MLM - Network Marketing Blog

Nutrilite signs Olympic Medalist Liu Xiang as Spokesperson

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

From Quixtar:

“The collaboration between Nutrilite and Liu Xiang is a world-class partnership,” says Dr. Sam Rehnborg, President of the Nutrilite Health Institute. “Just like Nutrilite, Liu Xiang continues to excel and challenge the competition. He is an ideal spokesperson to represent the true character of the Nutrilite brand. Quixtar IBOs in North America and Amway business owners around the world are looking forward to following his successes on the track, particularly in the 2008 Olympics.”

Only 23, Liu Xiang has already conquered a long list of races. He took the bronze medal in the men’s 60m hurdles at the 2003 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Champs, the first medal for China in 18 years.

Xiang then went on to win the gold in the 110m hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In July 2006 he set a new world record in the 110 meters hurdles with a time of 12.88 seconds, at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne. Xiang was recently voted the number one most recognized athlete in China and completed 2006 as the number one ranked 110m hurdler by the IAAF.

The cooperation between Nutrilite and Liu Xiang will be comprehensive and tailored to fit Xiang’s specific athletic needs. Nutrilite, a leader in research and development on health and nutrition, will work closely with the China Track and Field Association to provide consulting services to Liu Xiang.

“I’m very excited to be a global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite,” said Xiang. “I will definitely work to deliver the Nutrilite philosophy of optimal health to every corner of the world.”

Read more...

MLM Expert, Len Clements On The Amway Global Compensation Plan

By Ty Tribble, MLM Blog Founder

I was listening to a recent podcast from MLM Expert, Len Clements and he said something about the Amway compensation plan that I found very interesting.  Mr. Clements is a court certified expert in MLM/Network Marketing and founder of Market Wave Inc,  in case you were wondering about his credentials.

So here is a quote from Mr. Clements about the Amway Compensation Plan:

"The Amway Compensation Plan is one of the worst plans in the industry."

Hmmm.  That sounds really familiar.  Oh yeah, that's what I have been saying about the Amway/Quixtar plan for years.  Here is a link to the podcast where Len makes the statement.  The podcast is one hour and forty minutes long and the quote is near the end .

Back to Amway Global...

Amway is an $8 Billion company, but my guess is that only 10% (roughly $800 Million) of that volume comes from the U.S., down from an estimated $2 to $3 Billion in the 90's.

Is Amway Global a good business opportunity in the U.S.?

Let's answer that with a couple of questions...

1. Can you name a Network Marketing company that has a worse reputation than Amway/Quixtar?

2. Can you name a company that has a worse dollar to volume ratio than Amway/Quixtar? In other words, how much does it cost you to do your 100 points?

Amway Global has a Stairstep Breakaway Plan (not a Unilevel Plan like some folks at MonaVie claim).  The Stairstep Breakaway plan is typically considered as a plan that is disproportionately weighted towards the back end.  In general, top earners typically (not always) do fairly well and the mid to low ranks suffer.

Former Amway Diamond Bo Short: Where is he now?

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - March 10, 2009) - EIRO Research, a Dallas-based nutritional company, held its prelaunch convention in Dallas on March 6-7. At the convention, the company launched its official packaging and branding, as well as EIRO Energy, a natural, healthful alternative to conventional energy drinks.

"Attendance was phenomenal," said CEO, Chris Hausman. "We had twice as many attendees as we expected. It was standing room only." EIRO's official branding was designed by Pentagram Design, an award-winning design firm whose clients include Tiffany and Co., as well as Saks Fifth Avenue. DJ Stout, a partner of Pentagram, was at the event to reveal the new look.

"This new packaging is first-class," said Liz Goldreich, a Dallas-based independent associate for EIRO. "The owners of EIRO have aligned themselves with some of the classiest companies in the country. They are setting new standards and raising the bar in network marketing."

In addition to launching new packaging, videos, and marketing materials, the company revealed it would be featured in the August issue of Your Business at Home Magazine, a publication that appears on national newsstands. Other speakers at the event included, Darren Hardy, publisher of Success magazine, and Elizabeth Showers, a jewelry designer who heads the Elisa Project, which raises awareness on eating disorders. Founding partners Bo Short, Ty Tribble, and Chris Cucchiara also spoke at the event.

"EIRO is providing an incomparable platform for its independent associates," said EIRO founding partner, Ty Tribble. "No other company in network marketing has launched such a broad and comprehensive suite of products and materials in such a short amount of time. The opportunity at this company is unparalleled."

EIRO Research is a Dallas-based network marketing company specializing in the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of premium, properly formulated nutritional products For opportunity information, please visit www.eirorevolution.com. For media inquiries, please visit www.eiro.com.

Amway Quixtar Antitrust Lawsuit

Law360

Law360, New York (March 17, 2009) -- A Texas state court judge erred when he dismissed a lawsuit Signature Management Team LLC brought alleging Alticor Inc. unit Quixtar Inc. used its power over the individual contractors that sell its products to stifle the plaintiff's business, an appeals court has ruled.

The Court of Appeals for Texas' Fifth District in Dallas handed down an opinion on Friday reversing the trial court's judgment dismissing the lawsuit and remanded that case for further...

XS Energy Drink Owner Files Bankruptcy

Amway Triple Diamond Greg Duncan, a leader in Worldwide Dreambuilders - WWDB and owner of XS Energy Drink has filed bankruptcy.

Get the details here: WWDB Greg Duncan Bankrupt

Amway WWDB Triple Diamond Greg Duncan Bankrupt!

My former upline in Amway/Quixtar is bankrupt....

Amquix.info:

World Wide Dreambuilder's Triple Diamond and former IBOAI board of director Greg and Laurie Duncan have been in bankruptcy court  since Sep. 11 2007!  A site visitor notified me of the bankruptcy after checking up on their numerous houses that were in foreclosure last year. 

The Duncan's listed assets of $63 million and debts of $8.4 million.  Despite having millions in net worth, the Duncan's cannot service all their debts.

The Duncan's owed $1.7 million to the  IRS for back taxes and penalties and $452,000 to the State of Montana for back taxes.

In April of 2008, the Duncan's filed a reorganization plan and  disclosure statement under court sealing that was later unsealed when it went into Chapter 7. 

Supposedly $9 million of Duncan's cash got drained away in a lawsuit over the rights to sell he XS energy drink.   I obtained documentation of a suit involving the XS energy drink brand with a company called Cetalon.   Cetalon claimed it was given marketing rights for the XS brand and was suing for its piece of the pie after Quixtar became a major buying.   Greg Duncan was named as a defendant, and  Cetalon went bankrupt when it lost the case.

All the bankruptcy documents are public record on Pacer.

Amway/Quixtar News Moving To AmwayBlog.com

A little housekeeping is in order...

When I launched the MLM Blog in 2003, the majority of my experience in Network Marketing was in Amway/Quixtar, so I wrote a lot about it.  To this day, I try to keep up with and report on the goings on with the company, but I now get the vast majority of my readers at MLM Blog from other subjects, not just the Amway/Quixtar rumor mill.

So, when I have big news about Quixtar such as the change back to the Amway brand, I will post it here. however for the most part, those who are looking for Amway news will find it at the Amway Blog.

Beginning with:

Where's WWDB Jim Harstad?

WWDB's Greg Duncan OWNS XS Energy Drink....

Update: Greg Duncan Bankrupt?

WWDB Triple Diamond, Greg Duncan actually owns one of the most popular product lines in the world of Quixtar, XS Energy Drink, according to an article in Beverage World.

The article lists the co-owners of XS Worldwide as  Josh Bradbury, Scott Coon, Greg Duncan, David Vanderveen. Scott Coon was once an Emerald, personally sponsored by Greg and I believe that David Vanderveen is a cousin to Amway/Quixtar owners, the Van Andels.

Here is the first thing that came to my mind: No matter how bad Quixtar's compensation plan is, I'm betting that Greg Duncan will be sticking around. He is probably making a lot of money when all of the other lines of sponsorship promote XS Energy Drink.

Now, speaking of XS Energy Drink and Greg Duncan, I found a bit more interesting news...

It seems that Greg Duncan is expanding his marketplace outside of Quixtar with a brand of energy drinks called, "All In". 

Here is a link to an article that calls Greg Duncan, CEO of All In Energy. So now, Greg Duncan, along with former World Wide Dream Builders diamond (current Emerald?), Rod Jao, who is Vice President of All In Energy are out selling a product that competes directly with XS Energy Drink.

"Competes directly with Quixtar" is probably the most important words to consider here if you follow the Quixtar non-compete rules that the company has been making waves over.

Quixtar - Amway Non-Compete News

Here is a taste of what is being said around the net about a recent ruling...

On Friday, May 23, 2008, the Federal Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled that the Quixtar Rules of Conduct are unenforceable because they are on their face illusory. Simmons et. al. v. Quixtar. Citing the fact that Rule 1 of the Rules of Conduct reserve in the Corporation the right to change or amend the rules at any time, the court held that on their face the Rules are but an illusion that cannot be enforced.

- Orrin Woodward's Blog quoting Attorney, Mike McCormick

Quixtar has suffered a legal setback in their dispute with TEAM. A Texas district court judge has declared that earlier Fifth Circuit reasoning in Morrison et al vs Amway et al that Amway's contract was "illusory and unenforceable" also applies to current Quixtar contracts.

- "A Win For Team" by IBOFightback at The Truth About Amway

This ruling, and a couple of other recent ones, will likely have an impact (how significant remains to be seen) on several recent TEAM cases and Quixtar’s arbitration agreement.  On February 8, 2008, on the Alticor Media Blog, the blog’s moderator, in speaking to the dismissal of the Nitro case stated:

“And another important point: Contrary to some of the spinners out there, the ruling hinges on the fact that the dispute is so very old—beginning before 1998, before we even had an arbitration program. Therefore, the effect of this ruling on our current arbitration program and current cases (a shrinking list, given the Nitro dismissal) is virtually zero. If someone’s telling you otherwise, don’t buy the hype.”

Well, it’s obvious the judge in this case clearly disagrees with the blog moderator’s assessment of the matter.  Apparently “virtually zero” isn’t “absolute zero.”  However, this is not a final ruling on the merits of the case itself, so we will have to wait to hear how the specific case itself plays out.

- Chuck Lia, Speaking of Amway

Chuck's site also includes the entire ruling for your viewing pleasure.

In my search for information about the case, I also found a new site called Amway Watch that you might want to have a look at.  I suspect that the site is run by IBOFightback, but in my quick look, I did not see any authorship.

What Makes Quixtar A "Great Opportunity"?

I just saw a comment from a reader that suggested that Quixtar is a "great opportunity".  I see this statement a lot, but I say that the facts show something entirely different.  The facts show a poor compensation plan that pays out 25% less on the wholesale volume than the top growing companies today. I see thousands of me-too products that differentiate themselves only by being priced higher than everyone else and I see arguably the worst reputation in the industry.

Compare Quixtar to a job and Quixtar can look pretty good.  Compare Quixtar to the fast growing and well managed Network Marketing companies of 2008 and Quixtar looks pretty bad.

So, you know my perspective, now lets see your perspective...

What Makes Quixtar A Great Opportunity?