Time Share Tours
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- For information about Timeshares, see Timeshare.
A vacation timeshare tour is a form of advertising used by many timeshare resorts to encourage individuals to consider purchasing a timeshare ownsership or vacation club membership interest. Most timeshare tours consist of an approximately 90-minute sales presentation of a timeshare resort or sales center, guided by a salesperson, an offer of some sort of snack or meal, and ending with one or more salespeople (and often the sales manager) encouraging and even pressuring for a purchase. The company sending the guest to the timeshare resort normally receives some sort of referral fee, which has resulted in a large industry of companies that offer timeshare tours as an incentive.
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[edit] Prerequisites
In order to go on a timeshare tour, each timeshare resort has a different set of qualifications. All touring guests must usually be over the age of 25, have a combined minimum annual income of 40,000 to 50,000, and must often be citizens of the country where the resort is located. Timeshare companies decide which countries they will accept guests from. If married or cohabiting as a couple, both spouses or partners must attend. Singles are qualified differently. Men must usually be married, while women can often get away with being single (and sometimes they even lower the minimum income requirement). This is because it is perceived that it is easier to sell the timeshare to a woman than it is to a man. Each resort only usually allows one tour per year.
[edit] Benefits
Normally a timeshare tour is thrown in as either a bonus or a requirement for purchasing some product from a company, often one that is travel related. Telephone surveys, vacuum cleaner salespeople, and more, offer incentives to customers who are willing to listen to them such as a "3 day/ 2 night stay" in Las Vegas, San Francisco, or other popular vacation destinations. These incentives are, in reality, a commitment to take a timeshare tour.
Travel companies leverage their existing contracts with timeshare resorts to offer more competitive vacation deals, such as free hotel stay, show tickets, etc... These will usually be offered in the form of a "$99 dollar vacation package", which will involve a several night stay, tickets, etc with the requirement that the traveler qualify for and take the timeshare tour.
[edit] Mechanics of timeshare tours
[edit] Booking a tour
Most guests take sales presentations as a result of either being booked for an appointment by a representative in the area of the resort, or as a result of direct mail, call center contact or internet response. Many offer "off-site presentations" to preview ownership in a sales gallery in the prospect's home town, while some offer "preview getaways" or minivacation packages to preview the resort. Credible timeshare companies and marketing vendors hired by timeshare companies provide accurate and complete disclosure of all terms, conditions and costs of a timeshare tour. This includes any a sales presentation or tour that is required. Sales presentations are usually listed as 90 minutes to two hours based on interest.
[edit] Length of time
Most tours are pitched as being very brief, but in reality the time taken depends on several factors:
- How quick the salesperson is at their presentation
- How many questions the prospects ask the salesperson during the presentation
- How quickly the prospects answer the salesperson's probing questions during the presentation
- How evasive the prospects are on their answers to probing questions
- How long negotiations take at the end of the tour (normally not included in the tour time estimate)
On timeshare tours, always bear in mind that many of the questions that the salesperson will ask only have one reasonable answer (e.g., "Which would you rather have for the same money, your little hotel room, or this big suite?"); if the prospect fails to give it, the salesperson generally responds in one of a few ways:
- If he is new or poor at his job, he may get flustered and take longer with the presentation
- If he is very experienced, and a good salesman, he will realize that the prospect is being evasive and either:
- Rush the tour to get on to another customer
- Understand that the prospects are not saying what they believe, and move on, with the expectation that he can get them to want the timeshare anyhow
- Try to get the prospects to be sincere in their answers by connecting with their values, family, pride, etc.
- If he is very experienced and jaded he will recognize that the prospects are being evasive and take offense at their dishonesty. At this point he may:
- Rush the tour because it is annoying him
- Stretch the tour out and make the prospects suffer before allowing them to collect your incentive
- Go on autopilot and simply go through the rest of the tour at a normal pace, assuming that the prospects probably will not purchase
The important thing for the prospects to remember is that just because they agree that vacation is good, timeshare is good, and that particular resort is good, they do not have to buy at the end of the tour. The prospects' best chance for a speedy tour is to be sincere in their answers, and just be unable to buy when it comes to the negotiation. No matter what any salesperson may say, if the payments being offered will put the prospect's family into a financial bind, the purchase should not be contemplated.
[edit] Getting the incentive (or not)
Tours are usually required in order to receive the promotion/incentive and are not optional. Most minivacation promotions involving timeshare tours have cancellation and/or reschedule fees based on the how far in advance cancellation or reschedule is requested. Cancellation with refund is usually only allowed for a short period of time after the package is purchased. The amount of time is regulated by the state or country where the purchasor lives. Most companies offering these packages have some reschedule provisions if the traveler requests the change with ample advance notice.
[edit] Taking the tour
A typical timeshare presentation will include an introduction to a one-on-one sales representative, an explanation of what to expect during the tour and a conversation about the guest's current vacation lifestyle before the salesperson begins to describe the product and the offer. The representative will describe the type of product their resort or company offers, the uses and rights of ownership and any fees associated with those rights. Some galleries have a podium presentation and/or require the preview of a video or film. The sales person will escort the guests to a typical or model unit and show off the amenities of the resort and the accommodations. Assuming that the guest sees something that they like and could use, the salesperson will discuss pricing, terms and any incentives available for immediate purchase.
[edit] Pros and cons of timeshare tours
Timesharing is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry[citation needed]. Travelers can investigate a company's product by taking advantage of a promotional getaway or previewing the product in a showroom. Another aspect of timeshare tours is that the salespeople who run these operations are generally very good and some consider them manipulative. The three most basic criteria to use to determine if a timeshare is for you are:
- Do you like the resort and the program
- Do you have a use for it - would you enjoy it if you owned it
- Can you fit it comfortably in your budget?
Timeshares are not investments for profit and should be viewed as an enjoyable leisure purchase as compared to current vacations and vacation costs.
Many timeshare salespeople look at those who simply play along and then say no at the end for no good reason as unethical, and have given them the nickname "PTTs", professional tour takers. Experienced salespeople often recognize PTTs fairly quickly, and tend to react to them largely the same way that they react to evasive customers (see Length of Time above).
