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DATE: July 17, 2008
TO: Directors FROM: Scott Tomer, CEO RE: Franchise Press Release I realize that many of you want more information about our July 14th announcement of the potential use of a franchise model at YTB. While there are some things we are unable to comment on at this time, the intention of this letter is to answer many of the questions posed by our Reps and RTAs. I also want to provide you with correct information regarding the rumors, misrepresentations and untruths being circulated on the Internet. But first, let’s talk a little history. Our goal from day one has been to become the world’s largest Internet travel company. In 2007 we were recognized as the 26th largest seller of travel in America and we are in the top 10 of those that are Internet based. While we are delighted with these results, we believe the franchise model will enable even faster growth. Here are some important points for you to know and remember. The founders of YTB learned direct sales from Art Williams and built one of the largest organizations in his company. We know how to build a successful sales force that will stand the test of time and the facts supporting this claim are easy to substantiate. 27 years later, my brother still operates a very successful business inside what is now known as Primerica Financial Services. We know how to recruit, build a sales force and sell products and services using the direct sales or network marketing approach. We are convinced this is the best marketing system ever created and we are ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED to continuing the use of this system with YTB. While there will be changes to the process as it relates to the sale of franchises, the downline genealogy and network marketing division will remain intact. People may question our decision but no one can question our commitment to this industry or our people. Many factors, none more important than the protection of our Reps and RTAs futures, and many months of due diligence preceded our July 14th announcement. I’d like to share some of our thoughts with you. Our commitment to becoming a world class travel company will be supported in the franchise system with additional tools and training for those who choose to actively pursue the travel business. The operations manual available to franchisees will provide details of the critical aspects of how to successfully operate their franchise. We believe a franchise model of our existing business will be easier to comprehend and more readily accepted by the general public. Since franchising is recognized as a traditional business model in virtually all developed countries, YTB’s timeline for global expansion will be accelerated. Additionally, franchising will allow us to rapidly diversify the products and services offered by our franchisees. This will enable YTB to more quickly attain our goal of becoming a major distribution channel for products and services sold in the U.S. and abroad. Continued... Rating :
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Continued from previous post...
Now let’s discuss how this will affect our existing RTAs. We anticipate everything that currently exists for RTAs will be in the franchise model and any additional products offered through the franchise will be available to RTAs should they elect to become franchisees. We also anticipate providing favorable terms to those RTAs who convert to the franchise model although we have not decided on those details as of this date. If RTAs elect not to become franchisees, they will be able to continue with no change to their status with all income opportunities and privileges they currently enjoy. I acknowledge outsiders will question this decision. We’ve been questioned before. Many so called industry experts doubted our ability to sell travel, but they can’t argue with the fact that we sold $414 million of it last year. We became a publicly traded company in 2004 and the skeptics said we would never make it. People said we were crazy to introduce a Reps ‘Bill of Rights’ at the 2005 ‘Your Time to Build’ national convention. It was unheard of in our industry. No one had ever guaranteed earnings for its Reps prior to the 2006 ‘Business of Champions’ YTB convention, but that didn’t stop us from introducing the Success from Home Magazine program with its $6,000 Guarantee. We became members of the Direct Sales Association in 2007 and added the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights’ at the ‘Cleared for Take Off’ National Convention to the dismay of our detractors. We’ve never asked nor do I care about the opinion of our competitors and skeptics. Let them say what they will. So what if they don’t agree with what we do. While it disturbs me that they make inaccurate, deceitful, slanderous and outright fraudulent statements about YTB in an attempt to recruit people, I refuse to respond. What I do know is this. YTB is responsible for more travel sales through YTB Travel Network than all of the other network marketing companies selling travel combined. I stand on our record of Rep and RTA protections and challenge any of them to step up and compete. We’re building a company for the ages and I am proud to be in business with you. YourTravelBiz.com Rating :
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50/Male |
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If we can't question their commitment to the industry or their people, can we at least question management's sale of stock?
The franchisee press release is a flaccid attempt to generate a positive move in the stock. The "Art of Distraction." Rating :
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This message was never meant for the likes of this board. He could care less what this board thinks. YTB will progress, whether the know-it-all travel agents who lurk here or the lazy computer addicts who failed at YTB like it or not.
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What does Scott's brother's success in Primerica have to do with the success or failure of YTB?
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Way to pick out one line from a whole page discussion and then pretend you don't understand the meaning of the letter. Goofball!
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LOL..."flacid."
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You have to forgive John. He’s been looking at this company intensely for about a year now. He actually writes something about us each and every day, and then no more than a half dozen of his counterparts argue about the topic for the rest of the day.
Why they aren’t out there selling travel and servicing all these customers they claim to have is still a mystery to those of us who have read his blather at one time or another. (I actually still do…for comic relief!) Anyway, John and these couple of friends have bought into this myth that Coach, Scott, and Kim are gassing up the Corporate Jet to go rape some other industry any minute now. (At least that’s the hope, because they have had just about enough from all three who have ruined their precious little fantasy world.) John has been told several times, by several people, that Coach, Scott and Kim have been with two Network Marketing Companies in their 27 year career in the industry. Since this fact doesn’t support they myth they’ve bought into about us Networkers, he just plays dumb or ignores it. (Thinking it will just go away??) What’s funny about all this is that the SEC filing that was filed on Wednesday morning at 10:21am..it was up on his Blog by 10:47am that same morning with this idea that all of us were screwed, and the Company along with Coach, Scott and Kim were heading South. Now that Scott has actually clarified himself in this letter to the Directors and now the world… Nothing…Nadda…Zip…Zilch. My guess is that he needs the weekend to try to figure out how to spin this. It’s time to get REALLY creative! Sentiment : Strong Buy Rating :
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The day after I signed up with YTB I read that RTA's would be replaced. Mr. Tomer cannot explain that away. I now know that my up line was completely aware of this information and did not disclose a material fact. The SEC filing states that YTB "anticiaptes" that current RTA's will be treated favorably. Heck... I anticiapted being a millionaire years ago and that didn't happen.
If this group is just a cheerleading area for YTB then I don't need to be here. But if this group is about serious dialogue without smart ass comments like I have already read, I look forward to your reply. Where IS the 2007 financial statement to the SEC and why ARE the top dogs selling? Why HAS stock plummeted from over $16 a share a year ago to $1.75? Rating :
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I worked for the corporate office for two years as a senior level programmer. I am the one who set up the systems that now run the company and I had access to the top. I was there when the stocks went skyhigh and heard the comments with my own ears from Lloyd and Scott about what they were going to buy when the stocks reached a certain level. They have no intention, nor ever had any intention, of making this a serious company. All of the programmers (very talented programmers who have since left due to the company bull@#$%) always talked about why the hell they didn't let us build a true booking engine if they were truly serious about making the company into something real.
I can tell you without a doubt that they don't want a real booking engine because there never was and never will be any intention of the company being anything other than an empty shell that funnels money into the top tier that will be used up and thrown away. They are amateurs that only know how to scam people. The YTB cheerleaders will call me a naysayer or a disgruntled employee but that's ok because I have seen the wizard behind the curtain. Rating :
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Lloyd and scott had me out to thier riverhouse when they wanted me to join the company. They had recently finished the deck overlooking the river. I have been successful in the past in MLM and they were "putting on the show".
However, as you know, this is a recruiting MLM and not a product driven MLM. I agree with you that the management has no strategic plan to move the company forward other than to keep their wallets full and their egos massaged. They had the wrong answers and no business vision so I did not participate. I will say that Lloyd is a good marketer and the "down home, aw shucks" plays to a certain demographic. Unfortunately, for him it is the wrong demographic to build a sustainable company. Rating :
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What was the name of the guy in charge of IT a couple years ago. Skinny guy, maybe red hair? I had a good conversation with him.
BTW, do many of the employees at HQ see through the B.S. and know what these guys are really about. Rating :
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Eric Smith is the CIO and the guy you are thinking of. That is who I reported directly to. In the beginning he seemed like a great guy but his arrogance got to be too much to handle.
Yes, most of the employees do see through the BS but continue to work there just because it is a job in a low rent area. There are a few who have drank from the cup of YTB and choose to be blind to the reality but for most it is nothing more than a job. It became so pathetic to see the suckers walking through the door week after week with their dreams of riches that were destined to fail and our numbers from the database proved our assumptions. Rating :
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Thats right it was Eric. After my conversation with him, I thought he was in way over his head. Not all his fault, it appeared the lack of controls and priorities from the business side was just too much for him and the team resources.
The red carpet days must get pathetic and old after a while, but thats how they keep the dreams of riches alive. 95% + fail and that is a shame. I could not, in good conscience, recruit people who had little to no chance of success. I'm not talking about making millions, just making an extra $1,000 a month over your costs can make a positive impact in a persons life. Good luck in your next job. Hope it turns out better. Rating :
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I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, but did you do any due diligence before your signed up?
For all the SEC filings, simply go to www.ytb.com and click on investors. You will see a link to the SEC reports. I do believe Q2 and Q3 will determine the future of this company. Q2 Countdown - 21 days Rating :
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All anyone has to do to is look at Scotts arrogant smirk to know this guy is a A1 scam artist. Anyone that believes a lick of anything out of this guys mouth, only makes me shake my head. People wake up, YTB is failing, and your going down with the sinking @#$%. Get out while you can!
Sentiment : Strong Sell Rating :
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I don't read you being a smart a$$ at all. It is a fair question. Yes, my husband and I did do our homework and found a great deal of planted negatives. The SEC filing was not there yet because it had not been filed. We signed up in time for the announcement on franchising.
We have been sick to our stomach over this. Not really the money, but that dear friends of ours brought us in. My husband is a prorfessional programmer and web site developer and he immediately questioned programming methods, errors and failures. Honestly, we bought in partly because J. Lloyd was a minister. We now feel used. Rating :
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USED!!!!! You bought into a home based business that costs less than a car ride across the country. There are countless ways to advance your business. This business is not just "recruiting". We have made an excellent income in travel sales, and most of the sales came from word of mouth. As far as the franchising is concerned, the details will follow. Until then, carry on with the reasons why you joined the business, especially after doing all that research. This board will throw you a lot negativity your way. Work your business like you planned and have fun!!!!!!
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As I said, if this is just a YTB cheerleading group, I don't need to be here. The issue is not working a system now, but once RTA's are "replaced." Getting someone to sign-up when one personally knows that rules are about to change amounts to fraud and deception. THAT is the issue. And as it turns out, I now read that the SEC is opening an investigation. So are a couple of states.
This was just sent by achillesm: have yuou seen the stock market lately? Dude wake up:o it's not just ytb whos stock has droped, cant you read:-b... Go back and look at the 2nd sentence.Then read the rest:-b.....plz do us all a favor quit if that doesnt make since to you. First, I am a 58 year old female adult and not a 20 year old dude. If you wish to comment, please do so here and not by IM. Own your statements without hiding behind AIM or Trillian. Second, there really isn't any reason to be rude via any medium. Reasonable people can disagree without being disgareeable or acting like an a$$ on the anonymous internet. For the record, YTB's stock has plummeted, not dropped. If they drop below a buck they will likely be removed from the stock exchange as being insolvent. I didn't know that until I just learned it. Rating :
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christinal1...I was trying to save you the embarrassment due to your apparent ignorance of the industry and of the stock market!next time I wont bother to do it in private..
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You people on this board sicken me. Your the reason why people fail..They come here & read the TRASH you post about someone who gave you an OPPORTUNITY not a guarantee to have a job or own your own biz. You are the lowest part of our Society. Ungrateful & lazy what something for nothing bums!
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Young man, you are the future of our country? Ill-mannered, mouthy and rude? You hide behind a screen name while I post mine: Christina Lopez. If honest people posting their honest feelings sicken you, perhaps you aren't YTB material either. After all, YTB tells you that you must like people in order to be successful. Instead, you openly bash those you disagree with. You invade their privacy with IM's without permisssion, and then arrogantly claim that you were saving me embarrassment?
What is your YTB membership number? How many are in YOUR down line? Who is in YOUR up line? It isn't those of us that drank the Kool-aid that have failed. We attended three excellent sales pitches and my husband and I were certainly enthusiastic and couldn't wait to get started -- until learning the very next day that RTA's will be REPLACED. YTB has less than $4 million in cash and is lean on assets. Going to a franchise model is a legal move to avoid state Attorney General jurisdiction. Franchises will isolate YTB from its sales force. Who will the territories go to? Those already at the top? We had begun pitching nationwide organizations connected with us already. With territories, what then? Their stock is in the toilet and we should have looked closer. We own that mistake. That should have been a clue. In fairness, we were told that the stock was at $16 after a three way split that we now cannot verify. We believed with big round eyes the rewards of making millions. We will, however, do our best to sell travel. We cannot in good conscience sell RTA ownership until such time that Scott Tomer gives a complete and truthful answer on exactly what the franchise terms are. I have read Scott's rather arrogant statement that he doesn't care about any of the questions now being asked. He wrote, "We’ve never asked nor do I care about the opinion of our competitors and skeptics." My husband and I are not competitors. We are new YTBers that are now skeptical in the absence of full disclosure. We are discredited simply for having questions? There are many, many questions that must be answered sooner rather than later and name calling towards those of that dare to question only shows your lack of an educated position. You cannot answer the questions either. Rating :
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BRAVO! Finally a well-reasoned attempt at intelligent discussion! My hat is off to you, ma'am. You raise legitinate questions.
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I've seen the passage "those who drank the Koolaid" before on this board -- I'm pretty sure you are just the same old bashers with a new name. Clever disguise, parading around as someone who has been "wronged" by paying a whopping $500 or so (which they don't have to pay -- there is a way you can join for free). However, you might want to consider using different adjectives than you have used on the board before if you don't want to be caught. I use YTB because I travel alot, why can't I keep the commissions instead of giving them to the bashers (who are all pretty much traditional travel agents). Plus, I get a nice tax deduction and there's nothing wrong with it because I do have a home office.
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