The reading level for this article is Moderate
Ouixtar/Team is a dual entity. Let me explain. You may hear about people becoming involved in TEAM. Team is a MLM business opportunity that combines the power of the Internet (your website full of content) with the distribution and customer service arm of Quixtar, formally the distribution and customer service arm for Amway with community. Team defines “community as a group of committed, loyal customers who repeated return to your content (website) to do their commerce (buying)”. This content, commerce, community theme is a huge part of the sales and marketing explanations, and was something that Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward, the cofounders of Team, took from the teachings of Michael Dell.
What sets Team apart is the Internet. Team is an opportunity to become an Independent Business Owner (IBO). I’ll explain the business plan later in the review. You join, pay an annual fee, receive mentoring, and drive people to your site to purchase products that are name brand (think about how well connected Quixtar is) and any monies saved by eliminating the distribution channels normally present in the offline world are yours to keep, at least a percentage of the savings, based on performance volumes and business volumes. In cutting out layers of the distribution system for products to market and shipping (Quixtar function) directly to customers, money is saved. Customers purchasing get a deal, the IBO gets the profit usually reserved for the middlemen in the offline world, and Team gets a cut.
Here’s what Team says you have to do to be a successful member of this organization. You must define what you want in life, you must learn how to run the business (audio training, visual training, association with mentors, meetings), and you must refer others to the web site or catalogs for their purchases to receive profits on those sales. Of course, you are encouraged to purchase this way, as well.
If you think about it, e-commerce is the most remarkable thing to happen in our lifetime. The Internet is just in its infancy and more and more people will use t his vehicle to conduct business. We have entered the Information Age. What Team is doing is “leading a consumer rebellion”. Business and the delivery of goods, services, and information are changing forever. The Internet, is forcing by its very nature, a new consumer awareness and the resulting demand for better goods, services, lower prices, and immediate home delivery. People want purchases brought to them and Team is meeting that need.
I haven’t seen a catalogue to compare the prices being offered the consumer, but if Team appeals to you, this is something you will definitely want to explore, because driving people to purchase anything through a website must have a cost advantage to them. If you are changing buying habits and taking business out of offline retail stores, then explore the cost of goods, the cost of shipping, the delivery to door time, and the customer service of Quixtar.
Here’s how the Independent Business Ownership Plan works. The byline reads on the brochure I have in hand, “the independent business ownership plan provides the structure for an independent business powered by Quixtar.”
IBOs are persons that can sell products and provide service to members and clients. Clients are defined as a retail customer. Members are people that join up and get discounts. So, if I were an IBO for Team, I would drive members and clients to my website to purchase name brand products.
What you get paid is dependent on the volume of business you do. “The gross income from your independent business is based on immediate income from retail markup, plus a Performance Bonus. This bonus is calculated from two sets of numbers – Point Value (PV) and Business Volume (BV) – assigned to each product. You earn PV an BV on products sold to Clients, Members, and other IBOs, and by purchasing products for your own use.” Since this is MLM, you will be signing up other IBOs beneath you and working with them to develop their business. These additional legs in your business pay a percentage based, again, on volume to you. Commissions range from 3% to 25%. The sales material I read says quite clearly that the average monthly gross income for an “active IBO” was $115.00.” This figure is based on a survey done in 2001. Another figure for your consideration is this; only one out of 113 active IBOs in North America actually achieved 11,800 PV per month during the survey period.
You don’t have to do much to be an active IBO, so this figure may no longer be accurate in 2005. Active IBOs simply made a retail sale, presented the IBO plan, received bonus money or attended a company or IBO meeting.
My only concerns with Team are marketing concerns. I am not overly impressed with the commissions, but I am more concerned about what restrictions may be placed on me as an Internet marketer to drive traffic (community) to purchase at my website. I will be attending a Team meeting soon to discover the answer to this question, so call me within the next month to get this answer.
