And that is what I am getting into in the next section of my post...
The REAL DEAL.
We (TS salesman) are TRAINED to extract every dollar possible on these presentations. It is down to an exact science, tried and tested and proven to work 20% of the time on average. We are TRAINED to extract a "Dominant Buying Motive" from every client, and ride that until the client gets frustrated and leaves, or purchases. This "training" is put into place upon getting hired, and is much like a high-pressure presentation in itself... Two weeks of intense training, where every day you can be fired for ONE comment to the negative aspect of buying/owning TS. ONE comment. We are TRAINED to pit wife against husband, playing on emotion the entire time. "Logic does not buy timeshare, Greed and Emotion do." That saying is a POSTER IN THE TRAINING ROOM OF THE RESORT THAT I WAS HIRED AT. That is why the TS industry offers free gifts. Because the SAME GREED that enticed you to take the presentation will ultimately sell you.
Here is a typical day at work (just to let you folks in on the darkside of the timeshare industry) - I will give you a rundown of what happens behind the scenes, and then I will tell you what I modified to keep my sanity and karma intact... Please feel free to distribute this information to those who plan on attending their first presentation...
1. Morning meeting (typically takes place 45 minutes before the first wave of tours)
The project director pumps everyone up by yelling "GOOD MORNING ______!!!!!!(fill in name of company)" Then he/she announces each representatives sales from the previous day to resounding applause. The representatives clap and yell praise, mainly because we all make 20%-25% commision on every sale. Thats a LOT of money. They then single out representatives who they feel "missed" deals. They reiterate the fact that each and every guest couple are MAKING A PACT AT THAT VERY MOMENT NOT TO BUY ANYTHING NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT SOUNDS, and that our job for the day is to turn those people around. They remind the sales staff of the monthly contest, and announce the leaders (last month my resort gave away a Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch with 15 diamond insets to first place. Second place recieved a Gold Crown RCI red week, round trip business class airfare for two, and $1000 spending money. Third place recieved $750.) This pumps everyone up and gets them ready for the presentation.
2. First wave
You take your presentation, hopefully resulting in a sale. If you do sell, you may go home. After all, the average sales price at my resort for a red week is $21,500. That's a $4,300 average commision for 3-4 hours work. Enough money to literally make you sick. If you do not sell, you are put into a "de-briefing" to see what you missed and to go over your personal numbers. If a sales rep takes 10 tours without making 2 sales he/she is put into a probationary status and can be let go. Talk about high pressure! You have no idea... As of late, I have had no problem keeping my job. A lot of the anger I see in your responses probably comes from the fact that TS salespeople make much more money than society's doctors, lawyers and the such. I understand your frustrations. Believe me, TS organizations are always hiring. Come on in and apply!!
To keep my sanity through all of this, I do not follow the "Steps of the TS Sale". I will lay these steps out to all of you as well, as this has now turned into a sort of confessional LOL. I modify the steps so I don't have to talk people into a sale, I let folks talk themselves into the sale. They simply buy what they "need". As far as I am concerned, I am not faulting them... There is nothing I love more than making a hefty commision on a snotty, arrogant lawyer or doctor who already owns too much timeshare. On the other hand, if I determine that my guests simply could not AFFORD or USE what I am selling, I
FLAT OUT TELL THEM WITHIN THE FIRST 15 MINUTES... This way, we can just sit there and talk about the weather, art, politics, etc., as opposed to trying to talk them into buying something outside of their comfort zone. The only occasional guilt that I feel is not talking about re-sale. But WHY SHOULD I??? After all, that guilt or anxiety is SQUASHED when I pick up a tour that is arrogant, and just there for the gifts after doing 4 other presentations within 2 days of a "family" vacation. Those people, dragging their kids and wives around to 4 different resorts to take advantage of free gifts. To me, those people are open game. Nature vs. nurture. That is the purpose of my original post. STOP DOING PRESENTATIONS. That way, you take yourself out of the loop.
Anyway, here are the "Steps of the TS Sale".
1 - Meet and Greet (designed to break down original sales defenses)
2 - Warm Up (essentially making friends with your guests, asking about kids, jobs, lesiure activities, vacation habits, hobbies, etc. - designed to further break down sales defense) This is also where we re-qualify our guests being that our requirements are married couples (US citizens), under 70 years old who make $75,000 or more per year. You would be surprised how many families LIE ABOUT THEIR INCOME in order to get some free Disney tickets. Now we are trained to GET RID OF THEM, or "NQ" them immediately WITHOUT GIFTS. But I feel as if sometimes these families really NEED the gifts in order to give their kids a vacation. Times are tough. So I NEVER "NQ" them. Instead, upon finding out they don't meet our requirements I sit and talk with them about nothing for the required time, and gift them just like a tour that said "no". I tell them right off the bat that I know why they came in, and that the next rep they sit in front of will surely kick them out. Hopefully they learn from the experience, but probably not. At least I can sleep at night.
3 - BREAK THE PACT
"John and Mary, we KNOW that you had a talk before coming in here, saying to each other WE WILL NOT BUY ANYTHING NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT SOUNDS. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and not rule anything out until you understand the concept of our program. Is that fair to ask?" We are required to get a handshake as commitment and NOT MOVE ON until the guests agree to keep an open mind". This is designed to break down the PACT that all of you made before you went on the presentation that you bought on. It obviously worked on all of you!!
4 - Intent Statement (basically telling your guests that they have to make a choice while they are there on your presentation. There is no "think about it". "At the end of the presentation I will ask your opinion. A simple yes or no. If you have to "think about it" then we have to file that in the "no" catagory, and you are not eligible to take a presentation with our company for 18 months." This is designed to create urgency and to better your chances of a sale. I COMPLETELY SKIP THIS. I believe that if the people I sit in front of really could use this program, then they will buy it today. Our managers make it SEEM like a very good deal without mentioning re-sale. Again, for a family that can't afford or use it, I don't even call a manager. But GOD HELP the arrogant rich guy. He's going to ultimately pay ME my $1,100 hourly wage. Well, actually not every time LOL. 39% of the time it works EVERY TIME...
5 - Discovery (asking questions and vacation habits. Most importantly HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE SPENDING RENTING HOTEL ROOMS - this figure is used against the clients in the next section)
6 - Rent VS Own (comparing what the client will potentially spend over the course of their lives (and childrens lives) RENTING hotel/resorts. Usually if the client is used to spending $150 - $200 per night on hotel accomodations for 2-3 weeks of vacation per year, then they are spending $2,100 - $2,800 annually on JUST THEIR ACCOMODATIONS. Over ten years they will spend $21,000 - $28,000 BEFORE INFLATION and that does not include activites or FOOD while vacationing. Obviously most folks are at the age where they have 20 to 30 years of vacationing left. With an average inflation rate of 5% annually, compounded over 20 - 30 years, the costs of RENTING ACCOMODATIONS is staggering. Thus the logic of ownership.
I usually don't spend much time on this, as seasoned TS vets know exactly what I am doing with those numbers. Remember, you are going to say "no" no matter what, right?
7 - Property Tour (it sells itself. Pro golf course. Beach front units. Brand new appliances. Water park for kids. Jet skis. Grocery store. Amen.)
8 - Money. we are trained to call a manager over to go over the costs. At that point it is crystal clear whether or not they have any interest. At the end of each step above, we ask "trial close" questions in order to keep the client saying "yes". If they say "no" to a trial close, then we do not move on, even if it means gifting them and getting them out of there.
I do not use trial closes. It is too mechanical. Again, people that have been on these things KNOW why I'm asking. If the product is good, the property blows them away, and the cost is affordable, then the client's GREED will do the work for me. The same greed that brought them in there in the first place.
So there you have it. The inside scoop. Yes, the inital sales part of the TS industry is designed to get as much out of your pocket as possible without letting you in on the wonders of the re-sale world. But YOU have the choice to SAY NO, or DON'T TAKE THE PRESENTATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. If you are upset that you bought on your first visit, you SHOULD BE. You are upset at yourself for not doing research and being an EMOTIONAL BUYER. If you have trouble saying "no" then DON'T GO. But don't get MAD at TS salespeople. JUST SAY NO.