Careers in Timeshares

Band new to this site, first thread.
I am just about to complete my real estate license required here in oregon to sell timeshares, then off to the coast to the last place i would think would be a hotspot for sales. Its all I can think about doing lately, I cant wait to start.
Any suggestions or information for me about any aspects of TS sales? I would really like to travel and see the world, working at different resorts along the way. Ill be working for the largest TS company in the world, so yay for me.
I do not need to hear countless remarks of how all salesman are scum, thanks!

Not saying you are any salesperson is scum but the cold hard fact of the matter is that you will have to lie to be successful. If you tell the truth and mention helpful tid bits like "Do research on TUG2.NET before you buy" or "You might be able to get this same unit on ebay for $1" you will fail miserably at your job. You also want to be careful with your arm twisting technique. Comments like "Why buy that family mini-van when you can prepay $20K for 20 years of vacation" will not go over well with the average family. You must be able to deceive and do it repeatedly if you want any chance of a successful timeshare sales career.

Success with most sales positions depends on bending and twisting the truth but there are very few positions that require it to such an extreme as timeshare sales.

Honestly I think you are a troll having a good time starting a hot thread but I had fun commenting so kudos to you.

Good luck with your new career, As you probably know the top salesmen make a ton of money..and the others find new jobs...

this is probably the wrong place to talk about it

Conventional wisdom here is that if a timeshare salesmans lips are moving, he's lying. And if anyone shows up here asking advice after signing a developer's contract, we suggest that they rescind, and explore the secondary market

I, like a lot of people here, paid developers full price way back when. My salesman told so many lies, hurt so many feelings, it affected my health.
Do you really want that on you ? Place your energy somewhere else. There is more than one way to see the world. Why not join the service ?

Learn all about your product. Buy and use your product. Tell others how you use it and how they can have a similar experience.

My developer salespeople don't seem to know their product. They are taught how to sell, but it seems like they aren't taught anything about what they are selling. If you know your product, you will be a step ahead.

Also, listen to your customer's needs and desires. Do not try to talk them into something that they don't want. If you have an excellent product that will serve people well, you will enjoy your work.

Ok

Saintsfan (sorry, go hawks) I'm really asking and a real person, not a troll, although I have lived under a bridge in hard times.
1950, I can't join the service, I've tried, but I smoked pot and got caught.
My whole time selling cars I never lied, and answered any questions, and no I didn't tell him he could get the car cheaper elsewhere, duh, I gotta live too.

On the off chance that this isn't a goof.....

there are very few timeshare deals that can be sold these days without completely selling your soul. The industry soiled its own nest years ago.

Find a new location with year round appeal, very little existing competition, and a quality developer.

Work there.

Otherwise, you will be doing your karma a great disservice.

It's a job and someone is going to fill it!!! I think asking a few simple Q's at the beginning and let the customer talk themselves into what they are looking for and what you can offer them (Know their hotspots be it Money, family time, exchanging, flexibility, same week each year etc). Listen very carefully and go from there. Some people are genuinely interested in buying retail (perhaps they dont know better) and others (most on TUG) know not to buy retail. Figure out the difference quickly and don't waist your or their time (Figure out how to find a good mark). You will both be better off for it.

Best of luck ( I guess....)

Sullco2 said:

Find a new location with year round appeal, very little existing competition, and a quality developer.

.

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I think I did that quote right.....
It is a great place, 95% occupancy year round, and I'd get my start talking to people that are already owners and try to upsell or talk to their friends.

IamDaner said:

Saintsfan (sorry, go hawks) I'm really asking and a real person, not a troll, although I have lived under a bridge in hard times.
1950, I can't join the service, I've tried, but I smoked pot and got caught.
My whole time selling cars I never lied, and answered any questions, and no I didn't tell him he could get the car cheaper elsewhere, duh, I gotta live too.

Click to expand...

Lying, in my experience (selling magizines by phone putting myself through college - Top 2 percent in the Time/Life marketing company for telephone sales) does not pay off. If you sold cars then you are aware of feature selling. What worked for me as one of those pesky telemarkers was to quickly identify what they like go through, at random, three or four guesses to line up their likes dislikes then feature sell to thier likes and dislikes. In other words, if they dislike the resort you are selling, avoid the negatives and go to the positives of the program or anything else they might be interested in.

They call timeshare sales people sales wessels around here, but have conceeded the sales wessels can read and draw pretty pictures (in my experience, they are not artists for a good reason). Sales can be a good living but a tough row to go down. Best of luck.

Try selling some of the hard core friends here on TUG for practice on being rejected and do not let it bother you. One regular poster here on TUG that is Silver VIP, from time to time indicates he might consider a retail purchase to get platinum. Maybe he will be your first cigar.

I agree, know your product and its features. Both the program and the resorts. Example: If selling a ski resort and the client talks of thier beach experience, feature sell the ability to use their points at great beach locations and be able to name them.

If you run into people that cite E-Bay or other on line forums and their low price, do not argue, do not get baited. Answer briefly with short responses and change the subject. If they will not change topics, there is no sale there and move on.

Since you say largest, would deduce Wyndham! Why would you want to work for a company with "F" BBB rating?

Why not sell condos, SFR, duplexes, commercial buildings, etc. , build a base of satisfied customers who provide referrals and you can sleep at night knowing you found someone the right home not dumped a life time burden on some poor soul who cannot afford.

Licensed real estate brokers hand out business cards as they have earned one's business and want referrals. I have never gotten a card from a TS sales weasel as they never want to see a victim(or potential) again and get butt kicked .

Statistics I have seen indicate most people only last around 7-8 months as they cannot stomach/master lying needed to succeed, get zapped by knowledgeable people like TUGGERS, etc. WWW has had ads for sales weasels since day of great flood!

Just don't spend those commissions until well after rescission as TUG is saving more souls/soles every week.

As with what was mentioned in another thread in the lounge, people are used to and want the easy money. Why bother to work hard.

^exactly, I'm lazy^
Seriously

IamDaner said:

^exactly, I'm lazy^
Seriously

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Then you have zero chance of success. I have many personal friends that make a fortune in sales. They have two traits in common. They are extremely hard workers (and not lazy), and they love selling.

You, my friend, will have a very short sales career. Even with something as deceptively shady as timeshare sales, you must be a very hard worker. You don't have the stamina or the stomach for it.

Saints fan

Please don't tell me what i am. I know what I am. I was a union steam fitter for 7 years, my back has given out and two surgeries later I cannot fullfil the job duties. I used to work 7/10s.
TS salesman work 4 on 2 on from 8am-3pm, therefore, easy hours and plenty of time for lazy, comparably lazy to welding pipe. I don't like people telling me what I am.

That is good practice at getting thicker skin, but I'm sure it irked you a bit! More practice and it will come...

Rant

Sorry bout that. I'm usually quite good at rejection, I've always been fat but always talked to them and asked them out with 0% success rate, but I see now it was just practice for my true calling, sales!

gnorth16 said:

That is good practice at getting thicker skin, but I'm sure it irked you a bit! More practice and it will come...

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Agreed. He has now passed the first sales test. Escort this prospective client to gifting, but forget to have them give the gift, I do not think the poster met the required minium amount of time.

IamDaner said:

I think I did that quote right.....
It is a great place, 95% occupancy year round, and I'd get my start talking to people that are already owners and try to upsell or talk to their friends.

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Worldmark, Depoe Bay which has high occupancy with educated owners who will go for the money and ignore your lies.

Definite troll.

what do you mean troll?

is there something im not getting here? it seems that everyone likes to use the word troll.
yes depoe bay, for some reason people like to freeze their asses off, get soaked in the rain, and watch grey whales (they post up here 10 months a year)
BTW
Thanks for all the replies, Im still going for it, Ill probably end up selling houses in the burbs of portland, oregon. its my home town, lived here all my life, 26 years. apparently this city is rapidly growing too.

IamDaner said:

is there something im not getting here? it seems that everyone likes to use the word troll.
yes depoe bay, for some reason people like to freeze their asses off, get soaked in the rain, and watch grey whales (they post up here 10 months a year)
BTW
Thanks for all the replies, Im still going for it, Ill probably end up selling houses in the burbs of portland, oregon. its my home town, lived here all my life, 26 years. apparently this city is rapidly growing too.

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A troll, as used by some people, is used as a personal insult. You did much better on your reply to your second potiential customer. When you get on the job, if you hear of any rumors on units destined to transfer to Club Wyndham Plus, please come back and tip us off.

By the way, this person is not ready for gifting yet, the poster can be sold by a great deal, check with the Sales Manager to see what can be done with a repro. It is refered to as a second effort.

ronparise said:

...And if anyone shows up here asking advice after signing a developer's contract, we suggest that they rescind, and explore the secondary market

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I suggest to OP that he/she rescind the employment contract with whichever scumbag developer (most likely Wyndham) he signed on with, and explore the secondary market for employment (a job that will keep him asleep at night).

ahhh

contract? i dont have a contract, I still got two weeks til my real estate exam. Im just doing research. I have no problem tipping yall off when I learn about stuff like that. I just wanna make some money, buy a few triplexes, rent em out, and live off $4K a month in rent $. Im not in it for the long haul, unless of course Im just incredible.
Just outta curiousity....
Do you enjoy your timeshares? in the long haul would you say youve saved money or not? or does it suck to be forced to go on vacation?

Im guessing your joining the Wyndham team. If you are then you could keep your eyes open and grab high demand weeks and week ends to make some side money. Keep every ones name and establish a clientele of friends ( renters) who you might turn into buyers. Invite instead of rent. Be a good host.


Bill

IamDaner said:

Just outta curiousity....
Do you enjoy your timeshares? in the long haul would you say youve saved money or not? or does it suck to be forced to go on vacation?

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We thoroughly enjoy our resort ownership. I make a point to study how to squeeze every penny of usefulness out of them. We have not saved any money though. My husband and I almost always travel off season. We own one week at a resort in Daytona Beach and every year we find rentals offered for a couple hundred dollars less than we pay in fees. That means we not just get less than we would renting, we are not recouping any of the value of our sunk money. Wyndham is better as our points go further when we travel off season, but we won't recoup our sunk money there before we die either.

Do come back and let us know how long your new job lasts. I wish you well.