CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE YTB LEADERS

[…] order of operations game wrote an interesting post today onHere's a quick excerpt $1,000 Leadership Bonus Recipients February 8 - 14, 2008 How Do I Qualify for the $1,000 Leadership Bonus? Once you qualify to start your PowerTeam, you have unlimited time to earn your $1,000 Leadership Bonuses. The first is earned when the total active On-Line Travel Agencies sold by your PowerTeam reaches 6 or more at the end of any weekly pay cycle (12 Midnight Thursday Eastern Time Zone). LeaderShip Bonuses will be paid WEEKLY on Friday of the following week for any Pay Cycle where th […]

Congrats to all these folks who were successful in scamming enough people to earn this bonus. Most of those that bought those RTA sites will end up losing money, as the average annual income for 95+% of all reps is less than $100 per year. See https://www.ytb.com/BackOffice/downloads/YTB2007IncomeDisclosureStatement.pdf for proof of this claim.
Since it costs almost $500 to sign up and another almost $600 in fees for the site for a year, that's an average loss of almost $1000 per sucker.

So congrats to you folks, now you know where your bonus money came from. I hope you're happy preying on the people too stupid or too desperate to see YTB for the pyramid scheme that it is.

Steve:

Are you serious with these comments? This is the best you can do? If you are going to rip a company that "scammed" you, this is all you can come up with?

Folks, if you are going to get into any company and expect to make any substantial money, you're going to have to "work." at least that's been my experience.

Now, I didn't say "hard work" I said work. I also didn't say how much work, but I did say work.

Steve is upset. I can tell from his attitude and his words.
He's also playing the "victim" which more and more are doing in our Entitlement Generation-where many expect a handout for doing absolutely nothing.

First off, let's cover the pyramid thing, because that's the first thing we can discuss here.

Yes, there is no doubt that YTB is a pyramid scheme, just like there is no doubt that McDonald's, Keller Williams Realty, Quizno's, the US Military and almost every successful functioning organization is a pyramid scheme.

If I were to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into McDonald's, did you know that the franchisor gets a percentage of my work and results?

When a real estate broker hires 7 sharp agents to work "under" him and they gross over 10 million dollars in sales, did you know that the broker receives up to %25 of the gross? (some splits are higher) It doesn't matter if the broker was playing golf or assisting his agents in the transactions.

Did you know that when a squadron of FA-18 E/F conduct a Close-Air-Support attack against an enemy terrorist camp, the Commanding Officer gets the credit for the job?

Yes, pyramids are all around us.

The thing about pyramid schemes in business is this:
There are legal pyramid schemes and illegal pyramid schemes.

The litmus test that US courts have used to determine this is this: Is there a product or service that is utilized by the consumer? If the answer is yes, then that usually qualifies. If the answer is no, then there are some legal issues. If anyone has any doubt about the legitimacy of YTB'
product or service, look at the numbers.

http://www.theytb.com/how_much-travel-did-ytb-sell-in-2006/

Now, let's look at YTB from a sheer investment perspective.

The average Return on Investment (ROI) on many investments in mutual funds is about %25.

So, that means if you take $500 and, remember ROI is calculated per year, then your annual return is about $125.
I know its pathetic, and that's why I call mutual fund investments "a pathetic scam."

But, wait, YTB charges a maintenance fee of $50/month (Yes, I rounded up to help with math) so in reality one is shelling out $1,100 over one year.

Now, again, this is Steve's point, so if you want to give a company $1,100 and do nothing, then obviously this is a poor choice and not a wise investment, but on the upside, there are two ways to make money with YTB.

1. Sell travel. The more you sell, the more you'll make.
2. Sell Travel Stores. The more you sell, the more you'll pocket.

There are two ways to save money with YTB.

1. Fam Trips.
2. Tax deductions.

Now, if you don't want to sell or learn about how YTB can save you thousands of dollars off your income taxes ever year, this is obviously not for you.

But if you are willing to do some work, look at all the opportunities around you.

I'll tell you my quick story. I joined YTB for one reason–Fam Trips.

I had a successful business in real estate and didn't "need' the money. I saw the opportunities with Fam Trips, told several folks about the travel opportunities. Within 2 months, I had personally sponsored 6 people and never had to pay a penny to YTB again.

I then got "turned" on by the non-profit angle, enrolled some huge organizations, and start building my team.

Within my six months, I earned a %5000 return on my investment.

My point is this:
I don't think YTB is for you, Steve, but remember, if you did join YTB, I'm sorry it didn't work out, but YOU are the one who signed up. Nobody twisted your arm. Nobody put a gun to your head. You were the one who wanted to change something in your life.

Whatever the reason, it was yours. Own that and learn from it and don't kid yourself in thinking that you were scammed.

Its pretty simple, really. I run several businesses and am not that involved in YTB as I used to be, but those of you who are struggling with YTB, you need to look around you and see the opportunity and take the "whatever it takes" attitude.

I once drove over 5 hours to a meeting where 2 people showed up and neither enrolled into YTB.

Do you think I complained and whined about my business? No, the person who sponsored the meeting had doubled his business the next month, because she watched me present and was inspired by my story. I didn't see instant results, but the residual results and the long-term results were staggering.

This is NOT a get-rich quick scheme. You will not become rich overnight, and it truly is not for everyone, but if you are serious about building a business, then it may be something you can consider.

"Look at opportunities around you" THESE ORGANIZATIONS NEED US. Learn about our PASSPORT TO GIVING program, get qualified, travel to these organizations and close them.
Talk about shooting fish in a barrel.

http://www.theytb.com/ytb-calendar/#comment-144

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well its funny how felix wrote a 3 page response… i've been doing a lot of research on ytb … a friend of mine wanted me to join but it sounded 2 good 2 be true.. so i did my research and i found a lot of blogs on ytb… its funny that everybody who made negative comments towards ytb didnt know what they were talking about "ytb is not for you" everybody responsed back with the same bull that felix wrote.. "maybe ytb is not for you" "Folks, if you are going to get into any company and expect to make any substantial money, you're going to have to work." its always the same bull … felix i tell you and everybody else who works for ytb.. when people sign up for the program of course they are expected to work .. they do work and they work hard but when you put so much effort and when you put so many hours of hard work and at the end of the day you dont see any money its hard to still be motivated dont you think felix … o wait maybe " i need to try a different strategy" and yes people like my friends or at least i considered them friends only look out for his or her best interests…. they bother you so much to join .. they sugarcoat ytb as if its the best thing to ever happen to them.. they travel the world and back and they make sooooo much money …bla bla bla… this is a scam .. remember only the people at the top make money… i've asked a lot of people on blogs how much money they make and not one person was able to tell me… makes you think. Well felix prove to me that ytb can make me money .. let me see how much you made with ytb …. or lets see somebody who is in ytb show me how much money they make…. im sure nobody will. Nothing is easy but ytb makes you think you could have it all … selling travel… wait they dont sell travel they sell ytb… they sell the company to you thats it.. its not a travel company … you will always hear somebody trying to sell you ytb not any travel… how many people have asked me to join ytb… they never said to me hey joe would you like to take a vacation i'm able to get a great deal for you .. no they say he joe join ytb sign up for 500 and pay only 50 a month.. thats 1100 a year … with 1100 a year i could take a trip at least i have something to show for it. felix.

Can't we all just get along??

I make good money for working for YTB i make about $1500.00 a month I know that I am not rich but I am a full time teacher, and don't want to do YTB full time. Here is what I tell people I am a travel agent I have my own site. I also sell the business as well. I tell them take a look if you are not interested then you now have a place to book your vacation. It is not a lie when you tell people you are trying to sell them a business. Here is a case I made $4500.00 on one crusie commission. A lady booked a family reunion for her family on a cruise I offered them. There were 15 people. So you make money on the website as well it is not all about the network

Mike, You are not a travel agent. Your are a "Referring travel agent". My guess is that you and others that are passing yourselves off as travel agents don't know the first thing about being a travel agent, except "go book on my website."

If you had clients book flights on Aloha, ATA, or any of the others that went belly up in the last 2 weeks, would you know what to do? Can you provide any other support than "Call the vendor" as it says on your website?

Suppliers pay travel agents a commission so they do sales AND support. That way they don't need as large a support staff. If the supplier has to do the support, why should they pay you for the sale? Just have the consumer's book direct with the supplier.

As for Felix, he hit the nail on the head. He joined for perks. Do you realize that FAM trips are "familiarization" trips. They are work. You go on the trip to investigate everything there is about a supplier, be it a cruise ship, a hotel property, or whatever. It is not a vacation.

As for tax deductions, you can deduct trips for yourself that are truly business expenses. You cannot deduct trips for your whole family. You cannot deduct trips that are primarily a vacation. Well, you can't legally deduct them anyway. Hopefully when you get audited you'll have sufficient proof for the IRS that you are "actively participating" in your business and that your trip was really for business purposes. "Active Participation" is more than having a website.

Oh, and I know YTB is not for me. I did not join YTB or any of the other MLM travel scams (i.e. World Ventures, Coastal Vacations, Traverus, etc.).

I am a legitimate travel agent. I have earned my Accredited Cruise Counselor certification. I have Commodore status with Princess and Commodore. I have completed the College of Disney Knowledge and many more.

I am tired of RTA's passing themselves off as TA's. I also don't like situations where people get taken advantage of, and that is what is happening with all the MLM travel companies. Just go look at YTB's 10-K on the sec web site. Less than 15% of YTB's revenue comes from actual travel commissions. About 80% comes from the sales of memberships and travel web sites. Another 5% comes from training sales (which by the way real Host Agencies provide for free).

YTB provides only a 60/40 split of commissions. Many Host Agencies (such as one that I work with) provide an 80/20 split. They charge nothing to join and no monthly fees. They provide a booking website powered by RezConnect, the same as yours (since RezConnect is the technology arm of YTB).

So, if anyone is serious about selling travel, why would they want to pay $400+ to sign up plus $49.95 per month to get 60% of the commissions, when you can do the same for nothing and get 80% of the commissions? The answer is the travel sales are simply a way to make the pyramid scheme legal.

As with any pyramid scheme, the folks at the top get the bulk of the money. In the case of YTB, of the $80 million in marketing commissions paid out in 2007, about $60 million when to the 150 or so people at the top of the pyramid. Over 98% of YTB members received nothing of that money.

I stand behind what I said earlier. All of these companies are scams. The folks at the top get rich, the people at the bottom are giving them their money. If you truly want to be a travel agent, there are better, more honest ways to do it, that pay better (from a pure travel commissions stand-point).

Steve and Joe…while you were responding with your meaningless comments, i was making money on my website as a (as you put it) referring travel agent. If you two would have spent as much time working as you have complaining, i think we all would have been better off.

Jon, The two previous emails that I wrote took all of maybe 10 minutes total to write. I don't call that a lot of complaining. I spend plenty of time selling travel and plenty of money doing it. I don't need to spend my time selling "travel stores" at inflated prices to make money.

I'd be willing to bet if you really made any significant money from YTB, it was from selling travel stores to others (i.e. recruiting), not from selling travel. If I am wrong, then you are in the extreme minority, as the numbers from YTB's own SEC filings proove.

Hello Steve, I appreciated your comments re YTB and their business plan. I have a question that perhaps you may help me with.

If I felt that I had a legal case or action against 'YTB" and it's directors, are licensing agency involved in the "YTB" legal setup, say a State agency that may look into a lodged formal complaint. I'm sure that their may be other avenues such as "the better business bureau" or the "Travel agents forum". or?

I would appreciate a response from any knowledgeable source re this request.

campesher@sbcglobal.com