A flood of complaints to Realty Times all said the same thing - that the agents who purchased the Websites from Informedia Group, Inc. had done so because they attended a training seminar with Floyd Wickman as the keynote speaker. While most agents say they don't blame Wickman directly for the loss of their money, they felt that his reputation contributed to their decision to buy from his sponsor Informedia.

Now it's coming to light that Wickman, and the man who was responsible for getting him hired, Tony Martinez, may have known about Informedia's money problems long before the company stopped servicing its Realtor Websites in December 2003.

Despite problems with "slow pay" and complaints from some agents that Informedia took their money, but didn't create their Websites, Wickman continued to work for Informedia. Maybe he believed the financial problems were temporary, or other reasons.

"I thought Alan Isabelle was a puppy dog," says Wickman.

The agents complained to Realty Times that Informedia failed to: update existing Websites, finish Websites under construction for new customers, and answer their concerns about why they weren't getting service and why their Websites mysteriously ended up registered to Informedia instead of to them. Founder Alan Isabelle told Realty Times that his company had suffered "sabotage" and a "criminal" investigation was underway, and that employees had left to start a competing firm.

Isabelle made the company's problems sound recent, when in fact, employees and clients report irregularities as early as April 2002.

According to Wickman, he didn't know there were problems because he was on the road and talking to new people. Only when he heard some talk from some disgruntled employees and realized that Informedia owed him a lot of money, did he stop traveling for Informedia and demand to be paid.

"I still haven't been paid," says Wickman. "Informedia owes me $20,000."

Wickman was hired at in-house road warrior and Informedia shareholder Tony Martinez's request. As a keynote speaker, Wickman traveled to about 30 cities from 2002 to 2003 for Informedia.

Says Martinez, "He was a pitchman - strictly hired to fill rooms. If I did a seminar, 20 people would show up, and when he showed up, so did 400 people. We did the Floyd-Tony show and agents enjoyed the information and Informedia bankrolled the entire event. Because Floyd believed in the product and me personally, he came across as liking the product, and agents identified with him."

Wickman says he trusted Martinez, but he says his part of the Informedia seminars had "nothing to do with technology or Websites."

"I was never associated with Informedia," he maintains. "I do speaking engagements for clients. All speakers work for somebody."

"It was completely separate from their message," says Wickman. "They bought some of my DVDs and CD roms of me putting on a presentation, and anyone who bought a Website would get one of those included."

But Realtor Bruce Budde says Wickman and Martinez must have known early on there were problems because he went to both of them for help back in 2002 to get $1000 back for a Website he purchased that was never created.

"In November 2002 (over 1 year before these current problems surfaced) I attended a realtor' (sic) conference in East Brunswick, NJ where Tony Martinez was one of the key speakers on the benefits of putting up a personal website sponsored by Informedia Group," writes Budde. "Myself, and several other agents I know put down $1000 or more to subscribe to the Informedia service. 30 days went by and I heard from them only once saying they had assigned a developer to my account and would be back to me shortly. To me this was NOT "Internet-speed" response........I became VERY anxious that I was never going to see anything from them. After repeated calls to their headquarters and messages to Mr.. Isabelle, I called Tony Martinez in Florida ............he gave me the "I'm just the messenger" routine but promised to phone Isabelle.

"After still getting no response, I phoned and finally talked to Floyd Wickman who was the keynote speaker at the session I attended and in fact, introduced Tony Martinez as his VERY GOOD FRIEND AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATE. Floyd was very quick to deny any "business association" with Martinez or Informedia but he did, on my behalf, apparently talk to Isabelle, and I finally got my $1000 refunded in January of 2003," says Budde.

"I just wanted to set the record straight," adds Budde, "that Informedia has a long history of "business irregularities" and there are probably hundreds or more agents out there who fell for the same line that Tony Martinez pitched across the country..........even though he's trying to coat himself with Teflon, I feel Mr. Martinez is as guilty as Isabelle in misleading the customers, the employees, and the suppliers of Informedia."

If he gave Isabelle the benefit of the doubt, it's not clear when Wickman realized that Informedia was in real trouble, and that his faith would be unrewarded.

It is known, however, that Martinez was a shareholder. He possibly could have known earlier than Wickman that there were financial problems. Was he the kind of man who would give or withhold information from Wickman about the company? It could be argued that as long as Wickman was a "draw," sales would continue, which would certainly be in Martinez' best interest. Other employees reported financial problems as early as 2002 - how could Martinez, a shareholder with enough influence to get Wickman hired, not have known?

Wickman turns the other cheek - he maintains that he did not own any of the company and did not take royalties from Informedia's products.

"I know there are people who will say Floyd's lying," says Wickman, "but I have been burnt by people over the years and gave them another chance and never regretted it. Tony was making zero decisions in that company, so of course I would trust him again."

He admits that Martinez "brought me into it, but they are beating him out of a ton of money."

Wickman says he's upset at his loss of reputation and has learned some hard lessons.

"I will never stand on stage again and be used as a platform prostitute anymore as a draw," he says. "I get asked by banks and lenders and all it takes is one time. I can never be another Ed McMahon with my name for sale."

He says he'll work for industry organizations, such as state associations and franchise brand and independent broker clients, but not with third -party service providers. It won't be that big a loss, he says, as third-parties account for only 10 to 15 percent of his bookings.

"You don't have to be hungry for something to be tempting," says Wickman. "We are looking at 30 engagements from one client, and then it was an easy judgment call. For a long time there was no problem. There was always a delay in being paid but that's not that uncommon, (some operate under the 90-day method of payment,) but I will never get on a platform representing anyone or pitching for third-party service providers again."

And about those trusting agents who may have lost their paid-in-advance money?

"There is nothing I can do about the past," says Wickman, "but I want those clients taken care of. If anyone says that I am one of those who got hurt by Informedia, there's nothing I wouldn't do for that person. We're like a family of survivors now."

Editor's note: Floyd Wickman sold Floyd Wickman Courses (Sweathogs) to RealNet Learning Services. Please do not email or call the numbers at www.floydwickman.com for information about Informedia. Floyd's new company is Starmakers.

Published: March 1, 2004

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.