To those that are headed to the Convention later this week and are seriously interested in selling travel, I offer these 14 questions for Coach.
- Are there any plans to have the Certified Referring Travel Agent Training (CRTA) classes taught by anyone with some certifiable travel experience?
- What is happening to my clients who are traveling August 6-10 since YTB has shut down the home office to allow all employees to come to St. Louis?
- Do you feel that $8 million was really necessary for a 3 day centerpiece?
- Why is the donation of Lady Liberty now in the hands of Beryl-Martin? I thought this was great publicity for YTB.
- How many RTA websites are there right now in YTB? Kim was unable to figure it out with Nadine Godwin, I figured you might know.
- Will Dr. Bob Seligman be addressing the convention?
- Is it true that you, Kim, and Scott are the owners of Beryl-Martin Printing?
- Of the reported 22,000 in attendance, how many Reps and RTAs (not spouses, guests, families and friends) are there?
- When will we be able to concentrate on selling travel and being recognized as a legitimate company? It is tiring having to defend YTB all the time and Kim said he was working on "legitimizing" YTB last year. How is that coming along?
- What are your plans for credentials now that IATAN has refused to grant us accreditation and it seems like CLIA is upping the requirments significantly?
- Are there any plans to offer a more competitive commission split to be comparable to the majority of the host travel agencies in operation?
- When will our finances be up to snuff to be admitted to one of the Big Board exchanges?
- What really happened with Bob Dickinson?
- What really happened with Ted Lindauer?
While these are somewhat tongue in cheek, each question does indeed pose a legitimate concern--or at least ought to pose a legitimate concern for anyone who is serious about doing business with YTB.
Love the picture!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the rest of the questions, but we do know that they do own Beryl Martin. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the giant hunk of foam.
Apparently, the Statue is going to be put in the middle of a Lake in some back water town in Hammond, Indiana. The Mayor is going to spend an additional $1-2 million dollars to shore the thing up. Ironically, they spent a fortune cleaning up the Lake where it is going to be put.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/1102825,lcliberty.article
Great, clean up the waste that was at the lake to add an even bigger chunk of waste on land overlooking the lake. Yeah, that makes alot of sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat happen to the Airplane from last year...was it recycled into the green lady...if so why was 6M spent?
ReplyDeleteAnother question that needs to be ask is what was the total cost for the "All about ME party". If the cost was only $100 per person and towards the end in order to make it look good bring anyone you want party....Well $6M for the cetner piece, what was the cost for the DOME, etc....Hmmm makes you wonder why did they just make a new DVD and sell it to all of us at $35 bucks a wack....
LOL. Darn that YTB!!!! John guessed they would lose $6 million this quarter and they lost less than 1/30th that amount. Darn that YTB!!! The convention was a big success too despite the CA AG's attempt to cast a dark shadow!! Darn that YTB!!! The protesters didn't show up either. Where were they? Darn!!! Oh, and their travel sales are up from this time last year with fewer RTA's!!! Drads!!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't brag about your travel sales being up. They weren't up that much at all. Its pitiful the sales you have for travel with the amount of RTA's working. You should've been well into the billions by now with that many "supposed" agents working.
ReplyDeletefiremedic honey I wouldn't be so smug if I were you. Now, that everything has hit the fan it will be real interesting to see your next qtr. figures. And, you are still losing.
ReplyDeleteYTB also has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB. Guess that doesn't mean anything either. All a big misunderstanding like IATAN, RCCL, and the CA AG.
I believe I asked these questions last week, and did not get a reply from any of you who seem to know so much about the glorious YTB. Let's try again...
ReplyDelete1. Why are there no car sales or flower sales listed on the earnings statement?
2. Where are all the sales for Bermuda?
3. Where are all the sales for the Bahamas?
4. Where are all the sales for Canada?
I'm betting that car/flowers/tickets etc etc are all lumped in with travel sales. Which means they are the wrong numbers.."shocker". As for Bermuda, Canada, Bahama's, the only thing I saw was the piddly numbers the agency in Canada did.
ReplyDeleteBut, thats IMO, I doubt you'll get an answer from anyone on those questions, or even the questions above. Instead you'll get misdirection and fluff gloating (which really nothing to gloat about) like above.
As if the TTA crowd deserves to know the answer to any "smug" question they ask. For some narcasistic reason you all think the travel world revolves around you and your definition of how it should be done. You are owed nothing. No matter what you are given you will spin it negative so.... Hey wait, you already have it figured out so why do you even ask?
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone stated they "deserved" anything. They were questions posted to those of you so in love with YTB and simply know everything about your company. Do you not know the answers?. A simple no would suffice.
ReplyDeleteFunny...I don't think any of us coined the name or definition of travel agent. However, I am one, I've worked for it, earned the title. I will not have some joe blow from trailor park down the way putting their name with that same title when he/she cannot even point Canada out on a map. You all want to be in the travel industry with your cookie cutter sites, be my guest, you are a website and nothing more. If you want to be a travel agent, GO FOR REAL TRAVEL TRAINING, take a geography course, and seek out a real host. But you won't..why..because you WANT the recruiting money too.
firemedic227 said...
ReplyDeleteAs if the TTA crowd deserves to know the answer to any "smug" question they ask. For some narcasistic reason you all think the travel world revolves around you and your definition of how it should be done. You are owed nothing. No matter what you are given you will spin it negative so.... Hey wait, you already have it figured out so why do you even ask?
Hey, I offered to meet with any ytb agent that is going to be in MCO at the ASTA Tradeshow, and let them show me that they are making a livable wage from the sale of TRAVEL. If any ytb agent can prove that a livable "wage" can be made from nothing but the SALE OF TRAVEL, I'll even come here and announce it, and will sign up with ytb. Not one of you has taken me up on the offer.
IMHO states that she makes a 6 figure income with ytb. Is that from the SALE OF TRAVEL? If so, prove it to me, and I'll sign up, right there on the spot.
But remember, it has to be nothing but the SALE OF TRAVEL. No residuals or anything from the marketing side. I would venture to speculate that the reason no one has taken me up on my offer is because none of you are making a LIVABLE income from nothing but the SALE OF TRAVEL, and that the vast majority of all of these "huge" checks is from the marketing side.
Ainsworth..I put that challenge out in July 2007 with a column on MSNBC. Here we are a year and a month later and no one has ever stepped to the plate.
ReplyDeleteThe answer as to why is simple...they are NOT making any money selling travel.
You know what I get sick of hearing. I get sick of hearing how pretty much everyone in YTB is making a great living or six figure incomes. That is what got YTB into the mess they are in now. If everyone made six figure incomes the SEC filings would be showing that. That is completely the reverse of what the papers say. Which leaves you with a bunch of lying people in YTB. And not one has stepped forward to produce evidence of this. And touting those earnings and lying to everyone will just get YTB into more trouble.
ReplyDeleteI will repeat . . .
ReplyDeleteThe smug, egotistic WTAs (whining travel agents) will be crying the blues once again.
I am looking SO forward to it.
YTB will be cleared of the ridiculous Pyramid Scam claims of the CA AG.
Travel sales are up.
And they will continue to go up.
And RTA signups are strong.
We are now motivated to shove it down the WTAs collective throats.
More RTAs, more TRAVEL.
More whining from the TTA crowd.
I now have a question (since questions seem to be the topic of the day). . .
What happened to the $6 million 2nd quarter loss that was predicted by the WTAs favorite blogger?
If you look where it was posted you will see I said I was way off.
ReplyDeleteBut what about Coach who saw the numbers and and said the numbers were "terrific"?
Mix,
ReplyDeleteHow are your numbers going to increase as your people decrease. It's not as if the average went shooting out of the roof. Q3 is going to be a laugh. I predict you lose around 20k of your zombies. It's a prediction....could be right and could be wrong.