You best stay out of the kitchen.

Being one of the more visible YTB blogs on the internet, I have my share of readership. Most readers are supporters and enjoy my insight and information about our company.

I also have my share of detractors. Some I would safely say detest my existence for one reason or another. If you’re in the public eye, you can’t be everything to everybody and there will always be those who don’t agree with you. What makes my sort of activity and exposure dangerous is when emotions enter into the mix.

Emotions have too many variables. You can’t expect emotions to remain constant over time or from one person to another. Each individual perceives and reacts to each situation differently. Logic and facts however always have a base or a core that remain constant. One of the things we’re finding through our journey together with YTB is that the facts of our business model are able to withstand the misconception, half-truths, and lies that we see from those who use perceptions and opinions as their core defense.

As expected, John Frenaye took exception to my article on Friday and boldly laid claim that I’m the one who “spins”. He added that his blog was more “legitimate” and his was the only viable option where people had to ability to “judge for themselves”.

He’s also a tad upset at what he’s deemed a “personal attack” and eventually, “my lies” will catch up with me.

My – my – my. How easy it is to dish it out.

It’s interesting to me how quickly this group pulls the “personal attack” card when challenged. I’m not sure if they think they’re too pure, or we’re to take pity and look the other way when their blatant misrepresentations about our people, our Founders and our company are created by their hands. I hate to break it to this group – but they leave some enormous “stinkers” out there on the web. Their activities have left some laughing, and others appalled. We DO know right from wrong, ethical from unethical, what is morally right and what’s morally bankrupt.

To illustrate how bold and brazen John has become over the years, we’ll reference one of the most legitimate and honorable sources I know – our court system. What was forwarded to me last week clearly illustrates why our Home Office made the decision to turn down his requested interviews and why others have come to the conclusion that John can’t be trusted to “report” anything concerning YTB in an unbiased or accurate manor.

Case in point: This was written by John last week on his blog:

Of course, back in August of 2009, we reported on the story where Coach had a ramshackle home and was able to convince a church to make the repairs in return for a lease. But Coach reneged on the lease and got his home fixed for free.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t call his post entitled “Once Upon a Time” an actual “report” but ironically – a “Fairy Tale”. If you strip away John’s “report” and look at the court documents which are linked in the word “TRUTH” it reveals John’s elaborate web of deception – not Coach’s.

Yes – John’s the one deceiving the flock – pouring Kool-Aid if you will. The “truth” shows that Coach and Chris “donated” the parcel in question to the church for a Minister and his family use as a parsonage. More troublesome; the word “lease” never even appears in the actual court documents, although conveniently inserted by John in his – “report”.

True, the home needed electrical upgrades to meet code, and a gas furnace needed to be converted to propane. There was never any lease however, and Coach and Chris never received a penny for their generous donation to the Church and its family. Consequently, the court concluded:

“the parcel here in issue and the house thereon qualified for exemption during all of the 1998-assessment year either because it was in the process of adaptation for exempt use or because it was actually used by the Church as a parsonage for Rev. Casey.”

I know I’m going out on a limb, but you be the judge here. Which do you find more “legitimate”? John’s “Once Upon A Time” fairy tale – or – documentation from “The State of Illinois“?

What’s so astounding to me, is the man doesn’t appear to understand how anyone could possibly question his “reporting” as wrong or even inappropriate. To question anything he says or does is challenged with a very coy rebuttal and continued claims that HE is the most fair and unbiased source concerning YTB in the land. According to John, he’s proven how Coach has a long history of deception and he’s proud that his flock agrees that Coach should be thrown in jail for doing what he did to this church.

And yes, that type of arrogance is frustrating – even for me.

We can’t forget another court ruling regarding YTB’s business model and claims of an elaborate pyramid scheme that wasn’t just dismissed but tossed out as “redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter“. Again we find John and others on the wrong end of an argument calling the absurd complaint “powerful”.

Here’s how the Honorable Judge Murphy described the complaint:

“The First Amended Consolidated Complaint, filed July 15, 2009, is an ungainly monster of 39 pages containing 133 paragraphs (many of which have subparagraphs) that likely does not pass muster under the familiar federal “notice pleading” standard.”

True to form, John “disagrees” with the court’s ruling, and makes no apologies for his position or opinions. John falls right in line with the type of hideous and outrageous accusations Counsel tried to pull in its second go around, after the first complaint was dismissed. Their answer to the problem – a bolder, more brazen attack.

So which do you find more legitimate? John’s statement, or Judge Murphy?

From John’s point of view, it’s YTB that is “crafty” and “sly”. The only reason why YTB is still around is due to changing our model or living on the very edge of the law. Regardless how much change or how close we “appear” to be, it’s still the right side of the law. YTB’s model has never required “payment for the opportunity to recruit others” from day one. You may not agree with that – you may not understand that – and you may never accept that. But because yours is only “opinion” and not “fact” – you do have to continue to deal with YTB.

Finally, John recently found out that the law is the law, and everyone (including him) must abide regardless of opinions or perceptions. The creation of a fake Zam Zuu fan page to mock and poke fun at our company violated ZamZuu’s trademark causing a confusing similarity. His defense – a space between “Zam” and “Zuu”. (And no, I’m not kidding.)

John, you don’t just stink – you absolutely reek of lies, deceit and a perception that the laws of this land simply don’t apply to you. It’s a double standard that I will not turn away from and I will not make any apologies for in calling you out. We all make mistakes (even me) but there comes a time when you have to stop blaming others or being a victim and take personal responsibility for your own actions.

You are in the public eye and there will be those who will disagree and oppose you. There will also be those who will hold you accountable for your actions. If you don’t like it, either toughen up or stop what you’re doing and go back into hiding.

As it stands right now – you have proven to me, our company, and several outsiders who have no beef one way or another with YTB that you should not be trusted due to your attitude and your actions documented above.

For every action, there is a reaction. So if you don’t like my reaction, stop acting the way you are!

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

Most all of you have read my tribute to Andy Cauthen. I’ve personally spoken with him and he’s adjusting to the drastic change from corn fields to cement and tall buildings. In my tribute, I mentioned that the only explanation critics would get was a Press Release to gnaw on that really won’t say much other than we’re sad to see Andy go, but wish him well in his future endeavors.

Something you need to understand about critics: they always have to be right. That’s why they have the last word – and they never let anything go.

My comment about critics only deserving a Press Release was actually perceived as a challenge by the ring leader of this group. Probably because they also have another obsession over trying to prove me wrong. Andy was in fact contacted during his last week of employment for an “interview” to answer some questions. Andy being Andy obviously agreed at first because he’s a professional and sincerely wanted our field to understand and look at his move in a positive light.

After careful thought and some time reading on this critics blog, it became apparent that any type of fair or balanced interview wasn’t likely by this individual. What he saw were half-truths, blatant misrepresentations, and some flat out lies about our company that made him extremely uncomfortable about his decision and interview. So Andy, very politely, and respectfully declined his interview with our head critic.

The word “No” isn’t a word critics like to hear. They’re like children, and “no” doesn’t actually mean “no” – it means go ask another parent. So our interviewer went on to another prospect at the home office for this “interview” about YTB.

Again, he was turned down. But this time he was told more truthfully that his past “reliable sources” for inside information have never been accurate and they [YTB] do not feel that their answers as written would be quoted completely or fairly…but rather changed to meet his own agenda. It was also decided that based on his trademark infringing and deliberately misleading “Zam Zuu” Facebook fan page (which by the way is finally gone thanks to Legal and a Cease and Desist) he could not be trusted to objectively report on any news or opinions about YTB in a fair and unbiased manner.

If that sounds harsh or stern, it is. I can’t tell you how many times something I’ve actually written here has been twisted to meet this individuals “agenda”. (After three years, I’d need more than my entire family’s fingers and toes to count.) The man is extremely gifted at taking words and comments and twisting them to mean something completely different.

So, since he can’t seem to find anyone to answer for him, he’ll do what he’s always done. Take all these rumors and beliefs, and publish them as questions as a public display of humiliation, and an “oh my, what’s wrong with YTB now?” While a handful of followers cheers him on thinking that nobody has answers concerning what they sadly believe as the truth.

Problem is, and I think you’ll clearly see this, these questions aren’t really questions. Better stated, they’re accusations that he’s asking the company to defend. That’s the critic’s way. Most of what you’ll see has no documentation or evidence to support the statements. Because its critics we’re dealing with, nobody needs supporting documentation.

Well, I’ll let you decide, because I got a copy of the questions.

For fun, I decided to answer as many as I could. Some as you’ll see couldn’t be answered because they don’t actually exist. Pay particular attention to the way each question is worded and you’ll quickly see why the home office thinks this guy is a joke. By the way; that’s how this should be consumed, with amusement, not anger or resentment. Part of our critics problem is that their anger consumes them and they can’t think logically or rationally. Seen it time and time again and it turns a complete fabrication into an emotional outburst that has no rhyme or reason.

So if you’re angry about this guy’s obsession over YTB, and his constant ridicule with every aspect of our company and our people, just move on to something else. This won’t help. If you understand like I do that this is nothing more than a fishing expedition and a desperate attempt for more drama to occupy his time and energy, by all means, read on!

Q: Over the last month, YTB has lost the CFO, the Master Distributor, the President and COO, and the SVP of Training and International Expansion. Is Bob Van Patten handling ALL of these tasks now?

I admire how much you think of Mr. VanPatten. From what I here, he is the single biggest reason you still have something to write about on your blog. He’s managed to keep YTB alive long after all of the critic’s predictions of impending doom. Bob VanPatten is the CEO of YTB International. As CEO he administrates, and puts the best people qualified in the positions needed. As you well know, the only position Mr. VanPatten has taken a close eye on is that of our former CFO. His background and experience dictates he is well suited for that position. (Not to mention our last two financial statements with him as CEO which have shown profits.)

In case you have not heard, Coach Tomer is our new Master Distributor. (I wrote about it here.) It’s a position he thrives in and is well suited for in my opinion. The field also gets to see much more of him now. I can’t think of a better “recruiter”.

Furthermore, as an outsider, I don’t expect you to know that the position of SVP of Training was furloughed several months back by the company. (We’ll address this “furlough” again for you a little further down.) The SVP position in question was vacant due to Mr. VanPatten making that choice, not the other way around.

Q: What has this done for the morale of the home office? The field?

For someone who trolls each and every Facebook page, blog, and forum that YTB has, you know exactly what it’s done. We adapt, we move on, and we move forward. We focus on things we can control and stay positive about. If you need proof here’s a thread from this past weekend I’m sure you saw. (It would make a great screen capture for your next blog post!)

Based on those comments, I’d say moral is mighty high right now, wouldn’t you? The same weekend Andy left too.

Q: YTB is continuing to lose about 100 RTA/TSO’s per day. What do you feel can be done to stop that?

Aside from getting a gag order prohibiting you and the handful of Zeolots from throwing mud and trash out there without any documentation or regard for the truth, I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done. I will say that much of your trash has been cleaned up thanks to the court system and because YTB is still around. People are starting to realize just how absurd some of your speculation and comments really are. As a result, it appears that a number of those “loses” are re-engaging in the company once again.

We call it F.E.A.R. which stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

Q: I understand you are actively trying to sell the HQ building. What are the plans when it is sold? Where will YTB/Zam Zuu move? Certainly for a technology company, you don’t need that type of space. With Coach out of the Riverhouse now, are you planning to move to FL?

You understand? How do you “understand” without any documentation to support what you’re asking? Truth is, it’s nothing more than exploring some options.

So let’s turn this around and assume you’re right about the sale of the Home Office. My question for you would be – how will the sale of the home office advance your desire to see YTB killed off? A large influx of cash from this asset, along with the 56 acres the company also owns outright, would be a serious blow to someone like you who would like to see the company suffocate. It could be a real game changer. As you’ve said – as a technology company we don’t need this type of space and we could certainly use that “cash” to speed things up and moving in the right direction.

Think of it as “blog security”. ;-P

Q: By all measures, Zam Zuu seems like it was thrown together in a matter of days. Domains bought at the last minute for short durations. Lack of foresight in securing social networking URLS, etc. Do you feel Zam Zuu is in it for the long haul?

Read this article and then this article and note the dates they were published. Then help all of us undertand how you can measure that time span in “days”? I understand that a year consists of 365 “days”, but nobody uses “365 days” and “thrown together” in the same sentence without looking ridiculous.

You can also read this article and it will all come together for you very nicely. It should put to rest this absurd notion that the company didn’t think this through. And by the way, a company initially named “Cadabra” (as in “abracadabra”) was reluctantly changed at the last minute back in 1994. Do a little research on Amazon.com, and you’ll find what they did worked out just fine.

ZamZuu was a result of a years’ worth of testing, study, and a realization that we had another market shift. Kind of like travel was for us, and you saw what this company did with that. And regardless of any comments to the contrary, you did take notice. It scared the daylights out of you. You post and dribble about this company incessantly because of it.

Q: What sets Zam Zuu apart from any of the other online cash back “malls”? Even some of your stores are offering better cash back deals directly. IE: Last week, Best Buy had a 25% cash back program, while Zam Zuu was at 1.5%.

And just where is that 20% now?

Gone.

ZamZuu offers it’s Best Buy 1.5% all year long. (Sorry, that’s 365 “days” for you.) Furthermore, you’re assuming that by accessing BestBuy.com through our ZamZuu portal customers won’t have access to the special 20%? You’re assuming incorrectly if that’s the case. There is nothing that prohibits a ZamZuu customer from seeing or receiving that 20%.

Oh…and one other thing. I just checked my Best Buy e-mail folder, I can’t find this deal from them. Care to provide this “offer” just to keep things documented? Thanks!

Q: How do you explain to the field the incredible departure of directors and the change in the compensation plan? This plan was marketed as “copyrighted and on file with every Attorney General in the US and cannot ever be changed.” I think several departed directors might have a different opinion.

It’s no secret that YTB has assembled some of the best recruiters the industry has ever seen. They had a key role in YTB’s dramatic rise to the top and HUGE contributor to the insensate hammering by critics who fear recruiting and large sums of money like you. With the lawsuits, it became open season for other companies to recruit these leaders and bring them over to their teams. A huge feather in their cap snagging a YTB Director for sure. I can’t think of one Director who wasn’t bought off in some regard by money or position to make the switch.

While it’s sad to see some of these people go, I can’t blame them for taking some very attractive and lucrative offers. They’re tough to turn down when the offers grow in size and frequency.

Yes, the compensation plan has been increased and enhanced several times through my tenure with YTB. I would also speculate that you are correct that even the departed Directors would consider overrides on more products and higher commission splits on travel a plus. It’s never diminished in any form or fashion from the day I started.

Q: Can you comment or are you aware of the pending investigation by the Dept. of Justice?

Really? Which division? Antitrust? Civil Rights? Natural Resources? National Security? Or maybe Tax? Tell you what. When this “pending” turns into a “real” investigation and you have something more than just a rumor from one of your buds who heard it from another bud, we’ll discuss it then. For now, we’re limiting the questions and discussion to things that actually exist. Not some rumor or fantasy that gets you all excited and seething.

I know you’ve got finger and toes crossed that it’s true, but you also thought California was going to be your savior shutting YTB down, and look how that turned out.

Q: Are you finding it difficult to keep the momentum going? Since the settlement, the recruiting has been hemorrhaging.

Since the settlement, the hemorrhaging has actually stopped. You even wrote about it during the last quarterly report. Don’t revert back to something you admitted isn’t accurate. California was going to shut the company down, and when that didn’t happen people popped their heads out of their boom shelters and found that the scare you created was nothing more than a false alarm.

I’m happy to report that due to the launch of ZamZuu and the clarification from YTB Travel Network President Kim Sorensen, momentum isn’t a problem. By the time you find evidence of that in the quarterly reports, it may be too late for you to spin it another way however. (I certainly hope so.)

Q: Looking to the future (be that 5 days or 5 decades), how do you describe YTB? I know for years the focus has been on Travel and the mantra was “we’re a travel company”. I think that focus has changed. What kind of company will YTB be in the future?

Truth be told, you’ve never considered YTB a travel company, only a recruiting company. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 days or 5 decades, your “thinking” is the only thing that won’t change in that regard. Nothing YTB ever does as a travel company is ever good enough for you. You’ve been harping about the Travel Weekly Power List for the last three years, but have never once even considered resolving your issue with them. Why not? What are you afraid of? Do you or don’t you want an answer?

Most likely, you don’t. Because it’s not about answers, it’s about questions. The more questions, the more chaos. The more chaos the more drama for you and your pals to stir up the pot.

Case in point, you were on the YTB Travel webcast last Sunday night and were given answers first hand from Kim. You heard about our plans and where we intend to be as a Host Agency. Do you expect us to answer any differently for you simply because of your inability to listen and actually learn like the rest of us?

Stop asking questions that you already have answers for. I know you don’t like the answers, but good grief, grow up and accept that we’re not going to change because you think we should. You’re not that important and there’s no amount of bitching that’s going to change that.

Q: Are you planning on hanging around?

Hanging isn’t word that resembles someone who is passionate and motivated. Too many people just “hang around” and that’s why we see the poor income disclosure statements that you like to slobber all over. So in that regard, no, I won’t hang around. I do however have a strong desire to continue to learn and grow with this company. I feel it’s an important aspect of success.

Q: With the cruise industry’s Wave Season in the beginning of the year; what was the rationale behind terminating 25% of YTB’s travel customer service people? I understand the economy and scaling back, but for a “travel company” to cut back on the travel staff just as the economy is picking up did not make sense to me.

Can you document for us which department was actually terminated? You found out the SVP of Training for YTB’s RPM program was part of that “termination”. RPM is not part of YTB’s travel customer service and neither were others I know at the home office.

You’ve got to do a better of collecting data and finding better sources. You’ve just proven you don’t actually know what department YTB decided to cut back on, so your question and accusation makes you look arrogant to some and foolish to others. (Not to worry, you still have a handful of faithful who like you, don’t care about facts, they just like to be part of the insults and slander.)

Q; How many RTAs/TSOs do you currently have? How many new Zam Zuu sites have been sold since the launch?

This qualifies as “insider information” and is not something a public company will disclose to anyone outside of the SEC filings.

Q; Do you have any comment on the income disclosures? Both the Marketing and Travel ones are showing that it costs more to be involved with each successive year, yet the average income declines each year as well.

I’m very happy to report that due to YTB Travel Networks commitment to training and upgrades, our new Travel Agent incomes have actually increased to a level that now exceeds the monthly service charges and fees as an average group. We owe much of that to the industry which help resolve and works with the industry instead of tearing it down. And we actually listen and then respond appropriately to the concerns and questions that the industry has. (Imagine that!) It’s especially gratifying to see this type of growth through a turbulent and difficult year that saw prices drastically reduced – thus cutting all of our commission by a substantial amount.

If you would like to compare 2008 numbers to 2009, you are welcome to do so. 2009 was a very trying and difficult year that saw many companies crumble and tens of thousands of jobs lost. To pin our decrease on our business model is narrow minded and one sided.

Word has it, and I’m certainly showing that 2010 could be a real game changer in that regard thanks to the hard work and enhancements now in place courtesy of the Home Office at YTB.

###

So there you go. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s been a long time since I had an opportunity to actually tear into somebody like this. (And after such a nice post like Wednesday…what a shame.)

I suspect there will be more pointed questions concerning my answers around the various blogs and forums. A lot of “Yeah butts” and “What about this” type stuff in an attempt to keep me engaged. Let me state for the record that I don’t expect them to consider my answers acceptable. Thing is, I didn’t answer the questions for them; I did it for those who comprehend and read accurately and correctly.

Like I said, it’s not about answers. It’s about drama, rumors, and doubt that these questions are asked. Most as you’ve seen had already been answered – several times.

I’m also sorry about the long post – but I wanted to get it over an done with in one shot. I get calls and e-mails all the time about his behavior and his accusations and there’s just not enough time to pick up after this guy. So I just let it go and you should too, especially after seeing how wrong he actually is.

Onward and upward on Monday and looking forward to getting back to our regularly scheduled programming.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

I received my ASTA SmartBrief this week and was floored at one of the columns highlighted in this weeks mailing.

Before I move forward, I need to put out some sort of warning here that readers should not be drinking any type of liquid at this point in time. (All the sugar in your Kool-aid will ruin the monitor and cause the keyboard to stick.) When you find out who the author is, you’ll be just as surprised as I was. (As others have asked if this is the same now famous critic of YTB we’ve all come to know – but not actually love.)

Truth is, if there’s anything going on about YTB, you’ve got to know at this point in time that John Frenaye isn’t far behind. He’s pretty famous in our company for trolling the internet on anything YTB. It makes no difference if it’s one of his peers in the industry, a District Judge, an industry Power List, or an articulate member of YTB – John has an uncanny way of coming up with a “Yeah-But” or a “Look over here” piece to take the focus off the main subject and point you down a road that conforms to his own perceptions and beliefs.

Although this article is riddled with some pretty absurd perceptions of how MLM takes things to the extreme, you can judge from you own actions and experience if it has any value. Personally, I’ve never lost a friendship over YTB and nobodies ever vowed to never speak to me again. Furthermore, I’ve never been approached by anyone about any opportunity while standing in line at that grocery store.

We can simply kick those perceptions to the curb for the time being.

I do however, have to give John some credit for pointing out some very basic and solid business skills that MLM does in fact excel at. Based on my own experience with YTB, my business looks very much like his “traditional business” in every aspect. Based on those of you I personally know in this company, I think you’ll agree that yours does too.

All the snide and exaggerated comments and perceptions aside – there is something for the new recruit here to learn about why MLM works.

Referrals are as simple as John says they are. Do you know anyone who might be interested in selling travel, or picking up some extra income on a part time basis? The beauty of MLM is that you work when you have time. It’s not like a regular part time job that you have set hours, and quotas that you need to meet. Which can also be a problem for some – because it’s far to easy to think you don’t have time. The vast majority of our company work YTB on a part time basis with regular jobs and families to tend to.

Think about it…doesn’t asking for referrals sound much more attractive than hounding someone in line at the grocery store? (Who’s really tried that anyway?)

When it comes to followup, the company has a very cool system in place called the YTB System. I’ve used something similar to this my entire carrier with YTB. Not only does it capture qualified leads for you, but also notifies you when a prospect has looked at the program. Notification are also sent when they’ve returned and what they’re looking at while on the site. Using a system like this allows you to sort, not chase. For those who work YTB part time, this puppy is a real time saver. You’ll find yourself working with and talking to qualified prospects who are truly interested in what you have.

It’s all about working smarter not harder. However, the entire system is wasted if you don’t follow-up. It doesn’t have to be nearly the nine times John talks about. (I personally only spend half that much time before moving on.) But the money truly is in the follow-up.

Lastly, I’ve never seen a company with more products, or more streams of income than YTB. All I bought 5 years ago was a booking engine to sell travel. I was also given the opportunity (meaning it was a free opportunity) to sell booking engines as an added stream of income. Today, I’ve got something for hunters, golfers, newlyweds, and with the addition of shopYTB, just about any other product under the sun. If it’s available online, I probably have it. Heck, I’ve even got beef jerky if that’s what you’re into. (Or in John’s case – girdles!)

Yes, I know there some ribbing going on about that sort of thing. Honestly, neither the jerky or the girdles get me all that excited. But I’m certainly not going to knock the women of YTB for going nuts about girdles. (I know better – and if John was still married, he probably would too.)

These skills, principles, and the model really DO work. It’s why Avon is still around after more than 120 years. It’s the same reason Earl Tupper pulled Tupperware off store shelves in 1951 and has been sold via the MLM and the Direct Sales model for almost 60 years. After a decade of selling Nutrilite Products via MLM, two guys founded the American Way Association in 1959, which we know today as Amway. (Amway now owns Nutrilite Products Corporation.) In 1963 Mary Kay Ash started with 9 “beauty consultants” which today has expanded to 32 countries. In 1977 a good ol’ southern boy for Georgia founded A.L. Williams and just two years later, J. Lloyd Tomer joined the group just before the company outsold the entire insurance industry for 7 straight years in a row during the mid to late 1980’s.

And today you have a little company based in Wood River, Illinois who has been able to sell $424 million in travel in it’s 8th year in business.

There are hundreds of companies who sell via this model because MLM does have it right. (Take a look at the DSA list for more than 200 of them.)

True, it’s sad that John and others can’t seem to get out of their own way at times when it comes to some of the ridiculous and outlandish beliefs. Just remember, don’t take it personally. (Unless you’re the one person who pestered him in the grocery line. ;-P)

Truth is, MLM is more like their traditional business than they’ll ever know.

The only difference is some get that, and some don’t. 

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

I had something else ready to post this morning, but found a fairy tale that was just WAY to funny that I needed to share with you. It never ceases to amaze me how low some people will go to bend and twist documentation in an effort to pitch their own perceptions and limiting beliefs.

It’s no secret that there is a segment of our society that think rich people are greedy. Because this segment of society has never actually known anyone that thinks in terms of “net worth” instead of some “hourly wage”, this same segment also assumes that rich people got their money through unethical and dirty business practices. It’s one of those social memes I wrote about some time ago.

Now, take the myths and social memes surrounding rich people and combine it with Network Marketing and you’ve got yourself one heck of a double whammy when it comes to anger, bitterness, and resentment.

Case in point, our very own J. Lloyd Tomer.

While Coach is certainly loved and admired through the ranks of YTB members, there is a segment of society who spend an exorbitant amount of time attempting to knock this man off his perch because he’s obtained his wealth through Direct Sales or Network Marketing. For those of you who don’t know his story, you can Google “J. Lloyd Tomer, AL Williams” to find his bio. Here is one on the first pages that I found on Portfolio.com. (emphasis mine)

J. Lloyd Tomer, Chairman of the Board of Directors, has been a Director of YTB since December 2004. He is the father of our Chief Executive Officer, J. Scott Tomer, and is a seasoned veteran of direct sales and marketing. After spending thirteen years in the ministry, he became an agent of the A. L. Williams Company (now known as Primerica Financial Services (“Primerica”) in January 1981. He achieved the level of Senior National Sales Director in 1985 and maintained that position through 2001. While at A. L. Williams he built a successful sales organization numbering in the thousands, whose combined life insurance sales was measured in the billions, with assets under management of $750 million. He sold his agency in Primerica in January 2002. Thereafter, Mr. Lloyd J. Tomer devoted his marketing expertise to YourTravelBiz.com, Inc. He attended Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana.

Here’s a guy who build an immensely successful organization with sales in the billions and assets in the millions through Direct Sales from 1981 through 2002 thanks to capturing the dream of Art Williams back in the early 80’s. Even after the sale of the business to his son Frank in 2002, the assets and money generated from this organization were used to help fund the start of YTB in the early years.

Fast forward to today, and we find a select few are upset with Coach, an outsider, for infiltrating their business segment with a bunch of Travel Agent wannabes’. (Or so they claim.) What we end up with are obscure twists on how this man attained his wealth, lived his life, and given back to the community.

I learned a long time ago from Harv Ecker that part of the rewards of being rich is the ability to donate money or assets to organizations and associations that are important to you. When you think about it, what makes a bigger impact – $10 in the offering plate or $10 million in stock options to pay off a mortgage? Obviously creating wealth can and does have a bigger impact for those who desire to make a difference in people’s lives.

Those of you who have met Coach, spent time with him, or listened to his leadership call’s: Would it surprise you that new documentation has come to light of Coach’s generosity?

In a link provided just this morning to a court document, it has been revealed that Coach and his wife Chris donated a parcel of property to Midwest Community Church in 1998 so that the Pastor and his family could have a parsonage (a home) in which the Rev. Casey, his wife, his son age 16, and daughter age 13 could live. The property was bought by Coach in 1995, and when Coach was elected as Trustee of the Church in 1997 he donated 100% of the use of this parcel to the church.

According to the document revealed we also found the condition of the property.

Initially the yard needed to be cleaned up. All of the lights outside the house had been broken. Inside the house there were numerous electrical problems that violated the electrical code and which needed to be corrected. The house had two furnaces. One furnace to heat each side of the house. A new natural gas furnace had been brought in to heat one side of the house. It was anticipated that natural gas would soon become available in this neighborhood. However, that did not happen.

The document also reveals that at the time the land was donated, Coach’s desire was to assist in the development and growth of Church’s religious organization. Pursuant to the agreement, this parcel could be used for any purpose the Church deemed appropriate, including but not limited to a parsonage, youth retreats, church administration, or marital retreats. In return, the Church was responsible for all expenses, repairs and maintenance costs, and was to maintain adequate insurance on this property, naming the Tomer’s as a loss payee.

Because I can actually read and comprehend the documentation provided, I can deduct that Coach was enjoying a tremendous amount of success and creating substantial wealth which enabled him to purchase the property in the first place. I can also conclude that the church obviously respected his financial position by appointing him as trustee to the church. I can also assume that Coach believes in sharing his wealth and supports religious organization with very generous donations to a number of church organizations.

Not a bad way to live your life if you ask me.

Now I know this is going to upset some of you, but I need to remind you that we’re not dealing with individuals who are playing with a full deck here. (Not the sharpest tools in the shed, if you know what I mean.) I do however think it’s important to reveal how desperate and delusional some people are when it comes to mud slinging and slandering individuals who they’re obviously jealous of. They need to peck and poke in an attempt to bring others down with an obvious twist on what actually happened.

I’d advise you that you put down any drinks or food at this point because it may end up on your computer screen. Here’s the introduction of the post I found this morning concerning what happened:

Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a man in a ramshackle house. The house was in such bad condition, that the local authorities would not issue occupancy permits. When the time came to pay the tax man, the man in the ramshackle house could not afford to pay the property taxes.

Destitute and without too many options at his disposal, he turned to God and the Church. Knowing that Church property was exempt from taxes, he “donated” this ramshackle property to his Church for only a year who decided to worship on the property and to fix up the house for their minister and his family to occupy as a parsonage.

While I can’t disagree that this donation was a “tax deduction” for Coach and Chris, (donated in December of 1997) but to claim that Coach was destitute at this time with an AL Williams business generating millions, and an elected Trustee of the church is a pile of manure that only critics can step in. What makes it comical for me is the way this guy capitalizes “TRUTH” at the end of the post which links and documents what we’ve uncovered here.

The truth is, this “expert” doesn’t expect people to actually read the document he’s provided because he’s bend out of shape as the “be-all-and-end-all” when it comes to YTB. (Arrogant and cocky I know, but that’s what he thinks of himself.) What it turns out to be is yet another documented example of the lies, deceit, and misrepresentations that are plastered all over the internet to pitch Coach as some sort of scammer. If you look at the URL that links to the court document that clearly recommend that Madison County Parcel be exempt from real estate taxation in 1998 it’s linked by hims as http://www.singleparenttravel.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Tomer-Church-Scam.pdf.

I might not be the best speller in the world and I’ve been known to make a mistake or two over the years. But at least I can read and comprehend what’s truth and what’s pure spin. And how are the critics going to answer to this blatant attempt to spin and slander? My guess is that what we’re going to find as a rebuttal is a dog’s tail isn’t spelled “tale” in an attempt to take the focus off them and back on our Founder in YTB and me.

Think it’s gonna work?

Me neither, but the faceless, nameless cowards who support this jerk as some type of crusader against the evil YTB will be jumping for joy that they’ve found more documentation and truth, when it’s obvious to me, their simply chasing their own “tales”.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

Call me a gluten for punishment – a dreamer – what ever you choose it doesn’t matter. To think that I could actually change someone’s ideas or behavior is a pipe dream. People will do, say, and think what they please and there isn’t a blessed thing I can do about it. The responsibility to change is entirely up to them.

I spent the last week “calling out” my favorite critic and pointing out several errors in judgment, thinking, and perspective to help others see how irrational and self absorbed this individual is. While Tuesday was good, Thursday once again called out one of the most obnoxious critics of YTB for various abuses against the company and it’s people. In the article, I pointed out several glaring mistakes and flat out lies. As expected, no comments, no apologies, not a peep about the documentation provided which questioned it’s credibility.

Until yesterday.

I commented in Thursday’s article that if you don’t like the heat, you need to stay out of the kitchen. If you want to play in the YTB kitchen, every attempt is made to throw you from the frying pan into the fire. If it’s me, there’s a huge reward for anything negative that can be dug up in an attempt to get back at all the times I’ve been able to correct and document the lies and misinformation posted on the internet. And mark my words, they will find it and they will ride it for all it’s worth.

I’ve done a lot of writing in the last few years. I’ve not only written here, but have been paid to write several other articles, and also write for the Examiner as the Atlanta Family Travel Examiner. People happen to like my style and ability to communicate. So much so, that I often find others who use my work. 

I do several posts a week on the Examiner, including Georgia Curiosities, Sunday Saver, and Thursday Travel Tips. I got the idea for Thursday Travel Tips from a weekly e-mail I receive who I also happen to contract with to write articles and publications. Because my information is used without my name (known as a “ghost writer”) I asked if I could use these travel tips for my Examiner page.

The group of writers I’ve come to know I have no problem with sharing information as an unknown. Yesterday however, I found out that the e-mails I had been using…had been lifted from various published sources on the internet, some dating back as early as 2000. Meaning, that what I was using was plagiarized and therefore put both myself and the Examiner at risk.

OUCH!

I can’t reason why, nor do I have any excuse for not checking to verify if there was another source before I posted these articles. As I am finding out from several of these “tips” that many were simply lifted from the web to be used in the e-mails that arrived in my inbox.

Because critics watch every move I make, they have kept a close eye on my Examiner page. (Just like the obsession they have with my with my blog and my newsletter.) One of the readers on Examiner commented and documented an original source of the article I posted on Thursday. A link was provided and when opened to my horror, there was the same article I had just published as my own.

As a result, it proved to be just what the critics needed to throw your truly from the frying pan into the fire. A lengthy post was written calling me out, and demands for answers proceeded to fill the comment section on the blog and various other places on the internet.

What I offered up in return was an apology, and a correction to the gross error that was found.

I also offered up the same to the management of Examiner who had also sent me notice of the finding. While one was corrected on my behalf, the other two that were found were simply deleted last evening out of my own disgust and embarrassment over what had happened. I subsequently will be checking for snippets of a “source” for all of my Thursday Travel Tips over the next few days to correct any further glaring mistakes and carelessness on my part. What happened was wrong and it needs to be corrected.

Fortunately, management of the Examiner appear to have handled this situation in a professional and respectable manor. I wish I could say the same for the critics. If anyone thinks an apology and agreement to correct my mistake would calm my critics…you’re dreamin.

My glaring error was just the ticket to feed the huge fireball of resentment and anger towards me all over the internet. I have been a huge thorn in thier side for years and this finding was just what they needed to get back at me for all the times I’ve documented, corrected, and embarrassed them with what’s been written here. And boy have they had their fill of it!

I’ve always said actions speak louder than words and what we have another lesson in how behavior can be very telling.

As a result of my new found error, John’s claim that no one at Carlson Wagonlit has any record of Candi May is now justified a year later, and he’s once again able to stand tall in his assertion. In addition, the class action that was later dubbed an ungainly monster of 39 pages containing 133 paragraphs is once again deemed “powerful”.

What they found was a doozy, I have to admit. How quickly it turned the tables to take the focus off themselves and throw it right back on me.

All the while, this whole charade of bantering back and forth has gone on for almost two years now without any resolution. It’s never been about correcting, resolving, or coming to terms with our critics. It’s always been about someone else being wrong and them being right. And because my wrong points a very large finger at me, all the critics now somehow feel justified in their own actions over the years for any wrongs that may have been documented here.

Me? I’ll swallow my pride here and admit the gross error out in the open, and hopefully learn a very valuable lesson. In addition, I’m reminded of a prayer I use to use when I first sobered up some 20 years ago.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change.
The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

I had originally scheduled a post on the new struggles of Royal Caribbean today, but one of the lesser known critics commented that I should write about them again. I decided that not only would it be a good idea, but a lot of fun to point out how they’ve completely botched another attempt to point the finger at YTB, but ended up pointing three back at themselves.

It never ceases to amaze me how low some people will stoop in an attempt to slander our fine company and our people. We’ve written at length about the lies, the misinformation, the false speculation, and how they love to distort and deceive in an attempt to tell the general public what’s wrong with YTB. Why they are so afraid of our company, I’ll never know. But even with all the evidence that proves them wrong, they continue to come back for more punishment.

As someone who has been calling a spade a spade for two years now, I make no apologies, nor do I feel the need to excuse how the lies, myths and false information goes against every fiber of my being. What I find most interesting is that instead of answering direct questions or accusations, I’m called names, they poke at my physical appearance, or try to tell me that I’m overreacting and being defensive. Reality is; that type of behavior is designed to get me off the subject at hand and put the focus on me instead of the real issue.

If you don’t like the heat, you should stay out of the kitchen. The hotter it gets, the more I know how much I irritate and frustrate our critics. That’s worth every slanderous comment, false accusation, and punch below the belt, which in turn reflects more on them than it ever will me. While they would love to have me join in the fun, they appear to be doing just fine without my participation. Besides, I would never want to distract them with actual documentation and facts that would highlight how clueless they are on their own turf. 

You may remember today’s subject from a battle won here just last year. While it frustrates our critics that Candi May has remained deaf and mute to any of the critics claims and false accusations, ignoring the jealous crowd of critics has enabled her to continue to build her business and remain quite happy with YTB. Like me, her self respect and self worth isn’t tied to a bunch of overzealous critics who can’t seem to get a life. Those who were at this years Convention probably remember Candi May and her “Travel Like a Rock Star” presentation. She has that same speech on her new blog and when the critics found it, they needed to mix things up, and I got to tell you…they botched it up.

If you either listened to her speak or take the time to read her post, Candi is abundantly clear about her experience in the traditional arena. She’s been travel agent for 24 years and gave examples of her experience as a traditional agent. For the traditionalist who want to keep these perks private however, they took issue with her stance and decided to attack her ethics, intelligence, and character to make it sound like she was deceiving everyone. (Much like they attempt to do with anyone else associated with YTB.

In her post, she states,

“I’ve been in the travel business for over 24 years now and for the 21 years before I was in YTB I was a traditional travel agent and eventually owned three travel agencies in Downtown Louisville. But, 24 years ago I was young, broke and inexperienced in the travel business. We took our first “agent rate” trip to a place called the Don Cesar in beautiful St. Petersburg Beach Florida.”

Sounds pretty clear to me…how ’bout you? Sorry to say, not everyone got that message. According to No Travel MLM’s Candi is called out for deceiving the general public. John writes:

This does sound wonderful, but there appears to be some serious sleight of hand going on here. Is anyone surprised? Well, John Travolta turned 50 in February 2004. And according to another post on Candy May’s blog:

I joined forces with YTB in June of 2006 and that is how this journey began.

John believes he has one of his infamous “gotchas” here with proof that one of our leaders is lying. He’s extracted one line from another post that is totally unrelated to her traditional agent journey and used it in an attempt to throw it back in the face of YTB. But take a look and read her first post in it’s entirety. You’ll find the following statement which can be found smack in the middle of her first blog post when she states:

“I started in the travel business a little over 24 years ago as a traditional travel agent.”

A statement that our critics hope you don’t find in the first post so they can pound their chest and slander someone so they can feel better about themselves and the traditionalist who got away. The only slight of hand here is by John. Either that or he has some sort of disorder that causes memory loss. (More evidence of THAT below.)

Candi also talks about a booking contest with a company that specialized in Mexico. She won that trip by booking lots of travel. She went completely free including round trip air to a beautiful resort called the Royal Hideaway in the beautiful Mayan Rivera.

According to John, Royal Hideaway will not accept a YTB agent on a FAM because YTB has lost their IATAN accreditation. The IATAN requirement for Royal Hideaway might be true…might not. I have to ask however why IATAN is relevant when you win a trip that’s provided by a company the specializes in Mexico? Small detail that again either escaped him or he was holding his breath in the hope that you’d miss that this was a contest provided by the supplier, not something she asked for as travel professional courtesy. But it just might work for the casual reader who is only interested in finding something negative, or a reason hate a company or poeple that are still sticking around after two years of pitching the same tired old line.

Remember the memory loss I eluded to earlier? I find it hilarious that John is trying this line again:

She claimed to have been flown to Minneapolis and wooed by Carlson who wanted her agency to join the conglomerate, yet no one at Carlson has any records of her name or her agency.

Are we to assume the this goof simply forgot that we’ve covered Candi’s affiliation with Carlson with two letters, one signed by Roger Block himself, and the other from Linda Fox that came with a Formal Agreement that was deemed by John as being authentic just last year? These two documents did convince him at one point, but he doesn’t remember that embarrassment now? I think it’s more accurate to speculate that we’re back to the denial phase now that it’s a year later and again crossing our fingers that nobody remembers how badly beaten and bruised he got the first time he pulled the same stunt.

If you say the same lie over and over, maybe it might come true? Maybe you can get someone to believe you this time. Or maybe you simply get caught for the same tired old story because you’re too thick headed to admit you’ve ever been wrong even once.

Not this group. They go on the attack and attempt to deflect in order to save face. We’re overreacting. I’m coming to Candi’s aid as her knight in shining armour to defend her. I’m wearing a man bra!

One of the other chums, who’s can deflect with the best of them attempted to turn the tables and put the burden of proof back on me. The pitch here is hat you actually need an IATAN in order to get an agent rate and since YTB does not have IATA accreditation, we’re not eligible for FAM’s.

Ainsworth tries this little line to intimidate and demand an answer:

Doug, you’re the once coming across as stupid. You’re right in stating that the first paragraph is speaking of Candy’s years being a TRADITIONAL travel agent. The whole blog post is about her years as a TRADITIONAL travel agent, and all the things she got to experience. None of the things she mentions here happened since she joined ytb! What has she gotten to experience like these things in the 3 years that she has been with ytb, hmmmmm? Answer that, Mr. Know It All.

Okay chump, since you asked, I do know of an offer Candi received from YTB THIS year:

Hey my special friends…I have an incredible opportunity for my distinct travel professionals: Check this out…

I am looking for a few of our Travel/Group specialist to join me on a FAM in Cancun late next week. The only cost is for the flight…THAT”S RIGHT!…ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE IS FREE!

Oasis Hotels and Resorts is one of my finalists for our Riviera Maya/Cancun and Dominican Republic destinations. They have a scheduled FAM to view 5-6 of their resorts…

If you know of others that focus on Groups, I could extend this to them…

And just how do I know that Candi got this special invite for being a Travel Pro with YTB? Because I got it too.

That’s right! Those of us who produce and book lots and lots of travel like the moral of Candi’s story still get offers.  And note, no magic IATAN is required, no calling the resort, no worries about if we could get in…YTB was invited and for those of us who work hard and book travel, the invitation was passed along to us.

That’s something that Traditional Travel Agents don’t want you to know. Suppliers actually invite YTB just like they do any other agency regardless of accreditation. What suppliers look for is productivity. Suppliers actually consider YTB a valuable source of revenue because we produce. While IATAN certainly provides proof of that with a minimum of $5K in commissions earned, it isn’t really required for the VAST majority of the trips that are offered.

And what would a post from these critics be without the personal insults that Candi couldn’t make it as a “real agent”. I suspect that before long the insult will be that Travel MLM has come up with a far superior product offer for those that are serious about staying in the travel business. (Which is what Candi saw years ago because she’s smart, not some dead beat.)

To prove my point, I have a challenge for the smarter than average critics out there that like spout off that a traditional host is a better alternative.

Provide me documentation of just one Host, one Agency, one single Brick and Mortar that:

• offers 80%-100% commission contracts.
  
• pays cash bonuses of up to $10K when you hit performance levels for travel commissions earned.
• AND completely covers the cost of your Medical Insurance and provides a $150,000 Life Insurance policy.
• Oh, and you need to give me that “hat trick” for less than $500 start up and $49.95 per monthly overhead.

Fact of the matter is that they can’t and that my friends scares the livin’ daylights out of some of the traditionalist who live in La La Land that these traditional host are a better deal. That’s why we have deceptive posts like John’s and the loyal band of thieves to keep up with the charade about YTB being a flawed business model and that Candi couldn’t make it in the traditional arena.

In this current economic climate, coupled with how badly beaten the traditionalist have been from suppliers the internet, and the change to self service, YTB has a safer, more profitable alternative for those who are serious about selling travel bar none.

Spout off all you want about me, Candi, Coach, Scott, Kim or anyone else associated with YTB folks. We already saw this model for what it is. We’re already in and enjoying the best compensation the industry has ever seen. If you want to come along, feel free.

But if you want to spout off, lie and slander based on jealousy…can it. Like so many times before, it’s only going to show that nose of yours is getting bigger by the day.

Oh and John, since you’re big on being the spelling ace…it’s Cand”i”, not Cand”y”. ;-P

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

Last week, I had the pleasure of being interview by George Dooley in Travel Agent Central. What made this even more of an honor was finding out that George is an admitted fan of my blog and my perspective of YTB. I found him honest, fair, and genuinely interested in my side of the story.

George is also a reporter.

Part of the job of any good reporter is to provide both sides of a story. Think Fox News here…”Fare and Balanced”, right? I can’t knock George for providing an alternative view about YTB, but I have to ask why in the world did he have to pick one of the most narrow minded, self absorbed, and damaged critics in the industry to speak for the other side?

John Frenaye and I go back for almost two years now, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to correct, clean up, or otherwise call John out for not getting things right. Like most self professed “experts” John continues to take a singular quote or comment and attempt to dazzle the reader with what he feels are important facts and figures in order to distract everyone from what is really going on.

His current response to my article is no different.

John, among other critics, took exception to the fact that YTB grew from $414 million in travel sales, to $425 million in this years Travel Weekly Power list despite all the criticism, mud slinging, and various other issues totally unrelated to the travel industry. (Mind you, both interviews can be found in a “travel publication”.) But as we’ve seen so many times before, we have “travel agents” who can don the cap of Legal Counsel, Financial Auditor, Stock Broker, Travel Supplier, Business Consultant, and Better Business Bureau at a moments notice; all in an attempt to make you look away from the real story and guide you in a direction more in line with their own limiting beliefs.

You need to remember that this is the same guy that said Coach and Scott would call it quits – one who speculated that California could achieve it’s goal of shutting YTB down – that called the amended class action “powerful” – and an individual who forgot to check with Peter Jensen if he was in fact leaving YTB!

If you have this much egg on your face in one month’s time, wouldn’t “tough minded” begin to look more like “simple minded”? I mean good grief, what is it going to take to finally wise up and start living in the real world instead this fantasy land? If it weren’t for the constant reactions to what YTB is doing, he’d be a just some average John Doe without much else to do.

But John has provided some good comic relief through the years and this article is no exception. I don’t know if he’s aware of this, but one of the first points John attempts to make in the article actually links to the “ungainly monster of 39 pages containing 133 paragraphs” that didn’t pass muster under federal standards. We all know by this time how the Honorable Judge Murphy reprimanded Counsel concerning this case for being nothing more than redundant, immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous. But John, the BBB, and various other critics have decided to ignore the reprimand, and still use this failed class action in an attempt to provide a “powerful” message?

If it works for you John, be my guest. But the rest of us will more likely side with the Judge who actually knows the letter of the law in this case and called a spade a spade here.

Furthermore, the other link reports that Jerry Brown brought an end to an “elaborate pyramid scheme”, yet YTB just finished up one of the most meaningful conventions I’ve ever been a part of. We now have valuable tools that in years past have proven substantial and something the entire field has been asking for. While John wrote yesterday on his bog that the $6000 guarantee didn’t work, YTB’s RTA numbers soared from 20K to 122K during that program release. If it were me, I’d be more concerned about YTB regaining it dominance, rather than focusing on thinking that it’s over for YTB.

As we’ve heard so many times before the real phobia surrounding YTB is the “Recruiting”. John and others continue to pound this dead horse mixing the recruiting revenue with travel revenue.

“It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out,” Frenaye said. “Their entire income is based on the sign up fees and the continuing monthly access fees to the cloned privately labeled Travelocity booking engine. For a stark look at the numbers, the TSOs have paid (sign-ups and monthly fees) a total of $283,513,046, or over a quarter billion dollars since 2006 and during that time have earned a total in travel commissions of $39,999,552. Not the greatest return on investment if you ask me.”

Rocket science?

After all this study – all this time, energy and focus on YTB he still can’t grasp that Hotels.com, Trav-Tech, Apple, Pleasant, Travel Impressions, Collette, TicketsNow, and RCI among a host of other suppliers isn’t offered through Travelocity. But he wants you to think that what YTB offers is nothing more than Travelocity to make him and his pals feel better. In addition it’s not YTB’s responsibility for the pour commission percentages producing only $40 million ($55 million to YTB) from over $1 billion in gross travel sales in a three year period. (Based on verified gross sales found in Travel Weekly in 2006, 2007, and 2008) More to the point, John’s upset the he missed out on his free Rep position with YTB, and cashing in on selling “replicated Travelocity booking engines” for a piece of a $200 million pie paid to other Reps just like him.

If you’re going to look at numbers, it’s wise to look at ALL the numbers. By placing $1 billion in gross travel sales in the “travel category”, and $200 million paid in the “Rep Category” those that have figure this out know that evens things out a bit. Or at least know that John’s concerns certainly don’t mix when it comes to pitching the sad, sad story of MLM’s and Travel.

For folks like John, it’s all about the model being flawed. “Very few” as he states make it in this industry, simply because it’s MLM.

One of the fist articles I ever wrote was about Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile. Like Roger’s story, John is telling you it can’t be done. I’m here to tell you that it can. Because people like me, Candi May, Von Nickleberry, Nick Pagano, Rick Ricketts, Jeanie Sharpless, Tim Dominey, and hundreds of others have done it, what gives anyone the right (or the gall) to tell you that YOU can’t? If they’ve proven to be successful, wouldn’t it be wise to followed the same path we have, in order to obtain some level of the same success in this industry?

If you want John to protect you…that’s your choice. But I have to warn you, from experience, he’ll turn on you at a moments notice to slap you upside the head for not doing it exactly the way he wants you to.

John doesn’t see YTB competing favorably as a franchise because Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Perilo have decided not to utilize YTB’s massive sales force. John ignores that YTB is already is competing as a lowly MLM with year over year growth from #35 to #25 in just three years. The question isn’t if YTB’s going to compete, it’s when Royal and NCL decide they need to compete.

But because John and the others have never been able to accept any amount of actual Travel Sales, it perpetuates the myth that YTB is inferior. In order to prove his point he takes the TSO income disclosure statement stored on his own server to lay claim that only one person can make $25k. Maybe he should take the time to pull the PDF again to see that both an Associate at the 60% contract level has earned in excess of $25k, and an RTA at the 70% contract level has earned closed to $27K. Only one has exceed the $25K mark? Fact is, he doesn’t know how many have actually earned over $25K, but it sure sounded good for the purpose of his story. My question is how TSO’s are now encouraged to push from say $20k to $25K to earn the additional 10% contract, bonuses, and fully paid medical and life insurance that I can promise you the “other” hosts would not provide.

If you don’t think a travel professional might be swayed by fully paid medical and life insurance, for the same contract or better, with additional performance bonuses to boot…you’re dreamin.

But as we’ve seen John quoted so many times before “I just don’t get it”?

At least he got that right. But it again begs the question why George had to use this simple mind to react to a the articulate message brought forward during last weeks convention in St. Louis.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?