has devoted a Web site to rebuttal of Dateline's charges at
www.quixtarresponse.com .
What NBC failed to show,
and Quixtar doesn't mention, is the one aspect of Quixtar that keeps
many people as members even though they may not be seeing the
financial gains alluded to in the recruiting. The one item is
recognition.
Most everyone from corporate America has been to an awards or recognition event of some kind. These "feel good" events are just that: Make the rank and file members feel that they are not only appreciated, but they are also essential to the success of the organization as a whole.
It is a known fact that
salary is not the prime motivator in employment. It is a component
of overall satisfaction that keeps an employee with a given employer,
but by itself is not enough to keep a person bound to an otherwise
unsatisfactory employment. Quixtar also realizes that monetary
rewards are just a part of the commitment.
Even though Quixtar members pay for the right to attend their "feel good" meetings, seminars and conventions, the company uses titles such as “Reunion” to make members feel part of a huge, successful and morally good organization. Almost everyone gets to go on stage at one of the local meetings amid balloons and confetti, dreaming of the time when they will do the same at a larger convention.
My
wife and I joined Quixtar before the Web site was actually launched.
Buoyed by the quality of people we met, and being new in our
community, we looked forward to the Internet marketing
opportunity that loomed in the future with great optimism. It wasn't
until we were actually members of Quixtar that we realized it was
really Amway. We decided to stick with the program until we
determined whether or not it was worth the time and effort, not to
mention money. We attended our first "Reunion" in Orlando
along with many of the people involved from our area.
We
were struck by the resemblance of the "show" to what we had
experienced in our former corporate careers. The one main difference
was Quixtar's heavily promoted component of religion.
Later,
after refusing to share the names of our family and friends with
Quixtar recruiters, we were "dropped" from the active
meetings. Seeing no financial benefit other than tax write-offs, we
dropped out of Quixtar,
Quixtar
knows feeling good is as important as making money when it comes
to maintaining their membership. By offering camaraderie and
friendship as well as the opportunity to meet friends on a weekly
basis, Quixtar rolls along, even though no one in the
trenches is getting rich.
At least not with money.
George Mindling ©
2004
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