Amway Global.com - Official Site of Amway Global / Quixtar Inc.
Quixtar? MLM? H&B? WOM?
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Lots of people have tried to describe Quixtar's business model in lots of different ways. For some reason, the final explanation always seems to be lacking because this business is so multi-faceted.  There's a lot of different ways to look at this elephant.  Like the blind men who feel different parts of the pachyderm and arrive at different conclusions about what they're feeling (i.e., the one feeling a leg thinks it's a tree, the one feeling the tail thinks it's a rope, the one feeling the trunk thinks it's a snake), experiencing Quixtar requires a little time and investigation -- of ALL of its components.

So, what is Quixtar?  Is it an online Health & Beauty company?  Well, it is the online sales leader for health and beauty products.  But that only accounts for what we sell (for the most part) and the primary way people order products.  It doesn't speak to the nature of how people are introduced to our products.

Is Quixtar an MLM (multi-level marketing) company?  Yes, Quixtar has a MLM compensation program that rewards IBOs for building business organizations that create sales volume.  But that moniker only addresses how compensation is handled.  Is Quixtar a Direct Seller?  Yes, it is a member of the Direct Selling Association and has traditionally been considered a leader in direct sales, where individuals market products to their friends, neighbors, acquaintances and others. I was at the DSA annual meeting earlier this month and it was a great time to share experiences with other direct selling companies with similar business challenges and successses.  But a Quixtar business is more than just directly selling products, since a large component is sharing the business opportunity with others and supporting the business-building efforts of others you've registered as IBOs.

Is Quixtar a Word of Mouth Marketing company?  I went to a conference last week held by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and there were a lot of good sessions that directly apply to our company and industry.  Yes, Quixtar relies heavily on Word of Mouth marketing and the referrals of others.  We've long known that people trust the recommendations of other people more than they trust advertising or other forms of marketing.  Again, though, Word of Mouth only covers one aspect of our business.

For a few years now we've used our own invention -- I-commerce -- to describe an Internet business for Individuals powered by Quixtar's Infrastructure and the Quixtar Independent Business Owner Compensation Plan.  It's a mouthful and lots of people don't know what that means. 

So, how do you answer the question?  A, B, C or D?  Or, is it all of the above?  I say it's all of the above and more.  Quixtar almost defies definition.  It's about high-quality products, particularly health and beauty products. It's about opportunity for people of all walks of life.  It's about sales and marketing, sure, but it's also about human development.  In short, we're a health and beauty business opportunity that empowers people.  But even that description has many shades and nuances that you discover over months and years of involvement.  I think that keeps the business exciting for IBOs.  Early on they may view it simply as a sales channel, but over a longer period of time their understanding becomes much deeper and nuanced, based on their experiences.

I've been with Quixtar and sister company Amway for nearly 15 years now, and I still learn new things every day about this business. I think that's exciting and it keeps me coming back for more.


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Comments

Annerose said:
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 #

I thank you for your comment.

David said:
Wednesday, February 21, 2007 #

Thanks a million for your "Word of Mouth" article! I wish the CD's that I purchased from my upline had this type of relevant information. Keep it up! P.S. Great picture.

Kia said:
Thursday, February 22, 2007 #

Thanks David! I'm glad you liked and hope to provide more.  In April I'm speaking at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's conference in New Orleans, so I need to think through what I'm going to present.

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