Your Message of the Month!

Is there anything that does not need to be purchased with YTB? Most hosts will include something for the monthly fee. Not YTB it seems. At the Funshine, they were selling brochures from the suppliers. Tickets to the New York Times Travel Show were available to be purchased in the Back Office. Training is pay as you go. And now this:

Introducing the YTB Message of the Month* with SUCCESS program! When you sign up for YTB's special 12-issue subscription to SUCCESS magazine, you will receive an incredible audio message from YTB. The first message features the Founders of YTB sharing with you the exciting highlights of 2007, how they have laid the foundation for the future growth of YTB and much more! Don't miss a single message! You can only receive the audio CD by signing up through this special package offered by YTB and SUCCESS magazine. For only $29.95, you could be well on your way to succeeding in life and YTB! Go to http://www.SUCCESS.com/YTB or call 800.570.6414 and ask for the YTB special offer. In addition to this amazing offer, YTB has purchased a limited edition of SUCCESS magazine, which includes an 8-page spread on YTB plus the YTB Message of the Month. This limited edition cannot be found on newsstands and is only offered in your Back Office. You can purchase 25 magazines for $50.00 + S/H or 100 magazines for $150.00 + S/H. Once this magazine is sold out, there won't be any more printed. Order yours today!

OK, so you can get a CD of the founder's talking about the program for a $29.95 subscription. Then you can buy the SUCCESS infomercial magazine for $50 or $150? And what's the deal about "purchasing a limited edition"? Last time I looked at the magazine, there was VERY little about travel in there.

So really, what is the bottom line when it comes to expenses for a year of being an RTA? Initial fee, monthly fee, training fees, CRTA fee, CLIA fee, magazine fee, CD fee, attendance at the Funshines, attendance at the National Meeting, paying to attend local recruiting meetings, general overhead expenses, travel......my guess is that this is not such an affordable proposition when you figure the earning are laughable for most. The management and the top of the pyramid are doing fine. To the RTAs that are not, do you at least get a Christmas card and a thank-you note?

Here's MY Message of the Month: Brochures are free from suppliers and they pay shipping, admission to the NYT Travel Show is free for professional agents, SUCCESS magazine and SUCCESS FROM HOME magazines are advertisements (not legitimate magazines) and any editorial you might read is purchased--most people realize this.