I happen to be out of town, (without internet access!) but enjoying the Holiday with family none the less. I decided to schedule something for today before news became old news next week. First and foremost however, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and although at the time of this writing, presents are still wrapped under the tree, by the time this is posted and you are reading, I’ll be enjoying gifts my kids had made for me, and of course finding what Santa brought.

That being said, don’t think for a second that there isn’t something to talk about over this extended Holiday weekend.

Are you kidding me? This Industry?

While the jury may be out if some made Santa’s “Naughty” or “Nice” list, after what I’ve been reading the last several months, it’s time to bring this “Naughty” Agency to the forefront after a year long hiatus.

Back in October 2007 this blog gained considerable notoriety after tackling the issue head on concerning Royal Caribbean who terminated its relationship with no more than four Agencies. Two of those agencies came to light very quickly and the industry outrage on the internet concerning “Card Mills” came to a head.

Although it’s been documented that Royal Caribbean did in fact terminate four Agencies, Lisa Bauer, VP of Sales with Royal Caribbean at the time, skirted the direct questions asked by Travel Weekly concerning just who these Agencies were. To this day, there has been nothing to verify, although there has been plenty of speculation, any more than two Agencies. That being of course YTB and the other being Joystar.

Other than YTB, I can’t think of another Agency that has been the target of more controversy than Joystar. If you look at the founders history, you’ll get a better understanding to just why, and I did document his exploits with the first Travel MLM (TravelMax) back in the mid 1990’s. It looks as if both Bill Alverson’s and Joystar’s issues have not subsided, but in fact increased a year later.

While you found nothing concerning any new issues on this blog, there has been plenty to write about concerning Joystar a year after being terminated by Royal Caribbean. In addition, no less than three headline news stories broke back in October of 2008 concerning the Host Agency. One, October 9^th, reported that Joystar failed to pay commissions owed to its independent contractors along with laying off 14% of its staff. Later in the month, on October 23^rd, it was reported the CLIA revoked Joystar’s Membership for not renewing its Seller Of Travel License with California. (Although it appears that SOT’s have been made current as well as its association with CLIA.) The very next day, October 24^th, it was reported that InterContinental Hotels Group filed a federal lawsuit against Joystar for claiming more than $163,000 in improper commissions.

And some think YTB has problems?

Actually, that’s what a small group would like you to believe as they obsess over anything they can drum up to cast fear and doubt because they’re convinced the YTB “model” is flawed…doomed to collapse. (Yet the “model” started to take shape over a century ago, and still standing tall.) Part of drumming up anything these poor folks can think of is this notion that after more than a year of inactivity, suppliers will again take up the cause of these Agents and Associations and start terminating relationships with Agencies critics simply don’t agree with moving into 2009.

One of the favorite ploys of critics is not implicating YTB directly, but word posts and threads in a way that gives them an out if egg is then thrown back in their face. Naughty for sure after reading comments, as there appears to be no question just who they hope the Agency is. Just one of the dozens of posts I sent to Santa this year for the “Naughty List”. As they wait to see if the rumor is true with gleeful anticipation, Santa more than likely coaled the entire lot of them for lack of good cheer.

I never like this type of speculation and rumor. It’s far too easy for hearsay like this to come back and bite you when documentation squashes the rumor you’re attempting to spread. Especially when you find out that the rumor started in an attempt to point the finger at one host, was initially about an entirely different host.

It appears the glass slipper that some are attempting to slip on YTB belongs to Joystar.

Agents are using the Joystar community board to voice their complaints. One posting dated Dec. 17 claimed Carnival Cruise Lines was prepared to cease doing business with Joystar if the agency did not make good to agents. When queried about the posting, Carnival declined to comment.

To be fair, there is nothing to substantiate ANY rumor that Carnival or any other supplier for that matter will be terminating anyone. Instead, I would look at the last year and ask just how many suppliers terminated its relationship with any Agency in 2008.

Of course that answer is Zip…Zilch…Nada…not one.

Yet there are some who still want to hang onto this small glimmer of hope that suppliers might come around. If the rumor is true about Carnival terminating its relationship with Joystar, can you blame them? (That would be “No”.) It’s been documented that Carnival believes these Agents, no matter what host they’re associated with are the life blood of their sales force.

But how much would you want to wager, that if Carnival does terminate Joystar because its failed to pay the commissions owed its Agents, the speculation will be that YTB is next in line? It’s what some will do I’m sure in order to restore this whole fiasco about suppliers “getting it” to surface yet one more time. I know that sounds irrational, but you have to understand the anger and resentment that creates such illogical thinking. Just accept that this is another small thread critics reach for in their attempt to pin someone else’s misfortune to YTB.

With the news out Tuesday about Joystar being down to just 5 employees and the thousands of dollars in commissions owed its Agents, I have to wonder if Peter Stilphen, (a pompous and overzealous Joystar critic who’s been plastering both Bill Alverson and Joystar for years) will be having a Merry Christmas this year?

I don’t know if there will be anyone really posting about this over the Holiday’s or into next week for that matter. I guess I’ll have to check and update you when I get back first of next week.

In the meantime, I’d like to enjoy my time with family and finalize some goals I have moving into 2009 while I have some time away from the internet and all it’s trappings.

It will be interesting to see what 2009 will bring, and while there are some who claim to know what’s going to happen, take some time to do what a couple of my favorite mentors have taught me over the years.

“Don’t believe a word you hear, unless you can verify it on your own to be true.”

Which I suppose is one of the reasons why people like this blog so much. Instead of spreading rumors and hearsay about what they’ve heard about or read about somewhere else, without a single shred of documentation to back it up, they come here for documentation and truth.

That’s why I’m on Santa’s “Nice List”.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

“This economic environment is unprecedented, and our travel agent partners need our unprecedented support,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales for Royal Caribbean International, in a statement. “Like everyone, they are feeling the pain, and we need to help them through this.”

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? When did we start blaming everything and everyone else but ourselves for problems? I found a gem the other day, and come to find out that it’s not the lack of service, it’s not all the time we spend on the internet posting our opinions, it’s not because we forgot just who our clients are and what our customers actually want. And it certainly can’t be because our clients are capable of doing what we do for a living on their own through the likes of web sites called Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia.

No, it’s none of that. What it all boils down to is none other than Travel Weekly. Who knew?

Interesting that after a years worth of hammering suppliers to choke out the pariah of untrained and uneducated Yahoo’s to little or no avail, (Royal Caribbean, Perilo, and Celtic Tours were the only three that headed the pleas.) we now move to the media outlets and industry publications to what looks like a new desperate attempt, begging if you will, to stop promoting these blasted MLM’ers who are ruining their business.

It’s not the first time suppliers have turned their back on the traditional travel agents, suppliers need the business, especially in this economy. Speculation that it was the suppliers fault stemmed from the ASTA who took a stand against MLM back in 2005 going all the way to the FTC. The blame fell squarely on the backs of suppliers after their attempt fell flat. Today, the largest cruise line in the world has teamed up with the largest Travel MLM in the world to promote gift certificates to increase sales for both the cruise line and the agency in the 4th Quarter.

A battle that I can only guess critics have resigned themselves to finally let go of.

Now that some have moved past the fact that suppliers just aren’t going to listen, the focus now turns to trade publications as they blast away at one of the most prominent and respected industry publications in the industry, Travel Weekly.

What was thought to be a fluke back in 2007 when YTB suddenly appeared on the pages of Travel Weekly’s Power List at #35 was dismissed as being nothing more than recruiting fees by those who needed to forgive Travel Weekly for their grave error. When news broke later in the year concerning Royal Caribbean’s termination of YTB, the company and its founders were suddenly catapulted to the front pages of just about every travel publication on the market. Most by the way praised the RCL move, as it was believed that this would be the first step in the avalanched of suppliers who would now agree that Travel and MLM’s are in fact a bad mix.

Instead of an avalanche of suppliers, what was found was more media coverage for Kim Sorensen who was named one of the 33 most influential in the travel industry and when you compare that to just 3 suppliers who sided with PATH, most everyone can see how lopsided that slap in the face was.

To add insult to injury the media coverage by Travel Weekly didn’t stop in 2007. While many critics speculated that Travel Weekly had “seen the light” and the nightmare of all this free publicity was now over, not only did Travel Weekly yet again document sales of $414.5 million in travel sales for YTB, but informed the masses that this speculation of “fees” were unfounded. No, the editors took the time to inform and educate critics when they stated that they check “numerous times” and $414.5 million are in fact “travel sales” not the “fees” that were being pitched.

Dag gummit!

I guess the final straw for these agents was Kim Sorensen being named to Travel Weekly’s Virtual Leisure Summit this fall. I could also speculate that this one name brought in a good number of participants who would have never given this new virtual summit a second thought if it weren’t for a name like Kim Sorensen being attached to it. Now I don’t know this for a fact, but I have to wonder just how big the smile were on editors faces over the frenzy this one name created all over the internet. If you know anything about marketing and media, they LOVE people and circumstances that go against the norm. That’s what makes it newsworthy. (I just listened to an audio from Joe Vitale, AKA: “Mr. Fire” yesterday that eluded to this very subject.)

If you find something that works, you keep doing it. A big reason why Kim will be participating in the upcoming “Preview 2009” December 18th and 19th. It’s got people talking all over the internet once again, as the article above pitches the show, and the buzz has also prompted Mark Murphy, President and CEO of Performance Media Group a competing publication to mention both YTB and Travel Weekly in its own publication.

What’s unfortunate is that Mark, like most who’ve never been involved in Network Marketing simply perpetuates more myths about the industry. He’s obviously unaware that A.L. Williams is no longer A.L. Williams, but now Primerica. Nor did he realize that this form of sitting across the kitchen table helped A.L. Williams gain the number one spot in Whole Life Insurance for 7 straight years.

Even sadder, and I see this all the time from ignorant (not stupid) people who don’t know any better. This use of the 2007 Income Disclosure Statement is almost always documented to show that all YTB does is recruit people into the business. I’ve yet to see any outsider realize that this document actually contradicts the very myth their trying to promote. Those I speak with who’ve heard this myth suddenly realize that this fear about everyone recruiting is inevitably washed away when they see that only 20% of the company actually recruits a single soul.

I don’t know if the ASTA was actually informed by the FTC about these recruiting fees back in 2005, based on how their pitch fell flat. I suspect the facts will come to light for everyone once again via California that it doesn’t cost anyone a dime to recruit new members into YTB. Some of our critics already know this as they may be counted in the 2008 Income Disclosure Statement as making squat. But that’s yet another story for another post for 2009.

In the meantime, well enjoy the press and the talk about YTB as it continues to make headlines and front page news for going against the norm and creating its own entity in the travel industry.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I’ve been amazed; surprised actually over the amount of traffic I’ve been getting over both the Liberty Travel layoffs and Cruise Value Center shutting down without notice. For weeks I’ve seen both these searches add up to what are now top search terms for traffic to this site. The buzz on the internet from various boards and forums has been surprising to say the least.

The Cruise Value Center abrupt closing has more clients searching for answers which shouldn’t be a shock, since there were only some 65 employees affected in this closure. The majority of people who are in panic mode right now are the thousands of clients who have booked cruises through CVC who are wondering if they’ve just been scammed.

Unfortunately, for those who recently booked a cruise with Cruise Value Center they may not have a boarding documents coming to them. A report I found said that CVC never paid $2 million to $3 million in cruise fares to the cruise lines. That’s a hefty amount of money to be…well, sunk.

Liberty Travel on the other hand is more concerned with “their own” and I can’t even begin to count the number of people who feel they’ve been wronged in this whole ordeal.

Which begs the question, what do you do when your company cuts your pay or lays you off? You file a lawsuit of course! Yep, looks like Liberty Travel has gotten themselves in more hot water. This isn’t the first time Liberty has faced charges of unfair labor standards. They’ve already settled for $2.76 million, with $413,571 awarded to 245 travel agents from Liberty Travel offices across Pennsylvania. Another Class Action suit filed on behalf of 564 Liberty Travel agents, who will receive $42,500 each as compensation for their efforts.

Now I’ve been told that the traditional arena doesn’t have these kinds of problems. Suits because you feel you’ve been ripped off or scammed don’t happen to “legitimate agencies”. (Liberty is a Top 10 Agency according to Travel Weekly by the way.) Nope, lawsuits of this nature are strictly reserved for the likes of Travel MLM’s. The Traditional arena would NEVER have someone call them a scam, or even worse, actually file a lawsuit against them.

It doesn’t take much for anyone in this country to go out and file a lawsuit. While I realize all the focus and attention for some is how the Network Marketing industry leaves people high and dry. For the “average Joe”, they want something more stable, more secure. I have to wonder how the people caught up in the following list now feel about how “secure” their jobs were.

I’d try to call them to find out and report on it, but the problem is…I just don’t know where to start.

• CitiGroup 53,000
• Whirlpool 5,000
• Pepsi 3,300
• Xerox 3,000
• HP 25,000
• Goldman Sachs 3,260
• Chrysler 1,825
• Merck 7,200
• Sun Microsystems 6,000
• Yahoo 1,500
• Ebay 1,600
• Lehman Bros. Thousands
• Bear Sterns Thousands
• Enterprise 200
• American Express 7,000
• Circuit City Thousands Bankrupt
• DHL Express 9,500 Bankrupt
• Delta Airlines Thousands
• General Motors Thousands
• Ford Motor Co 2,260
• Starbucks 13,000
• Motorola 5,600
• Fidelity 1,300
• Mattel 11%
• Atlantis 800
• Morgan Stanley 19%
• B T Group 10,000 (Britain’s largest phone company)
• YUM Brands: (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) Hundreds
• Las Vegas Sands Casino 11,000

I’ve got to ask, does it look to you like this myth of getting a good education and finding a job to go work for look all that secure to you?

For some, this might be the first time that they’ve been cut back or laid off. They’re the lucky ones. I’ve been involved with two companies in my career that have either been shut down or gone bankrupt in the past. I’ve also seen dozens of my co-workers laid off due to downsizing or cutbacks.

And some have the gall to tell me that Network Marketing is flawed. Doomed to collapse. I’m sorry, but going back to work for someone else who can hand me a pink slip whenever they feel they need to just doesn’t feel all that secure to me. My future and my income shouldn’t be determined by someone else.

I’ll be very happy to take that responsibility on thank you.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Are you as tired as I am over all the trash talk about YTB’s stock? Honestly, I’m sick of it. It’s as if YTBLA.OB is the only stock out there that’s down in the dumps. You’ve got to be hiding out in a cave somewhere not to realize that the markets overall are…well, in the toilet.

While the market has many running in fear, others are banking on the fact that the market will eventually turn in an upward trend. Most people would think someone would be crazy to actually be buying stock these days. Yet, that’s exactly what many of the super wealthy would have done in order to make their fortune. It’s times like these that would explain why Warren Buffett bought a considerable amount of stock at the end of the third quarter. (And if you’re thinking he sold a bunch, think again.)

The “Average Joe” simply can’t stomach what’s going on right now. That’s why we’re seeing the selling frenzy that we are, and also why critics appear to be focused on YTB’s stock specifically. It helps give the perception that the company is in dire straights and won’t last. Our third quarter numbers did a significant job is dispelling those rumors after their release. While there is a considerable amount of excuses following YTB’s profitable quarter, it did cause some of the most hardened critics to actually state that the numbers actually turned out better than they expected.

I would assume that’s why the focus has been shifted so quickly to the stock. It’s the one thing critics can point to that doesn’t look all that rosy, nor is bouncing back. The picture they’re painting is as if all other sectors are doing just fine, and it’s only YTB that’s having the difficulty holding on to its price. (Even with a profitable quarter.)

This attempt to spin the stock got me thinking how YTB compares to other stocks, more specifically, the travel sector since YTB of course knows nothing about travel. (Even after our 8 year run in this sector and being named in Travel Weekly’s Power List the last two years.)

By no means do I claim to be some type of stock expert. Far from it. But anyone with a pulse should realize that the markets, even after the election, continue to tank.

After pulling up various stocks to compare with YTB’s I started noticing that the broad brushed picture being painted isn’t what our critics claim it to be. (Big surprise, I’m sure.) Nor did any one sector in our industry lead in the categories I checked. About the only sector I was not able to check thoroughly at this time were other Brick and Mortars. (Most according to the Travel Weekly Power List are privately held.) I also tried to pick stocks that most everyone would know, even if you’re not “in” the industry. (Hogg Robinson Group, being probably the one exception.) Since there were so few public Brick and Mortar Agencies, I did use both American Express and Boeing who do own “Agencies” but obviously have diversification which neither look to either help or hinder their performance over the last year.

Here is an overview of the industry representing Airline, Cruise, Brick and Mortar, and On-line Agencies.

YTB (as noted by the blue dot) ends up pretty much “average” compared to the other stocks in the industry. Since there are so many in this sample, I’ve taken each industry and broken it down into segments for ease of reading.

Our first sector is how YTB compares to the Airline Industry. Companies are color coded and YTB will remain blue. Companies sampled with YTB are Continental, Delta, US Airways, and Northwest Airlines.

Next is a one year snap shot of Brick and Mortar Travel Agengies, which include American Express, Boeing, and Hogg Robinson Group.

Would a one year snap shot of on-line agencies look any better? Take a look at how YTB compares with Expedia, Priceline, and Orbitz.

And our last sector is the cruise industry as we take a look at both Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

After looking at this again, maybe Royal Caribbean should be the one in red…

So what gives? Why all the focus and fuss over YTB’s stock when obviously YTB appears to be on par with all the other companies in the market?

Because that’s what critics do. It’s something for them to talk about to give the perception that the Network Marketing business model is flawed or inferior to what they consider a tradition business plan. It’s all about perception to add fear and doubt about your choice in the industry.

They want you to go back to something more “legitimate” or “secure”.

So let me ask you. When it comes to the stock market, which one of these stocks above look to be more secure to you?<-->

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Welcome to our new home on the web!

While we’re very excited about our new and improved home, we’re still trying to get acclimated to our new surroundings. There’s a TON of work still waiting, some clutter to clean up, but the work load just got a little less now that I can focus all my blog time here instead of trying maintain the old blog as well.

While I was able to transfer all the old posts over with a couple of clicks, you may notice that the majority of posts aren’t formatted the same way. I’ll get to them eventually and I’ve already reformatted several of the more popular posts. I also need to dig into some “code” to make a few changes and tweaks to make this blog look and feel like I want.

It will come together in due time, and after only a weeks worth of work starting from scratch, I felt it was at least a good foundation to work from.

I didn’t mention this on Friday, but honestly feel that WordPress absolutely smokes Blogger. With what I’ve been able to uncover thus far, it makes Blogger look like child’s play. There are far more features and add-ons with this current format that you just can’t get with Blogger.

When I first saw the WordPress developer site, (WordPress.org) I caught a phrase down on the bottom right hand corner that read “Code Is Poetry”. For someone who enjoys playing with code, although a novice compared to some, I’ve really enjoyed learning and playing with these new CSS and PHP type files. This type of structure, and how all the pieces work in unison fascinates me.

Don’t let this intimidate you if you’re thinking about using WordPress however. They make it very easy to add widgets and plugins for anyone who can follow simple directions. WordPress can be very much a “plug and play” type application. However, you can get as intricate and complex as you’d like for anyone who has desire to dive in and create something truly unique.

The biggest advantage of using WordPress is that I manage the site and the content on my own server. I initially wanted to host this with my current domain service (GoDaddy.com), but while doing some research I found unlimited bandwith and storage with a company called BlueHost that I’ve been very pleased with. (BlueHost claims they’ve been rated best customer service 2004 thru 2008 and I can certainly see why.)

I did run into a small bug when transferring all the content over from Blogger, and you may notice that the vast majority of the comments did not make it to the new home. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve unpacked from a move and think to myself, why did even bother packing this? Either Blogger or WordPress didn’t feel the comments were worth packing, so I took it as a sign. The way I see it, I brought only the best with me, and left the rest of the crap at the old domain.

Speaking of comments, you may notice that they have been enabled once again. Now that I have the type of control that will allow me to manage some of the loudest and most obnoxious commenter’s that frequented the old blog, I’ve decided to enable them again. In order to comment you will need to register and you will also notice that I have a “rules” section on the blog that everyone needs to follow in order to participate here.

Here’s the beauty about all this. I can block any user name that doesn’t follow the rules. If they decide they want to sign up under a different user name and continue to ignore the rules and annoy others, the IP address can be blocked.

Another nice feature that I’ve wanted for some time, but couldn’t because of the antiquated template I used, (not Bloggers fault) is the “Add To Any” button to link you to me when you find something you like. Dislike also works well, and from what I’ve seen, I’d rather people actually link back here, so they can get the real scoop instead of some of the mouthing off I’ve seen.

The RSS Feed has been updated as well. While I couldn’t transfer you’re old subscription from Blogger to here, I have upgraded the FeedBurner account and feed for this blog to enable e-mailing to your in box when I post something new here.

There are other tricks I have up my sleeve, and based on all the research I’ve been doing and what I’ve been learning along the way I’m willing to bet I haven’t even begun to figure out what I can do with this puppy. Now that I’ve moved in, every time I open a door, there is a new feature that will benefit how I communicate with you.

Buckle Up folks, it’s going to be a fun, fun ride!

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Sort of…

This morning I brought attention to a blatant accusation by one of the better known critics of YTB that they were paying off CLIA. Apparently “The Spin Master” has obtained the following confirmation from Jim Smith, CTIE via an e-mail correspondence from CLIA. I will quote from “The Spin Masters” blog and do believe this correspondence to be accurate.

“Contrary to what was posted on your blog and for the record – when it comes to CLIA certification, membership and all related programs – the rules are the rules for everyone. There are no exceptions.”

Interesting that Mr. Smith references the blog itself and not YTB or the Travel Compass. You would think that if he agreed with “The Spin Master” he would have made reference to YTB misleading or misinforming the general public as the “The Spin Master” appears to state.

Instead, we see another absolute refusal to take any responsibility in what was posted or insinuated. No, that appears to bounce off him and land squarely in MY lap.

I have to wonder if Mr. Smith himself was the one who corresponded with YTB directly when YTB posted a PDF of the new CLIA Requirements in both the 9/18 and 9/25 issues of the Travel Compass. A PDF of the new requirements can also be found in the Travel Portal under “Breaking News” as of the last several weeks for those that might have missed either of those issues.

And apparently, someone has. ;-P

Both the publication and secured access to the Travel Portal are intended for those of us who are members of YTB. Why this company correspondence is now blasted all over the internet with its own little twist in an effort to warn the general public or to promote and/or slander CLIA is rather arrogant. CLIA does have strict rules in promoting its membership, and I would have to agree, the rules are the rules for everyone.

There are no exceptions.

Its quite clear what was posted on “the blog” was an insinuation that YTB acted like “politicians sliding in a little pork for their constituents” and/or YTB “slipped and showed a little pork”.

But alas, as we so often see from these overly obsessed and arrogant mud slingers, the message sent by Mr. Smith and CLIA just doesn’t seem to register.

You can picture it now, a 5 year old with his hands over his ears yelling “Blah Blah Blah” just after he was caught red handed with both hands in the cookie jar.

Ohhhh…Coleman…where are you when we need you buddy?

“Too Funny”

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I had this forwarded to me via one of my Newsletter Subscribers yesterday morning. Yesterday started very early for me with my son needing to have a couple “sugar bunny’s” (cavities for us adults) filled, and it didn’t stop until late last night. I had planned on another post, but didn’t even have the time to start what I wanted, but when I saw this, I thought it was appropriate with all the trash talking going on over the internet.

I realize this can be easier said than done, even for me, but this puts everything into a great perspective. It’s not surprising that this came from one of YTB’s Top Directors, and a female to boot.

Juliet St. John.

The Funeral Story

Many years ago I was a sales manager for a company in Baltimore, Maryland. I would pull my team together from several states every quarter for a day of relationship and team building exercises as well as general sales training.

You see, as part of their job description, there was a large amount of “cold calling” involved. This of course refers to making contacts, setting appointments, and making presentations for the purpose of securing a new account with someone that they did not know. Sound familiar? The company we all worked for was a business services company, and our model was not a networking company in any way. We were a business calling on other businesses, or “B to B” as it is often referred to today. All the same, the sales people who were paid a large base salary, given a company car and an expense account, still had some of the same challenges that our teammates, or perhaps you do in YTB.

During one sales meeting in the fall of the year, I closed out the meeting with an article that I had read in a national publication. The article was written on of all things, funerals. You see, the writer of the article had conducted surveys of many funerals across the country and came up with some interesting statistics and facts. “And exactly how am I going to tie this into YTB?” you say.

The first thing that I read said that on the average, at a funeral, approximately ten people cry. That struck me as quite odd. Ten people? No more? Ten? In other words, after I spend my entire life, hopefully into my nineties, working with thousands of people in my business, volunteering for several organizations, donating my time and money, laughing and living life with relatives and friends thru all of the ups and downs, that only ten people would cry?

What’s that about?

Now, get ready, because here is where it gets even better. You know that after the funeral, there is of course the burial, right? The article said that the number one thing that would determine how many people would go to the actual burial was determined by one thing and one thing alone: the weather! The article said that if it rains on the day of my burial, that at best case, only fifty percent of the people at the funeral would go for that last ride with me to the actual burial.

The other fifty percent might really, really love me. But they would still prefer not to get wet. So here is my point. I told that sales team and I am telling you today that I had a realization when I read that article. It was quite liberating. I got freed up.

If only ten people are going to cry and less than fifty percent won’t see me off if the sky opens up and rains, that what kind of sense does it make for me to care at all about what other people think?

Now I didn’t say that I don’t care about other people. I do, very much care FOR other people. But you know what? I don’t give a hoot what other people think about what it is that I am doing.

Period. End of the story.

Why would I (or you) be afraid of rejection? Why would I be concerned about what so and so thinks? Why would I ever be worried again about someone passing judgment on me because I am doing “one of those things”?

It really is very simple. If you talk to enough people, some will come into YTB, and some won’t. If you talk to enough people, some will book travel with you, and some won’t. If enough people come into your YTB Business, some will become Power Team Leaders, and some won’t. Of the PT Leaders, some will be productive, and guess what? Some won’t.

The only variable is whether or not you are going to talk to enough people…And as you are trying to muster up the courage to approach your relative, your friend, or a complete stranger about YTB remember this: chances are, they won’t cry at your funeral and they won’t get rained on to say goodbye. And most people live a lot of their lives all cooped up caring about what the other person thinks.

On a final note. There are a handful of people who have many, many people cry at their funerals and have long funeral processions no matter the weather. JFK Martin Luther King, Jr. Gandhi John Lennon The list goes on.

These people, the “Difference Makers”, and others like them, they have thousands that show because they spent their lives not worrying or caring about what other people thought.

What are YOU thinking?

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

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