Mirror Mirror On The Wall….
Editors Note: I had posted about a Passenger Bill of Rights on Sunday concerning all the troubles Airlines are going through right now. It came to my attention yesterday afternoon that two more states, Rhode Island and Arizona plan to introduce the same type of Passenger Rights that went into effect January 1 in New York. Read Here.
I commented recently how I’ve never been the type of person who likes to guess at anything. Those that know me know that I have a way of digging up stuff and finding information. I’ve always been this way and it’s just part of my nature to do my due diligence to find out for myself what’s true, false, or maybe a little slanted. That’s not to say that I don’t run into others all the time that point out or provide alternate information that may contradict what I have found to be true.
What each of us focuses on expands. If our focus is finding why Network Marketing is bad, guess what, we are going to attract evidence that supports that belief. If you’re focus is on finding that Network Marketing can be a viable business model, that’s exactly why you’ve stumbled onto this blog. I’ve done some extensive reading, research and actual practice on “The Law of Attraction” over the last few years and I may expand on that later, or in a series, but not now.
While finding the report above concerning Passenger Rights, I also stumbled on Travel Weekly’s predictions of what may occur here in 2008. Based on what each of the editor’s has been reporting on throughout 2007 each of them was asked to make a prediction of what they see happening in 2008.
I’m not asking any of you to take this as fact, I remind you that these are predictions and nobody has a crystal ball sitting in front of them. 2007 certainly didn’t turn out the way I thought it would, far from it. There were many twists and turns that were very unexpected.
What I do want you to look at is where we are right now in our minds. How the events of the past have formed our opinions of the future. Predictions can be very revealing as a barometer or a report card if you will as to how we are doing.
Travel Weekly asked Nadine Godwin, Editor at Large, Retail, what the “Many trends, unknowable ends” (Page 2) were for her. I found her comments revealing as to where YTB and others are right now.
“Multilevel Marketers, by whatever name, will continue to attract traveler-sellers to what are, in some cases, little more than costly travel clubs. But by aggregating the many sales of small producers, the MLMs will deliver impressive numbers for suppliers, forcing players to reconsider what constitutes a “legitimate” travel intermediary. That often heated discussion will continue to liven Travel Weekly’s pages.”
Travel Weekly gets us. They have met with and interviewed Coach as early as a year ago (01/08/2007) concerning the “Card Mill” and “Legitimacy” issues other have about us, and with all the focus and industry recognition of claiming the #35 spot on Travel Weekly’s Power List, and Kim Sorensen being named Most Influential in the industry for 2007.
Couple of key points on what they have learned in 2007 based on what they have written about and observed:
- Travel MLM’s are attractive for the average person.
- Some are nothing more than costly travel clubs.
- Our small producers create impressive numbers for suppliers.
- Others may need to change their view of what’s “legitimate”.
- It’s predicted that this attention will not go away during the current year.
It will be interesting to see what transpires this year compared to last year. I’m sure there will be hurdles and surprises around the corner. But what’s going to be even more interesting to me is how our opposition interprets some of the events we have planned.
- How will our expansion into Canada be viewed?
- How will a second consecutive year doubling travel sales of 2006 in Travel Weekly’s Power List be viewed?
- Will our new travel sales requirements for credentials actually make a difference for those that think YTB is a “Card Mill”?
- Will there be any other exclusive deals with suppliers?
- Will there be any other terminations from suppliers?
As 2007 unfolded last year, 2008 will do the same and given time, we will have our answers.
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Doug & Ronda Bauknight
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