Before YTB, I was living the American Dream – or so I thought. The “reality” was I had been bumbling through a number of companies that left me high and dry. Any illusions I had about the corporate world were quickly being shatter. Family Golf ran out of money and was bought out by an Asian group who promptly fired everyone. Anicom got caught cooking their books – was shut down by the FTC and the founders imprisoned. ISP lost its manufacturing contracts to the internet for the territories I covered. iAutomate never reached the internet dominance it aimed to achieve and was downsized. And my last stint with Hi-Fi Buys eventually ended in bankruptcy court.

The American Dream of getting a good education and finding a J.O.B. was a carrot I wasn’t willing to chase any longer. My discontent over the lie about working for someone else had me frustrated and looking for options when YTB came knocking.

Three guys – Coach, Scott and Kim turned me onto the idea of being in business for myself. They offered my first products I could offer and sell as an “independent representative”. Harv Ecker and Bob Proctor soon followed in my journey who showed me other income streams. All of the streams they create are “passive” – meaning I don’t have to be there to generate income. Guys like Mike Dillard taught me the value of branding myself. If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’ve heard that name before – and many have bought Mike’s Magnetic Sponsoring courses. Mike’s primary business teaches the value of something called a “funded proposal”.

Coach, Scott and Kim taught the value of building a business within the YTB business, but I also like what Mike calls it.

“You, Inc.”

I became a student of “You, Inc.”. While everyone knows I’m tied to YTB, now ZamZuu – my brand is “Just Picture It Now”. With this brand, I now own a well visited blog with various tools and affiliate products that create income. I also own a list of subscribers that now reach thousands each and every week. Auto-responders within our newsletter create a steady stream of income that work on auto-pilot. Articles on this blog also create a steady stream of income with well ranked organic links. Articles I’ve written years ago continue to produce income almost every month. Those are the passive income streams that Ecker and Proctor taught me.

“You Inc.” provides me the option to pursue opportunities that interest me such as writing, up-in-coming technology, and pay-per-click income that keeps my brand diversified, fresh and profitable. I pick and choose who and what I promote with incredible flexibility and versatility. This diversity has enabled me to stay with YTB far longer without any worry of the outside forces attempting to tear it down. The economic meltdown of late 2008 and 2009 and the hit the travel industry took forced many to make changes. The needless “YTB bashing” that goes on about their “model” being something other than viable or legitimate has forced others to make changes as well.

Me? I was diversified enough that income actually increased while millions all over the country were being laid off, downsized or scrambling to find other sources of income which had dried up.

I’ve always been an independent thinker. I never would have gotten involved with YTB in the first place if I wasn’t. I saw right through the hype and trash talk about pyramid schemes that we often see from those who haven’t any experience to speak of. I’ve heard it said that if somebody tells you what they think – take it with a grain of salt. If someone tells you what they’ve experienced however – you better listen.

What I’m about to tell you may sound shocking to some – controversial to others – but it rings true for me. Based on my experience in the corporate world, the bickering and fighting going on by traditional travel agents who have seen commissions either diminish or completely vanish and the Directors in YTB who built large organizations who are now with different companies – I’ve come to this conclusion.

True independence and success comes from multiple opportunities and various streams of passive income.

Last week YTB announced its new Director level and enhanced compensation starting at 250 active IBC’s. The new level also provides additional guaranteed income with fully paid medical and life insurance paid for by the company. I didn’t write about it here, but I did put it in last weekend’s newsletter – because it’s news. Honestly, when I heard about the new level, I was surprised at me first initial thought’s. When I did put it out on my newsletter to my subscribers, it was uncomfortable.

Then, earlier this week I was asked to pick either YTB or my other “ventures” and my gut reaction was shocking – even to me.

As good as the Directors program is and as much as it provides to individuals and their families – it’s not the right goal or option for me.

I’m an “Independent Representative” not a “Director”.

How do you like them apples?

I got into YTB to create my own independence. Over the last 6 years I’ve built and now utilize several profitable income streams. It’s enabled me to survive the chaos and the slandering where others haven’t because they were counting on a single source. Directors who built large organizations are now gone because they relied on one company. Travel Agents have been bickering for years, or are out of business doing something else because they rely on one stream. Even I was forced to jump from company to company for years because I relied on a single revenue streams before I found YTB.

The true value for me in YTB are all the income streams – not the Directors program. The position lands me right back where I was 6 years ago and doesn’t provide the current options and streams I’ve been able to create and build on my own.

It’s not that I’m upset or angry with YTB. To the contrary – I couldn’t have dreamed of a better vehicle to start my journey. YTB has been a wonderful experience for me and was the first company to provide multiple streams. I had never been with a company with so many possibilities prior. Likewise, the Director program is a first of its kind. The medical, life and guaranteed income benefits not only rival but are the envy of the corporate world. With benefits like these – the company has every right to attach reasonable conditions for that privilege.

It’s their company and they make the rules.

But as good as it is and as much as I wanted it – along the way I found my own true independence and own income streams where I make the rules.

The world has changed. Likewise, the internet and technology continues to evolve and change at a rapid pace. It’s exciting – it’s fresh. The internet offers up endless possibilities and an abundance of opportunities to market and promote whatever I want. It didn’t really occur to me until I was asked to make a choice between my own business here on the internet and the one I run with YTB. Without realizing it until this week – I’ve successfully generated a brand that’s more valuable and meaningful on my own.

I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next couple of days guys. While my gut reaction was instant and sure – I told YTB that I had to think about it. But my gut has never been wrong. It’s a message from the Divine. There may be an applicable resolution to all this that I can do both – and I’d like to do both. I love YTB – and I especially love the people I’ve been able to help. Thousands rely and count on me each and every week to inform and mentor them. I’m not looking to steal anyone or trash YTB in any way. That’s selfish and unprofessional.

Overall, YTB has been far too good to me and I’m incredibly grateful to them for showing me the path to my own independence and freedom.

But I also own this blog and my list of subscribers which provided me the freedom and flexibility to speak my own mind and provide my own path.

I’m at complete peace with anything that may come my way. If I can survive horrendous economic conditions and needless trashing of a company I promoted wholeheartedly – I can survive anything.

That my friends is real – true independence.

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About a week ago, I had three people tell me that I needed to look into expanding my writing. They all gave me the same suggestion on where I needed to go. When I took a look at the opportunity, it had all the right features, I could remain independent, I could write when ever and where ever I wanted. I could also write about what I truly love, and that’s travel. (As if you didn’t already know.)

So I went on-line and filled out a brief application that took a few minutes to fill out and I sent it off. I left it that if it was meant to be, it would be. Within a few hours, I had my answer and a short guide of next steps came with the answer to become Atlanta’s new Family Travel Examiner. With so many people telling me about this, I just couldn’t pass such strong messages like that up. I’m confident that part of the reason it was so easy is because so many people told me about it all at once.

Here’s your sign…times three.

So here I am, with a very cool new gig that sends my message out to even more readers and another opportunity to sell more of what I love.

I bought Mike Dillard’s Magnetic Sponsoring some years ago and there were two very important lessons in his videos and books that have always stuck with me. First, when someone goes to the store to purchase a drill, what they need is a solution on how to make a hole. Too many people focus their time and energy with how something works instead of just showing the benefits of what the product produces to resolve a need. Second, he tells a story of how one of the largest jewelry stores in Florida does more business than anyone else simply by doing a show of how to buy jewelry. Because they’re helpful and perceived as experts in cut and clarity for example, they’re the one store that people think of most when it comes to jewelry.

This blog and my newsletter is a perfect example of being an expert when it comes to helping others in YTB. Exact same principles at work. Because I focus on the need and not the product, I’ve got people from all over the country who subscribe and read each and every week. They trust me and respect my input and recommendation. When I put Mike Dillard’s book out there to the masses, simply as a recommendation to help them market more effectively, they clicked the link and started to buy. I’m still getting paid from that one little segment and comment I made about how much I liked his book. (Which by the way was MONTHS ago.) Sure I got some calls and questions simply to help clarify for a few people, but I didn’t have to twist any arms or convince anyone that this was a product they needed.

My new home on the Examiner is much the same. For those that are looking for a good quality trip or vacation for the entire family I can be their new expert when it comes to places to go and things to see. Done the right way, there’s absolutely no need to tell anyone that I can service them with some of the travel I’ll write about. As a matter of fact, doing so will actually turn some of them off because they perceive that as being pushy. But by focusing first on the need by promoting the benefit of the product (for them) I magnetically attract the right people which can and will produce more travel sales.

So I’m off on a new adventure. Not to worry about regular updates here or the weekly newsletters going out as it’s always been. The four articles a week for the Examiner will be in addition to what I already have going on. The new gig should only take a few hours a week to fullfil. It’s just another example of following your bliss, and finding ways to get paid for doing it.

And they call this work. ;-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.

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Referral Marketing appears to be a huge mystery for some people. It’s probably one of most often asked questions I’ve heard during my years with YTB. More specifically, on-line marketing appears to be a major interest for most. (We ARE an “On-Line Travel Agency”)

I wrote a post some two years ago about 5 ways to market effectively on-line, and for anyone new to the industry, this is a fantastic foundation to start marketing your business. These marketing techniques are not only effective but if done properly, in time you will have extensive exposure to all kinds of customers, ready to purchase products from you that relate to them. In fact, these techniques are so good; I still use them to this day and I actually reuse this very same article in my Newsletter for new team members in my 7 day training program.

One of the key components of effective Marketing is “know your customer”. If you know why people visit a particular site and what the major motivation is, and match products that relate to them, you will be amazed at how easy and profitable referral marketing really is. Mike Dillar in his Magnetic Sponsoring program gives fantastic insight in one of his his free 7 Day Boot Camp videos.

When someone goes to buy a drill, they don’t care about the drill; they care about making a hole.

To many people focus on the features and advantages of the program, company, whatever, but what they should be looking for is the end benefit to the customer.

Since most of my readership here is already in YTB, let me give you one of the best marketing tips I’ve ever come across that’s easy to do when it comes to selling travel. I’ve had albums of my vacations on a site called WebShots for years. If you take a look at any of the pictures, in any of the albums, you’ll see my BandBVacations.com logo on the bottom left hand corner of each and every picture.

At the present time, these 400 photos have had over 161,000 views and I get anywhere between 1000 to 1500 views per week.

Now think about this. Who is viewing these photos? What is their major motivation for visiting this site? Based on why I was there before I got involved with YTB, I wanted to find pictures of ship layouts, layouts of buildings, how white and fluffy the sand was, and because pictures say a thousand words, how someone else enjoyed their vacation on this ship or at this resort.

Because my logo is at the bottom of every one of those pictures, some will see that logo, wonder what that site is, physically type it in and low and behold what to they find?

My booking engine.

I can’t tell you how many times I find flights, hotels, vacation packages, and cruises booked on my booking engine from people I don’t even know. It just shows up!

Another cool little trick I learned was writing articles about our experience during our vacation. I did an article three years ago about one of our first FAM trips down to Sandestin Resort and Independent Traveler posted it on their site.

These are just two examples to simply “refer” people to your travel web site. There are a ton of resources for both articles and pictures that you can find on the internet.

Here’s the best part of all this guys. I took those pictures and wrote that trip report three years ago. Do you know that I’m still being paid via Referral Marketing for posting these pictures and writing this trip report?

Harv Ecker talks about the difference between rich people and the poor and middle class. The middle class and poor believe that they have to work hard for their money. You have to actually have to “do something” every time you produce income. Rich people focus on something called “passive income”. Streams of income that pay you over and over even when you aren’t producing anything for that income at the time. (If you’d like to find out more about Harv’s differences between rich and poor, he has a free teleseminar next week on May 22nd that will explain more.)

Here is one of the most critical factors that I believe is very important. Notice, I’m not sending people to my marketing site with these pictures. Notice I’m not trying to recruit anyone into my YTB business as a team member. Reason being is that the people who are looking at these articles and pictures are not looking for a business; they’re looking for a vacation. (Go back to why you buy a drill, to make a hole.) You have to keep in mind who the primary customer is and if you can match a product with the primary need or benefit, you’re likely to get sales.

The key is to understand your market. Take the market here on this blog. It’s changed over the years, and currently, most of my readership here is already in YTB so why bother trying to recruit you into a business you’re already in? But I can capitalize on helping you build your business and become more knowledgeable and successful right?

Here are just a few examples of how referral marketing has worked for you using the exact same principles we’ve learned from Coach, Scott and Kim in YTB.

Last year I did a write up on saving money on taxes via a home based business. Now I wrote that article last year, but this February and March got paid for that article over and over again. Something you in YTB wanted to learn about.

Something else that I found you wanted to learn about was Marc Mancini and the E-Campus. Do you know that I sell entire sets of his books each and every month?

You also gobbled up Brian Tracy’s Success Principles like crazy when I was entertaining the questions our TTA’s had about YTB.

No poking, no prodding, no “Join Me Know”, but very simple referral links and if you found it relevant and of value, you bought the products I recommended.

Speaking of the TTA’s, how many 6 in 1 travel blankets do you think they sell on their blog? How ‘bout Star Trek figures, or Urban Fashion accessories? If I were that blogger, I’d be selling FitzPatrick’s “Pyramid Nation”, to make up for all the time I spend writing on that waste of cyberspace. Problem is, FitzPatrick doesn’t understand referral marketing either and would never promote his books to gain better exposure in th
at way.

Stuck in a “Catch 22” sorry to say.

Guys, travel is just one example of how the Internet has changed things. E-commerce is a HUGE business and industry and if you learn to play the game right using “referral marketing” the right way, you’ll find yourself working less and enjoying more of this game we called life.

It’s not wrong, it’s not lazy, it’s a simple fact of the way we do business these days. Gone are the days of the Petroleum Distribution Engineers that we had when we were kids…we pump our own gas these days in the world of self service.

It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s convenient, and it can make you extra income doing the same thing you’ve already been taught to do in YTB.

If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with links and documentation for you to share with clients and prospects alike.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

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