I follow some of the MLM blogs and one of my points over the past year has been that they will say anything and do anything to get the recruit. Truth be damned. Now granted, a lot of times, the person may be simply repeating a lie told by someone else. How many times have we heard that YTB has "already sold" a billion/half billion dollars this year? How many times have we been told that the Reps are making 5 figure salaries per month?
A while back, a Rep/RTA had perpetuated a mistruth regarding an acquisition of a company. After the storm blew over (no one seemed to like my choice of words) it became clear that she did not create the mistruth, but rather just perpetuated it. That is probably a good defense that woudl hold up.
But now, the same Rep/RTA is making some more claims that are, how do I say this delicately, inconsistent with fact.
It appears that tis Rep/RTA joined YTB in October 2007. Judging from her ID Number (86,869) and comnparing it to Doug Baughknight's (24,635), this makes sense.
From the blog:
Our greatest successes in YTB came initially from our warm market, but by our fifth month in the business, we had begun marketing heavily using fliers and postcards and had started a small amount if marketing online... all that resulted in our earning our very first $1,000 bonus! Since then we've had lots of other people join our business from all around the USA, have earned additional bonuses and have had opportunities to take advantage of some of the great travel perks.Oh my. Now it seems that the first $1000 bonus was received 5 months into the program. And the YTB reports support that she earned a $1000 bonus the week of March 28, 2008. But here is where it get's a little gray. She says that this was her very first bonus. She neglects to say that it was her ONLY bonus. As a matter of fact, she goes on to say that she has earned "additional bonuses". But that is not really supported by the YTB Biz Report.
Earning one bonus indicates that there are between 6 and 11 people in the downline. And because there have been no firther bonuses since March 2008 (4 months) it seems like the downline is not too effective--otherwise there would have been more bonuses.
What is amusing is the comment that when she was initially recruited into YTB her reaction was that she was " unwilling to invest $500 in another business opportunity". Seems like "business opportunities" may be a way of life for this Rep/RTA. Well, maybe failed business opportunities.
There are some other inconsistencies as well--a summer 2007 FAM at Sandals for $99. While the merits of disclosing that information on a public blog deserves an entirely different entry; I don't believe she was even in YTB last summer. And if she was, it makes her "earnings" all that much less impressive. Was she at Sandals? Who knows. Did she pay $99 for it? Who knows. Is this just more marketing fluff to entice people to part with $500 to join YTB? Who knows!
So, here we are almost a year into her career with YTB and undoubtedly, she has earned some money. $1000 in bonuses and perhaps a small pittance in travel commissions. The outlay was at least $500 and a few months at $50.
Doesn't seem to be much of an "opportunity to me". But I do wonder about these "inconsistencies" in the story. It is a funny thing about
NOTE: Apparently Regina has earned two bonuses, the one mentioned above and one more prior to that in late January 2007. Therefore she has between 12 and and 18 on her team.
“Earning one bonus indicates that there are between 6 and 11 people in the downline.”
ReplyDeletePlease re-read and understand our Comp Plan. Minimum number for your first $1000 bonus would start at 12. (6 in your First Team, and 6 in you Power Team)
“She says that this was her very first bonus. She neglects to say that it was her ONLY bonus.”
First means ONE. Does she really have to spell it out for you? Geez!
Why don’t you ask her about the little old lady that Sponsored Larease Rivers?
Ms. Rivers Sponsor has only sponsored 3 people into YTB, on of them being Larease who is now a Level 2 Director.
http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_04-27-07.htm
Larease’s sponsor “recruited” just 3 people and makes no less than $1000 a month just for 50% matching Larease’s residual income. Yet has never made a $1000 bonus since she enrolled in the YTB back in 2004. Heck, her Sponsor isn’t even a Power Team Leader!
I understand the definition of "only"/ My issue is that she later claims to have earned "additional" bonuses which apparently is an exaggeration.
ReplyDeleteI have never said that no one makes any money in YTB. There are hundreds that do and that is great. And if you are singling out this person, I imagine that (according to the YTB Rep Earnings Report) she is the active rep that earned close to the MAXIMUM earnings of $19,165. Your claim is that she earns $12,000 from Larease alone. SHe is an anomaly, since the average earning of her peers (active reps that are not PTL, CC, or Directors that earned anything in 2007) was only $90.32.
And it should be noted that this group of earners is by far the largest group of earners (in terms of numbers) with YTB and they only represent 14.7 percent.
The largest constituency in YTB Reps? That would be the folks that earn nothing at 80.9%. And the argument that they did not pay for this position is not a good one. True they did not pay to join, but they most certainly had some significant expenses--business cards, magazines, cds, attendance at the local presentations at $10 each, attendance at recruiting conventions, t-shirts, marketing materials. In 2007 alone, YTB earned $14M on marketing materials purchased. If this is by the reps alone, that is $46 per rep. Certainly not a huge amount, but enough to refute the argument that it does not cost anything to join. And it is a hell of a ROI for YTB since they did not need to pay out anything to the 246,837 reps who earned nothing. That is an $11.3M windfall to YTB
Last year Sandals offered a ONE DAY trip for $99.00. It's not like they were there all week for $99. Of course the poster left that part out. As usual, they'll stretch anything to try to recruit more into the downline.
ReplyDeleteJohn I hope you'll be reporting on the disgusting mlm who took horrible advantage of a mentally challenged person in Texas later this week!
I have a file with proof that she is married and received a $1K bonus the week of 1/12/07. I have been keeping records of the weekly bonus lists since 08/25/06.
ReplyDeleteRod--your file is not from YTB and I checked for that period and she is not listed:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_02-09-07.htm
Here it is with her name on it with her husband: http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_01-26-07.htm
ReplyDeleteFrom her blog..it was originally posted.
ReplyDeleteSince then we've had lots of other people join our business from all around the USA, have earned additional bonuses and have had opportunities to take advantage of some of the great travel perks.
So which part is confusing to you?
Rod is now the YTB expert? His spreadsheet of "facts" is mistaken. I have looked at the Biz Reports and her name is on there one time--one time only. Not one additional time and she appears to have not earned any additional "bonuses". Please note the "s" on the end--it signifies the plurality!
You are confusing me.
ReplyDeleteYour topic today says she joined YTB in October 2007. They're on the $1K bonus recipients list for the week beginning 1/12/07, third column over, first name:
http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/bizRep/BizReports/BIZREPORT_01-26-07.htm
I tried to back in the join date based on her post in the blog-with the info I knew. SHe spoke of working till her baby was born and the baby (in the photo) and from when we spoke on the phone seemed to be the infant stage. But i did find another post on her blog from October 2007 saying she had been at it for 18 months. So that puts her at April 2006.
ReplyDeleteBut with Doug joining in early 2006, I find the difference in RTA numbers a bit excessive.
But there are two bonuses. YOu can google them
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=YSo&as_q=osei&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=10&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourtravelbiz.com%2FbizRep%2FBizReports%2F&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images
But then it seems like there is the $500 sign up fee and then 9 months of fees (till they are reimbursed), so that is $950 for that first $1000 bonus. Then another 15 months for the second? And at what cost? He time, expenses, etc
She said, "have earned additional bonuses".
ReplyDeleteShe hasn't earned additional bonuses. They have earned 1 additional bonus.
The truth is she has earned two, one the week of January 12, 2007 and the second in March 2008.
Remember that bonus is in addition to other income earned. And, the amount of time to the second bonus, remember there isn't an additional 450 and she likely was reimbursed every month. So, it seems as though her second bonus along with the comission leading up to it, didn't cost anything to achieve. Also, we don't know from any info how much her power team's power teams were doing. Therefore, her team could have gotten huge with no additioanl 1000 bonuses.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteeven your correction has misinformation in it.
YOu are forgetting her first team (which has at least 6) and if her power team has any additional power team members (her dream team) she could have 5000 people on her team and only have 2 bonuses. (extreme example but possible)
John, once again you are trying to peg me as a liar when all I have done is tell the truth. And the number of people that I have in my team is more than 50. You forget that all the people in our teams are not in our POWER TEAM. I have a FIRST TEAM and DREAM TEAM. You only bonuse on the people in your POWER TEAM. And yes, I did go to Sandals for the 5 -days for $99.
ReplyDeleteYou consistently accuse YTB people of DOING ANYTHING to make a sale, while the truth is that YOU WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET READERS TO YOUR POST. So you print all kinds of deceptive inuendos about honest people in YTB... just for the GOOGLE RANKINGS? Shame on you, John Frenaye!
Katie Holmes,
ReplyDeleteHow sad that you either don't know what Sandals offered last year to travel agents, or you just choose to be another liar on John's blog. They offered several 5-day Sandals Resort trips to about 4 different locations. These were not one-day trips my dear. Perhaps you need to change your sources because they are misleading you. Too bad you weren't able to make the trip. If you had, you would know better.
John is right. I was not listed. You have to check a bit further, John. YTB sometimes leaves names off if the week that the bonus is earned, something happens w/the forme of payment from one of the six who were responsible for earning it. In that case, once the matter is cleared up, the bonus is still received but perhaps the WATCHERS -- people like you who THINK you have the inside track on YTB -- won't know about it! WHY LIE? It makes no sense. Your post is idiotic.
ReplyDelete"How sad that you either don't know what Sandals offered last year to travel agents, or you just choose to be another liar on John's blog. They offered several 5-day Sandals Resort trips to about 4 different locations. These were not one-day trips my dear. Perhaps you need to change your sources because they are misleading you. Too bad you weren't able to make the trip. If you had, you would know better."
ReplyDeleteI am a Sandals Specialist and have been selling Sandals for years. My agency is a preferred with Sandals. Funny, I must have missed the $99 5 day FAMS.
Maxine, perhaps you did. I'll try to find the business cards of the specialists from Sandals WHO WERE THERE and I'll be happy to share their names with you. Then you can check with them for yourself since you and Kate seem to doubt my word, although... I, too, WAS THERE. ROFL!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter how long you were there. If you were there for an hour, it wouldn't change the fact that you are not a travel agent, and had no business being there taking advantage of a travel agent rate. How many rooms have you booked at that Sandals since you were there Regina? How much revenue have you generated for them since your visit. Why don't you post your Sandals sales. THEN maybe we'll be impressed.
ReplyDeleteThe Business & Travel Blog said...
ReplyDelete"John is right. I was not listed. You have to check a bit further, John. YTB sometimes leaves names off if the week that the bonus is earned, something happens w/the forme of payment from one of the six who were responsible for earning it. In that case, once the matter is cleared up, the bonus is still received but perhaps the WATCHERS -- people like you who THINK you have the inside track on YTB -- won't know about it! WHY LIE? It makes no sense."
I'm also a meticulous "watcher". It makes no sense that names are left off. The names posted in the BizReport are last week's $1K bonus recipients. You are saying it takes YTB more than 1 week to clear up a payment issue. That makes no sense.
It makes one wonder what else is is surreptitiously omitted, added, or otherwise brushed under the rug.
ReplyDeleteI still wonder how YTB reports that they are 85% corporate with $414M in sales and only $29M in ARC Sales, but the RTA sales are only $211M. Considering that TW verified and scoured it...it all does not make sense, but then again, it does.
Business must not be so good for John since he has time to do all this "investigating". He obviously failed the Perry Mason school of Private Eye".
ReplyDeleteJohn said...
ReplyDelete"It makes one wonder what else is is surreptitiously omitted, added, or otherwise brushed under the rug.
I still wonder how YTB reports that they are 85% corporate with $414M in sales and only $29M in ARC Sales, but the RTA sales are only $211M. Considering that TW verified and scoured it...it all does not make sense, but then again, it does."
The real point John, is that ONCE AGAIN you have misrepresented me when your little finger should really be pointed back at yourself. You are the one reporting "more lies and inconsistencies". And where did you get that I "joined YTB in October 2007?" Where do you get this stuff from? What do you do... just throw days, dates and numbers in the air and go with whatever you can catch?
You know nothing about my team, how many people I have in my team, where they are in my team, how long they've been there, how much I make from the 50% match, the residual income, the dream team income, how many travel sales I've made, how much I get in powerteam travel sale overrides. How in the world would you have ANY IDEA about how much money I have made? Are you a criminal? Cause if you really know, you must be.
We could write books and fill the universe with what you don't know about me or YTB! At least 99% of your so called "facts" as written in this post are WRONG, INCORRECT AND UNTRUE. You do have my name right. You know little to nothing about me and every other YTB RTA, so why don't you quit while you're ahead. Stick to what you know and leave YTB alone. The more I think about it John, you are really a very pathetic little man with nothing to do with your time... as is the story with your cohorts. I can't see how any of you are selling ANY travel with the time you spend sniffing around on YTB blogs.
Yes we are selling travel, and lots of it!
ReplyDeleteAnd what makes it even better is that the suppliers don't cringe when we call.
No one here cares about your dream team or your downline. What have you done to educate yourself? Have you even taken the TAP test? What are you doing to serve your clients and improve their travel experience?
You sent me an email a couple of weeks ago about the importance of serving others. If all you are doing is sending people to a website, trying to get them to join your downline, and not doing everything possible to ensure that person is going to have a trip of a lifetime, YOU are not in the service of others, and are decieving consumers by pretending to be a travel agent.
If you really cared about this industry and "serving others" as you claim, you would have educated yourself and worked with a real host agency to get into this business. And if you read anything else on the internet at all,you'll discover there are several organizations, such as TNP, STARS, TRIP, ASTA,RCI, and more who feel the same way. Why don't you email ASTA or IATAN and tell THEM how you're serving others and see what they have to say?
When the organizations that represent the travel industry reject you, that should tell you something honey.
Is this the same person?
ReplyDelete"doctoroldz 15-Jan-2008 21:45
This is in reference to post about 'Lily Osei'.
I am now talking to a woman named 'Regina Osei' who i also recently met on a dating website. She also loves me and wants to come to USA to marry me. She als needs money for cell phone to call me, passport,ETC.
All of this in just 48 hours without even meeting her yet. Only a picture & a profile that was not even filled out. Am i stud or what.... :)
I have to admit that i too was almost fooled by this ruse. I was almost sure this was some kind of scam and I am glad i found this page of comments while trying to find info on Ghana and its internet culture. Now i am 100% sure its a scam and its time to have a little fun.
I am going to play with them by saying i've sent the money and have them wait and wait. I will keep doing this as many times as i can. Coming up with a new excuse everytime the money does not reach them. Finally i will send them final e-mails loaded with info on scams from Africa and Accra Ghana in paticular.
Messing with these people is all we can do because it is so hard to catch these criminals who use these internet cafes and such.
Thank you to everyone who has given a heads up about these scams. Even if they did go off-topic which was supposed to be about the beauty and the good of Accra, Ghana.
RM, Omaha,NE "
http://www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow/accra&page=17
Regina-For someone who is an ordained minister and claims to love God and everyone else you sure have a mean, nasty streak.
ReplyDeleteMaxine, I am sure that you are correct. Jesus Christ is the only God-man who is perfect, and I am not HIM. The grace of God is my keeper, and without it, when falsely accused as in this and other blogs posted about me by John Frenaye, I would be even worse.
ReplyDeleteI think the words you used also perfectly describe this blog posting. Is not only mean and nasty, but it is also filled with lies and many scandalous, WRONG accusations. However, when I consider the source... I should rather be thankful.
Kate, you assume, wrongly, that I don't serve my customers. Yes, I have many who I simply direct to my website, but many others who I spend hours on end serving. It has been while serving them that I've realize how much I love that I am a YTB RTA and not a TTA. Yes, helping to give my clients the vacations of their dreams, helping them to plan, etc., I do enjoy, but frankly it is very time consuming and sometimes it is a waste of time... as with anything else, I suppose. I book quite a bit of group travel, and so far... my clients by and large have been pleased... at least most if not all. And, best of all, service in YTB is not limited only to clients. As you know, many of my clients (with the exceptions of those who are taking group tours, cruises and the like) mainly serve themselves on my website, and that works well for me and for them. My RTAs and Reps, on the other hand, especially when they initially join YTB, need lots of assistance and it is my joy to give it to them so they can build their businesses successfully.
Kate, you seem to concern yourself too much about people and things that don't concern you. You're concerned about Sandal's business and whether or not I should have been given the FAM or not. That is Sandal's business, and unless they have you on their payroll specifically to follow-up on their FAM Trip agents, I don't see what business it is of yours. You're concerned about what I write about in my blog, the number of Sandal's vacations that I've sold, the training that I've had, the associations that I belong to... The fact that you don't see anything wrong with this is frightening.
Whatever I've needed to manage my business, even if I don't have it, I know how to find it, so rest assured... I'm OK. If you just continue to stroke yourself about what you do, what you have achieved and where you are going in your life, that should keep you busy for a while.
"I think the words you used also perfectly describe this blog posting. Is not only mean and nasty, but it is also filled with lies and many scandalous, WRONG accusations. However, when I consider the source... I should rather be thankful"
ReplyDeleteWell Regina no one is forcing you to read this blog or even post here. And, you missed my point entirely. Most God fearing people I know are very sweet and would not name call like you do. You are nothing but a hypocrite using God and religion to further your agenda and your recruiting to make money which is the root of all evil don't you know.
God did not bless YTB nor did God single out YTB to be blessed. Bunch of hogwash.
And, taking a Sandals fam on the pretense you want to learn is stealing, cheating and unethical. I have read your comments on your blog from a while ago where you OPENLY brag about using Sandals fam for a vacation and you had no interest in Sandals or learning. Do you want me to post it here? Oh right God probably told you to say that too.
Do you not follow the 10 Commandments? Of course not. You only use religion to further Regina's cause and NOT for the greater good. I am glad you have so much joy in your life. After conning people for your down line I am truly amazed you do and sleep at night.
If you are taking guitar case rack lessons to your iDevice to
ReplyDeletecontinue your guitar case rack lessons.
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