Here is another MLM Review - about the (in)famous Quixtar. Here is a wikipedia article about Quixtar.

Quixtar is the current North American alias of Amway. In 1999 the founders of the Amway Corporation decided to take their business online and rechristened it Quixtar. Coincidentally, it was in the 1990s that the highly publicized and embarrassing government scrutiny of Amway took place, resulting in the corporation being fined and ordered to stop making outrageously exaggerated promises of income to potential distributor recruits.

Quixtar sells the same products Amway has always carried, including Nutrilite dietary supplements, XS Energy Drinks, personal care, home care, air and water purifiers and Artistry cosmetics. Unfortunately, like their mother company Amway, Quixtar also has a reputation for making golden promises that rarely, if ever, materialize.

In a 2004 investigation, a Dateline reporter took a hidden camera to a Quixtar recruitment meeting in New Jersey. There his recruiter promised him, “If you’re somewhat serious . . . if you invest maybe, say, 10 to 15 hours a week in your business . . . you could generate in the next 12 to 18 months, an extra quarter of a million.”

The real figures are nowhere near that impressive. If you take the time to thoroughly read the Quixtar registration materials, the average “active” distributor made $115 a month in 2005 ($1,380 a year).

Bo Short, a previous “success story” and poster boy for both Amway and later Quixtar quit the company after he began realizing that many of the promises of certain wealth were untrue, and that many distributors were actually being ruined financially.

When asked about how the top level executives were able to be so successful with Amway and Quixtar Short answered that they get most of that money from sales of promotional books, tapes, and tickets to conventions and speaking engagements. All the “completely optional” activities distributors are constantly encouraged to buy and participate in, in order to be successful.

The bottom line is, if you’re considering becoming a distributor for Quixstar you need to be aware that the odds are not in your favor, nor have they been since Amway was founded in 1949. Despite the moving and possibly tear-jerking motivational speech you may hear, despite all the “success stories,” know that the vast majority of those who have made it big with Quixtar or Amway did so through a side business, producing the motivational materials you are being subject to, and charged for.

I haven’t been very good at posting an MLM joke of the week, but hey, I don’t have to keep all my promises do I? It’s really just an intention…so here goes.

Adam, an MLM distributor dies and goes to heaven (of course). When he gets to heaven, St. Peter meets him at the gates. He says that Adam has a choice  - he gets to CHOOSE where he’ll go - heaven or hell.

Adam tells St. Peter that he would like to check out both, being the open minded type of guy that he is. So he takes a tour of heaven and finds it to be exactly what he expected. Peaceful, beautiful and perfect. Then he asks to go see hell so he can make an informed decision.

St. Peter takes him down to hell and Joe is shocked when he walks in. There is loud music playing, people are partying, happy, smiling, wearing nice clothing, having sparkling conversations, etc. It’s totally upbeat and he can’t believe it. He tells St. Peter that he was quite the socialite / partier on earth so he figured he will choose hell - much to his surpise.

They leave and go do the paperwork and return in about 15 min. Oh yes, there is paperwork in heaven too!

When Adam opens the doors of Hell this time, he is equally shocked. It is dark, people are wearing rags, they are NOT smiling and in fact are grimacing. They are sweating, shoveling coal, and clearly NOT happy.

Adam hurriedly goes to the guy who appears to be their leader and asks, “Hey, what gives? I was just here 15 min. ago and this place was nothin’ but a big party. Now it’s all grim and depressing.”

The leader guy looks at Adam and says: “Oh, I know what happend. When you came earlier, you must have caught us during our opportunity meeting.”