Letting It Go...
This will also be an excellent opportunity and tool for anyone with additional comments about each of the specific questions to get better clarification. Use the comments section to discuss each of the questions in greater detail. I remind you that I learned how to accomplish such a huge task from Brian Tracy and his courses, which teach that you focus on the each task one at a time, focus on the solution, break it down into manageable chunks, and before you know it, you’ve achieved your goal. (By the way...I just got an e-mail from Brian regarding a New Years Coupon to Save 20% on all his courses!)
It should be a really fun debate, and for those of you in YTB, take this information and documentation and use it. Here are the questions we have gone over thus far.
Question #1 - Why a compensation plan takes 12 pages to define?
Question #2 - How YTB arrived at $226 Million in travel sold for 2006. (Still waiting.)
Question #3 - Why so little of the "training" at the annual convention was for travel. (OK, YTB only believes in training at other meetings. We can let this one go.)
While we are led to believe that there was “little” training at the annual convention, I pulled up the schedule to see if I or anyone else could spend a day or two just focused on travel. Here is a list of “Travel Related” topics from our National Convention.
Flight 150
Avoid Turbulence in Booking Cruises
Flight 675-1
Get Familiar with Your Booking Engine and Travel Portal - Know Your Product
Flight 927-1
How to Sell Escorted Tours: Emphasis on Australia/New Zealand
Flight 7889-1
What is Your Niche?
Flight 826-1
High Altitude Earnings through Group Travel
Flight 1179-2
Mastering your Booking Engine
Flight 978-1
International Consolidator Airfares–Passport to Profits
Flight 388-1
Easy $ailing: Charting Successful Group Cruises
Flight 815-1
Groups: They Do a Business Good!
Flight 8408
What’s New with Apple Vacations and our #1 Top Selling Destination Cancun
Any RTA who wanted “Travel Training” during YTBU, (YTB University) not only could have gotten it, but spent the entire time focused on nothing but “Travel Training”.
In addition, major announcements were made concerning our Travel Business during the General Sessions of the convention, including free Health and Life Insurance for those RTA’s who produce $25,000 in Travel Commissions, (just like our Directors who build teams), a travel sales contest for the Coach’s Birthday Bash, new RTA Credential qualifications and minimum booking requirements, a Two Fly Free Program for our clients, introduction of Fun & Travel Magazine with a focus on Travel, not recruiting, a new booking engine upgrade with a totally new look, and a very generous offer to all those Traditionalists out there to join YTB, one of the largest Travel companies in the country right now.
(Word has it that we’ve doubled our Travel Sales from $226 Million to $550 Million in just one year, but we’ll be rehashing that in June, don’t worry.)
Oh…and that “other training” nobody wants you to know about…
Last year YTB held two travel trade shows called Funshine. One was held in April in San Diego, and the other was held in October in Orlando. Funshine is a “Travel Show” where our suppliers conduct seminars, and it’s also an opportunity to gain first hand knowledge of vendor specific products.
Check out what an Industry Insider said about YTB’s Travel Training.
Freed said she attended YTB's conference in early October and saw more than 1,000 attendees in each educational forum. "The desire to learn about the travel business was evident even after I spoke to the general session (over 6,000 attendees) when the CLIA instructor followed me on stage and taught niche marketing," Freed wrote. "No one left the room, and in fact, the overflow ballroom with big screens set up was packed as well. These folks paid for the conference, and there were no free meals or give-aways."
Isn’t that the same Vicki Freed who just came on board with Royal Caribbean?
In addition, YTB holds two travel training calls each week, one is “Getting Started” on Monday nights, and the other is vendor specific call held on Thursday nights. In addition, YTB launched E-Campus, which was designed by Dr. Marc Mancini and built by TheAcademy.com. (Another course recently added YTB, check it out in your Travel Portal!) CRTA Training is held each weekend across the country with all the emphasis during the morning season focused on Travel.
Those who don’t recognize how much Travel Training YTB actually does doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Most of our Traditionalists are too wrapped up in all the recruiting we do, and that’s not too shabby either, growing by about 40,000 since the National Convention. Based on the massive numbers and growth YTB is experiencing, even with all the adversity they attempt to throw our way, YTB keeps getting bigger, better, and more powerful at every turn.
While “letting it go” is a good start, there is still plenty to let go of before some will realize what YTB is truly all about.
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Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812
Learn How To Become A Travel Agent
Book Your Travel & Vacations With
Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635
Labels: "Card Mill", Funshine, National Convention, Travel Agent Training, Travel MLM, Vicki Freed
"...YTB keeps getting bigger, better, and more powerful..."
like a tsunami...
Your
Tsunami
Biz
(?)
Posted by
Anonymous |
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
For some of the Traditionalists out there...I would have to agree that that's exactly what it looks like.
Some are so stubborn; they think they can take it on…
All they will find however is that they will eventually be all washed up. ;-P
Posted by
TravelPro |
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to address John and his questions. I have followed both blogs since last year and really appreciate the time and effort put into both...however yours is the more professional open minded approach. I will continue to follow your answers to John with excitement and have encouraged everyone I know to do the same. Keep up the Great work!
Posted by
Anonymous |
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
CS--of course you would, just as more of the old time agent will follow the other blog. I doubt he expects many YTBers to sing his praises (John) and I doubt Doug expects many traditional agents to sing his.
After all they are opposing blogs--only makes sense...right?
Posted by
Anonymous |
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Doug. THe classes you mention are indeed travel training and I did see them as well. Without doing a lot of work, how many total classes were there? What % do these represent? And of these, how many are nothing more than supplier infomercials--which can be good, but I don;t typically consider training.
Posted by
John |
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Without doing a lot of work myself, I can tell you that I or anyone else in YTB could have spent the entire two days doing nothing BUT Travel Training.
In other words, you could have spent 100% of your time learning about Travel during YTB University if that was your focus.
Posted by
TravelPro |
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Ditto, Doug..
I had one person come up to me and ask "Where are the essions that teach me the network marketing side if the business, all I have been to were training on travel.."
There weren't any of the infomercial types in the vendor rooms that I went to. They were teaching how to book group cruises, How to market your travel site...etc. the vendors were very specific about helping the RTAs book their products and they were doing it at a grassroots level for the most part!
Overall, YTB wants to help everyone build EVERY facet of their business. However, travel trainings have definitely taken a front seat.
Like Kim Sorenson said " We want to be number one with number one". No doubt as to what is on his mind.
Doug, you are doing a great job here, my friend!
Posted by
Charlie howe |
Friday, February 01, 2008