“Speaking of Amway, what are YOUR thoughts on…?”

NOTE TO READERS: text below in bold and blue is hotlinked to additional background info.  

This new article in GQ Magazine, The Book of Me, is of keen interest in that it demonstrates how personal genomics and Personalized Health are now growing in mass market interest in general media outlets, and not just science-oriented journalism and publications.Someone in the Alticor organization had the exceptional foresight back around 2002 or 2003 to recommend an ‘angel investment’ in Interleukin Genetics, which had made some key discoveries — pre-Human Genome Project completion — which are turning out to be core to understanding how our personal genetics influences the ageing process and chronic health conditions related thereto. Interleukin was able to apply for a number of patents based on their unique discoveries and thus claim some significant IP real estate in the “land rush” around human genome research which is shaping the future of health and health care. Alticor has thus far shown good patience with their investment in Interleukin and has provided its Distributors with an unparalleled product and business development opportunity with the Gensona DNA tests, and Nutrilite’s IL-1 Heart Health supplement — the world’s first clinically validated (published in peer-reviewed and respected scientific journals) nutrigenomic supplement – with more in the Nutrilite and Interleukin research pipelines. The article in GQ is an easy read and well-written, almost in a mystery novel genre by a top-selling novelist, so your time spent reading will be enjoyable for those who don’t think they “like” science related stuff, and a joy for those of us who see the future now and can’t wait.A key quote from the article — key for me, at least: 

He [George Church, Harvard University] defends the coming revolution, comparing it to the birth of personal computing in the late 1970s. That earlier revolution was all about mass empowerment, going, he says, “from a few people in the priesthood that guarded the mainframes, to everybody.” But few people saw the potential of that revolution early on: “Just like with personal computing, until there are some compelling stories involving real products [my emphasis] the only people who are going to get what’s happening are the ones who can imagine things that aren’t yet there.”                                        

 SPEAKING OF AMWAY GLOBAL, where do you rank Personalized Health and Nutrilite Health in your list of business development priorities? Is it “hot” or is it “not” for you, and why? Second, what is Amway Global doing well to assist you in understanding and marketing the Gensona DNA tests and the Nutrilite IL-1 Heart Health, and what in your view might they do better?  Before you answer that last question, watch this video clip. 

written by rdknyvr \\ tags: Alticor, Amway, Amway Global, DNA tests, genomics, Gensona, George Church, GQ, GQ magazine, Harvard, Human Genome Project, IL-1 Heart Health, Interleukin Genetics, Nutrigenomic supplements, nutrigenomics, Nutrilite, personal genomics, Personalized Health, The Book of Me, XS Gold Energy

“Trust is the lubrication that makes organizations work.” — WARREN G. BENNIS

“When a train goes through a dark tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off.  You sit still and trust the engineer.” – CORRIE TEN BOOM

“Trust your own instinct.  Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else’s.” – BILLY WILDER

When I originally created this blog this past April my primary motivation was to encourage candid dialogue among IBOs about topics and issues that concerned me in the business.  The company was in the early months of a global business transformation and I hoped that open discussion of challenges that I and others perceived in the business would potentially lead to real world solutions and change.  I was also hopeful that Amway and Quixtar’s executives would listen in on our discussions — and even participate in our discussions when appropriate — and that has happened from time to time.  From day one this blog was intended to be a collaborative effort, open to original posts by other IBOs, and not centered around one IBO’s point of view or a particular business direction or outcome.  That intention has been realized with frequent posts by “rdknyvr” and post-like comments by “Big Apple,” “IBOFightback,” and others.

My approach to posting about our business was different than anything that I had seen online to that time.  Posts were theme- and issue-based; and initiated dialogue on numerous topics rather than only responding to issues after a problem had emerged publicly, or simply reporting business news.  The approach has been highly effective, has led to hundreds of comments on many topics, and was eventually copied by other sites.

But you might ask, why was creating this blog so important to me?  And that’s a good question.  So if you don’t mind, allow me to answer it.

It was important simply because in my heart of hearts I didn’t believe in the business anymore.  I didn’t believe I personally could honestly promote our business model to potential prospects in its state at the end of 2007 — as much as I wanted to.  (As an aside, allow me to add that my challenges with the business had little to do with the issues that the TEAM debacle raised.  In fact, I thought the TEAM approach was a big part of the problem.)  Even though the company was in the first months of its global business transformation, I had heard the promise of “change” in the business before, and had been disappointed each time, so I had little real hope it would follow through.  In short, I knew that if I was ever going to be able to confidently and honestly build the business there would have to be substantial changes in the business at a foundational level — the company would have to come through and prove to me it was serious about real, lasting change.  I knew it was going to take a lot to bring me back into the fold, and in all candor, I held little hope it would happen.  A lot had transpired over the years to undermine my belief in the company, its leadership, and the IBO leadership.  There was a lot to overcome.

What were the challenges that disturbed me the most?  What were the issues that would have to change for me to be able to honestly and confidently pursue building the business?  They primarily fell into three areas:

The first area of concern was the lack of balance in the business in relation to the tool systems.  I believed the tool systems had become the tail that wagged the dog.  It is interesting to note that Orrin Woodward recently revealed that he never made more than $750,000 in Quixtar at the Executive Diamond level, yet Forbes.com stated a month ago that Orrin told it that he was on schedule to make $4 to $5 million this year alone from the tool support side of his MonaVie business, and that’s after lowering the price of his system tools when he joined MonaVie!  So which business was he really in when he was in Quixtar?!  Quixtar, or tools?  It appears Quixtar was little more than a receptive host that the parasitic TEAM used to feed itself.  And by the way, TEAM was not alone.  Many tool systems had evolved far beyond their original purpose and now ruled the roost, particularly in terms of income, and often treated the company like a second class citizen.  Rest assured, not all tool systems were equally culpable, but all were culpable on some level.

The second area of concern was the mismanagement of the Amway/Quixtar businesses by corporate leadership and the effect its mismanagement had had on its IBOs, its business opportunity, and its product lines.  I held the company leadership personally responsible for allowing the tool systems to usurp so much business territory and to hijack the business far off its original course, often for reasons that allowed the company to be lazy in the marketplace and to serve its own interests.  In all honesty, I’m still disappointed the company leadership has not apologized for its failure in this area.  The company’s failure at this point was more than a “mistake” in my opinion (as they’ve often called it).  One simple example (there are many others) was the retail customer price of most products in 2007 and the company’s retail customer sales volume.  The figures revealed during the TEAM court case revealed that only 3.5% of the company’s U.S. volume was retail customer volume.  But why should the company care?  It was getting its billion dollar plus sales revenue from the IBOs and that was all that mattered.  Otherwise wouldn’t they would have taken steps to initiate change in this area well before mid-2007?  And why should the system leaders care?  They were deriving a substantial portion of their income from the IBOs participating in their systems and that was what mattered most.  Besides it was far easier to generate income from business support materials and functions than to earn income from developing business sales volume with downline IBOs.

The critical role of tool income to IBO leaders in the business was driven home to me in the summer of 2007 when numerous business leaders quickly left the business as soon as it became clear their substantial tool incomes were being threatened.  They saw the writing on the wall.  Knowing it was far easier to generate substantial tool income quickly than business income, they just weren’t willing to get back to having to truly build the business they said they were building all along.  I sometimes think tool purchases by new IBOs are just the tool systems’ back door version of product front loading, but with tools the only ones who benefit are the tool system leaders.  Interestingly, the word on the street from Amway/Quixtar corporate insiders is that the corporation has been shocked to see how resistant the tool systems have been to having their role in the business reevaluated and somewhat diminished, and I’m sure much of that resistance has been due to the tool income issue.  But recent events in the UK and the US have made it clear to Amway Global that the tool system dynamic and the retail customer dynamic had to change — dramatically and soon.  As the Alticor Media Blog put it, “Never Again!”  I agree.

The third area of concern was the IBOs themselves.  I believed that many IBOs, myself included, had acted irrationally, irresponsibly, and immaturely by allowing the tool systems to sell us a bill of goods on their so-called “proven” systems; and the company to sell us overpriced products with limited customer potential.  If an airline had a proven safety record comparable to the tool systems’ proven success record in developing profitable IBOs, it would have been shut down long, long ago.  And the company’s retail customer development with its products and retail pricing was no better.  The attitude of many IBOs, often encouraged by system leadership’s “Are you a team player?” mantra, appeared to be “Question nothing, believe everything.”  I’m convinced a far better approach for IBOs would have been to “Trust, but verify.”  No one should blindly follow anyone anywhere.  By the way, if you only read a couple of books a year (hopefully more), this year I’d recommend making one of those books Predictably Irrational:  The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely.  It will convince you of the importance of “trust, but verify.”  All IBOs would be well-served to read it at the earliest opportunity.

Another new book offers some interesting insights along similar lines to Predictably Irrational.  Ori and Rom Brafman, in their new release Sway:  The Irresistable Pull of Irrational Behavior, make a number of intriguing points.  For example, why would a seasoned pilot, the head of KLM’s safety program, ignore his co-pilot and attempt a takeoff in dense fog with 55 tons of fuel (far more than the allowable limit for his intended flight) at an unfamiliar airport, Tenerife — causing the worst air disaster in history?  And why would the co-pilot, who had followed procedure exactly when he reminded his captain that the flight had not been cleared for takeoff, fail to repeat his warning when the pilot pressed ahead anyway?  The collision at Tenarife airport cost the lives of 583 people. Using that accident as their starting point, the Brafman brothers explore the psychological forces that cause people to take large risks to avoid small losses, to judge people and situations by first impressions despite subsequent inconsistent evidence, and to ignore objections from dissenters.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the most reassuring in regard to the purposes of this blog.  Research reveals that groups often make better decisions when there’s a “blocker” or “dissenter” present — even if that person dissents for the wrong reasons.  The authors describe a classic experiment in which test subjects are led to believe they are being tested for their visual skills:  three lines of different lengths are to be matched to a fourth line.  The differences in line length are clearly obvious, so there is plainly only one correct answer.  However, if you put the real test subject in a room with several actors who pretend to be test subjects, but actually have been instructed to give an obviously wrong answer, most subjects in the experiment will behave in a completely irrational manner and agree with the other test “subjects” that lines that are clearly different in length are exactly the same.  But if an actor playing “blocker” is added to the mix and points out that the group is wrong, the subject then feels free to disagree and usually makes the right choice.  Interestingly, this is true even if the “blocker” makes a different “wrong” choice by picking two other lines of plainly different lengths.  What this experiment says to the business and political world is that organizations that allow no dissent, or demean dissenters, are likely to perform about as well as that ill-fated flight at Tenerife.  It also implies that the mass mind is often intimidating, a good reason for strong checks and balances in this business.  As an aside, pilots at Southwest and other airlines are now trained to avoid the disaster that happened at Tenerife.  Pilots are taught to listen to objections from other crew members, and crew members are trained to communicate those objections in a way that enables the pilot to respond quickly and correctly.

But back to my three areas of concern.  Obviously, there was plenty of blame to go around in mid-2007, and it wasn’t limited to one part of the business or any one group of people or IBOs.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, myself included, was culpable.  Fortunately, last summer the company promised that big changes were coming and a complete business transformation was in the works.  Having heard that unfulfilled promise before, I began to shape my vision for a blog like this one, an online “coffeehouse” to discuss my perception of what shape IBOs like me might want that business transformation to take if in fact the company was truly serious this time.

So where do I stand today in relation to my 2007 concerns?

Today I am convinced that the company is serious about taking its business back and creating a more appropriate balance between the corporation and the tool systems (although I would not be surprised if somewhere down the road the systems’ role is limited to motivation only — or they no longer exist at all).  As I stated earlier, the UK and US issues (and those in other countries) have made it clear that the status quo was unworkable.  Where that unworkability takes us all long-term remains to be seen.  However, there is absolutely nothing going on in the corporate training arena for product knowledge and retailing (Quixtar University and related) that is not easily transferable by the corporation to the training arena for building a network of IBOs — and it could likely be offered at far less cost to IBOs.  Important factors such as “identification and association” would still be best served by upline IBOs, but would not require the costs associated with them in the current system approach.  Years ago when the company offered business training materials they were dramatically less expensive than system produced BSMs, over 50% less.  I look forward to a return to those days and enhanced new IBO profitability.  The current state of the business in the tool system and business support materials area generates confidence in me that things are going to be positively different in the months and years to come.

Today the focus on new product offerings in health and wellness — for example, Simply Nutrilite — and the pricing that goes with them are all customer driven.  The new Gensona offerings are leading edge and can be expected to be even more diverse over time.  The Ribbon Gift program is nothing less than terrific.  The above-mentioned Quixtar University puts a foundation under every product offering the company has.  In addition, the continued sponsorship of top-notch professional athletes will lead to even greater awareness of our company and our products in the public at-large.

Today the public “coming out party” of Amway Global in print and media ads and other venues has convinced me the company is serious about building, maintaining, and monitoring its public and internet image and reputation — and this will serve the needs of IBOs increasingly well.  Everything the company is doing in this arena is first rate and bodes well for the future of all IBOs.  But it is important for IBOs, and myself in particular, not to waste the opportunity Amway Global is giving us in this area today.  This is a real opportunity for all of us, not just a pig in a pretty dress.

I’ve said all that to say this:  Today I  believe I could honestly promote our business to prospects without any serious reservations — and I intend to do just that. There are still a few areas where I’d like to see some changes implemented, but they are not deal breakers for me.  Thus, in the coming months and years I intend to work diligently to build a Diamond level business outside of a system context.  At the same time I intend to keep the company’s hand to the fire from time to time regarding those few critical issues that I still consider important and worth reevaluating.  Those issues still critical to me are:

1.  The curiosity approach (or as some call it in other variations, the Professional Business Approach).  I personally believe the curiosity approach should be banned outright.  It creates far more issues than it solves — and none of them are positive.  Lack of trust, the potential for deceit, misrepresentation, half-truths, and worse, all come into play with the curiosity approach, and the general public hates it.  It is time to do away with it once and for all.  Amway needs a clear and upfront image and reputation, not one based on how much information we can hide from a prospect while we dance away in doublespeak.  I have no problem with explaining the business in full at an appropriate time when it can be explained properly, but I have a big problem with an opaque response to a direct question.  In his recent autobiography/success tome Get In The Game, highly respected baseball Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken, Jr. wrote:

“Both my parents were as honest as the day is long.  My mother just wouldn’t tolerate dishonesty of any sort.  Dad [Note: Cal Ripken, Sr. was a former manager of the Baltimore Orioles] was also as straight a shooter as they come.  If you asked him a question, you got a direct answer.  He had a strong sense of right versus wrong.  And if he thought something was wrong, believe me, you heard about it.  Dad also tended not to mince words.  Nor would he stay quiet just to avoid telling you bad news.

So, just as with the values of hard work and excellence, my parents raised me to be honest and to have integrity.  Because of them, I believe I grew up to be a sincere and serious-minded adult.  But how do honesty and integrity help a person persevere?  Personally, I think it has something to do with trust.

Honesty breeds trust in others.  Straight shooters get more work, are appreciated more, and are almost always respected.  On the other hand, dishonest people almost never garner universal respect.  As with honesty, integrity also breeds trust.  If people believe you have strong principles, are sound in mind and body, and are incorruptible, they’ll choose to work with you over others.

You cannot persevere in any organization without the trust of others.  If an executive doesn’t trust you, you can be out of a job in the blink of an eye.  If coworkers don’t trust you, they’ll complain about you behind your back.  And too much of that can also lead to a loss job.  It’s far better to be trusted by the people with whom you work and associate.  But, as the adage goes, trust has to be earned.  Only over a sustained period can people come to count on you.  You have to demonstrate your honesty and integrity over and over.  And you can’t slip up — not even once.  If you do, you’ll have to start all over again.  In that case, it’s doubly difficult to regain a person’s respect and esteem.  Therefore, it always wise to start out being straight with people from day one.  Let them know right from the start that you can be counted on…“

2.  Selective openness, honesty, and transparency.  When Steve Lieberman announced the global business transformation he stated the company was committed to “openness, honesty, and transparency.”   Yet certain outcomes since his announcement have led me to believe Steve should have said “selective” openness, honesty, and transparency.  I’ve posted numerous posts on this topic in the past so I won’t rehash them here, but let it suffice for me to state the company could do a better job in the areas of openness and transparency.  When Amway Global gets these areas right I honestly believe it will be on the doorstep of getting everything right.

3.  The arbitration clause.  I believe in the arbitration clause.  It can benefit both sides in a dispute, but not if its a one-sided arbitration process in which the company holds all the cards.  A one-sided arbitration process is just what the several courts have said it is:  unconscionable.  Amway Global’s owners are Christian men who hold to Christian principles of fair and equitable dealing.  They should know better.  Fix it guys. Now.  Enough said.

4.  The non-compete clause.  I understand and accept some of the solid reasons for the non-compete clause, and can see its value in protecting the integrity of our businesses, particularly in relation to IBOs at a certain level in the business, say Platinum and above.  But in its current form it is nothing less than overkill, and it creates a lot of ill will.  Reevaluate it and apply only it to those who really have something at stake in the business, as I said, perhaps IBOs at Platinum and above.  And like the arbitration clause issue above, do it now.  I’m not particularly excited about asking my new IBO to sign an IBO agreement with these two clauses in their current form.  So fix it and ask all IBOs to sign a new contract.  The sooner the better.

5.  The pricing of core line products.   The company clearly needs to reset the price of some of its existing core line products to a more competitive retail market price.  Current pricing assumes IBOs are the paying customer and real target market.  Yes, incomes might drop as the BV drops.  However, with the increased emphasis on retailing in the business, and the increase in retailing that should occur with reasonable price adjustments, over both the short term and intermediate term, incomes should actually rise — particularly for those actively building balanced businesses that include a strong customer component.  Quality, overpriced products don’t create any buzz in the market; but quality, competitively priced products do.

6.  The pricing of logo clothing and other items used to promote the business.  While this is not nearly as important as the other issues as a general matter, it is an important philosophical issue for me.  If the company wants the tool systems to reduce the price of tools (and it does), the company should also reduce the price of clothing using the company name or logo, and other items and literature used to promote the business to customers and prospects.  As a philosophical matter I do not believe materials or items used to promote the business should be a high margin profit center.  If an IBO can only earn income through the personal and downline sale of products, the company should make the same commitment.  IBOs are the company’s partners and its wholesale customers.  We should not be treated as retail customers on any level, particularly when we are purchasing clothing with the Nutrilite or Artistry logos to promote and personally advertise our business and its products, for which Amway Global benefits as well.  I don’t believe an IBO should have to pay a premium to purchase a company hat, shirt, or jacket to promote his or her involvement with the business.  In the most recent “Achieve” magazine Steve Van Andel and Doug DeVos asked IBOs to make their friends and acquaintances aware of their involvement in the business.  To that end the company should be going out of its way to offer clothing and literature that allows us to do just that as inexpensively as possible.  Brochures that IBOs use to present the business and promote the products should not be retail priced items.  The Quixtar Business Opportunity Brochure is priced very well.  But the price of most of the Nutrilite logo clothing is not.  (XS Energy’s clothing is full retail as well.)  In Steve Van Andel’s recent talk at Diamond Club he stated that the company recognizes that it is really our “upline.”  That should mean that the company and IBOs make money the same way, the “old-fashioned way,” moving products to customers.  Let’s keep it that way.

As I look back at it, that’s a pretty short list of issues.  That tells me the company has come a long way since mid-2007.  It also tells me that it’s time to get to work.

When I first heard Steve Lieberman’s promise of a global Amway business tranformation in the summer of 2007 my first thought was that I had heard all this before — and it was always an empty promise.  But today it has become clear that Steve Van Andel, Doug DeVos, and Steve Lieberman really meant it this time, that the promises of 2007 are real.  Recently the company began a series of print and media ads around the “Now You Know” theme, geared toward creating awareness of our brand, products, and our business in the mind of the public.  For IBOs like me though the company had to go much further than brand awareness, for as I stated at the start of this post, I personally can’t promote a business model that I honestly don’t believe in.  Thankfully, the promises of real change that the company has continued to keep over the past year have begun to restore my belief in the company, its leadership, and its future.  I am beginning to believe the company is going to follow through and create a business we can all be publicly proud of and place our trust in.  And that leads me to my final thought.

Amway Global:  “Now I Know.”  I not only know what the company is doing today, I also have a better sense of why the company is doing it and how the company is going about it.  More importantly, today I believe more deeply in the company and can more readily embrace it and its goals.

So folks, it’s time for me to get to work.  You’ll be hearing from me.

Speaking of Amway, how have the recent changes in Quixtar North America and Amway Global affected your belief in the business and your future in it?

written by Chuck Lia \\ tags: Amway Global, arbitration clause, Business Transformation, Cal Ripken Jr., core line products, curiosity approach, Doug DeVos, Gensona, Get In The Game, logo clothing, non-compete clause, Nutrilite, Predictably Irrational, Quixtar, Quixtar Business Opportunity Brochure, Quixtar University, Ribbon Gift, Ronaldinho, Steve Lieberman, Steve Van Andel, TEAM, tool income, tool systems, Transparency, XS Energy

Over on our friend IBOFightBack’s site Amway Talk there was some discussion earlier today regarding Demo’s sharing of an announcement from Pete Strydom (Amway Europe) of the apparently unknown new Managing Director of Amway UK and ROI, Andy Smith. Blogger ‘cmfitzg’ went fishing on the ‘net and found an interesting interview with another(???) Andy Smith, a UK goal setting motivational speaker.

The interview is excellent and I have reproduced parts of it, edited down to fit this space. Most Amway IBOs — whether “System” subscribers or “independents” — who have carefully reflected on the Rich DeVos “Building the Business” clips (here and here), or listened to and absorbed the classic speeches by Jay Van Andel and Rich on the Quixtar/Amway site will find these points familiar, but I thought they were still worth a fresh read.

*****

I [interviewer Gavin Ingham] have interviewed my good friend Andy Smith of Coaching Leaders about the power of goals and goal setting across your whole life not just your sales and business goals.

Q How will people benefit when they set goals?

Andy Smith Going for goals has an effect on our happiness levels. We are biologically hard-wired to feel happier if we have some sense of control and choice over our lives, which is what setting goals and taking action gives us. We change from feeling like victims of life’s circumstances, or at best passive consumers, into someone who knows they can make a difference. We are also learning along the way - even the mistakes we make, though they aren’t enjoyable at the time, will bring us valuable wisdom if we choose to learn from them.

Q Why is it that most people don’t set goals?

Andy Smith It requires a conscious effort to step off the hamster wheel and take some time to think about what’s important to you and where you want to get to. The best advice I’ve ever been given was “plan the time to plan” - set aside some protected time so that you can think about the future. This is equally important whether you’re working for yourself or in employment.

Q Is the old story that written goals are better than non-written goals true?

Andy Smith There’s a famous story about the “Yale Study” in which researchers asked Yale’s graduating class of 1953 how many of them had specific goals for their future in writing. Twenty years later, the 3% who had written goals had more personal wealth than the other 97% combined!

It’s a compelling story, it’s quoted by Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and Zig Ziglar, plus legions of other motivational speakers and it sounds as if it ought to be true - but, alas, it never happened. You’ll never see an academic reference for it, Yale have no record of it, and when ‘Fast Company’ magazine investigated the origin of the story, Robbins’ people directed them to Brian Tracy, Tracy said he heard it from Zig Ziglar, and Ziglar’s people suggested the source might be Robbins!

It’s still a good idea to write your goals down though - it’s the best way to get clear about them and keep them in the forefront of your attention.

Q What sorts of goals should people set?

Andy Smith I would urge people to think big and set long-term goals that excite them, without worrying at first about how they are going to get there. It really is a shame when people limit their lives by telling themselves that what they really want isn’t realistic. The only way to find out what’s realistic is to go for it.

You also need short-term goals to aim at, to give you something that’s achievable and to give your unconscious mind some behavioural reinforcement when you achieve them. Psychologists have found (Ken Sheldon and Tim Kasser if you want to look them up) that people are happier when they achieve “vertical coherence” in their goal-setting - that is, when your higher-level and short-term goals are aligned so that achieving the intermediate goal takes you closer to the big one.
 
Q How should people go about setting goals?

Andy Smith First, get yourself into a positive emotional state by reviewing what’s already working in your life, what you like doing, what you’ve achieved already and what you’re proud of. This will help you find your direction, get you thinking more strategically, and also help you to feel like you deserve success.

Then clarify your values - what’s important to you - in the area of your life in which you want to set goals.

Only then, when you’re feeling good and you know what’s important to you, should you start thinking about specific goals that will satisfy your values. Get clear about what you want, get a clear sensory image of what it will look, sound and feel like, and set a specific date for it in your future.

Q What are your top 3 tips for successful goal setting?

Andy Smith Okay, the first one would have to be focus on what you want, not what you want to get away from. If you don’t know what you want, how will you know if you’re on the right track, or recognise when you’ve got there? It may sound a bit “cosmic ordering” to say that your unconscious mind attracts what you focus on, but it’s only another expression of that principle widely recognised in business that you are going to move in the direction of whatever targets you set. “Towards” motivation gives you a direction, it gets even stronger when you get close to achieving your goal, and you feel good when you have it. “Away from” motivation, by contrast, is undirected, it runs out when you get far enough from the thing you want to avoid, and it’s stressful.

Next, form a sensory image of your goal - what will you see, hear and feel when you have it? This is vital for motivation. Most people are familiar with the idea that goals should be SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed - but you’ll notice there’s nothing in there about whether you care if you achieve them or not. Using your senses gives you that missing piece by providing something to engage your emotions.

Finally - put a date on your goal! Until you have put a date on your goal, it will keep getting pushed to the back of your queue of priorities. Even if you say “in a year’s time”, the goal will always remain a year ahead unless you turn that into a proper date.

Why? Your unconscious mind acts like a good and faithful servant, and it will do its best to give you whatever you ask it for. But it will always take the line of least resistance. If you don’t put a date on your goal, there will always be something more urgent to deal with. This is why important but non-urgent tasks tend to be neglected,

Q What pitfalls do people new to goal setting have to be careful of?

Andy Smith Three that I can think of straight away: firstly, not taking into account potentially unwanted knock-on effects of achieving the goal. If you don’t consider all the consequences of your goal - on your health, your family, your friendships, and the wider community - you may end up with something you don’t want. The smarter way to set goals is to take the consequences into account, allowing you to make changes to your goal and/or your route to achieving it. That way you stand a chance of getting the benefits of your goal while avoiding unwanted side effects.

Second, taking too much on and getting discouraged. It can be very easy to set a big, compelling goal – and then feel overwhelmed by the effort you think it will take to get there. The goal is so big, and so different from how things are now, that getting there by the deadline you have set will surely demand too much of you. And the more you think about the legwork it will take, the more discouraged you feel. The remedy is to break it down into smaller steps that feel more achievable, and recognise each step as an achievement. The key really is to get started - not necessarily to “take massive action”, but to take some action to get you going.

Finally - and this is the biggest pitfall of all - not knowing what you want. In the absence of some powerful external motivation, like getting yourself out of debt or meeting a deadline set by someone else, how do people motivate themselves to even think about what they want - as opposed to what they want to get away from? I’ve certainly had large periods of my life when I was more or less drifting. The way out of it is to think about what’s going well, what you are good at and what’s important to you - then it becomes easy to build a picture of where you want to go.

Q Is there anything else you would recommend people to do?

Andy Smith It’s one thing to read about goal-setting methods, but you really have to experience them in practice to get the best from them.

There’s a lot of interesting research on goals and motivation coming out of the Positive Psychology movement at the moment - you can keep up with it on my ‘Practical EQ’ blog. Why not get together with some of your friends and form an Achieve Your Goals group so you can support each other as you work through the exercises? Social support is a key component of goal achievement that makes it much easier for most of us - you don’t have to do it all by yourself! [hmmm… sounds suspiciously like a ’system’ to me!!!]

*****

SPEAKING OF AMWAY, the most intriguing insight above comes from the NLP research showing that it’s more powerful and effective to be positively motivated TOWARD something than negatively motivated AWAY from something.

For example, are you motivated primarily by a lower order (in the sense of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) ”negative” you want to escape or avoid, such as an unplanned for or underfinanced retirement? Or (in addition to prudently considering your future needs) are you more motivated by a higher order dream and desire to accomplish something majorly positive, such as being your own boss, running your own business, changing the way people view and take care of their health (Amway Wellness), or their looks, self-image and ultimately their self-worth (Amway Beauty)?

Your thoughts?

written by rdknyvr \\ tags: Amway Europe, Amway UK/ROI, AmwayBeauty, AmwayTalk, AmwayWellness, Andy Smith, Brian Tracy, Fast Company, goal setting, IBOFightback, Jay Van Andel, NLP, Pete Strydom, Positive Psychology, Rich DeVos, Tony Robbins, verrtical coherence, Yale Study, Zig Zilgar

Serious enough that IBOs should ask themselves whether they are ready to keep pace.  Are we ready for the challenge?

Last year, Alticor (and Amway, Quixtar) announced a major rethink in how they do business, including hints about how they intend to take back control of and manage their foundational brand, the Amway name. Along the way, a number of other changes have been rolled out on a manageable, test-and-iterate game plan.

A few examples, but not an exhaustive list:

* changes to and a move toward standardizing certain parts of how the business plan is shown to prospects

* enforcement of company rules designed to protect the core brand, including the willingness to bleed along the way for the sake of long term integrity; and by that I allude to their refusal to be blackmailed by TEAM leadership

* an Accreditation process which among other things is designed to build stronger Company/Motivational System collaborations, and guarantee a more reliable “brand experience,” as Chuck (and Harry Beckwith) indicated. [aside: have you taken Chuck’s advice in his post and signed up for your free marketing newsletter from Harry Beckwith?]

* significant increases in bonuses at all levels, and other motivational rewards aimed at prioritizing retail selling and increasing immediate focus on IBO Personal Profit Centres (ie. First Circle profits)

* introduction of a new department devoted to training, headed by new VP Alison Hague, and hiring some of the best and most experienced training and course developers around — including partnering with successful IBOs to develop new courses – and establishment of Quixtar University

* hiring of product development experience in the person of new Quixtar Managing Director Steve Lieberman, and introduction of new lines of fresh retailable products – Simply Nutrilite and Artistry Essentials — innovating and iterating on existing core strengths

* sponsoring a brilliant set of outstanding athletes as world wide brand ambassadors, including 100 metre world record holder Asafa Powell who was ALREADY a Double X user and attributed his record setting edge to that product

* other behind-the-scenes developments including creating a new research and development team and hiring Glenn Armstrong, PhD, as the new VP Innovation to head up the group

Now they’ve gone one step further by hiring a new Executive VP and CFO (Chief Financial Officer) who is an alumnus of General Electric’s renown management development system, and Boeing Capital Corporation:

“May 21 /PRNewswire/ — Alticor Inc. today announced the appointment of Russell A. Evans as the company’s new executive vice president and chief financial officer. He joins the company from Boeing Capital Corporation, where he served as vice president and CFO.

Evans brings more than 28 years of experience to his new post. At Boeing Capital, Evans led a team of 80 people and supported the subsidiary’s core business of arranging financing to assist in the sale of products and services for other Boeing business units. As CFO, he oversaw Boeing Corporation’s $7 billion aircraft leasing business, which included evaluating airline financing proposals, cash management, portfolio risk management and all aspects of public financial reporting. He also served on key corporate teams, including the one that launched the company’s new 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Before joining Boeing in 2004, Evans had worked for two decades at General Electric, where he held positions of escalating responsibility in the company’s financial operations. In his last GE post, Evans worked as chief operating officer of GE Service Management in the appliance division.

“We’re delighted that Russ will be joining our team at a critical time in Alticor’s global transformation,” said Steve Van Andel, chairman of Alticor. “He brings to us top-notch experience learned at two of the world’s most admired companies.”

Doug DeVos, Alticor’s president, added: “Russ will play a key role in assisting the company in achieving its goals of solid revenue growth and elevating our business capabilities to the next level.”

Evans said, “I’ve been extremely impressed with Alticor’s global reach, quality consumer products, leadership team, and their commitment to excellence. That, combined with a robust plan for growth, is a very compelling opportunity. I look forward to playing a role in bringing those plans to fruition.”

SPEAKING OF AMWAY, and in light of Chuck’s previous post related to brand management, how seriously are YOU taking Alticor’s Transformation Process, and what odds do you  give it for success? In what practical ways has the transformation motivated or changed what you are doing to build and succeed in your Quixtar/Amway Global business?

written by rdknyvr \\ tags: Accreditation, Alison Hague, Alticor, Amway, Artistry Essentials, Asafa Powell, Boeing, Doug DeVos, General Electric, Glenn Armstrong, Quixtar, Quixtar University, Russell Evans, Simply Nutrilite, Steve Lieberman, Steve Van Andel

For those interested in staying current on happenings at IL Genetics and Gensona…  THIS WEDNESDAY, MAY 14:

Interleukin Genetics Announces Conference Call and Webcast to Discuss First Quarter 2008 Business Results

WALTHAM, MA – May 7, 2008 – Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (AMEX: ILI), announced today that it will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. ET [1:30 p.m. Pacific Time Zone] to review the Company’s first quarter 2008 financial results and provide an update on recent corporate developments.
 
To access the live call, dial 877-627-6555 (domestic) or 719-325-4869 (international). The live webcast will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website, www.ilgenetics.com.

Replay access of the teleconference will be available for one week following the call by dialing 888-203-1112 (domestic) or 719-457-0820 (international). The passcode for the replay is 4243283. The webcast will be archived following the call at www.ilgenetics.com. 

About Interleukin Genetics
Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (AMEX: ILI) is a genetics-focused personalized health company that develops preventive consumer products and genetic tests for sale to the emerging personalized health market.

written by rdknyvr \\ tags: genetic tests, Gensona, Interleukin Genetics, nutrigenomics, Nutrilite, Personalized Health

“You don’t want a capital market that functions perfectly if you’re in my business.” –WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway, April 2008 in Fortune magazine

“I am your idea. How far can I take you?” — Tag line in an ad for a consulting firm

“You gotta wanna.” – JIMMY PATTISON, Canadian multibillionaire who started out as a boy with a paper route and mowing lawns

How many somewhat active Quixtar IBOs are there? 

How many?  No one really knows for sure, but 250,000 is my guesstimate.  A couple of years ago, Doug DeVos (Doug “the Fox” according to Kia’s blog) went on record congratulating the approximately 280,000 Quixtar IBOs who earned a bonus in the prior year. That included anyone from a 60 FAA Crown Ambassador down to an IBO who did 100PV for one month that year. And that’s out of a purported 800,000 IBOs then registered in the business.  Now we won’t use this space to delve deeply into what the other 520,000 IBOs were doing that year, but we did learn last September that about half of all IBOs never place an order after they register — which makes it quite difficult to earn a bonus.

So back to our number.  Is 250,000 IBOs a Big number or a Small number?  I’m assuming (hopefully accurately) that since Quixtar was said to have given MonaVie a list of 31,000 ex-IBO names to check against recent registrations that this represented the approximate number of IBOs who left or resigned with TEAM, which is how I get from Doug’s 280K to 250K.  Now just to play around with that number a bit, it turns out that 250,000 IBOs are less than eight one-hundredths of one percent of the population of North America, assuming a NA population of 330,000,000 (Canada and US combined).  And if the total number of IBOs involved with Quixtar was perhaps as many as 800,000 (whatever that means, given ordering behavior), that would be about two tenths of one percent of the North American population. And on those numbers, Quixtar generates a little over $1 billion in annual revenue.

Are those big numbers or small numbers?

A new network marketing company launched in North America relatively recently – Arbonne Cosmetics. As of late 2006 they had 1.4 million distributors in the US and Canada (including, probably, those who are active business builders and those who just want the better discount). Is that a big number or a small number?

In 2005, Avon under the leadership of CEO Andrea Jung, went through a reorganization and reevaluation of priorities (ie. a Transformation process). Since then, Avon’s global revenues have grown from around $8 billion to over $10 billion, and without a stake in the China market.  Is that growth rate a big number or a small number?

In the time since Doug DeVos’ statement, Quixtar has made some terrific — almost golden — moves to reinvent our business model and how we do business. If you’ve been paying attention, new product development has been organized around three main business foci: Nutrilite/Health, Artistry, and Ribbon. Quixtar University and other incentive initiatives including increased bonuses have brought a fresh focus to IBOs developing First Circle non-IBO customers as the key revenue growth opportunity for a healthy business. And Accreditation has begun the multi-year process of rebalancing the putative conflicts of interest into which many have suggested some of the motivational systems (LOAs) have drifted (system business profitability vs. sustainable Quixtar growth).

And if we add to those positive developments the opportunities in Personalized Health — with Gensona DNA tests, league-of-their-own Nutrilite nutrigenomic supplements and an online, an almost ”artificial intelligence” expert system Health Questionnaire – then it’s no stretch of the truth at all to declare that these unquestionably put Quixtar in a league of its own in the preventive health market space.  And sitting on top of that league means that Quixtar now offers IBOs a wild-ride-growth-potential which no other company can come close to matching.  Not one.

Yet some IBOs (and ex-IBOs) are fence-sitting, proclaiming that they must wait for more evidence of sustainable change, or wait until the last detail is attended to and the last farthing paid before they will proceed (or re-register) to start building their businesses. Several IBOs have blogged that they will build once “the systems are fixed” (paraphrasing). Others blogging here and over at IBOFightBack’s excellent site declare that anyone building to Platinum or beyond is in mortal danger of having the company capriciously knock them down (apparently for no good reason) and destroy their businesses via a now void dispute resolution mechanism, so why bother building at all? Some current and former IBOs hold on to past hurts and disillusionments based on system experiences and don’t “trust” enough to start building anew, with or without the support of a system, and one can certainly empathize, to a degree, with their position.

While I respect their right to hold their views, especially since those views are rooted in their personal experiences, it’s almost as though some have, I would respectfully and reflectively suggest, a glass ceiling in their thinking – that even while they critique the systems, they mentally hold a belief that there is no other way.

In contrast, the best quote of the past couple of weeks on this blog came from a relatively new IBO who posted,

“…we only have one lifetime here on Earth. I don’t have time to wait for every single “T” to be crossed and “i” dotted before I take action to achieve my dreams. I understand that there are aspects about the business that can be improved on. But I need a certain amount of extra income, a certain amount of extra time, and a certain level of health to achieve my goals. I can get these things with a business powered by Quixtar…” (AJ Gannon)

That is a perspective worth reflecting on, and worthy of a thoughtful response. 

But what if IBOs who have concerns were to consider building their businesses independent of the motivational systems?  What if they were to begin using the excellent selling framework training offered by Quixtar University and the outstanding sales kits developed by Quixtar’s training and communications specialists in close consultation with successful, experienced IBOs?  Or what if they selectively and purposefully used motivation and training support from their LOA systems as they determined their need for it – just as Quixtar recommends?  Or, what if the many, many other IBOs who are achieving business and personal growth success utilizing the training provided by their systems and Quixtar University (as many systems recommend) continued to build using their system’s approach? 

Is there not room in the business for all of these approaches?

And what if some IBOs, in doing their own market research identified opportunities and fresh ways of approaching their markets using the outstanding new product and training investments Alticor has made — without waiting for a system to tell them what to do? What if some people started to think independently, using their God-given reasoning, talents, and imagination, all the while working within the guidelines of the Business Compendium?

Is that really a problem for anyone?

That’s what hit me with the Warren Buffett quote – opportunities are most abundant when things are imperfect.  It is the existence of imperfections in the market, including business procedures, which provide the new opportunities for break-out business growth.

That leads us to Jimmy Pattison’s motto: “You Gotta Wanna.”

Or to put his quote another way, it comes down to having a driving “need” vs. a Christmas “wish” for the independence that a successful business can bring.  According to Robert Kiyosaki, only when net positive income from investments in cashflow-generating assets exceeds expenses are you financially independent.  Not necessarily ‘wealthy’ or a ‘millionaire’ or a ‘Diamond’, but financially independent.  Are you there yet?  I’m not, that’s why I am building this business today.  Perhaps you believe the job or position you hold is so secure and comfortable (btw, nothing wrong with a good job, I’m not criticizing that) that you can justify taking no action while waiting for independent business nirvana to arrive.  But is that really the reason why you don’t take action today? 

So back to the original question:  “Is 250K a BIG number or a SMALL number?” 

By now the perceptive and self-aware reader will have realized that that is not the real question behind this post.   The real question regards how each of us perceives the opportunity landscape ahead of us – what our vision for the future is and whether that vision is strong enough to motivate us to take appropriate action.

What are YOUR thoughts about this number?  How do you perceive the opportunity landscape in front of YOU? And do you agree or disagree that ‘a time of imperfections’ is also THE TIME of greatest opportunity?

written by rdknyvr \\ tags: AJ Gannon, Andrea Jung, Arbonne, Artistry, Avon, Doug DeVos, Gensona, Jimmy Pattison, Nutrilite, Personalized Health, Quixtar, Quixtar University, Ribbon, Robert Kiyosaki, Warren Buffett

“If you are respectful by habit, constantly honoring the worthy, four things increase:  long life, beauty, happiness, strength.” — SAINT AUGUSTINE

“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin deep.  That’s deep enough.  What do you want — an adorable pancreas?” — JEAN KERR, The Snake Has All The Lines 

“Beauty…is the shadow of God on the universe.” – GABRIELA MISTRAL, Desolacion

“Beauty…when you look into a woman’s eyes and see what is in her heart.” — NATE DIRCKS 

I build our business as a single man.  While I am reasonably knowledgeable about many of our product lines, one of my weak areas would have to be specific knowledge about Artistry (even though I have four adult daughters and should know more).  I do have a better than average knowledge about the quality of our cosmetic lines, but I know very little about how to apply our products (which is probably a good thing!).

This week I made my first sale to a new Artistry customer and delivered the products yesterday.  Today in my follow-up she told me how much she loves our Artistry cosmetics.  She related how easily they went on, how much she loved the lip shine, the quality of the compact case, and more.  She was thrilled with her Artistry cosmetics, and I do mean thrilled.  Here’s what she purchased:  the new Spring 2008 Eye Colour Compact “Indulge” (104669), Enhancing Concealer - Medium (A8009), Definitive Lash Mascara (101064), Four-Pan Compact (104173), Classic Cheek Colour - Aglow (103893), Lip Define - Discretion (102947), and Lip Shine - Gifted (104673).  Total order:  35.65 PV/103.25 BV/$141.88 retail.  

At the time of the initial order she had gone on the Quixtar.com site with me and looked at the Spring 2008 Trends Collection “Looks” palette .pdf to see how the products should be used and based on that she gave me her order for the products she wanted.  However, unbeknownst to me, after I delivered her products yesterday she went to Artistry.com and watched the “Makeup Application Videos” to learn the best way to apply our products to her eyes, lips, and skin.  She told me today how helpful the online support offered there was to her and, in particular, how much watching the professional makeup artist demonstrate how to apply the cosmetics helped her.  Now I had no role in any of that — thank God.  What could I have told her?  How could I have helped her?  I couldn’t have helped her because I didn’t have the expertise to help her. 

But Artistry did. 

Artistry gave her all the resources she needed when I had no worthwhile personal resources to bring to the process.  And because of Artistry’s support I have a very happy customer who now believes Artistry cosmetics are far better than I initially told her they were. 

Can’t get any better than that.

Kudos to Quixtar for the easy to navigage website and Artistry and its staff for the tremendous products you offer and your terrific product support online.  Thanks! 

written by Chuck Lia \\ tags: Artistry Cosmetics, Artistry.com, Quixtar, Quixtar.com

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and deveoping people.  At the end of the day you bet on people, not strategies.” – LARRY BOSSIDY, CEO Allied Signal

“Strange is our situation here on earth.  Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.  From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know:  that man is here for the sake of other men.” – ALBERT EINSTEIN 

In my April 1st and April 3rd posts I asked my online readers a couple of questions about how we approach IBO training and what an ideal tool support system might look like.  Today I want to offer you my take on what I believe could be one of the most effective approaches to IBO training and then open the conversation up to you.  Allow me to say upfront that I am not an expert on this topic — or most others for that matter.  But I do have some thoughts about IBO training which are based on other personal endeavors where I do have a solid base of knowledge and understanding and where I believe I have a strong track record. 

One disclaimer.  I want to make sure that no one misunderstands why I am using one particular example in this post.  This is a business related blog.  However, to make the point I want to make I need to move into another arena that others might not find of interest or value.  I understand that.  Regardless, I am asking you to consider the overall argument I am trying to make with that example and to not get wrapped up in or distracted by the particular dynamics of that example — and thus miss the point completely. 

Thanks in advance for your understanding. 

What is the best way to train an IBO?  Systems were developed to create a streamlined and duplicatable way of training IBOs.  Yet it often appears that many IBOs don’t implement the system as effectively as they could for a number of reasons.  The flat volume levels in the business over the past ten years clearly demonstrate that something is wrong (or that several things are wrong).  Is there something we could do differently in training IBOs that would be more effective in creating leaders and more profitable IBOs?

I think the answer is ”Yes!” and I want to share my thoughts about what we could do differently with you.  When I talked with a Quixtar leader recently he told me that one of the things that he feels we fail to do is to model and demonstrate for our new IBOs how to do the things that would enhance their success in the business, and I agreed with him.  We give them CDs and DVDs.  We invite them to weekly business overviews, BBSs, and weekends.  We talk to them by phone and counsel them.  But there is one thing we tend not to do.  Generally, we fail to personally demonstrate how to make a sales call, how to invite a prospect to see the business, how to work with a new IBO, how to build relationships.  I know there are some IBOs who try to personally model and demonstrate these activities, but they are few and far between in my opinion.  We talk and we let others talk, but we don’t invest personal, hands-on time modeling these behaviors for our IBOs and creating relationship.

I am a tennis pro by trade.  I teach people how to play tennis.  The goal of my time with my students is to help them become confident and effective tennis players.  A big part of my job is to model and demonstrate for my students how to play the game.  That extends far beyond just our teaching time on the court together.  I must go also and watch them play their competitive matches so I can evaluate how they are doing, make adjustments, and then continue to encourage them so they can play even better in their next match.  I must share their successes and failures with them.  I also invite them to come to my tournament matches so they can see me play and see if I am modeling in my play the things I am telling them they need to do when they play.  They share my successes and failures just as I share theirs.  We hang out during the tournaments and have lunch and talk.  It doesn’t take long before they know I care about their success on the court and in life, and I know they care about mine. 

Last night I was talking with an ALTA men’s tennis team I coach.  This team is a new beginner-intermediate team made up entirely of men from India.  I’ve been modeling much of what I just discussed above with them over the past six months.  They asked me how I did over the weekend in the Alabama tournament.  When I told them it was gratifying to hear the men from both courts where they were practicing encouraging me with comments like “Way to go, Chuck!,” “That’s great, Chuck” and ”Awesome, Chuck.”  As I said, they care about me and I care about them.  And we all know it.  Working with tennis students is a continual process, and for the most part, very hands-on.  Thankfully, without seeming unduly proud, my ALTA and USTA teams, my T2 doubles teams, and the individual players I coach are some of the most successful in Atlanta.

I also lead a discipleship team at my church.  My church has one of the most successful discipleship programs in the United States with over 300 discipleship teams in our church.  The church is known nationally and internationally for the success of our programs.  The church’s discipleship program has one purpose:  “To develop mature and equipped followers of Christ.”  I am one of five discipleship team mentors in the church — men whose success as discipleship leaders has put them in a unique position to help other relatively new discipleship team leaders develop successful discipleship teams as well.  The responsibility of a discipleship team leader is to invest time in his team members and to help them become leaders who could some day lead a team of their own.  A year ago I was part of an eight member group from my church who went to Tanzania in East Africa to train 300 pastors in how to disciple their church members.  And we have another team going back there next week.

We call what we do “life-on-life” discipleship, and the program itself is called “The Journey.”  Life on life.  What does it mean?  Simply put, one man invests his life in the life of another man until that man is a mature and equipped follower of Christ and able to go out and invest his life in the life of another man until that man is a mature and equipped follower of Christ and able to go out and invest…..  You get the point.  We don’t let go of that man until we have helped him reach the point where we are confident that he can duplicate what has been developed in his life in the life of another man.  The women in the church do exactly the same thing.  The program has been so successful that churches from all over the world, including hundreds from other denominations, have adopted the program.

I’ve said all that to say this.  Developing mature and equipped IBOs and transferring leadership to them is more than just giving people CDs and DVDs.  It is far more than inviting them to opens, BBSs, and weekends.  It is even more than technique and attitude.  True IBO and leadership training is investing yourself ”life-on-life” in the life of another IBO.  It is putting all of you into the IBO.  It’s modeling, encouraging, failing, succeeding, talking, listening.  It’s calling on a prospective client together.  It’s calling his prospect for him when he is scared stiff (and maybe you are too!).  It’s sharing coffee at Starbuck’s with him/her with no agenda at all other than your love for him/her as a man or woman.  It’s sitting together at a weekend function out by the hotel pool and saying, “Let’s don’t talk about business right now.  Tell me about how you and your wife met.”  It is hitting a few golf or tennis balls together.  It’s stopping down at the local gym for a few minutes to watch his teenage son play basketball.  It’s being aware his son is down at the local gym playing basketball.  It’s meeting him at the hospital emergency room because his wife is out of town and he has a less than a year old son with a severe case of croup. 

It’s understanding that “the life of a man’s business is the business of a man’s life.”   

I’m convinced that success in tennis, in discipleship, in life — and in Quixtar/Amway — is all about relationship.  And that is done best, in my humble, but I believe accurate, opinion, by investing yourself “life-on-life” in the lives of your IBOs. 

What are YOUR thoughts on what the best way to train IBOs is?

written by Chuck Lia \\ tags: Discipleship, IBO Training, Quixtar, Tennis