So far, I've had three friends tell me that they are completely clueless as to what my business is about. Obviously, I have some explaining to do. The truth is, I didn't fully understand it until the getaway this weekend.
Tod Bell, the co-founder of Cruise to Cash Vacations, has been a close friend of mine for nearly 10 years. He started looking at Internet businesses, network marketing, and direct sales a few years ago and quickly found tremendous success. He went from barely scraping by to generating a high six-figure income within a few months.
He began to suspect that the organizational leadership of one of the businesses wasn't being particularly ethical, so he and a business colleage (an accountant named Mike Churchill who held the same suspicions) left the organization, joined forces, and eventually created Global Abundance Program (G.A.P.), which is the parent company for Cruise to Cash Vacations (CTCV).
I joined CTCV a couple weeks ago and went on the first "Full Sail Getaway" this past weekend. I'm SO glad I went. I have a much better understanding now of how the company works and what they have to offer. I finally feel as though I have enough knowledge to be able to explain it.
I'll lead with a restaurant example: Last week, I took the kids to a local Italian restaurant. When we got there, the place looked much different from the last time I was there. After a close inspection of some public documents, I realized there had been a recent ownership change. The restaurant was in a great location and offered a great product, but the ownership and management lacked the marketing skills to get people through the door.
Kalamata's, on the other hand, offered coupons in Citipass, which is how we discovered the little gem. We might never have stopped in to the little hole-in-the-wall had it not been for the buy-one-get-one-free meal they were offering. Once we interacted a bit with the owner, I was hooked. Now, we're regulars. We eat there almost every week. We've met countless friends for lunch, introducing them to one of our favorite restaurants. Not a bad little investment for Kalamata's. They've also volunteered at Generous Helpings, our favorite fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank.
When I suggested to the owner of The Italian Market that he walk through the neighborhood giving away buy-one-get-one free coupons, he said that the food costs were too high. He couldn't justify spending a little to gain a lot. Now Cafe Coco owns The Italian Market. On the counter were coupons for a free coffee at Cafe Coco. They get it.
Airlines, hotels, condos, resorts, and cruise lines are rarely ever booked to capacity unless there's a large convention or other special event. Businesses like Cruise to Cash Vacations contract with these travel industries to help them get people in the door. The hotel or condo or cruise line hopes that when you enjoy a complimentary stay, you will also take advantage of their restaurants, bars, room service, or other paid services. They hope you will thoroughly enjoy your experience, return, and tell your friends about their excellent amenities.
If you strip it all down to the basics, I'm now a marketer for the travel industry. I connect people who travel (or want to travel) with airlines, hotels, condos, resorts, and cruise lines that are willing to give something away in order to build their businesses.
The way it works is this:
I pay a one-time fee of $1,477 (this is the largest package; there are others but they don't offer as many travel options, and they don't pay as well) to gain access to unlimited vacation certificates FOR LIFE. I can do whatever I want with the certificates. I can use them myself, give them away, or sell them.
The certificates require the payment of an activation fee, usually around $25. Then, you receive a travel voucher in the mail. Most of the travel vouchers offer a complimentary stay in 4- and 5-star accommodations as long as you pay the room tax. For example, Tod and his family took a trip to Hawaii this year. They paid $30 a night for a $300 a night room. The two previous years, my family stayed with their six children while they were away. This year, because of Cruise to Cash Vacations, they were able to take the entire family.
James and I are planning to take a weekend cruise next month. We spent $25 to activate the certificate and we're obligated to pay $59 per person in taxes and fees. The trip would normally have cost us $525; instead, we're paying $125 and we get to go on our first cruise EVER.
There's so much more to write, but I need to go fix breakfast for the kids. Hopefully, I'll have more time later this morning to explain the rest.
In the meantime, there's a call tonight at 10 p.m. EST explaining all the new products we're rolling out in July. If you have ANY interest whatsoever in starting a home business, doing network marketing, or getting the absolute best deals on travel, I encourage you to listen in on the call. You'll need to call a few minutes early because it will fill up fast. It's the first time we've had a paid-member call that is open to the public, and we have over 8,000 paid members!
June 10, 10pm EST, 1-605-475-6910, PIN# 190241
2 comments:
Thanks for explaining it for us!
Where are you going on the cruise?
finally, my comments on your website, which I have looked at but haven't had time to write about:
I figure you want to stay away from 'make money from home,' but it seems like you need to come out and say it up front. Otherwise a)how will people find you from a search and b)how will they know what you're talking about from a 5- or 10-second browsing of your home page?
Also as I guess others have said, it is not clear exactly what you are selling or exactly how it works.
And I suppose the site is only for getting people to sell under you, not to actually give the vouchers? What if you just wanted a voucher? What are the travel destinations? How does it work?
my two cents. :)
glad you had a good trip.
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