Sharks Don’t Naturally Attack
Just as our snorkelling analogy suggests, naturally vicious shark attacks are as much a myth as naturally vicious salespeople at a timeshare sales centre. As seasoned divers will testify, most shark attacks occur under extraordinary circumstances where the victim is mistaken for the shark’s natural prey. Unpleasant experience from timeshare presentations is equally rare. Out of the million or so people who attend timeshare presentation each year, most return satisfied and without a horror story to tell. Many return with a full appreciation for the developer’s product offerings, and some even with that perfect vacation interval that they will enjoy for years to come.
Under what extraordinary circumstances, then, would our sharks be provoked to attack? To understand the situation, we must first spend some time exploring the reef, taking a look at how a timeshare sales organization works.
The Timeshare Sales Team
For three decades, the way timeshares are sold has changed very little. The timeshares sales food chain consists of many players including the OPC, the auditor, the front line salesperson and the Closer.
To end up at the timeshare sales centre, you are most likely approached by someone offering you a free gift or discounted attraction. These folks are called OPC (Off Premise Contact). Located at very high-traffic tourist area, their responsibility is to siphon as many qualified potentials through the timeshare sales centre as possible. The qualification is usually based on a targeted demographic profile (i.e. annual income, marital status, occupation, country/state of residence, etc.). OPCs generate a lot of flow-through traffic for the sales centre. Statistically, the more traffic they generate, the more interval sales the organization will make.
At the timeshare sales centre, you may be greeted by an auditor. The auditor re-qualifies you by asking about your annual income, marital status, occupation, etc. An auditor’s role is to ensure that the OPCs have done their job (and therefore entitled to their cut of the finder’s fee). Although relatively rare in North American locations, auditors are quite common in Latin American timeshare locations where the OPC integrity may be questionable. In North America, many front line salespersons also assume the responsibility of the auditor.
Your primary contact at the sales centre is the front line salesperson. He or she is the one who will be giving you the 90 minute presentation. Over an informal breakfast or lunch, the salesperson will present all the benefits and features of the product, answer all the questions you may have, resolve all your concerns and reservations, and hopefully convince you to sign a contract to purchase an interval. This is the single person who represents the face and voice of the developer and the resort. The salesperson will strive to build up rapport, show you that the product is exactly what you want, overcome all your objections, and close the sale all within a couple hours of time.
The Closer functions almost as an auditor for the line salesperson. Usually a more senior sales staff, the Closer will verify that the line salesperson has done his or her job, make sure you are satisfied with the presentation and that all your questions are answered. In the event that you decide to purchase, she/he will be handling the final negotiation and paperwork. As the name suggests, the Closer will typically also attempt to close the sale for one final time if you’re still undecided.
These are the customary visible players at a timeshare sales canter. The actual setup may vary slightly among resorts.
Snorkelling Among Hungry Sharks
A Timeshare Presentation Survival Guide
By Sing Li (part 2)
Life in Timeshare Utopia
When everything works perfectly, it is a beautiful system. The OPC pre-qualifies the sales lead (you). The frontline salesperson helps you to familiarize with the features and benefits of the product, and the closer performs the final price negotiation and closes the deal. In timeshare Utopia, every lead passing through the sales centre will end up to be a sale. Unfortunately, timeshare Utopia does not exist.
Problems in Paradise
In the real world, there are many common problems that can occur with the timeshare sales system described above. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. OPCs too eager to pass through leads and collect fees, passing through people who may not be properly qualified;
2. A sales and marketing organization that still believes in the old school method of sales (hard-sell) and runs the sales floor that way;
3. Frontline salespersons who do not know the product well, often acting defensively when questioned;
4. Unprofessional frontline salespersons;
5. Dishonest unqualified leads whose sole mission is to obtain the incentive.
It is these problems that contribute to our “shark attack” experiences. Ironically, out of the above five points, we can only control point 5. A developer with a long-term vision and desire to build a quality brand/reputation will have to control and prevent 1 through 4.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk