Timeshare sales psychological tricks [2008]

[Robert A Booey]

I have researched the subject here and elsewhere and also psychological studies on the subject of influence.

Reciprocity: Most humans are wired to reciprocate when receiving a favor. Timeshare sales use this with the freebies.

Herd mentality: All the popping corks I have read about as people at other tables supposedly sign up. I highly suspect some of those other people are employees and not actually purchasers.

Scarcity: Standard sales tactic. "Won't last at this price," or "buy now before this development is sold out."

Emotional appeals: Work on the family member angle. "Don't your kids deserve a good vacation?" Work the person's desire to be a big-shot: "If you want a motel 6 vacation, stay at Motel 6. With the kind of money you make (if you foolishly disclosed your income) you can afford something more up-scale can't you?". If it's a couple, work one against the other. The salesman can talk about how a friend just bought one for his girlfriend.

Sophistry: Smoke and mirrors and a lot of numbers get thrown around. How many people want to admit they are having trouble following along? "Maybe this isn't for you if you can't see the value here."

 

[ace2000]

I enjoyed reading this one! Great post!

 

[Patri]

For someone who just came on board last week knowing nothing about timeshares, you sure know a lot about timeshares.

 

[Robert A Booey]

Yes, I have taken a crash course on the subject after someone I know lost a fortune on them. I am gathering information to help this person understand what happened to him, and to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

 

[jdb0822]

yes, all that is true, hence, why most here stress not to buy from the developer.

Timeshare itself is decent idea, simply put, you get alot for cheap money (annually, if you buy resale).

Like anything, there is always pro's and cons to everything. Some choose Motel 6, some the Hilton, some a Comfort Inn, some a timeshare condo. Everyone has their reasons.

I think timesares would be better if the entire sales tactic was overhauled. Timeshares themselves only get a bad rap because of the crappy sales tactics and the inflated prices.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Just Because A Timeshare Seller Says It Doesn't Mean It's Baloney.

All the popping corks I have read about as people at other tables supposedly sign up. I highly suspect some of those other people are employees and not actually purchasers.

Ya think ?

Shux, I won't even watch the Vanna White show on TV because all the studio participants are forced to clap while the dumb wheel is spinning. Letting the game show contestants just stand there instead of making'm clap like bigtime doofuses would improve the show greatly.

Same thing for full-freight timeshare salesrooms -- forget the balloons & the corks & the hoopla. Those PA announcements -- Attention KMart Shoppers -- Unit 494 Has Just Been Sold -- Please Remove Unit 494 From Your Inventory Sheets -- Thank You -- might work just a bit better, I don't know.

I enjoy those timeshare seller gags as much as the next person, maybe more. You know -- If Their Lips Are Moving They're Lying. ( Yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk. )

But part of the sales spiel is informative.

Feeding the kids Winn-Dixie breakfast in a timeshare kitchen all week saves hundreds compared with taking the whole bunch to McDonald's & Denny's every day. Add a couple of timeshare kitchen lunches & a few timeshare kitchen suppers for the whole family & you're talking real money.

It's possible to trade your timeshare week for somebody else's timeshare week.

Etc.

Even so, the vibe that unfailingly comes through from the timeshare sellers without exception is You Have The Money -- We Want The Money -- You Give The Money To Us.

So how about it, Mr. Booey? You've absorbed lots & lots of timeshare information in a short time, going from 0 to 60 in close to record time. Based on all you've learned, don't you think the Timeshare Biz is ripe for a new business model -- based on Wal*Mart for developer sales & CarMax for resales ?

What do you say ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[jdb0822]

Ya think ?

Those PA announcements -- Attention KMart Shoppers -- Unit 494 Has Just Been Sold -- Please Remove Unit 494 From Your Inventory Sheets -- Thank You -- might work just a bit better, I don't know.

You forgot the part of your salesmen going through his "inventory sheets" and crossing off the ficticious unit. Or the part where they expect us all to applaud this event.

What they should do is announce someone bought from the developer, ask us to bow our heads, and then they play taps.

 

[CMF]

If I can keep a straight face, I'll tell the next sales person that tries to pin me that jedi mind tricks only work on the weak minded.

Charles

 

[ace2000]

I have researched the subject here and elsewhere and also psychological studies on the subject of influence.

Reciprocity: Most humans are wired to reciprocate when receiving a favor. Timeshare sales use this with the freebies.

Herd mentality: All the popping corks I have read about as people at other tables supposedly sign up. I highly suspect some of those other people are employees and not actually purchasers.

Scarcity: Standard sales tactic. "Won't last at this price," or "buy now before this development is sold out."

Emotional appeals: Work on the family member angle. "Don't your kids deserve a good vacation?" Work the person's desire to be a big-shot: "If you want a motel 6 vacation, stay at Motel 6. With the kind of money you make (if you foolishly disclosed your income) you can afford something more up-scale can't you?". If it's a couple, work one against the other. The salesman can talk about how a friend just bought one for his girlfriend.

Sophistry: Smoke and mirrors and a lot of numbers get thrown around. How many people want to admit they are having trouble following along? "Maybe this isn't for you if you can't see the value here."

I've got one to add to your list:

Substitution: Seeing pictures and videos of people having such a wonderful time at resort 'fill in your resort name here' . And have the customer think to themselves... "THAT COULD BE ME!!!!!"

Buying a timeshare (as well as a new car) is a very emotional decision, and the timeshare salesmen know how to play those emotions!

 

[jdb0822]

don't forget ...

Artistry - When they draw on a scrap piece of paper the floorplan of a typical hotel room to illustrate how much more you are getting with a TS. (never seen a TS salesmen not do this!)

 

[ace2000]

Misrepresentation: making a statement that is based on fact, but leaving out some important little detail.

 

[derb]

You know we rap these TS salespeople around pretty good but where would our resale bargains come from if not for them. It could be using these tactics are the only way to sell TS's. Which of us would have ever bought our first TS without being influenced (not sold) by these presentations.

I am not defending them, I was a salemen/manager most of my life and could never decieve like they do. Its almost like they are a necessary evil.

 

[Cathyb]

Been in timesharing since late 1980s but sitting on a sales presentation recently for the company that took over Sunterra Maui property (having senior moment on name) was the most confusing explanations of how their system works that we have every had.

It is the company that is trying to buy Bluegreen -- and the name just won't come to me

Diamond Resorts -- I just remembered it!!!!

 

[vacationhopeful]

Funny, high pitched voices - to sound like they are so happy, excited for this great opportunity for them to get all your money.

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Diamond Timeshare Company, Ltd., Inc.

It is the company that is trying to buy Bluegreen -- and the name just won't come to me

They changed the name of Club SunTerra to T.H.E. Club. Now people are trying to figure out whether & how Diamond will integrate the BlueGreen timeshare system into T.H.E. Club.

If you were a BlueGreen timeshare owner, which would you prefer -- getting a break on your ever-increasing timeshare fees ? Or seeing a bunch of shiny, new Diamond Resort signs installed at your timeshare where the old BlueGreen signs used to be ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

All-New Business Model Is Badly Needed.

You know we rap these TS salespeople around pretty good but where would our resale bargains come from if not for them. It could be using these tactics are the only way to sell TS's. Which of us would have ever bought our first TS without being influenced (not sold) by these presentations.

I am not defending them, I was a salemen/manager most of my life and could never decieve like they do. Its almost like they are a necessary evil.

A new timeshare business model -- based on Wal*Mart for "new" timeshares & based on CarMax for "used" timeshares -- could drastically cut the need for all that shuck & jive the timeshare sellers sling today.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[calgarygary]

Yes, I have taken a crash course on the subject after someone I know lost a fortune on them. I am gathering information to help this person understand what happened to him, and to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

What has happened has happened. I would try to gather information so that your friend can make the most of his situation - either through maximizing his use of the timeshares he purchased or renting or disposing of them.

 

[Talent312]

If I can keep a straight face, I'll tell the next sales person that tries to pin me that,
"Jedi mind tricks only work on the weak minded."

The line that I'd like to try: "You must be drunk or on drugs."

 

[janapur]

How about Empathy: When they show you photos of their family.

That's a running joke for my husband and I . . . betting how long before the salesperson brings out their family photos.

 

[applegirl]

The line that I'd like to try: "You must be drunk or on drugs."

:rofl: :hysterical:

I'd like to try this one too, if I could keep from laughing.

I have a question for Booey, though. What is your point? I don't truly understand why you are posting here. Do you really intend to help your friend (how, I'm not sure since he already has bought and can't undo his mistake), or is it something else?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Yeah. What Is That Guy Up To, Anyway ?

I have a question for Booey, though. What is your point? I don't truly understand why you are posting here. Do you really intend to help your friend (how, I'm not sure since he already has bought and can't undo his mistake), or is it something else?

You don't suppose Mr. Booey is a Timeshare Seller in disguise, do you ?

You know, probing the soft underbelly of the TUG crowd, looking for weak spots as a way of devising countermeasures to counteract our countermeasures ?

That's just so crazy -- could it possibly be true ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[janapur]

:rofl: :hysterical:

I'd like to try this one too, if I could keep from laughing.

Oh you should go to these presentations with my husband. It is so hard for me to keep from laughing. A couple of examples to try:

When they ask how much you would be willing to spend, tell them the truth. When they tell you you're nuts for saying $500, just show them the ebay ad. One salesperson asked my husband which unit we'd be more interested in (meaning 1 or 2BR) and my husband said "we'll take one of these" showing the ebay ad.

And you know how they send in multiple closers trying to sell you smaller and smaller deals? By the time they dwindled down to the one-time weekend stay (after numerous larger offers) my husband said "what next, are you going to try to sell me this coffee mug I'm drinking out of?"



Jana

 

[Kona Lovers]

How about Empathy: When they show you photos of their family.

That's a running joke for my husband and I . . . betting how long before the salesperson brings out their family photos.

This happened at the last presentation we attended. The lady gave us the line that she was divorced and determined to give her sons the greatest vacations ever! Now after remarrying and inheriting new kids, she bragged that she always gets the kids to come with her every Christmas to Cabo San Lucas with her timeshare, instead of visiting their poor natural mother stuck at home for the holidays. I wanted to throw up.

Marty

 

[billymach4]

You don't suppose Mr. Booey is a Timeshare Seller in disguise, do you ?

You know, probing the soft underbelly of the TUG crowd, looking for weak spots as a way of devising countermeasures to counteract our countermeasures ?

That's just so crazy -- could it possibly be true ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I think maybe Bobabooey is the friend that got snuckered into buying from the developer?

 

[vacationhopeful]

You think his "friend" might join Tug soon?:whoopie: