Yo Scott! Ditto!
I got back from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with extended family last night just prior to the Steelers vs. Ravens game. To tell you how out of touch I was this weekend, I had no clue that Big Ben wouldn’t start last night. (Much to my shock and surprise.)
While watching the pre-game before last night’s game, I made my rounds to the various travel publications to see what else I might have missed over the extended weekend. What wasn’t a shock, or a surprise was seeing YTB prominently placed yet again on the front page of Travel Weekly with the headline YTB: ‘We’re not going away’.
Yes, it’s true, a trade publication has finally ponied up and is preparing the industry that YTB is – like it or not – here to stay.
You can probably imagine how this news is going to sit with some with more twists and outrageous claims in an attempt to turn the tables back to thier own illusions. Others will simply ignore the warning and continue on with the impossible dream of ridding “their” industry of the likes of YTB.
Nadine Godwin took advantage of one of the many Super Saturday events up in New York the previous weekend at the Park Central Hotel on November 21st. The event was hosted by a very magnetic group of TSO’s. If you haven’t heard about or seen Noah Matos, not to worry, you will. He’s one of the most dynamic new Directors in YTB these days.
Based on how Nadine’s story was written, it looks like she was a participant of this New York meeting the way she quoted Scott Tomer and his message to the group of about 100 TSO’s and guests. Unlike other eyewitness “reports” I’ve seen in years past on blogs and message boards, Nadine not only had the guts, but the foresight to actually make her presence known and was able to clarify a number of points in this well written article.
It’s no secret that YTB has been battle tested the last few years. The company has had most everything – including the kitchen sink thrown at it. That comes with the territory when you include the three letter word “MLM”. It brings out some real nut cases – including the high profile ones. One such critic thought he had the power and ability to end the model and the company based on the premise that you pay for the opportunity to recruit others into the business. That’s called a pyramid scheme – which are illegal and ultimately shut down.
Regardless if you deal with facts or fiction surrounding what is or isn’t a pyramid scheme – YTB is not only still around, but holding meetings and trainings in cities like New York every weekend. Sure the company had changed over the years. Good companies do that. Even profitable companies like Wal-Mart and McDonalds. Have you seen the new McCafé’s sprout up the last 6 months? You know there was a time when you had a choice of a hamburger and cheeseburger (a hamburger with a slice of cheese) when you ordered there – right? YTB has always been a company that likes to introduce new ideas and products. YTB Flowers, YTB Golf, YTB Outdoors and YTB Romance were all products introduced years ago.
Today, YTB has shopYTB for even more income opportunities using a model and a team of people who have proven that ordinary people can produce some large numbers. (Travel Weekly has shown us that for years.) For some reason however, a few in the industry don’t recognize $424 million in travel sales. All they can see and all they ever talk about is the recruiting revenue that’s 1/4 of the total travel sales. YTB didn’t create the pour margins in travel – but we sure have to put up with most of the crap because recruiting revenue pays better. (Which isn’t hard to do.)
Look – I know there are people who can’t wrap their tinny little brains around the Network Marketing business model. While a simple “no thanks” would do, there are those who – for one reason or another – feel the need to dig up every negative aspect they can find about the industry. And if they can’t find it – they make it up just so they have something to do with their time. Doesn’t make much sense to me either – but like I told you last Wednesday – you have to let it go and move on.
They said the the entire travel industry would cut us off – didn’t happen.
They said California would be able to shut us down for being a gigantic pyramid scheme – Instead, we’re putting together franchise documentation.
They said the Class Action filed by the ambulance chasers was powerful. Turned out to be redundant, irrelevant, immaterial and a big ol’ pile of scandalous crap.
They said we’d be bankrupt with the doors closed by the end of last year – no, April – no, Convention – no, third quarter – no, end of this year. Well, you get the idea here – and we’ll continue to read this position until the cows come home.
Point is, that all the claims and speculation about YTB over the years from our critics have been proven wrong over time – and Scott, Kim, and Coach have pretty much been spot on. Why? Because critics don’t have the practical experience that our Founders do to make the right choices. They went through the same garbage with AL Williams when the insurance industry got all bent out of shape about part time insurance agents.
To this day, the organization they built still produces residual income some 30 years later based on the very model and standard YTB was built.
That’s not to say our Founders make all the right choices. They’re also risk takers and there are bound to be mistakes made along the way – nobodies perfect here. However, if I had my choice between three men who’ve been battle tested not once – but twice in this industry and made it – you can bet you’re life who I’m going to side with here.
Thanks for the insight Nadine for those of us who have made the right choice here. And thanks for warning our critics that all the smoke and mirrors that they’ve attempted to throw up over time is clearing out of the way.
Despite all the setbacks, I too, “knew we’d be standing at the end.”
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Tags: Nadine Godwin, Noah Matos, Scott Tomer, Travel Weekly
December 4th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
[...] the interview and article Travel Weekly wrote over the weekend about Scott and Noah Mantos up in New York? Nadine quoted Scott saying the company [...]