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| Stop trying to sell and let the client buy --by Michael S. Finn Some old school advocates have already dismissed the heresy of that title. Give it a chance: it might make sense to even the skeptic. Our product has changed so much in the past twenty (20) years. In 1980, the client was essentially buying one week per year in the Poconos or Myrtle Beach. And they were on their own from there. The exchange companies were just in place and learning the power of timeshare. The DeHaans ran RCI out of an entire office smaller than that of an executive VP with RCI now, and Interval International was still braving the cold winters of Buffalo, New York. Old land salesmen took their black shirt, black pants, white ties and all the gold jewelry their chiropractor would sanction and saw the light of timeshare. In all this turmoil the one thing that never faded was the imagination of the sales executive. The things that were dreamed up would make P.T. Barnum blush. Some old fan favorites was the monorail from the resort to Disney, an exchange for a cruise, discounts on airline tickets or car rentals, concierge service that fills the refrigerator or having the car detailed while the guest lounges by the pool. Well the funny thing is that all these things that were heat (a polite way to say lies) are now true in fact. Not that I condone lying, but if companies such as II hear enough that people want to exchange for cruises or Disney guests want a monorail or Marriott guests want their car washed, someone will listen and make it happen. Much of what we feel is an inalienable right of a timeshare owner was dreamed up by a salesperson just trying to make a buck. Facts are facts, and the fact is that we now sell one of the most attractive leisure products in the world. Evidenced by yearly double-digit growth, hotel brand awareness and Wall Street attention. OK now that we have that out of the way, lets look at the processes. We do not need to sell the product the way we did twenty (20) years ago. We have evolved. In 1880, snake oil salesman went town to town selling their wares; now we call them pharmaceutical conglomerates with billion dollar marketing budgets-- maybe more for Viagra. We, too, need to grow to the next level. We have a legitimate valuable product that is now being sold over the phone to people who call requesting information about a certain resort. Now I do not believe we are ready to sell 100% of the product that way, but new practices are in place. Give me a couple of months and I will virtually tour you through our resort in Orlando while you are waiting for the sun to come up in Anchorage, Alaska. I hope your credit card is handy. With all this innovation and credibility in our industry, it is time to update our sales practices. First of all, tell the truth: it's better than fantasy and good for the soul. Next, sometimes we try so hard to sell that we do not allow people to buy. I have heard execs in the past year still preaching the merits of high-pressure sales complete with sharp angle closes. I don't want to know their cancellation rate. The secret to good solid sales is simple. Give a presentation that highlights the value of ownership so well that the client is asking you to let them buy. This is not timeshare Utopia, it is a real place and you can be a resident. |
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More Finn | Home Michael S. Finn, RRP,
writes an insightful bi-weekly column regarding issues of ethical and profitable sales & marketing. Read his bio here |
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