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Marketing Alliances... or, Why Do It Alone?
-- by Lisa
Ann Schreier
Let's start with the obvious this week. Timesharing suffers from a less than stellar reputation.
We need all the help we can get. "Get" is actually the wrong word because no person, organization, or
company is going to volunteer to help us. We must help ourselves. Luckily, there is no need to reinvent the wheel,
or try to hide any longer. The trick is to align ourselves with products and companies that do have good reputations
and more importantly, create a useful alliance for the consumer.
Other companies have been doing this for years. Take Disney and McDonalds for instance. Neither Disney nor McDonalds
suffers from a bad reputation, but by working together, they both benefit and-- no small accomplishment in this
day of huge marketing costs-- they share those marketing costs.
Let's start with the basics this week. How about first day incentives?
Every resort offers first day incentives. In most cases, these are monetary "rewards" offered to the
purchaser to entice them to purchase today. Speaking as a salesperson, these "rewards" are generally
not understood, or more importantly, not believed from the consumer's viewpoint.
Think of things you, as a consumer purchase. Have you ever bought something then-and-there because of a story about
"the last one", "closeout" or something else that timeshares use? Most probably not.
But shift your thinking to purchasing something that you are interested in and that also offers you a "thank
you" of a complimentary product. The "thank you" must be believable, understandable and most importantly
valuable to you.
Example? Easy. How about offering a subscription to a home security system for six months as a first day incentive?
Valuable? Without a doubt. Does it tie nicely into the timeshare purchase? Absolutely.
As I stated in the beginning: No company is going to come knocking on your door and suggest a marketing partnership.
Remember, we are the ones who suffer from a less than stellar reputation, so we must make the first step. By offering
the home security system to our purchasers we give the home security company an entirely new market. They profit
from the extra exposure that they don't pay for as well as the potential to renew those customers after the trial
period. By offering the company something first, they will be more likely to see your resort as a good partner
and in time, may be willing to come to the table with other more lucrative offers for both you and themselves.
The trick here, as always, is to stand out from everyone else. If every resort decides to look into partnering
with a home security system, it fails to make a statement and does no good.
Look around the market… local, regional, national and global. Which company would you like to partner with? Which
one offers you the greatest potential? Which one makes the most sense? Which one would entice you to purchase a
week of timeshare? Those are the companies that you should pursue.
Think big. Think outside the box. And if you need assistance, that's what GRQ Enterprises is here for!
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| Lisa Ann Schreier
is a dynamic, outspoken, devout believer in the power of advertising done correctly. Lisa brings a wealth of advertising,
marketing and promotional knowledge to her many business interests. She is the director of her own marketing/advertising
agency, a full-time timeshare salesperson, a contributing writer and a part time Cast Member of the Walt Disney
World Resort. After one too many long cold winters in Chicago, she now happily lives in the Orlando area where
she is known for her consumer insights and "back to basics" style of business. Lisa writes a bi-weekly
column on the basics of effective advertising. She be reached at GRQ1@aol.com , or read her ad here. |
