Have you ever attended a timeshare presentation? To be honest, I love them. I love sales presentations. Even before I owned one I had been to quite a few. They can be quite informative and of course you get the free gifts and sometimes even a fancy brunch and nice snacks. However, for others, it can also be a traumatic experience depending on the style of presentation. Because at some point you are sitting in front of a salesperson who is pitching the sale to you.
What exactly is a timeshare presentation?
It is no more than a sales presentation. It is usually dressed up a bit with some nice snacks or brunch, a possible video on the merits of vacationing and owning a timeshare, and it usually is accompanied by a nice gift for your time. Following the presentation is a one-on-one meeting with a sales person who will now pitch the timeshare to you. Just like life, some people are pleasant, some are nasty. So you may have a nice pleasant experience, or a horrible experience.
I have probably been in six presentations personally. I believe we purchased one on the fifth. And I do not regret making that purchase at all. In fact I am very happy we did. I am saying that because I want to set the context of these survival tips.
1) Be rational
Any sale which is made on emotion has a higher likelihood of buyer’s remorse. A rational decision can be explained that it was a good idea at the time and in that circumstance. An emotional decision is one that may not have been made otherwise which could lead to bitter feelings. So be careful of how you are feeling during the sales meeting. Rationally, you want to know what you are getting, know what it will cost you, so you can decide if it is the right decision for you. Ask rational questions about cost and about what you are getting. Once you decide “no”, make sure it is a business decision that just doesn’t make sense. In this way you do not have to harbor ill feelings. You can justifiably say “no”. Responses could simply be “Okay, I understand. I can see we are not going to make use of this so it’s not in our interest to spend money on it.” A popular sales response is “Well, how much can you afford?”. You can be realistic and say that if the price were low enough you’d consider it, but if you don’t think you will ever use it, a fine answer is that as you will never use it, there is no reason to spend any amount of money on it. Realize that for your gift you agreed to give them their time so you will get more attempts at sales. So be polite and thank them for your gift.
2) Be confident and steadfast.
If they start to sense you are wavering, they will keep you their longer and things may get more uncomfortable. Our third timeshare presentation we went to we already knew we were not going to buy. We honestly had no intention of buying and just wanted the $75 gift cards for a 60 minute presentation. I know that many people probably go in thinking this way and salespeople can “break that resistance down”. Be steadfast. When it came to the one-on-one sales, we were honest with the salesperson saying that we had no intention of buying. He still gave us his spiel but as we remained steadfast he could see that any time spent on us was wasted time and quickly got us our gift cards.
3) Be objective and have an open mind.
Do not go in with resistance. Have an open mind. Because maybe a timeshare purchase is the right thing for you, but having a closed mind already will be frustrating to you when the salesperson makes their pitch, and it will be frustrating to the salesperson as well because he will feel he did not even get a chance to make a pitch. Prepare for your presentation and go in knowing what you are looking for.
For the timeshare purchase we made in Hawaii, my wife and I had beforehand sat down and discussed owning a timeshare. We realized that we love Hawaii, could see ourselves traveling at least every other year to Hawaii, and from that point we just had to find out if it made financial sense. So we kept an open mind and after finding the costs fit in with what we wanted, we made the purchase.
The presentation which I mentioned we went to a few years ago we also went in with an open mind. In our discussion prior to going we knew that the probability of us wanting a timeshare was really low, but we went in with an open mind just to make sure. Sure enough, it did not fit into our plan at the time. Had we gone in with a closed mind, not only would it have been more anxiety, but if we made that a habit then the few years later we would have not had the open mind to buy the Hawaii timeshare which we do currently love.
Keeping an open mind will help everyone be at ease, and help you make the decision rationally and logically. Don’t worry, it’s okay to be undecided with an open mind because eventually there will be a point in the sales presentation where you will have enough facts to make your decision of “Yes, it fits in with what we want”, or “No, not at this time”. Having this open minded logical decision will help you remain steadfast and confident particularly when the decision is “No” and more sales tactics are thrown at you.
In conclusion, keep in mind that just like when you buy a car, some sales meetings are comfortable and can be quite fun while others are downright intimidating. Do not let a bad sales meeting influence your thought of what a timeshare is. Just because you have a bad sales experience with cars does not mean cars are bad. Cars are good for those who can use them. Timeshare ownership is the same. Just keep those three tips in mind: Be rational, be confident, and be open minded. You will find the timeshare presentation less daunting and you may even find that it benefits your life to buy a timeshare.
Looking to find hints on how to sell timeshare, then visit Emil’s site full of tips and advice related to all things a timeshare and more.