I don’t know if you had a chance to see or even know that there was less of both Rick Ricketts and Kim Sorensen at this years Convention. What I mean by “less” is that both men have lost in excess of 25 pounds each. While neither are at their goal weight, each over time have lost this weight due to new eating habits that must be practiced and maintained over time. Losing 25 pounds doesn’t happen overnight.

The key to losing the weight is following a plan. If you don’t change your eating habits, you’re not going to have much success in loosing the weight.

Truth is, if you have a desire to change anything in life, you need to change or do something different in order to attain that goal. If you were doing things right all along, you would have already attained it.

The same goes for business. If you want to become successful, you follow the same principles of those who are already successful and do what they do. If you follow their recipe, you’ll find yourself obtaining the same business success they have.

The lesson of the $10K Challenge isn’t really about the money, it’s about getting into the habit of working your business on a consistent basis. That’s the true secret to their recipe. The concept of handing out 300 DVD’s is to get yourself into a routine or the habit of talking to someone new each and every day. Like the pounds that came off of Rick and Kim, it will happen over time. There is no magic pill or secret shortcut to successfully completing either task.

There are those that claim that nobody can hand out 300 DVD’s. It’s too big. It’s too hard. This one statement is perfect example of how backwards some poeple think.

$10,000 Guarantee.
The $10,000 guarantee is also a joke. You need to distribute 300 DVDs (at a cost of $1200) per year and follow the YTB provided tracking program. This just replaces the Success From Home deal they had before. The $6,000 program never worked.

Sigh…

I can’t even begin to tell you how foreign, backwards and stupid that type of thinking is. How or why anyone sees a problem with this plan of action simply shows me how dumbed down parts of our society are. Why someone would think about the cost instead of the income is astounding. What this illustrates is a concern over spending $4 per DVD. Instead what smart business minds see is clearing $29.33 in profit per DVD simply for handing a DVD someone and getting a name, phone number, and e-mail address. If you were paid $29.33 each time you complete this simple task would you do it? Of course you would. But because there’s a catch of personal responsibility attached to it, all of the sudden it changes from a great deal to a complete failure for those who can’t think through the entire process.  

This idea that the program never worked, is also a complete crock. Back when the “Success from Home” was first launched three years ago, I immediately saw the value of this lesson and was on board at the very start. Because I followed the plan of handing out just one magazine every day, I disqualified myself from the program because I actually made $6000 in income before the program was complete. Because I followed this simple plan, handing out just one magazine each day, I elevated myself to “Coach’s Corner” after a few months. In the process, I made more than $6000 in actual sales because I followed this recipe for success.

While my story certainly doesn’t guarantee that you or anyone else will make more than $10,000 this go around, those that work the plan the way its intended, are guaranteed $10,000 in income by YTB. But don’t take my word for it…let’s look at the number and see if it worked or not with some actual documentation, instead of the lip service that we’ve become accustomed to by our critics.

I went back to look at the SEC filings during the time YTB was handing out the Success from Home magazines.

YTB’s first “Success from Home” was launched in August, 2006. According to YTB’s 2006 Annual Report filed with the SEC, that same year YTB’s sales force grew from 21,385 to 59,836. Due to the HUGE success of YTB’s efforts of handing out these magazines, and tremendous exposure it provided for the publisher, YTB was once AGAIN on the front cover the very next year. As a result, YTB’s sales force again grew from 59,835 to 131,065 active RTA’s. (Based on YTB’s 2007 Annual Report filed with the SEC.)

If that’s a failure, I’d hate to see what some consider success.

Truth is, there are a small band of blow-hards out there that don’t want you looking at the facts, or simply ignore what’s really going on. I’ve yet to see any of them discuss why the class action was thrown out. I mean not a single word about how or why it got booted. Same goes for my challenge to the industry concerning YTB’s travel commission contracts. While there have been a few comments about it, what I’m finding are more excuses and spin instead of the facts, figures, and documentation that I’ve been asking for.

While they’re busy coming up with excuses, I’d suggest following a proven recipe for success that’s been enhanced considerably to help you track those DVD’s and now has the added bonus of a mentoring program. The choice is yours. Personally, I’d prefer being partnered up with those that have proven themselves successful with the help of the YTB Success System. This may be a new program for YTB, but its been proven to work companies like Avon, Homemade Gourmet, and DHL in years past. (And its included with your $10K Challenge)

It’s such a simple and easy step that not only teaches success principles, but enables you to create the habit of a successful business practice. And the best part…even if you don’t make the big bucks with YTB and recruit thousands of people, you’re still $8,800 better off financially for being what some would consider a “failure”.

So go ahead and fail. I dare you. In fact…I double dog dare you. ;-P

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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

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Do You ZamZuu?

If I asked you who Mark Zuckerberg is would you be able to tell me?

I wouldn’t have been able before this weekend. (So don’t feel too bad if you don’t.)

Rather than keep you in suspense, I’ll just come right out and tell you Mark is a former-Harvard student who created Facebook. When it launched in February 2004 it was used to communicate between other Harvard students. It quickly gained considerable notoriety and was soon being used at Stanford, Columbia and Yale. Zuckerberg ended up dropping out of Harvard to pursue his dreams and began running Facebook full time.

When Mark Zuckerberg showed up in Palo Alto, he had no car, no house, and no job. In August 2005, “thefacebook” (it’s original name) was officially called Facebook and the domain facebook.com was purchased for a reported $200,000. Today, Mark is at the helm of a smokin’-hot social-networking site. Back in 2007 it was projected that Facebook would generate $969 million in revenue, with 48 million users, by 2010. At that time The New York Times and others reported that Yahoo had made a $1 billion offer to buy Facebook.

Zuckerberg and his partners turned it down.

That was 2007 and it’s now 2009 and Facebook has far exceeded expectations. Back in April this phenomenon went over 200 million registered users, with 100 million logging in and using a combined 5 billion minutes every day.

I found a couple other stats that blew me away:

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Do You ZamZuu?

I’ve worked in several different industries throughout my adult life. I spent the vast majority of that time in the radio industry from the early 80’s to the mid 90’s. I also spent time in the Golf industry, and later in the Security and Home Automation industry before I found YTB. I quickly realized that each industry has it’s share of bickering and finger pointing. Every industry has it’s share of people who do nothing but start rumors either to discredit or get a leg up on the competition.

If you combine all the years I spent in the other industries, it doesn’t hold a candle to what I’ve seen in the Travel Industry in the 4 years I’ve been involved with YTB. The backstabbing, the ranting and raving, and the accusations that are thrown around in this industry is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

I have to hand it to the Traditional Travel Agents, they are an extremely passionate group. Please don’t take that as any form of admiration however. Any type of admiration turns very sour when the passion is as misguided and so dysfunctional that you see grown adults belittle and scorn each other in public forums. Because all they do is bicker the industry is left fragmented and unorganized. Travel MLM’s have come and gone for over a decade now. The industry has been outraged over the MLM model and Card Mills, but because nobody can agree with one another, Travel MLM’s are not only still around, they’ve gained considerable traction in the industry.

I was looking over the data I have on how people find this blog earlier in the week. Several search terms popped out at me for consideration for an article. Before I had an opportunity to research the story, a “Google Alert” came last night that put all the pieces together in one very well written article in Travel Agent Central.

In the article Peter Stilphen, an industry advocate, seems to be convinced that OSSN (Outside Sales Support Network) now caters to the MLM industry and has said so publicly in an open letter. OSSN of course denies the allegation and is going to great lengths to shut Mr. Stilphen up. OSSN has even gotten legal counsel involved to contact Mr. Stilphen numerous times to confirm the allegations with documentation and facts. Typical of most critics however, Stilphen has ignored the request for verification. What this has boiled down to is nothing more than an “Am not” – “Are too” type of argument that once again is being played out in the open for everyone to see.

Why am I not appalled over this type of conduct? Because I’m sorry to say it’s more the norm than it is the exception. Once again, instead of promoting solutions, benefits, or guidelines that have been a real sore in this industry for well over a decade now, we have more bickering and finger pointing.

Once again…we have to ask…”How’s that working for you so far?”

I’ve read numerous times that Travel MLM’s give professionals a black eye. When you look at something like this, you have to wonder why some don’t look in the mirror and realize that professionals are doing a fine job of punching themselves and providing plenty of back eyes of thier own.

I’m not a member of OSSN, but I have gotten updates and e-mails from this organization for years. They’ve been beneficial to me in as much as to provide information about industry trade shows and supplier training that educate and enable me to be more productive in the travel industry. While there have been many offers to join the organization, thier policies prohibit anyone involved in MLM’s from joining. While they do offer a “TRUE” credential, I can’t justify switching to anther host simply to carry a “TRUE” card. For someone like myself, CLIA offers the best training and accreditation now that they’ve upgraded and enhanced thier program. As we’ve learned however, even an organization like CLIA isn’t immune to the fighting and bickering going on between “professionals”.

The last time I wrote about Peter Stilphen was well over a year and a half ago when Royal Caribbean decided to pull the plug on YTB. At the time Peter was on the Board of Directors of an association called PATH. With Peter’s urging, PATH convinced Royal Caribbean that they needed to terminate it’s relationships with Travel MLM’s and Card Mills. To this day, we’ve only been able to verify two agencies that have ever been terminated by RCL while over a dozen other Travel MLM’s are still in good standing and booking with the cruise line. One of the agencies terminated being Joystar and the other being YTB.

Worked out well, don’t you think?

Although Peter has been a very outspoken critic of both Joystar and YTB over the years, I really don’t pay much attention to him personally. He’s simply lumped into the mix of outspoken critics who buys into the social “meme” I wrote about on Wednesday. He is however, one of the longest tenured critics surrounding Travel MLM’s that I know of. He and Bill Alverson (CEO of the now bankrupt Joystar) started the rumblings over a decade ago when Bill started the first Travel MLM called TravelMax. (Also long gone.)

Back in March I picked up another open letter to the industry from Paul Henderson of ProTravel Network, who has also grown tired of finger pointing and the bickering in the industry which adds further proof that the industry has no clue how to resolve the issue of industry credentials. Because the industry hasn’t been able to come up with guidelines, anyone associated in the industry is fair game when it comes to pointing fingers. Peters most recent crusade to eliminate “cards” has him yelling at OSSN now, an association that’s promoted by PATH by the way.

I honestly can’t tell you if the industry is ever going to get along with each other. I find it a real shame that an industry which evokes so many good memories and emotions for it’s clients in the form of vacations and exotic locations, has such a difficult time finding it’s “happy place” when it comes to communicating and getting along with each other. I’ve never seen such enormous ego’s, and so many experts in all my life. For me, it’s another reason why I stick with YTB.

You would think that some of these old dogs would wake up and learn some new tricks after so much time spent doing what they do with no answers or resolutions in sight. Unfortunaly that’s not my call or within my control. Because of the suppliers and clients I spend most of my time with, the professionals end up being a nessasary evil in the industry that I simply endure while learning, growing, and making my own way in the travel industry.

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Do You ZamZuu?

A settlement that was suppose to set the record straight concerning YTB, it’s model, and it’s business practices is still somewhat of a circus out on the internet by a few clowns who think they’ve got this company pegged. Now that we have the settlement out in the open, and the public has access to the legal documents that were filed, I’m beginning to wonder how someone can in good conscious keep pitching the lies and myths about what YTB is or isn’t.

The twisting and spinning started at the very top with Attorney General’s press release that critics want to pitch as the be-all-end-all concerning the settlement, while most in YTB want to bring up the actual court documents that were filed as the final say in the matter. When the settlement was final I wrote that I was “taken aback” by the press release when I read a copy and paste of the Attorney General’s interpretation on one of the blogs. It wasn’t until I dug a little deeper and found the filing from the Attorney Generals web site that I found the actual court papers. Only then did I realized how the press release and the court documents didn’t match up. (And I’m stating that as politely as I possibly can.)

Even with the court documents, there are those that need to hammer away at their square peg to make it fit this round hole. I’m not sure at this point if some of the critics are just playing dumb or if they have no clue what’s about to transpire on Monday when YTB 2.0 is launched. I’ll help clue them in on Monday when all the income disclosure statements are made public and the terminology between Associate and Rep is made clear. What they think is going to handcuff the top recruiters in the company from earning what they want is shown to be yet another myth. I’m willing to bet there will be some outbursts about loopholes and how we should be drug into court for having a better understanding of the new rules than they do.

Oh…it’s going to be fun to watch! ;-P

In the meantime, since we all get a reprieve from “recruiting” this weekend due to the maintenance going on with our marketing sites, I wanted to share these gems with you. We found them on Yahoo Finance and I thought it would be a good read for helping separate fact from fiction. (There’s been a lot of that going on lately.) I thought it might come in handy for those times that someone finds the Attorney Generals press release and takes what is written as fact. Remember, you also have the court filing too, but this was actually well written and helps clarify what the new income disclosure statements have to say before they are released to the public on Monday.

Setting the Record Straight – Part 1 25-May-09 08:46 pm   

In his opening statement and throughout his press release, Attorney General Brown continued to make disparaging and misleading comments (sixteen to be exact) about YTB and its operations – this in spite of the fact that his the CA AG agreed to and signed the Stipulation and Final Judgment which reads, “Nothing in this Stipulation or the Judgment shall be construed in this or in any other proceeding as an admission by any of the parties of any fact, conclusion of law, issue of law, or violation of law, nor shall compliance with the Judgment constitute or be construed as an admission by any of the parties of any fact, conclusion of law, issue of law, or violation of law.” View Court document: http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1737_ytbstipulatedjudgment.pdf

Let us not forget the fact that the State alleged certain wrong-doings and the Defendant denied any wrong doing in this filing, and after a series of meetings wherein all parties gained a better understanding of the facts, concessions were made on both sides, and the parties agreed to a settlement. If YTB were in fact guilty of operating a gigantic pyramid scheme, there would not have been a settlement.
Allow me to set the record straight on a few other points made in the CA AG press release

Setting the Record Straight – Part 2 25-May-09 08:49 pm

CA AG: “Until now, the only way that consumers could demonstrate the website is if they had already purchased one for $449.95. The stipulated judgment requires YTB to establish a free demonstration website that must be used when recruiting others.”

CA AG: “By contrast, recruiting others to purchase websites, and having those purchasers recruit others to purchase websites (and so on), was much more profitable. Members earned money based on how many websites they sold, as well as how many websites those they recruited sold. These multi-level sales, combined with the required purchase of the $449.95 website, formed the foundation of YTB’s pyramid scheme. “

FACT: Reps (those who sell travel websites) are NOT required to purchase the $449.95 website, and they are NOT charged a fee to become a Rep. Reps have access to existing websites, although many do want their own website for the same reasons as those who are purchasing a website to run a travel business.

FACT: YTB had 209,595 Reps at year end in 2008, and it had 89,826 travel site owners (TSOs), which means that 120,000 Reps did not purchase a website. Furthermore, not all of the TSOs are Reps, so the number of Reps who did not purchase a website is actually greater than 120,000.

Setting the Record Straight – Part 3 26-May-09 03:55 pm

CA AG: “YTB falsely promised customers they could get rich quick by selling travel online,” Brown said.

FACT: YTB makes it very clear at its meetings that this is not a “get-rich-quick” opportunity; it involves a lot of hard work. Anyone who has ever attended a convention or Red Carpet Day event knows this for a fact, because this is covered in detail at meetings, which are on video and verifiable. Disclosure statements are also posted at meetings.

CA AG: “In 2007, the annual median income for those selling travel was $39.00, less than one month’s cost to operate the website. The majority of consumers who purchased YTB websites made no money through the sale of travel, and many lost money through continued website operations.”

FACT: In 2008, the annual income of Referring Travel Agents (RTAs) who attended First Class Training was as follows: Low $7.92; Average $490.32; and High $26,966.10. The Annual Income of Affiliates (website owners who had not taken First Class Training) was as follows: Low $0.00, Average $143.37; High $25,368.62. In 2008, 43,670 (49%) of all website owners made no income, thereby reducing the average annual income to $111.26 (median income $49).

FACT: Travel Site Owners (TSOs) are free to cancel their websites at any time. There is no long-term commitment, and they can cancel at any time by notifying their bank or simply calling YTB customer service.

Setting the Record Straight – Part 4 26-May-09 03:56 pm

CA AG: “Until now, YTB has made wildly misleading claims about how much people can earn from selling travel. This included videos of YTB agents driving luxury cars and holding up $10,000 checks, and making misleading statements about millions of dollars earned in commissions.”

FACT: Reps do make high commissions by selling travel websites, and many of them do drive luxury cars, many earn $10,000 bonus checks, and many do live lifestyles that some people envy. This happens to be ONE of the business opportunities that exists at YTB; and if someone has the type of personality and ambition to build an organization of Reps to sell travel websites, then their income potential is only limited by the amount of time and effort they put into it.

FACT: People join YTB to sell travel, sell travel websites, or both. If someone wants to become a Referring Travel Agent (now called a Travel Site Owner) and build a travel business, they pay a $495 one-time fee and $49.95 per month for their travel website. The success of their travel business is based entirely on their efforts, and YTB provides them with an outstanding travel site with travel portals, search engines, exclusive YTB travel deals, and great training. Whether one signs up to sell travel or travel websites, YTB rewards Reps and TSOs with bonuses based on their levels of achievement. Remember that YTB sold $425 million in travel in 2008.

FACT: YTB has spent millions of dollars on the development of its sophisticated travel website and its business model, and they are continually making improvements to it. They provide training and benefits for those who want to sell travel and to those who want to sell travel websites. It’s unfortunate that the CA AG wants to penalize an individual for pursuing both opportunities.

Setting the Record Straight – Part 5 27-May-09 03:59 pm

CA AG: “Most YTB travel sellers make no money, and in fact rack up high costs.”

FACT: Those who are truly serious about building a travel business and put forth the time and effort can be successful. As stated previously, of the RTAs who took the time to complete and pass the First Class Training in 2008, the average annual income was $490.39, with the low being $7.52, and the high being $26,966.10. Some will see the TSO opportunity as a way to supplement their household income. Not everyone needs a five- or six-figure income, although with hard work, group bookings, and enough people booking through one’s site, it is possible.

FACT: A one-time fee of $495 is hardly unreasonable for a business start up, and the monthly cost of $49.95 for an online, professional travel website with all of the features mentioned above is extremely reasonable. I would hardly call that “racking up high costs,” as the CA AG has stated. Remember that YTB sold $425 million in travel in 2008.

FACT: A lot of people want the travel website so that they can book their own travel and refer family and friends to their site. They can plan family cruises or trips to places all around the world, and YTB offers a number of exclusive travel packages to places like China and the Holy Land. Additionally, YTB has partnered with a number of nationally-recognized companies to benefit YTB online store owners. To be more specific, following are just some of the benefits that are available exclusively to TSOs: Limited Medical Benefits that offer affordable coverage with no underwriting or pre-existing conditions; a discount program saving up to 60% on entertainment, theater, or online shopping; discounts on tax preparation, cellular service, office supplies, computers, and shipping; and, of course, an online shopping mall, where TSOs can earn cash back on virtually all their purchases at over 600 stores (Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Target, etc.), and they will earn a commission on purchases made by customers they have referrred, plus those who were referred by their customers and so on. One could own a travel site, pay $49.95 a month and never sell a penny’s worth of travel and still enjoy benefits that offset the monthly cost of the site.

Some people purchase a travel site with good intentions, but they never take the time or get serious about building a business. They love having the site, however, because it’s convenient to book their own travel, the site is easy to use, and it’s fun and exciting. It gives them an identity and something to share with others. And, let’s not forget about the other benefits listed in the previous paragraph. Since when is it a crime to buy a business, pay a monthly fee for a website and not generate any significant income? But let us not forget that YTB sold $425 million in travel in 2008.

The important point to remember is that no one is forced to stay with the program. A TSO/RTA has the ability to cancel his/her website at anytime by notifying his/her bank or simply calling YTB Customer Service.

Setting the Record Straight – Part 6 27-May-09 06:10 pm

CA AG: “Prohibiting YTB from – Stating or implying that their travel rates are comparable with those of travel booking sites such as Expedia or Orbitz.” And, per the Judgment itself: “Defendants shall not state or imply that rates or costs available through Defendants are the same as, or comparable to, other major travel booking websites, such as Expedia or Orbitz, unless Defendants also state in a clear, conspicuous manner, that rates differ and that the Defendants’ travel rates are not necessarily the same or cheaper than other travel websites.”

FACT: YTB doesn’t proclaim their prices to be better than Expedia or Orbitz; in fact, at meetings, they say YTB’s prices are comparable. The fact of the matter is that YTB’s booking portal leads the shopper to many of the same vendors used by Orbitz, Travelocity, etc; and in most cases the prices are the same. They certainly ARE “comparable.”

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Sigh…here we go again. I’m guessing at this point that we’re just going to keep pushing this notion about YTB being some sort of “pyramid scheme” going until a court, or other legal authority rules in favor of it. I think most are just happy saying it enough times to themselves thinking that if they do, it will actually come true. (There’s no place like home….there’s no place like home….there’s no place…..)

Once again, we have someone (who happens to be the State of Illinois) who thinks that in order for anyone to have a chance to recruit others into the YTB opportunity, business, what ever you choose to call it, you need to pay to play. I contend, just like I have all along, that nobody pays a single red cent for the “opportunity to recruit others”. Instead they pay for a booking engine, a product, to sell travel, services, and goods. What they do with that product and how much money they make using that product depends on how serious they are about marketing with it.

Some could contest that Jerry Brown has stated that he has put an end to to the elaborate scheme based on his press release last Thursday. However, for as many times as I’ve read the actual settlement, the word “pyramid” was only mentioned once, we denied it, and it was never challenged or brought up again by the State.

Instead, the settlement outlines what we’ve been doing all along; that nobody is required nor does anyone pay to become a Rep, Independent Marketing Representative, or what is now stated in the settlement as a “Website Seller”. You are also free to become a Website Seller without becoming a Website Owner or a Website Owner without becoming a Website Seller.

Contrary to what some of the papers and media have been reporting, YTB is still doing business in California. In fact, Scott and Lauri Tomer we there for two meetings this past weekend. Why Scott would visit so soon after YTB ended, or from being banned I couldn’t tell you.

Maybe ego’s need to be stroked and the media is just looking for a juicy headline…hummmmmmm.

I’ve never seen a week when more Google Alerts and Trade Publications mention YTB more than it did last week. Not even at Convention last year when the carefully crafted suit was filed in hopes that is would make everyone scurry home instead of enjoying what we came to see. (One heck of a show and some good fellowship with like minded friends.) I even went back to check my e-mail on the Google alerts and it wasn’t even half as many as last weeks all time high. Reading the headlines and a couple of the stories associated with them, I just have to shake my head and wonder what this fascination is with our company.

Bottom line, I have to believe that it’s “fear” based on pure ignorance. (False Evidence Appearing Real) Ignorance by the way does not mean that you’re stupid by the way, it simply means that you don’t know what you need to in order to make a sound choice or decision. I have to also say this is my “belief” because I certainly don’t, nor would I ever want to “think” like some of these poeple think. It’s just not a makeup that suits me (or anyone) favorably. Most of the focus is based in that green stuff we call money. They say that money is number one cause for divorce, and for good reason. Most poeple don’t know what to do or how to feel about money. It’s an item that has far to many limiting beliefs attached to it.

When it comes to YTB and money, you certainly don’t have to pick sides of who you’re pulling for or you’re hating here. You can, and most do, pick both.

On the one side, they hate the greedy rich people who conned everyone out of their money and are now living the high life in big mansions, driving exotic cars and flaunting it in front of everyone. Then there’s the other side, the “victims”, the people who got their pockets picked that these crusaders are trying to protect and keep safe.

This protecting that they do, reminds me of a story about a man many, many years ago who decided it might be best to actually teach people to fish, rather than give them a fish so they can eat for one day. But that might have to wait for another time and another post. (Although teaching is what I’ve been doing with this blog for many, many years for those who want to listen.)

So here we are, right back where we started again. California behind us, and able to continue doing business with some better clarification on what makes them “feel better” about who we are and what we do. Now it’s time to find out, and we do have a much better idea of what Illinois concerns are, to help them with their issues surrounding who our company is and what our company actually does.

By the way, and I’ll leave you with this before I head up to Wood River this morning for Red Carpet.

While it was mentioned back in August that Illinois was co-operating with California during it’s investigation of YTB, did you know that Illiniois didn’t bother to contact YTB once during the entire 9 month process? Heck we didn’t even know what was filed in the suit until Friday when we they fixed thier fax and sent it to us. (Apparently they only had one in the office that was broken.)

We did get in touch with them on Friday, and we’ll have our first sit down with them shortly concerning what they believe. I know…it might have helped during the California proceedings…but that’s not how this whole thing is designed to work here. The plan is to keep the words “pyramid” and “deceptive” in the public eye long enough that it bleeds the company dry via legal costs and loss of recruiting numbers to put us out of business.

Or at least that’s the hope. ;-P

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Memories of the 2004 Presidential Election have come rushing back to me in recent days. If you remember, part of the debate that was going on back then was the Democratic Candidate John Kerry was often accused of flip-flopping. Depending on who he wanted to please, what type of pressure was mounting concerning a variety of subjects, the Senator would often say what ever he felt was appropriate at that time to score points to win the election.

What he found however, was Republican’s have a memory like an elephant, (pun intended) and opposing positions he had previously stated weeks, months, or even years before often came back to bite him.

I’ve been enjoying some of flip-flopping going on with those obsessed with criticizing YTB. Word came late last week in a stockholder proxy concerning a few of our exiting Board Members. If you’re asking why someone who never has, and most likely never will hold a single share of YTB stock is reading a proxy for the Annual Shareholders meeting coming up in June, just chalk it up to having nothing better to do. (Or you could use it as further evidence of actions speaking much louder than words that they are in fact obsessed with all things YTB.)

Back in October of last year, a bank owned by two YTB Board of Directors, and who offered financing for YTB’s new 120,000 square foot home office renovation in 2006 was one of many banks taken over by the FDIC. The problem for critics of course was the loan was an “inside deal” and both Winfield and Kaisar (the Board Members who owned the bank), took much of the blame for the mismanagement.

In 2006, Meridian Bank lent YTB $2.5 million for its new headquarters building renovation in Wood River. According the the SEC filings found, the loan called for YTB to pay a rate less 0.50% floating daily from Meridian Bank. Interest only was payable monthly for the first two years of the note. YTB did pay $500,00 in January, 2008 and started making regular payments as noted in the agreement. However, because it was coincided with a report with state regulators three weeks before they finished a report on Meridian, the spin was that it was simply done to save face, not because it was agreed upon two years prior.

Of course, nobody was really looking at YTB back in January of 2006, and very few people know how to properly research to find the truth like we do here. It all made a very convenient ploy for insider deals and how underhanded we MLM people are. You know what THEY say, “From Yale to Jail”.

I truly wish the reference to the pieces in the St. Louis Dispatch were still available concerning this banking ordeal back in September. Unfortunately it was pulled and I can’t quote directly what it said. But I do remember, just like the all the other Anti-MLM Zealots who play upon all the stereotypes of Network Marketing lore, how both Kaiser and Winfield made perfect bedfellows for the likes of our executive team.

It’s probably just as well that none of the previous articles can be found, because now it makes a perfect out to make a complete about face now that both Winfield and Kaisar are leaving YTB’s Board of Directors as what do they know that we don’t. The point is to stir up the dirt to cause a dust bowl to distract everyone from what’s going on with the banking industry, the housing industry, the economy, and solid changes YTB is making not only to survive, but thrive.

If you are to understand the thought process here, Clay Winfield and Tim Kaiser were dirt because they made sweetheart deals to YTB while they were on the Board of Directors. Now that they’re leaving the Board, it’s given a negative spin because they know something we don’t, not because YTB wants to distance itself.

You just can’t win with these critics. They will play any angle necessary to cast doubt and fear to perpetuate their own illusions about how slimy they think Network Marketers are.

Another interesting find in the St. Louis Dispatch was how the Founders of YTB took a pay cut in 2008. While I’m not going to spend the time to document the social concerns, I do think it’s safe to say that there’s a real anger towards those with wealth envy that top executives are paid millions of dollars regardless of how the company is doing. (Take a look at the auto industry for the most recent qualms about this phobia.)

What we have here is a perfect opportunity to document that this myth of Coach making most of the money is just that; a myth. You can take your pick between the St. Louis Dispatch article or the actual proxy statement filed with the SEC to find that Coach made $3.3 million in 2007, while a few Reps who are apparently below him made $1 million more in earning for the same year. But because this documentation destroys the illusions critics have, mums the word on this.

Another interesting find a few weeks ago were a number of Form 4’s filed by Coach, Scott, and Kim which was spun as a “sale”. What overzealous critics forgot to do was actually read the forms to find that these were not yet vested stock options that were involuntary forfeited because certain performance goals were not attained. All resulting in an astounding profit for all three of $0.00. Kind of hard to sell something you don’t actually own, but we soon found out that “D” on form 4’s means “sale”, not “dispose”.

I suppose it would have been better for Coach, Scott and Kim to keep their salaries and stock options based on the myths and rumors currently out there. As we’ve learned so many times before, we’re not a company that follows traditional stereotypes. (Thank goodness.)

Another interesting twist after weeks of promotion after our Annual Report was released, we find another flip flop in compensation. It was spun that part of the compensation to our Executives were from travel overrides. (As found in the comments section of a post concerning the 10K) After correcting (once again) that the overrides are from IBC’s from YourTravelBiz.com, not TSO’s from YTB Travel Network, we find that the anger hasn’t changed, but the revenue of where it comes from has. (As noted in the comments section of this post.)

You also discuss the increase in travel commissions. It is a bit of a cloudy figure (no surprise there) because this year (unlike years past) the travel overrides paid to YTB (and are directed 100% to Coach) are included in the travel commissions. I suspect the Carnival override alone is in the 7 figures.

We won’t get into how he then thought the Travel Overrides WERE documented in years past, I’m just happy he’s FINALLY gotten the story straight as found in the comments section of this post.

Look at the compensation of the Board, and Executives–none of it is tied to the sale of travel.

I can’t get too upset over this Zealot not acknowledging the correction here on this blog. I just find it comical how the shoe is now on the other foot with much the same anger and resentment simply to keep the story line going.

And lastly, speaking of story lines, we have yet another character who needs to point out what a bad boy I am for getting Pleasant Holidays on the YTB bandwagon.

And, then there is Doug. Blasting PH for not giving YTB marketing dollars. They host what a sale and a drop in the bucket bookings compared to all the people they have running around.

Doug himself is a very confused individual–hates travel agents yet he is writing for an online site and passing himself off as a travel agent. Wants marketing dollars and all the perks but hates us and makes no bones about it. You can’t have it both ways.

This poor soul obviously hasn’t grasped that Pleasant Holidays doesn’t pay YTB one red cent until a sale has been produced and then consumed. There is no co-op money, no advertising money, no increase in staff to man phones, and Pleasant Holidays can reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers in one night to generate revenue for a their bottom line. A clear advantage for any supplier who works with YTB. Any marketing dollars needed for promotion is fronted by YTB not the supplier, which again goes against the traditional model.

Sorry Margie, but the confusion and illusions you have are truly your own. If you want to be hated as a victum here, that’s your right. But please don’t think that I hate. I just want to uncover the truth here, not flip flop around with what sounds good.

But thanks for sharing….

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