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Timeshare Salesmen Compensation

Dave, I hope you're wrong. I really want to do something really different than teaching, been there, done that, too long. I want a job where I can come home and be done with it and I want to work with adults and have more flexibility so that we can be semi-retired. Whether time share sales is that or not, I won't know till I give it a try. I have a friend whose 27 year old son is just booking the presentations for Hilton and making a fair amount doing that part time, so I suppose that would be another possibility. I think the tourism thing appeals to me as it is so different than teaching. At one point I was a waitress and I liked that at the time because I was actually working with people who were having a good time and friendly. So, we'll see. Yes, Hilton does give the additional time for a 10 day rescission period.
Liz
 
The only reason I mentioned teaching was because you mentioned it as a possibility in an earlier post. I'm sure there's plenty of things you can do on the islands.

-David
 
I wonder how much the people who recruit prospects for TS presentations (referred to somewhere on here as "body snatchers") get per person that shows up for a presentation. We signed up for a Marriott Timber Lodge presentation with a lady in a booth at Harvey's casino in Tahoe and I got the impression that she got paid so much for each person she signed up who showed up for the presentation and might have been docked if you signed up with her but didn't show up. At least she told us she would be docked if we didn't show up without calling first, but I don't believe anything any person associated with TS sales or promotions tell me unless I see documentation supporting it. I assumed she was on straight commission also but got a flat amount per body she produced.
 
Headhunter Guesswork.

Robert D said:
I wonder how much the people who recruit prospects for TS presentations (referred to somewhere on here as "body snatchers") get per person that shows up for a presentation.
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I got to wondering about that, too. My current guess is that the cash deposit the headhunters collect to make sure I actually show up for the tour they sign me up for -- typically $20 -- is theirs to keep, & that's all they get for signing me up. (The $20 I get back after completing the tour comes from the timeshare company.) Those guys are the independent headhunters who offer tours at a number of different timeshares, not just 1.

The exception, I think, must the proprietary headhunters who sign me up for a freebies tour without taking a cash deposit. Those headhunters offer tours at 1 timeshare only, & so I'm guessing they must be on that particular timeshare company's payroll.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
It can vary. Some body snatchers are paid a flat commisson and others are paid a combination of commissiom and % on spiffs.

The body snatchers in Mexico are the most aggessive and can be very secertive and some will tell you on how to pay the game.

Bruce :D

Robert D said:
I wonder how much the people who recruit prospects for TS presentations (referred to somewhere on here as "body snatchers") get per person that shows up for a presentation. We signed up for a Marriott Timber Lodge presentation with a lady in a booth at Harvey's casino in Tahoe and I got the impression that she got paid so much for each person she signed up who showed up for the presentation and might have been docked if you signed up with her but didn't show up. At least she told us she would be docked if we didn't show up without calling first, but I don't believe anything any person associated with TS sales or promotions tell me unless I see documentation supporting it. I assumed she was on straight commission also but got a flat amount per body she produced.
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Alan, in both Branson and Puerto Vallarta some of the body snatchers waived fees of $40 but gave us credit for them and offered book up to 3 differant tours to 3 differant resorts.

The bottom range may be $20 but some appear to be up to $100 US and maybe even more especially in Puerto Vallarta.

The reason why I say $100 and up is if you get two body snatchers from 2 differant companies trying to get you to go the the same resort they will get into a bidding war.

The major body snatchering groups know each other very well and who does body snatching for which resort.

We did not tour the Mayan Place this time but were offered $300 US from one body snatcher. Then a second body snatchers offered the same $300 Us but when we told him what the first one offered and that body snatcher's first name the second body snatcher said that he knew the name and raised his offer to tour up to $350 US. We told him that we were leaving the next day but we would maybe check with him the next time we were in PV.

Bruce :D

AwayWeGo said:
I got to wondering about that, too. My current guess is that the cash deposit the headhunters collect to make sure I actually show up for the tour they sign me up for -- typically $20 -- is theirs to keep, & that's all they get for signing me up. (The $20 I get back after completing the tour comes from the timeshare company.) Those guys are the independent headhunters who offer tours at a number of different timeshares, not just 1.

The exception, I think, must the proprietary headhunters who sign me up for a freebies tour without taking a cash deposit. Those headhunters offer tours at 1 timeshare only, & so I'm guessing they must be on that particular timeshare company's payroll.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
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My friend's son who works for HGVC at Waikoloa gets $75 for each tour booked, plus 1% of all sales that result from his bookings. The first month he worked he got 1% of $100,000 in sales, plus about $200 average per day for working a few hours a day.
Liz
 
Liz, you may want to read this thread, regarding HGVC turning up the sales heat at it's Vegas location.

Many of us have been surprised at the new "hard sell" at Hilton.
 
When we were on Kauai last year, one of the headhunters for Wyndham told us that the jobs in TS sales were one of the most coveted on Kauai with it's limited economy.

Marty
 
I have been reading that thread, Rick. If I have an interest in selling for the company, I figure the more I know about what is going on, the better prepared I am. Like all dreams and plans, I'll just have to keep moving in that direction and that move gets me to Hawaii and then hope I can be successful while being the kind of salesperson I appreciate dealing with myself.
Liz
 
I just returned from Cancun. The typical Cancun "Body Snatcher" gets $200.00 per body. But out of that $200.00, the resort deducts the amount the “Body Snatcher” promised to pay the tourist. Most "Body Snatchers" will go to $150.00 without much hassle. I got one up to $180.00 by telling him that $20.00 was better than nothing. I didn't go to any presentations.

I also found out that the typical resort will only take bodies between 30 to 70 years old.
 
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Liz Wolf-Spada said:
I have been reading that thread, Rick. If I have an interest in selling for the company, I figure the more I know about what is going on, the better prepared I am. Like all dreams and plans, I'll just have to keep moving in that direction and that move gets me to Hawaii and then hope I can be successful while being the kind of salesperson I appreciate dealing with myself.
Liz
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I think it's good that you make yourself aware of all the good, the bad and the ugly.

I agree it may be kind of fun to be a TS sales rep, but I know that sales is not the easy profession it appears to be.
 
Yea, I know. I'll have to get used to lots of rejections and remember not to take it personally. The way I look at it is that people are buying from Hilton daily and most seem happy with the product. I like people and I love Hawaii and timesharing, so, when it works I'll be making people happy with their vacation plans and earning money at the same time.
Liz
 
The Wyndham body snatchers at the St. Thomas Airport get $100 for each prospect they sign up who takes a tour.
 
Liz Wolf-Spada said:
I have been reading that thread, Rick. If I have an interest in selling for the company, I figure the more I know about what is going on, the better prepared I am. Like all dreams and plans, I'll just have to keep moving in that direction and that move gets me to Hawaii and then hope I can be successful while being the kind of salesperson I appreciate dealing with myself.
Liz
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That's admirable. But just remember, the kind of salesperson you appreciate dealing with is the one that doesn't try very hard to sell you something! :rofl:
 
At my Wyndham resort, "body snatchers," or as they're called officially, "marketers," made $5 per group that signed up for a tour.

But they also made talking to the marketers a mandatory part of the check-in process, so they got to pitch every guest that came to the resort.

They accomplished this by giving the parking permits to the marketers.

"Welcome to Wyndham. Now you'll need a parking permit, which you can get at that desk right over there!"
 
FormerSalesman said:
But they also made talking to the marketers a mandatory part of the check-in process, so they got to pitch every guest that came to the resort.

They accomplished this by giving the parking permits to the marketers.

"Welcome to Wyndham. Now you'll need a parking permit, which you can get at that desk right over there!"
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And the most annoying part about THAT is that they have the nerve to call the "marketers" the "concierge."
As in, "If you'll step over to the concierge, they will issue your parking permit." And when I tell the concierge, "I'm not interested in purchasing," they have the nerve to act offended and say, "but I told you it is just an update!"

The routine never changes.
 
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sstamm said:
And the most annoying part about THAT is that they have the nerve to call the "marketers" the "concierge."
As in, "If you'll step over to the concierge, they will issue your parking permit." And when I tell the concierge, "I'm not interested in purchasing," they have the nerve to act offended and say, "but I told you it is just an update!"

The routine never changes.
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Oh, every once in a while they'll come up with some new crap.

Remember, you don't need a parking permit. They don't patrol the lots. The permit itself was made as a sales pitch draw. JUST SAY NO! I advised many guests of this. Who would park at the property illicitly? I don't know about others, but mine was nowhere near any kind of attraction, let alone one that charged for parking. Why doesn't the permit have any kind of ID number on it to validate it? You can just write in the check-out date! Again, THEY DON'T PATROL THE LOTS!
 
Body snatched on my honeymoon!

In 1998 my wife and I said our vows and headed out from Ft. Lauderdale on a one week cruise.We arrived in Playa del Carmen and headed for the beach. Before we got our feet in the sand, we found ourselves in a pleasent conversation with a young man from Brazil. My wife and I looked at each other, and shrugged our shoulders and said okay to his invitation to tour the resort (since we had no big plans but to hang out.) We were taken by cab through a rough looking part of town, and out of nowhere appears the resort. It was nice, but we must of done a heck of a job convincing the sales manager that we were basically broke and could not afford $20K on their lovely resort. After realizing we weren't going to be squeezed for much, he reminded us to spend a few hours enjoying the pool and the beach before we left. We had a nice time in the pool, and the scenery was spectacular. We got our gift, were given a taxi ride back, and finished the afternoon drinking beer at Senor Frogs with an absolutely stunning view of the ocean. Oh, the chips and salsa we pretty darn good too!:banana:
 
I just skip the whole permit process. I always assumed that at most resorts, it simply didn't matter. There are a handful where wyndham guests park in pay lots, and another few with security entrances---there it is more convenient to have a permit, but otherwise...who cares?
 
I was in Vegas earlier this week and stayed at Planet Hollywood. There was a desk at the edge of the casino marked "guest services" and I stopped by there to inquire about a magic show. To my surprise, it was a body snatcher station for Westgate Timeshares at Planet Hollywood. Once I realized what it was, I told the guy who started pitching me on getting a free show, "You're a body snatcher, aren't you?". He kind of chuckled and said "yes". I said I bet you get $100 for each body you deliver to a presentation and he said he didn't get anywhere near that. After talking to him a little, he said he got $35 per body he produced which seems realistic to me, given that he's stationed in the casino in a prime area where it wouldn't be as hard to snatch bodies. However, I have to say I really don't believe much of anything anyone in the TS industry tells me, but I think this guy was telling the truth.
 
I agree iwth the concept expressed by Robert. The compensation is a function of the ease of snatching. At a resort with a mandatory stop "concierge desk/parking pass desk" I would expect smaller compensation.

At the St. Thomas Airport, I would expect much more $ as it is tough to snag people worried about collecting their luggage and getting transport to their resorts. And it's largely the only place to nail them. You never encounter wandering body snatchers in the downtown shopping area like in Mexico for example. Used to be more during the 80's/90's but has largely been stopped by the merchants/government.

So if you think you would be a good snatcher, choose a local where they are less prominant and you may do well.

Good luck to your soul too!
 
FormerSalesman said:
Oh, every once in a while they'll come up with some new crap.

Remember, you don't need a parking permit. They don't patrol the lots. The permit itself was made as a sales pitch draw. JUST SAY NO! I advised many guests of this. Who would park at the property illicitly? I don't know about others, but mine was nowhere near any kind of attraction, let alone one that charged for parking. Why doesn't the permit have any kind of ID number on it to validate it? You can just write in the check-out date! Again, THEY DON'T PATROL THE LOTS!
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Not so - at least not universally. We were twice reminded about "no parking permit" while staying at the SVC Paniolo Greens on the Big Island this past September. They left a preprinted "letter" on our windshield to remind us of the need to put the parking permit up at night . . . and that if we weren't registered guests we had to come see them in the morning for a parking permit.
 
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