Just Picture It Now

I posted last week about Carnival’s Q2 Earnings Report, and found another article in Travel Weekly this weekend which goes right to the man in charge and puts Gerry Cahill in the hot seat. We found last week that Carnival is doing less direct business and relying more on Travel Agents to keep them afloat during the wave of feul price increases and muddy waters concerning the travel industry as a whole.

If you’re in YTB, you know about the informative call we had at the beginning of June with J. Kim Sorensen, (President, YTB International and CEO, YTB Travel Network) and Mike Julius, (Regional Vice President of Carnival Cruise Lines) to kick off Carnival Month. Our RTA’s also found that Cruise Month has been extended with Carnival alongside a special booking contest that was kicked off with both Kim and Ann Sedgwick, (Business Development Director with Carnival Cruise Lines) with our widely popular Cruise Night last Thursday night and the “All About Cruising” DVD we all downloaded. (First prize will be an all expenses paid 12 Day Mediterranean Cruise with air.)

The strong foundation and technology YTB has invested into providing us the very best resources for those of us out in the field are second to none, and many outside of the company (aka: clients) found this form of getting everyone together not only exciting but a very successful way to promote cruise sales.

Just why Carnival would do something like this with YTB was found in the Q&A with Gerry Cahill when he stated: “They can help us on the marketing side. They can also have the ability to reach customers we don't reach.”

With thousands of RTA’s getting just 3 or 4 couples together last week for this Cruise Night, Carnival had the ability to reach tens of thousands of potential customers all over the country at one time which Carnival may not have been able to reach otherwise.

Talk about bang for your buck! One night, one company and you cover North America, Canada and the Caribbean to boot.

It’s good to see that Gerry Cahill’s business decisions are starting to pay off, and it looks as if he certainly knows what he’s doing as he stated in the Travel Weekly article “It’s not hard to do. We have the ability to track how much profitability we get from every channel and every agent. You don't have to be a rocket scientist for that one. I did an analysis of what I think are the most efficient ways for us to distribute things, and I made certain decisions as a result of that.”

With the Cruise Night from last year being revamped and redone to help Carnival stay profitable and keep their place as “The Most Popular Cruise Line in the World” YTB is producing large numbers for Carnival once again. Sure, last week was a little different, but the goal is the same, and that’s selling our core product with our preferred supplier who “gets it”. Terminating your relationship with a company the size of YTB can be detrimental to your business health, so you simply implement minimum booking requirements to answer the “critics” who claim all we do is take advantage of the product, while still saving your bottom line and working with a company who has been a Pinnacle Award winner the last three years in a row.

Not bad for a “bean counter” if you ask me, and certainly not what some had forecasted a few months ago.

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Labels: Carnival, Gerry Cahill, Kim Sorensen, Travel Agent Issues, Travel Bookings, Travel MLM, Travel Weekly

Posted by TravelPro at 5:24 AM | Permalink

Most of you who keep track of mileage like I do knew about the increase January 1 to 50.5 cents per business mile. In a rare move on Monday, the IRS approved an eight (8) cent increase in the rate mid way through the year starting July 1 to 58.5 cents per mile through December 31. This increase is in direct response to the higher fuel costs everyone is incurring. This new rate by the way is only valid for the last half of the year. (Previous mileage from January 1 through June 30 must be deducted at 50.5 cents per business mile.)

The IRS normally increases its mileage rates once per year, and did so this past year from 48.5 to 50.5 cents starting January 1st. The last time the IRS approved a rate increase such as this mid way through the year was back in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina led to a nationwide spike in gasoline prices.

PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.

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: Home Based Business, Home Office, Ronald Mueller, Tax Code, Tax Deductions

Posted by TravelPro at 7:29 AM | Permalink

I’ve been wondering all year just where YTB International would place in this years Power List and I’m very pleased and honored to announce that YTB International has jumped 9 spots to #26 overall with $414.5 Million in Travel Sales for 2007.

This large jump in the rankings from YTB International is tied with Christopherson Andova Travel as the largest increase of any of the “Power Agencies” moving up the list 9 spots. YTB’s ranking rose from #35 in last years list to #26 for the current year.

Some of the 2007 Developments about YTB in Travel Weekly Include:

- ARC sales of $29.7 million
- $211 million fulfilled by third parties, known as Referring Travel Agents
- 85% of sales from business, 10% leisure, 5% meetings and conventions.
- Admitted as a member of the Direct Selling Association.
- Launched into Bahamas, Bermuda and Canada.
- Acquired Sunrise Travel in Canada
- August 2007 National Convention in St. Louis had attendance of more than 10,000, up from 3,200 in previous year.
- Launched YTB E-Campus
- Launched YTB Cars
- Held Funshine Traval Trade Shows in Orlando and San Diego with attendance of 5,000 and 3,000 respectively.
- Acquired American Destinations, a tour operator specializing in educational travel.

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635

Labels: Power List, Travel Agent Issues, Travel MLM, Travel Weekly, YTB International

Posted by TravelPro at 11:15 AM | Permalink

Back in October when Royal Caribbean sailed out to sea on it’s own in an attempt to squash Travel MLM’s by terminating it’s relationship with only four of the more than two dozen Travel MLM’s out there, I became a more than just a little curious about a “Job Posting” from Royal Caribbean in conjunction with Magic Johnson Travel Group just weeks after the less than the handful of Termination Notices had been handed out.

I read and heard all kinds of justification as to why it was okay for Royal Caribbean to single out a few companies and choosing to terminate just a few, while obviously having a “vested interest” in a company like Magic Johnson Travel Group.

It was assumed by some that Magic Johnson Travel had MUCH better training, Corporate Heads and Management had massive amounts of experience in the travel industry, and suppliers like CruiseShipCenters, GOGO Worldwide Vacations and Royal Caribbean International supported the company to ensure its success. Not to mention a comprehensive and cutting edge "business in a box", integrated agent desktop comprised of a customizable agent-level website, contact management database and e-marketing suite with permission-based marketing. And most importantly, they “limited” franchises in each area so it wouldn’t saturate the market.

Basically what all this means is this; they did this the “traditional way”, meaning that travel was the focus, not building the business like “some other companies” who have been scorned and ridiculed in recent months by those that want to hang on to “our way is the only way”.

Well…looks like the Magic is over for this Travel Company as it’s about to close operations and become yet another victim in the Travel Industry after only 3 years of making a go of it. Those who signed up for Magic Johnson Travel franchises will have the opportunity to convert to Expedia CruiseShipCenters franchises, who supplied the backbone for the soon to be defunct group. (For now, however, the company's website remains http://www.magicjohnsontravel.com/.)

Adam Goldstein, president & CEO of Royal Caribbean International, who served on Magic Johnson Travel's board, said the company is being dissolved due to changing economic conditions. "I'm very convinced that the market opportunity remains, but we just weren't able to access it in the way that we hoped."

I agree there is a marketing opportunity for urban minorities – particularly African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans, but it has to be with the right business model. At a price tag of $4995 and other required expenses, it may have been “presumed” to be out of reach for the average American, let alone minorities. I can’t help but think what an amount of more than 100 franchises in 3 years time could have done to bolster market share in this industry. You can have the latest, most cutting edge technology, and the very best training available, but it won’t do anyone any good if nobodies participating!

Candi May went through the same ordeals joining up with Travel Professionals International, which turned into Bye-Bye-Now.com, and then was eventually absorbed by Carlson Wagonlit in about the same amount of time as it took Magic Johnson Travel Group to burn out.

Yet, here I sit with a company that started just before 9/11 terrorized this nation and this industry and we keep growing and growing. (More documentation about THAT tomorrow!)

It’s sad to see a truly unique and genuine idea like Magic Johnson tried to implement fizzle because he couldn’t change with the times of our industry. I hate to see a good name like his, with all he’s done to for people and communities around the Country, not make it in a venture like this. His heart was in the right place and I believe Magic truly wanted to help improve the lives of others. He just didn’t listen to the right people to make it a success I guess.

If anyone of the hundred or so former franchise owners think they might like to make a go of it with YTB, feel free to sign up for a very special LIVE Webcast Tuesday night. Rick Ricketts, a Level 6 Director will be doing this presentation and I’ll be more than happy to answer any all questions you may have concerning why our model is set up to work much better for anyone wanting a home based business in the Travel Industry.

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: Home Based Travel Agent, Magic Johnson, Royal Caribbean, Travel Agent Issues, Travel MLM

Posted by TravelPro at 11:49 AM | Permalink

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably know by now that I believe that the truth always has a way of coming to light, and two, I never like any type of speculation. You also know that Ronda and I love to cruise, and we got started with YTB because we’ve been telling people for years that a cruise is the best vacation money could buy.

Back when Vicki Freed jumped ship over to Royal Caribbean after Gerry Cahill was named CEO, it was speculated that “They [Carnival] have a great reservations center and have amassed a huge database of past cruisers on Carnival--and their other brands! The time is right to regain some of the "lost" revenue and go net.”

Labels: Carnival, Travel Agent Issues, Travel MLM, Vicki Freed, YTB Travel Network

Posted by TravelPro at 3:32 PM | Permalink

Labels: Limiting Beliefs, MLM Myths, Travel Agent Issues, YTB International

Posted by TravelPro at 7:16 AM | Permalink

I realize there seems to be a tremendous amount of focus on YTB in past months. Being publically traded can be both a blessing and a curse for MLM companies. The blessing is that it’s a way to legitimize our model when we report to someone like the SEC and makes this notion of “illegal pyramid scheme” harder to promote. The curse is that it brings out the nut cases who want to ignore the Government is aware of who we are and what we do, but still try to push the issue of MLM being “illegal”.

I caught an interesting development on Monday that I wanted to pass on concerning a number of other publically traded MLM’s that are also getting some heat from some very deranged and shady characters. (“Shady” meaning he’s already a Convicted Felon.) What’s even more amusing to me is that two of the better known Anti-MLM Zealots, Robert FitzPatrick and Jon Taylor appear to have been caught in their own lies and MLM myths. Court probing may find that Robert Fitzpatrick and Jon Taylor were also involved in some way for shorting MLM company stocks.

In June of last year, Judd Bagley of "Deep Capture" (a hunter of illegal short sellers) concludes that convicted stock manipulator Sam Antar and securities class action litigator Howard Sirota were working in concert with convicted stock manipulator Barry Minkow’s Fraud Discovery Institute (FDI) to manipulate the share price of USANA, a public company. You may or may not know about several law suites filed last year concerning USANA, but it got so bad that even the SEC and Distributors themselves got in on the act in California. The SEC never found any wrong doing and closed its case nor did the Distributor suite go anywhere after cleaning off the mud that Minkow attempted to throw out in the press via his bogus report.

Now these same idiots seem to be after both Pre-Paid Legal and Herbalife. The Herbalife story has gotten so much attention in recent weeks that it even made CNBC’s Mad Money in which CEO Michael Johnson came on the show to assure investors that there is no lead found in their products.

There was never any health or safety issue with Herbalife products. Inaccurate and misleading information released to sensational media and online news coverage is nothing new to any of us in YTB. There is always an ulterior motive and it’s been found that FDI (Federal Discovery Institute) founder Barry Minkow admitted profiting from “puts” on Herbalife stock.

All these attacks on publically traded MLM companies have gotten so bad that USANA has already decided to take the company private after being public since 1996, and it was also suggested by Jim Cramer of Mad Money for CEO Michael Johnson to take Herbalife private. (My take is that Johnson doesn’t like the idea according to the video I watched.)

While it’s yet to be determined if FitzPatrick and Taylor will be convicted in all this mess, this investor would love to see these two idiots have “Convicted Felon” on their resume for all the lies and myths they promote about MLM. Having these two busted for illegal activity would certainly help those of us who know from experience that MLM is a viable business model and an excellent entry level for anyone looking to get into a business of their own.

While I can’t say the YTB has remained under the radar by any stretch of the imagination, at least our company stock has remained fairly clean compared to USANA, Pre-Paid, and Herbalife. Let’s just hope these nut cases are actually convicted for doing what they have done to these other MLM’s before they decide to set their sites on YTB.

It does make me wonder however just who was doing any “Pump and Dumping” with our stock. “Rumor” has it that Directors were doing all this “Pump and Dump” in an attempt to hurt the “little guys”, but after all the positive press released after our Annual Report back in April, me thinks the Pump and Dump was nothing more that Day Traders who knew how to take advantage of such positive press in a small stock like YTBLA.

If you don’t know Rod Cook’s MLM Watchdog site, you should. He’s one of the good guys in MLM. (Even if he has come out against YTB at times.) If you’re an investor like I am in YTBLA, you should keep an eye on this developing story, it could prove to be huge for us and put a stop to Zealots who promote nothing but myths and lies about MLM.

Labels: Barry Minkow, Herbalife, Jon Taylor, Pre-Paid Legal, Robert FitzPatrick, USANA, YTBLA

Posted by TravelPro at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

Back from vacation and ready to head into our National Convention with great anticipation and optimism. It was very refreshing to get away with family and spend time with those that are closest to me. I rarely get to see a movie in theatres these days, and when I do get a chance, it’s usually because the kids want to see it. You have to be living in some sort of cave these days if you haven’t seen the marketing for Kung Fu Panda. Even McDonald’s is in on the action and I had the pleasure of listening to “Po the Panda” and his Kung Fu “Hee-Yah” last Sunday as we headed out on our vacation.

With the temperatures being so hot last week, a movie matinee was just the ticket for the kids, so we headed to the local theatre to catch the latest DreamWorks Animation.

While I always enjoy DreamWorks movies, they are never movies for me that are “must see” type films. (Pixar on the other hand are “must see”.) After actually seeing Kung Fu Panda however, I found a couple of underlying themes that I believe would benefit anyone who has a dream to better themselves, no matter what it is. (Of course that would include those of us in YTB.)

At the beginning of the movie, Po is dreaming of becoming a great Kung Fu Master along side his idols, the legendary Furious Five. In his dream, Po’s enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness! (Jack Blacks best line in the movie.) Like many of the DreamWorks pictures that we’ve either seen or own on DVD these days, there are plenty subplots that adults would not only understand, but enjoy.

Po is the laziest animals in all of the Valley of Peace, but as the movie advances, Po unwittingly becomes the “chosen one” when enemies threaten their way of life and is picked to become the Dragon Warrior by the oldest and wisest Master in the Valley of Peace, Oogway.

While Oogway has chosen Po, others claim “You don't belong here," like the Furious Five, predictably. (But Po is just tickled to meet his idols.) Nor does Po want to hear his dad's warning: “We are noodle folk! Broth runs through our veins!” And Master Shifu does not believe that a big ball of butter like Po could possibly be the true Dragon Warrior.

What was interesting to me was the Po didn’t realize from the beginning the he “couldn’t do it”. Learning Kung Fu was something he always wanted to do and he honestly believed that he could be a Kung Fu Warrior like his idols. It wasn’t until his first day of training that he realized that dreaming about doing something and actually doing it were two separate things.

Shifu, Po’s Kung Fu Master, finally figures out just how to train Po in Kung Fu using his favorite thing in the world…food. It was then that Po starts to look like a real Dragon Warrior.

After training Po, Shifu decides the time has come for Po to receive the Dragon Scroll and learn the secret to limitless power. The five and Shifu watch in awe as Po opens the Scroll, only to find out that it’s blank. With Oogway now gone, the group assumes there is no “secret” to Limitless Power.

Po goes home feeling discouraged. To help Po feel better his dad explains that the secret ingredient in his secret soup.

“To make something special, you just have to believe it is special.”

Po looks at the reflection in the blank Scroll and then understands. To become a true Dragon Warrior, he has to BELIEVE he is the Dragon Warrior. Po makes up his mind to fight, and save the Valley of Peace from Tai Lung, the arch villain in the movie.

I couldn’t help but think about my own experience in life when others try to tell me that something couldn’t be done. I don’t have the knowledge. I don’t have the proper training. I’m not with the right company.

What made last week so special for me was that everywhere I turned, I was either being told in a movie, reading in a book, or hearing my family, that I could be, do, and have anything I want. There are no limits to what I (or you) can do if we only believe we can do it.

As I look outside in my front yard and see the grass that I need to cut today, I also notice a maple tree that we planted some 11 years ago when we first moved in. Back then it was nothing more that a twig. Today it’s almost as tall as the house and offers a great centerpiece to our front yard. I remember reading some years ago in “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” that if an Oak Tree had the mind of a human, it would only grow to 10 feet tall.

I could have tried to tell the grass to stop growing while I was away, but it wouldn’t have listened. Nature doesn’t work like that, and like the grass that grows, I choose to be part of nature. If I simply feed, water, and provide plenty of sunshine, I will continue to grow as well. It’s one of the reasons I love YTB and the Leadership. Coach may not be a Kung Fu Master, but he certainly knows how to be a Master of Life. I’ve read enough from my favorite Authors to the right here to know that Coach not only understands, but lives his life the way these men do, and the principles, life lessons and teachings are universal no matter who you are or what you do.

One of the most meaningful lines in the movie for me was quoted by Oogway, the wise Master of Masters, and I’d like to share it with you in closing.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That's why they call it 'the present.”

Labels: Harv Eker., Kung Fu Panda, Limiting Beliefs, Money Beyond Belief

Posted by TravelPro at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments

By the time you read this, my family and I will be long gone and well into enjoying our family vacation. With our children now school age, our “travel and vacation” time has been limited to summers and a few weeks throughout the year when they are scheduled out.

I heard The Go Go’s "Vacation" the other day. Back in my radio days in the 80's, I hated that song, but found myself tapping to the music and looking forward to this week. I swore off John Mellancamps "Jack and Diane" back in the day too, (then John Cougar) but now think it's a good rocker. "Jack and Diane" was on the Top 40 charts for 10 MONTHS and I had to play it day - after day - after day...while working for a Top 40 Radio Stations in Youngstown, OH and then Pittsburgh, PA.

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: National Convention, Out of the office, vacation, YTB Travel

Posted by TravelPro at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I would like to clear something up that was mentioned in the comments. I do read John's blog almost every day and have for about a year. I just started commenting on his blog in the past month or around then. I am not easily influenced and I became aware of Candi through someone that sent me the link to her presentation on YouTube or one of those type, plus a link to her webpage. John had never mentioned Candi when I was introduced to her video or webpage, so John's opinion or anything else was not an issue in this as it was not known to me that he was aware of Candi. I was very suspicious only because of Seligman and I started to check things out. That was my first mistake. I am not an investigative reporter or a private eye. I am a travel agent. That is what I will be sticking with since I failed so miserably in my attempt to discredit Candi. In that process, I also became a real bitch to Doug. Yes, you read that correctly, a Royal Bitch, a Queen Bitch even, maybe even a Master Bitch. I resorted to name calling and other childish behavior, something I always taught my kids was not acceptable.I will probably never agree with the method of operations of YTB, a lot of their practices, the recruiting, and the MLM ideas. I may still inject my opinions now and again, but I have also learned a great deal from this particular experience. There are certain areas that I have no business treading. This instance was one of them.

~ Martha Burke

I’ve got to be honest; I’m blown away at what just transpired in the last 24 hours. I was ramping up for a real fight this week concerning Candi May. As much information as I shared, complete with e-mail addresses and phone numbers to contact Candi directly, it became increasingly apparent to me that I had to come up with some way of communicating that Candi was who she said she was and while I didn’t expect either John or Martha to accept what I posted on Wednesday concerning Carlson Wagonlit, or Thursday concerning Agent Credentials, but apparently it worked. (Finally)

Candi led a very simple, uncomplicated, and rather quiet life before I posted about her industry experience last month. So I felt responsible for some of harsh words and accusations that have been posted elsewhere on the internet. Because this blog gets the kind of visibility and readership it does, I brought her “out of the closet” so to speak.

While Candi and I did consider just letting the whole situation blow over, it became increasingly evident that the accusations and comments started to escalate instead of dying down. Within hours, all sorts or rumors and stories were floating around proclaiming that Candi was nothing more than some slick talking MLM recruiter whose 20 years of Travel Agent experience was nothing more than a fabrication, simply because she’s involved in MLM. Rumors and stories like this are nothing new. I’ve heard the same bogus comments about a former Minister who got involved with A.L. Williams some 30 years ago.

What I found most annoying were comments that Candi now had to document her experience FOR them, as if those making the accusations actually deserved to be spoon fed information at the drop of a hat. This small group simply couldn’t believe that a Traditional Travel Agent, especially one of her experience or success in the Traditional Arena, would even consider YTB as a viable alternative to “their way” of life. Candi found it silly and began to question just who these “posters” were and why it was so important to them. She also began to question why they were so lazy as to not even pick up the phone to call her directly, or come down to Louisville to see for themselves.

While it simply didn’t matter to her, I however was being bombarded with comment after comment, most nobody even saw because I had deleted them. I realize that I’ve been ridiculed and vilified for not allowing an open forum and that’s their right to believe that. After what happened this week however, I’m really glad I did what I do because all of the nasty, vicious, and unsubstantiated comments surrounding Candi May (among other topics) which everyone just knew were “fact” turned out to be nothing more than a limiting and false “belief”.

It certainly shed a new light on demands that you have a right to post “the truth” when you finally find out it was all a big misunderstanding doesn’t it?

So, the big mystery of Candi May has been solved, the Candi bashing has ended, and everyone can get on with their lives. If anyone has any further questions I would simply ask that you do what I did, and that’s go to the source. Candi is an open book, and more than happy to answer any remaining questions you have, if any.

Thank you Martha for allowing me to slap you around. Wait…that didn’t sound right, but I also know she has a sense of humor.

Actually, thanks for seeing the light and thank you for the apology. It means more than you know.

With that said, I’m going to be on vacation with my family next week. Frankly, after a week like this on the blog, I need one. It’s time to revamp and re-energize for the summer and it’s a place we’ve enjoyed for years as a family.

And by the way, the FREE Newsletter will still be going out as I will have both put on auto pilot to go out right on schedule and can assure you that if there is anything new or important to share even in my absence here, I’ll be sure to have it in the there. Just like here, it’s loaded with links and documentation for you to share with clients and prospects alike.

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: Anti-MLM, Candi May, MLM Myths, Travel Agent Issues, Travel MLM

Posted by TravelPro at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: Candi May, MLM Myths, Travel Agent Issues

Posted by TravelPro at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments