With Regards: Archives ~
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With Regards: Archives ~ |
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"This is a fantasy, a pure fantasy. It is a story about...". These words are the beginning of a Neil Diamond song Morning Side. You come full awake in the morning with the vision or a longing still stirring in the far reaches of your mind. Was it a dream of something lost or the illusion of a relationship taken to the next level? The traces of reflections so personal, so intimate, that the thought of sharing them with another is almost unthinkable, yet the essence is just that, sharing something exotic, something tantalizing! When thinking, speaking, or (in this instance) writing about fantasies, many will automatically assume that the subject must be sensual in nature. Why is that? Is it because most of our own fantasies are oriented toward the achievement of a relationship reality beyond our wildest asspirations? It has been my experience that fantasies are all about exceeding self imposed limits. An ardent desire to realize that which our self-esteem tells us is beyond our grasp or the yearning for a status well above that which we feel worthy. Picture if you will springtime, a young lad, a classroom, a window and daydreams. At this time and place, the young lad remains innocent enough to believe himself capable of achieving everything. Why is it that society insists upon applying rulers to knuckles often enough, so that guilt is associated with daydreams and illusions become delusions? Is it the loss of innocence that changes daydreams into fantasies? We never loose the tendency to fantasize and no mater what taint people want to put on it, it’s a good thing. This ability inspires us to free up our minds and allow the God given gray matter to work its wonders. In order to make fantasizing acceptable we give it other names. At the highest levels we encourage groups to participate in Think Tanks, small groups Brainstorm and individuals exercise their Creativity. A reference to my handy dictionary indicates the following: "Fantasize \ to indulge in reverie: create or develop imaginative and often fantastic views or ideas. Create \ to produce using imaginative skills. Brainstorming \ a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas." The folks on Madison Avenue understand that the most reliable method to motivate the public to purchase a product is to create the illusion that the product is the only way to fulfill an adult fantasy. This method is most often used in New Automobile ads. Have you ever fantasized about how you would survive if stranded on a remote Island or winning a million dollars? Those who make their living playing to your fantasies know that you have, thus, the recent success of the Survivors, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Castaway. Those of us who are in the Timeshare or Vacation Ownership Industry know a little about fantasies, for we almost created the whole industry on the basis of exploiting them. It did not take the suits on Madison Avenue to devise this one. If awards were to be given out, The Innovation Recognition would go to Carl Berry, Bob Burns, Keith Trowbridge, Mario Rodriguez & Tom Davis, and John & Christel DeHaan, just to name a few. Let’s see? "If I could show you a way that you and your family could have Vacations for a Lifetime, that you could spend a Week or more, at places you have only dreamed of, in accommodations fit for royalty and show you a way which you could afford to become one of our owners, would you be willing to make the commitment today?" Sound like an old pitch?  Final thoughtIf our industry is about selling fantasies and I think it is, then we need to clean up our act and make sure that the public perception is not that of something sleazy being presented by a slick player down on the boulevard. In order to, once and for all time, put this image behind us, we must do more than stand behind an Industry Code of Ethics. We must be prepared to take the same oath that a witness takes prior to testifying at a trial. "Yes sir Judge, I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God." To tell the consumers the truth about what it is that they will own. The truth about who sets the value of points. The truth about the ease of obtaining the exchange they want. The truth about resale opportunities. The truth about annual assessments or maintenance fees increasing. The truth about lock-off units, about split weeks, about all those dirty little details we train our sales staff members to avoid during the "relationship selling" experience. To tell the sales staff the truth about the non-compete contract. The truth about reserves. And finally, the truth about what we are going to do, to insure that the realities of what we produce and sell are always better than the FANTASIES we exploited. |
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Jerry Sikes, RRP / CHA, is President of Professional Resort Operators, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. He has 35 years in the Hospitality Industry / 25 years in Timesharing, and is the current Co-Chairman of ARDA Arizona as well as Chairman of the Arizona Timeshare Management Association. Jerry is a frequent guest speaker regionally and nationally on all aspects of Timeshare Management and a frequent contributor of articles for industry publications. Email: boyjerry@cox.net Phone 480-947-3300 Fax 480-947-6853 Web site: http://www.protimeshare.com |
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