Nailed This One

OK so last Sunday, I had a post that YTB had laid off 25% of its employees on the 22nd.  There were several who doubted my sources.

Well, it seems I nailed it. OK, I said "approximately 40" and the actual number was 49, but I nailed it nonetheless. You can read about it here in The Telegraph--take particular note of the comments and how well loved YTB is by the locals!

And for the people from YTB that read this blog, if you are still going forward with the charade that you are a "travel company", it might be money well spent to hire a spokesperson to speak with reporters with knowledge of the travel industry. While your CEO might seem intelligent to the RTAs, Directors, Zam Zuukeepers, and people not familiar with the travel industry, his comments really show an incredible lack of even basic knowledge.

Hooray For Travel Training

I am glad to see that the YTB First Class Training has worked so well. I am sure that Princess Cruises is also pleased that the YTB travel agents are so knowledgeable.

The text reads:

Kim, Does Princess offer All-Inclusive Cruises? I am not seeing it in my travel portal. Thanks

The Market Reacts To Zam Zuu

Apparently this big news did not have the intended effect.

But then again, the reaction of the market to YTB in general has followed a similar path:

Uh Oh! Things Are Not Looking Too Rosy!

While YTB is busy producing snazzy videos with unsubstantiated claims that 100% of all purchases will be made online in 2020*, a real firm has done some actual studies and it paints a different picture.

According to Forrester Research (not the YTB marketing department), here are the findings:

• Increase in online bookings between now and 2014 will only be 3.5%
• Professionals must focus on how to better please their current customers, as they can no longer count on a steady stream of new online buyers.
• U.S. spending on online leisure travel fell slightly last year and won't exceed 2008 levels until 2011.
• The report echoes a November study from PhoCusWright saying that U.S. bookings by OTAs would likely fall in 2009 for the first time ever.

 Whoops.  Seems YTB missed the mark on this one as well. Maybe they are the exception and the level of online purchasing in YTB actually increased in 2009, but we will need to wait for a bit till they release their 10K to the SEC to determine that.

Meanwhile, YTB continues to produce misleading videos and reduce the price of admission hoping to lure more people into the program.

And in another display of how out of touch they really are, check out the breaking revelation in their video that ":relationships are now assets." Welcome to the world of Business 101. Way to be on top of things.

And speaking of stunning revelations....stay tuned for next week! 

YTB Out Of Money

According to a SEC filing early this morning, YTB appears to be dangerously low on cash to operate and has secured an additional loan from a private party at this morning. The Normandy Corporation is a mortgage broker based in Rochester, NY. According to their website, the specialize in loans "available to Borrowers with excellent to less than perfect credit."

As we have stated before (and YTB has also stated in their quarterly filings) they have no more access to bank capital since the collapse of their sole source of financing--the Meridian bank.

This $650,000 note, is written on a 14.5% interest and is secured by notes payable to YTB along with the mortgage on their real property. The loan is short term and matures in August 2010.  It appears that YTB is placing a wager that the re-branding of YTB into Zam Zuu will be enough to stop the bleeding. This is doubtful as YTB has lost most of their senior recruiters including PJ Jensen, Camaron Corr, Bill Hoffmann, Kent McLaughlin, and more. Wall Street was also unimpressed by the latest smoke and mirrors tactics with their stock trading at all time lows and closing yesterday at less than six cents

Their year end report is due out by March 31, 2010 and according to sources will indicate a further severe decline in the number of RTAs who are paying a monthly fee for their replicated website. YTB's only significant source of income (in excess of 70%) is made from recruiting and they depend on the RTAs to keep paying their monthly fee to keep alive.

Percentages

According to the last SEC filing, YTB had just over 50,000 RTAs enrolled in the program. While many would have you believe that all of these folks are interested in selling travel,. the numbers indicate otherwise. First, if they are interested and active, they are not doing too well since the annual income still hovers around $100.

But if you look at the CLIA registration for YTB (which is a huge cash cow for CLIA--do the math) you will see that just over 1% of the 50,000 have chosen to enroll in the CLIA program which is the gateway to the perks promoted in recruiting meetings.  Even more discouraging is that there are only 11 MCC credentialed agents, 28 ACC credentialed agents, and 515 (if my count was correct) agents currently enrolled and working toward the ACC status.

But what is curiouser and curiouser ( to steal a line from Alice In Wonderland) are the names that are no included on the list. There is not a mention of:

• An award winning travel agent (Candy May)
• A self proclaimed TravelPro and Cruise Expert (Doug Bauknight)
• One of the most influential men in travel (Kim Sorensen)
• YTB's VP of Vendors (Shelly Sorensen-Coppersmith)
• YTB's Travel Training Director (Jeannie Sharpless)

Just another way to look at their seriousness (or lack) about  selling travel!

More Layoffs At YTB

On Friday, approximately 40 full time employees were laid off from YTB's headquarters in Wood River, IL. According to the latest statements, YTB has 200 employees and this would account for approximately 25% of them.

It is unknown in which departments these people were employed.

The Next Big Thing

Do you recall the Circle of Champions videos? Driving the fancy cars. Zooming around on the yachts and speedboats and motorcycles? Well that circle is a lot smaller now--of the original 15, there are two (maybe three) left.

But in case anyone is interested in what some of the former Circle of Champions are up to, here is the latest and greatest by Camaron Corr. Make sure you are on this phone call on Monday night to learn about this great new company that has lured away one of the best recruiters and MLM marketers YTB has ever seen.

The call is Monday night at 9pm EST and the product launches next Friday!  Don't get left behind at the mall while the success stories of YTB just zuum on by you.  If you are not making what you expected with YTB or Zam Zuu, you need to be on this call.

Click image to enlarge!

Were You Zam-zuuzled?

As we have said for a while, there is very little that YTB does that is exclusive or unique. They are very good at leveraging their network to pay for things that are typically free to anyone else. I guess it is a testament to the power of trust that some people will blindly afford to another.

If I were to say that I have an opportunity identical to Zam Zuu--you earn cash back, you can refer friends and get paid when they join and earn commissions on their purchases for life, but I will allow you to market your eBay and Etsy stores to the network--what would that be worth?

How many people here shop? How many people would like an opportunity to never pay retail again AND earn money on the purchases of people you refer? What if I could give you access to 505 stores like Apple, Best Buy, Macy's, Old Navy and more? Would you be interested? What if I said you too could have access to over 6200 member stores as well? Do I have your attention?

Think of how much you spend in a year buying things. Let's say you spend $10,000.  Would you like to save up to 20%? That could be a vacation! Now how much can you earn when your friends spend an equal amount? What if you could earn from 1% to 14% on their purchases?

But wait, that's not all. To help you spread the word, we have built in the tools to share it with your social network on Twitter and Facebook. So when you find a fantastic deal earning you 20% cash back, send it to your network and when they buy, you earn off of their purchases as well.

This program is not available for $500. It is not even available for $249 and monthly payments of $50. This program is available to anyone who is interested with no money down and the  low low monthly price of only $0.00. You read that right--nothing down and nothing per month.

Why would anyone pay big bucks for something that is free? Get all the details here!

A Perfect Example Of Smoke & Mirrors

Yesterday, YTB put up another "YTB Exclusive".

Not a bad deal. Free Turbo Tax Basic when you spend about $80 on HP toner cartridges.  And if you are in need of toner cartridges, go for it; but go for it for the cartridges--not the software.  Why? Well all you need to do is look at the TurboTax website and you will see that the software is indeed free.

So what is the incentive to buy at Aisle 19, ShopYTB, ZamZuu? Well in this case, there is none.

A Zam Good Presentation On Zam Zuu

So again, what has changed since YTB other than the name?

ZamZuu Presentation

View more presentations from ZamZuu.

The Interest Remains

People are still very interested in the saga of MLMs & Travel. The blue line is 2009 and the green one is 2008. You can pretty much see the missteps from the peaks in traffic. The flatline at the end of this year is when the template was switched. I forgot to put in the analytics code.

The Zam Zuu Zoovie

Here it is. The zoovie everyone has been talking about. Can anyone explain what is different than any of the other slick videos produced by YTB over the last few years? To borrow a term of theirs, it looks like it is the same words, with the same music, pimping the same scam.  You decide.



And for entertainment purposes, see if you can find the four mistakes (grammar, spelling, etc) in the production.

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Is Coach Homeless?

It seems that Coach might need some advice from Juliet St. John. We are hearing that he is being tossed out of the River House.

As we have documented before, Coach brokered a deal with former YTB Board Member John Simmons for the River House. Simmons agreed to sell it to Tomer for YTB stock provided that it was trading above $3/share at some point. However, when Simmons discovered that Tomer had violated City Codes, had encumbered the property with additional mortgages, and has a lien filed against it, he began proceedings to reclaim the house.

Well, we hear the River House is now going back to Simmons. Seems that Coach failed to pay taxes, subdivision association dues and other items.  Simmons was set to file another lawsuit alleging "waste" but instead, agreed to return his YTB stock and take the house back. 

Coach is reportedly moving to Naples, FL and buying a house from Clay Winfield - using YTB stock for the purchase.  Winfield resigned from the YTB Board on April 30, 2009 and required a very thorough indemnity agreement.

Winfield is an insider and has been involved in almost every real estate transaction YTB has entered. It is surprising that he would enter into a stock deal for real property knowing what he does and seeing what happened to Simmons. But perhaps he has the ability to attach a lien on the K-Mart and other property to secure his investment.

No matter what, it seems Coach is one smooth talker and somehow finds ways to live in the lap of luxury at others expense. The River house, now this place in Naples, and oh yes, let's not forget about little trick where he got a Church to make major repairs to his house based on using it as a Parish House only to terminate the lease when the repairs were done..

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Attention Rod:

Please read the comment circled and let me know how you translate that into this:

John, In quotes is the proof I gave the Coach's change a 9.5 out of 10:

"Rodney Ward Coach, The Comp Plan change gets a 9.5 out of 10 in the 2010 Olympics of Great Economic Stimulus Plans! Wow! Great improvement!"

Further down in my post, I stated,
"(Remove the requirement for a total of six team sales) to promote to the Power Team and I promise you your score is a New World Olympics Record of Comp Plans and an unbeatable Perfect Ten!"

There's the proof that I said, "IF (Conditional) then I will score you a TEN (10).

How about it Coach?

Seems clear to me, it says COACH SCORES A PERFECT 10 IN 2010!

A Zam Zuukeeper Does some Zpin Control

Apparently Zam Zuu has ruffled some of the feathers within the ranks. After making all sorts of announcements, YTB/Zam Zuu has had to go into zpin control to clarify (change) things around just a bit.  Take this latest message from the ZamZuuPro. (comments in parenthesis and red)

We sent this out last night to our valued subscribers. We have well over 100 new subscribers within the last 24 hours - so - we are sending it out again.

Our desire it to keep you informed.

We can't impress upon you enough how important it is that you READ THE COMPANY PROVIDED DOCUMENTATION (whoops, we must have sent out something that we weren't supposed to. Ignore, go read what the company says)regarding YTB International's ZamZuu launch.

There have been a few minor changes for clarification purposes in the Q&A about ZamZuu and the Enhanced Compensation Package.(and there were a boatload of people pissed off and threatening to leave, so Coach had to make a change to insure the $50 per month checks would still flow) Note for example the added clarification in Question 15 :

    To become a Director, one must have 500 active sites paying $49.95 a month with no more than 1/3 coming from one personally sponsored Rep's organization.

Most would already be aware of the 1/3 balance - but because it was not expressly written - questions were asked - and the proper clarification was made(dammit, we got caught).

The company has been very diligent in making sure we have accurate and proper information.(but only the information they want to give and on a need to know basis...or under threat of subpoena--remember the RCCL, NCL, IATA notices?)

We (see, I have now assumed the role of company spokesperson. I am the Great ZuuMan) have been far too busy (or for that matter even have a desire) to read some of the "rumors" circulating on the internet concerning Friday's launch.(but we do read them daily and often post under pseudonyms--we are so sneaky and the critics really don;t have a clue..because we are Zuu) We would simply advise that you STOP IMMEDIATELY and turn your attention to the company provided documentation to formulate your own opinions and not the opinions of others.(Ignore the man behind the curtain, listen to only what we tell you to listen to. Do not think for yourself. If you want the straight scoop, do not inquire about lawsuits, falling membership and such things, just ask the Coach and he will tell you all you need to know. Jerry Brown, Lisa Madigan, Travel Weekly, Travel AGent, and the rest, they don;t know anything.)

You'll find these documents very straight forward and informative.(yes, just like our last convoluted comp plan, we designed this one as equally confusing in hopes that you will not understand it but feel foolish saying you don't understand it. That way you can listen to the tired yet false story of Juliet St. John being homeless and know that you too will be making millions this year and continue to send in your $50 a month.)

You have a mind of your own - you're also an adult - and we're simply advising that you use your freedom of choice and ability to make up your own mind.(Well, the joke's on you. If yo have been in YTB for any period of time, we have done our best to make sure you are unable to think outside of the box. You must think only in the confines of the little box we draw for you.)

Besides - When was the last time YTB forced you to pay for a new product or upgrade? (We don't force, but we "persuade" you to buy DVDs, magazines, attendance at shows, t-shirts, hats, Hawaiian shirts, the upgraded Rep site, the upgrade to higher commissions, the training, etc.)

Come on?! SERIOUSLY?!

Look, YTB didn't just sneeze here. YTB just announced that we're not only still around, (despite speculation we wouldn't even be around) but we have a new product launch that will generate additional streams of revenue.(I need to pause here and ask how well all those other streams have worked out for the ZamZuuPro? From what I have read, the income streams seem more like a dry creekbed. Additional product lines are good. However, I am not sure of too many "travel" companies who feature man girdles, vitamins, beef jerkey, and coupons to the locla Bob's Big Boy and offer encouragement to give coupons as gifts. And yes, YTB is still around, but there are still many hurdles to clear and it is doubtful if they will. This is a poorly disguised effort to shed the image associated with YTB and a decided move away from the travel business. Coach Scott and Kim all say not, but of course they are going to say that. The travel people are supporting YTB at this point at $50 a month. If this gets off the ground, travel will be a minimal part of the overall focus of YTB.)

Would you expect critics to act any differently than they always have? Of course they're upset - but do you really need to participate?

Again - SERIOUSLY?!(again, please don'tlisten to anyone other than me or Coach. I sit on his lap each week in the Corner and if you start to listen to any other viewpoint, you might affect the cash flow to me and the Coach and that cannot happen under ANY circumstance!  Do not listen to any facts. Any news reports that you might hear in oh maybe two weeks are completely false and made up--USA Today has an agenda against YTB, you will see.)

Lastly, we'd like to congratulate Mary Liu & Jenny Campbell (The Sisters) on receiving the first $5,000 Dream Bonus from YTB Marketing in 2010!

You didn't know anything about a $5000 Dream Bonus??

You would have if you took the time to read the Q&A about ZamZuu and the Enhanced Compensation Package documentation.

Alright, we'll shut up already and let you read. ;-P

PS - If you have team members or know of someone who would like this type of information, please feel free to send them to our subscriber page(full disclosure: all of our newsletters are full of affiliate links and we hope that you are clicking on them and buying what we tell you. Additionally, we appreciate that you have registered your information with us and the database we are amassing is impressive which will be great to either sell to MLM scammers or to use when decide to jump ship--which we can do at any time since we have been in YTB for 6 years and still have not made it out of the Coach's Corner) at www.justpictureitnow.com/newsletter.

It's free and we'll take very good care of them. (We promise!)

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro (ZamZuuPro)
Travel Agents / Network Marketers
YTB Travel Network

The YTB/Zam Zuu Bamboozle

People of YTB, hear the truth! People of YTB, you're being bamboozled! YTB was started and was supposed to be a TRAVEL company! Your TRAVEL Biz! What has happened? Loss of income, loss of members and they brought in Aisle 19. More loss of income, more loss of membership, so it was switched to ShopYTB. More loss of income, more loss of members, loss of directors. Just look how many directors have left in the last 6 months, and the word was not even spread by the people that should have been spreading it, but by those outside of YTB!

This whole Zam Zuu stuff is just to draw your attention away from what is really going on. YTB couldn't make it as a travel company, so they had to do something. Sure, they say that travel will still be a part of the "new" company, but to what extent? Hell, even Doug Bauknight, a member of Coach's Corner and seeming "insider" says that "Travel will be included with the new e-commerce sites - but with limitations. A fixed commissin split of 60% on travel products, no training required (or offered), no ability to book directly or group offerings - and no type of travel industry credentials to speak of. However, the new E-commerce sites will have a stronger emphasis on retail products such as Best Buy, Macy's, Home Depot, and the like to offer consumers cash back on their shopping experience." (http://www.justpictureitnow.com/)

What? A fixed commission split? No training offered? No ability to book directly with the vendors? No ability to offer group bookings? No type of any travel industry credentials, not even CLIA? What kind of TRAVEL company is that? Coach states on his Facebook page "Our Travel Agent Program is still functioning as it has been and will always be a main focus. (Note here that he says it will be "A main focus", not THE main focus.) In fact, we have several people who are always working on new things for travel. There are several things in the works. Also if you notice, there is travel functionality in ZamZuu...What we're doing is expanding our goals to help our people expand their customer base!"

Who are we to believe? Coach and his postings (http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/TravelPortal/Misc/Zamzuu/Q&A_PDF_color.pdf, http://www.yourtravelbiz.com/TravelPortal/Misc/Zamzuu/CompensationPDF_Color.pdf) or a seeming "insider" like Doug? Conflicting information here, folks! Doesn't that cause you concern? If you're any kind of business person, it should!

Ladies and gentlemen of YTB, I submit that you re-examine why you joined YTB, and compare it to this "new" offering. Think about what you're getting for the money you're spending. If your reason for joining was to be a travel agent, just know that there are legitimate travel hosts out there that don't cost you a penny. If your reason for joining was to save money by shopping online, know that there are companies (E-bates for example) that allow you to join without spending a dime, and gives you money back. If you're reason for joining was to be a recruiter, then more power to you. But for those that claim that they don't want to recruit, there are other, and better options!

Donate To Haitian Relief

My business has made a donation to the relief efforts in Haiti. We have decided to support the effort through Doctors Without Borders.

This blog will donate 100% of it's advertising revenue to the organization effective immediately until further notice.

To keep me honest, I will post the ad revenue report as well as a donation receipt showing the amounts. It is an easy and inexpensive way to support our fellow humans.  Thanks for your support!

If you prefer to make an outright donation (instead of a click) you can do so at Doctors Without Borders.

Most Influential

Over the past day or so, there have been many comments about Kim Sorensen and how he was named one of the Most Influential people in travel a few years ago. Some people inquired about his credentials in the industry--what Boards he sat on, what are his qualifications...CTC, ECC, etc.

While YTB has never really disclosed this information, I believe this interaction on Facebook kind of addresses it.

Yes, an "agent" asks for a recommendation for a hotel in Switzerland and one of the most influential people in travel tells her to go to Hotels.com and look.

Zam Zuu Update

YTB had a supposed "copyrighted" compensation plan that could not be altered.

What easier way to get out of that than to shift everyone into Zam Zuu which has no such thing?

Not that it really existed to begin with; this simply takes the heat off the obvious changes that are part of the new compensation plan.

Apples To Apples

Image via Wikipedia

Why shop at YTB when you can get the same deal from your local Staples store AND get $3.60 back in Staples cash?

What is YTB doing? Just looking at the Sunday paper and clipping coupons? Really, and people are paying money for this?

Zam Zuu

Zam Zuu is the new name for YTB. And yes, with Zam Zuu, you are at the right place at the right time with the right company. (Sound familiar?)  Yes folks for $249.99 and $49.99 a month you can capture 100% of all retail with Zam Zuu.

And Zam Zuu says that 100% of all commerce will be done online by (wait for it) 2020.  They cite the bankruptcy of Circuit City as the reason behind it . They claim that teenagers do not shop retail and that all of their purchases are online.

They will continue to sell girdles, hair products, and more.  Zam Zuu is for you!  Check out these documents that the TravelPro has to explain it all.  Zam Zuu Q&A  and the fabulous new Zam Zuu Compensation Plan!

(But seriously, as I figured, this is just a way to ditch the YTB brand which is worthless. Also a precursor to taking it private.)

Another Name Change For YTB?

Image via Wikipedia

Has YTB had enough of the bad press already? Recruiting is way down--to the tune of a net loss of 100 per day. Most people in the travel industry do not take them seriously. Most consumers are very leery of dong business with them. The only ones that seem to really enjoy YTB are the attorneys that are either suing them or defending them.

Well, worry no more. For Coach's birthday this year, we hear he is giving himself a new name. Not sure what the new name is going to be, but rumor has it that the new name will be announced tomorrow.  Look at what a name change did for ValueJet. Now, as YTB embarks on a recruiting binge, they will no longer be saddled with the baggage that comes with being associated with the company that was sued by California, the company that is being sued by Illinois, the company that has the F rating with the BBB, the company that has had many RTAs simply rip off consumers, the company facing a $300 million dollar class action suit.

It is sort of like changing your name to avoid creditors.  I wonder if they will try to get back in the good graces with IATAN.  I wonder what the new name will be. Any suggestions?  Girdles R Us? Your Girdle Business? Potions, Lotions and More, oh my?

Who Am I?

Who am I? What do I do?  See if you can guess who said the following in response tot he question of "What do you do?"

I work from home for the most part. I started in Network Marketing in 2006 and expanded into Internet marketing almost a year ago. I have now added real estate investing because of a seminar I attended with a group of friends.

Still stumped? Here are a few more tidbits that might offer a clue:

Never throw away a business card unless you have logged that info somewhere on a spread sheet, or in an auto responder. I started building my list with my YTB newsletter.

Still wondering? OK, here is one more clue for you:

I don’t even have a business card right now because I don’t know what to put on it. I go with friends to networking meetings and when it’s my turn to say what I do, I’m sort of at a loss.

Still perplexed? Hang on; but first, a few comments from the peanut gallery. One does typically not become a "real estate investor" by attending a seminar with a bunch of friends. Adding someone to a mailing list without their permission is a crime. Have you ever heard of the "Can Spam" act? And just how doe you do business without a business card or for that matter even knowing what it is that you do?

And the answer is none other than our favorite sweet---Candy May! Seems now that she has all of her "real estate investing" prospects from her YTB Newsletter, there is not much of a need for an "award winning travel agent" in YTB.  Is she still involved? Is she still a director? It seems if she is she may be in violation.
Candy seems to be like most people in YTB these days. Moving on! Did anyone see any mention of travel on that site?