If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard a story or two about a disastrous timeshare presentation experience someone’s had. You yourself might have had one and are now stuck in a timeshare that you do not want.
When we think about it logically, why would we agree to a multi-thousand-dollar purchase after a few hours of talking to a salesperson we barely know? It seems like the worst possible investment to make on a vacation, yet millions of people have fallen victim to it. What about timeshare presentations gets people to sign away their lives?
The timeshare presentation process is a science. It’s meant to fool you and prevent logical trains of thought. Developers like Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham, and Marriott Vacation Club do an excellent job training their salespeople to wine and dine you. They don’t just give a sales pitch; they give a fantasy. Their job is to paint a picture of how luxurious, convenient, and affordable owning a timeshare can be and how it’s simply not an option to say no.
But as you already know, these presentations are manipulative. They tell you everything you want to hear and disregard any information that might make you hesitant about purchasing a timeshare. They wear you down with long presentations that you can’t escape, making you more likely to comply just to end it. They won’t tell you about the hassles of owning a timeshare — you’ll discover these things once it’s too late to cancel. Let’s break down the timeshare presentation process and all the tactics developers use to get you to hand over your credit card and sign their contract.
Sales Tactics of a Timeshare Presentation
Whether you are purchasing a timeshare in Mexico, New York, or Hawaii, most timeshare companies use the same formula to get people to attend their sales pitch. They’ll offer attractive perks like fancy breakfasts, free hotel stays, or Visa gift cards in exchange for attending their sales presentation. Developers know that many attendees are not necessarily interested in purchasing a timeshare yet, so they emphasize these freebies rather than the timeshare presentation itself. Once they get you into the presentation, here are some tactics they’ll use to get you to sign on the dotted line.
Getting to Know the Customer
The initial tone of a timeshare sales pitch is always low pressure and casual. After all, timeshare companies want you to feel relaxed and trust that they have your best interest in mind. They’ll send over a friendly, engaging salesperson to get to know you and ask about your trip. By learning what you look for in a vacation, they form a plan on how to pitch the idea of timeshare ownership to you.
Selling You on a Dream
Once you’ve built up a rapport with your salesperson, you’ll probably be sent to a group presentation with other prospective buyers. A charismatic sales lead will guide you through a timeshare presentation slideshow or speech. They usually start off by sharing an anecdote about how expensive hotel costs, limited vacation time, and the perception of travel as an inaccessible luxury often prevent people from vacationing as much as they’d like.
Then, the salesperson will engage prospective buyers by asking about their ideal vacation getaway. They’ll follow up by asking the audience whether they think this dream could be a reality. Once they’ve got the audience thinking about all the limitations that prevent them from traveling, they present a solution: timeshares.
At this point, the tone of the timeshare presentation will switch to making your vacation dreams a reality. The salesperson will try to make you believe that vacation ownership allows you to travel wherever you want for extremely low costs. They’ll highlight all the benefits of the timeshare plan they are promoting.
If this particular timeshare company works on a points exchange program, they’ll emphasize how flexible this system is for people who want to change when and where they vacation every year. If the company works on a fixed- or floating-week system, the salesperson will likely emphasize the convenience of having a reliable location to return to every year. Once the audience is hopeful, they’ll start showing the type of luxury units they could potentially own.
Touring the Facilities
Once the timeshare company has convinced you that ownership is possible, it’s time for a tour. If they’re trying to sell you on the timeshare resort where the tour is taking place, they’ll show you the nicest rooms on the property. They want prospective buyers to visualize the life they could be living if they were to invest in a timeshare. For example, they’ll paint the picture that you could stop renting cramped hotel rooms and enjoy a spacious, upscale unit for an entire week of vacationing.
The catch with tours is that if you are looking to buy a timeshare at a different location, there’s no guarantee that the units will look anything like the ones being shown. And if the resort you’re touring is where they want you to purchase, the units shown may not even be in your budget or up for sale. They are simply showing you the best that the resort can offer.
Crunching the Numbers
Now you’ve come to the part of the pitch where the salesperson starts tackling the financials of owning a timeshare. They hope that after spending hours of your time showing all the amazing perks of ownership, the cost will seem less intimidating.
This part can be tricky to present without scaring potential buyers, so they tread carefully. They’ll name the upfront cost of the timeshare, which for brand-name developers can average around $25,000 to $60,000. If you hesitate, the salesperson may bring in a closer to convince you that this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
Bringing in a closer is one of the most manipulative tactics timeshare companies use. These closers are highly skilled salespeople who make you question your judgment, asking you to justify why you aren’t interested in purchasing. They are trained to make you feel irrational for refusing such an “amazing” deal.
If the closer still cannot get you to sign, they may present one-time incentives like lower-than-usual rates on timeshare properties or free vacation packages. To increase pressure, they often emphasize that these deals are only available today and will disappear if you leave without signing.
Outsmarting a Timeshare Presentation
Timeshare salespeople are trained to build a friendly rapport, sell you on making your vacation dreams a reality, give a captivating tour of their timeshare resort, and pressure you into making a large financial decision on the spot. But no matter what they say, great deals in the vacation industry are always available. There will always be more affordable lodging options than a timeshare with a hefty upfront cost and expensive annual fees.
Unfortunately, some people learn this lesson too late. They attend a timeshare presentation, enjoy a free breakfast, see luxurious units, and feel convinced to sign the contract immediately. Often, it isn’t until their rescission period ends that they realize the magnitude of their financial mistake.
If you’ve been a victim of a misleading or scam timeshare presentation, reach out to Centerstone Group. Our team of experienced timeshare experts may help you find a solution for exiting your timeshare contract. Contact Centerstone Group for a free consultation.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard a story or two about a disastrous timeshare presentation experience someone’s had. You yourself might have had one and are now stuck in a timeshare that you do not want.
When we think about it logically, why would we agree to a multi-thousand-dollar purchase after a few hours of talking to a salesperson we barely know? It seems like the worst possible investment to make on a vacation, yet millions of people have fallen victim to it. What about timeshare presentations gets people to sign away their lives?
The timeshare presentation process is a science. It’s meant to fool you and prevent logical trains of thought. Developers like Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham, and Marriott Vacation Club do an excellent job training their salespeople to wine and dine you. They don’t just give a sales pitch; they give a fantasy. Their job is to paint a picture of how luxurious, convenient, and affordable owning a timeshare can be and how it’s simply not an option to say no.
But as you already know, these presentations are manipulative. They tell you everything you want to hear and disregard any information that might make you hesitant about purchasing a timeshare. They wear you down with long presentations that you can’t escape, making you more likely to comply just to end it. They won’t tell you about the hassles of owning a timeshare — you’ll discover these things once it’s too late to cancel. Let’s break down the timeshare presentation process and all the tactics developers use to get you to hand over your credit card and sign their contract.
Sales Tactics of a Timeshare Presentation
Whether you are purchasing a timeshare in Mexico, New York, or Hawaii, most timeshare companies use the same formula to get people to attend their sales pitch. They’ll offer attractive perks like fancy breakfasts, free hotel stays, or Visa gift cards in exchange for attending their sales presentation. Developers know that many attendees are not necessarily interested in purchasing a timeshare yet, so they emphasize these freebies rather than the timeshare presentation itself. Once they get you into the presentation, here are some tactics they’ll use to get you to sign on the dotted line.
Getting to Know the Customer
The initial tone of a timeshare sales pitch is always low pressure and casual. After all, timeshare companies want you to feel relaxed and trust that they have your best interest in mind. They’ll send over a friendly, engaging salesperson to get to know you and ask about your trip. By learning what you look for in a vacation, they form a plan on how to pitch the idea of timeshare ownership to you.
Selling You on a Dream
Once you’ve built up a rapport with your salesperson, you’ll probably be sent to a group presentation with other prospective buyers. A charismatic sales lead will guide you through a timeshare presentation slideshow or speech. They usually start off by sharing an anecdote about how expensive hotel costs, limited vacation time, and the perception of travel as an inaccessible luxury often prevent people from vacationing as much as they’d like.
Then, the salesperson will engage prospective buyers by asking about their ideal vacation getaway. They’ll follow up by asking the audience whether they think this dream could be a reality. Once they’ve got the audience thinking about all the limitations that prevent them from traveling, they present a solution: timeshares.
At this point, the tone of the timeshare presentation will switch to making your vacation dreams a reality. The salesperson will try to make you believe that vacation ownership allows you to travel wherever you want for extremely low costs. They’ll highlight all the benefits of the timeshare plan they are promoting.
If this particular timeshare company works on a points exchange program, they’ll emphasize how flexible this system is for people who want to change when and where they vacation every year. If the company works on a fixed- or floating-week system, the salesperson will likely emphasize the convenience of having a reliable location to return to every year. Once the audience is hopeful, they’ll start showing the type of luxury units they could potentially own.
Touring the Facilities
Once the timeshare company has convinced you that ownership is possible, it’s time for a tour. If they’re trying to sell you on the timeshare resort where the tour is taking place, they’ll show you the nicest rooms on the property. They want prospective buyers to visualize the life they could be living if they were to invest in a timeshare. For example, they’ll paint the picture that you could stop renting cramped hotel rooms and enjoy a spacious, upscale unit for an entire week of vacationing.
The catch with tours is that if you are looking to buy a timeshare at a different location, there’s no guarantee that the units will look anything like the ones being shown. And if the resort you’re touring is where they want you to purchase, the units shown may not even be in your budget or up for sale. They are simply showing you the best that the resort can offer.
Crunching the Numbers
Now you’ve come to the part of the pitch where the salesperson starts tackling the financials of owning a timeshare. They hope that after spending hours of your time showing all the amazing perks of ownership, the cost will seem less intimidating.
This part can be tricky to present without scaring potential buyers, so they tread carefully. They’ll name the upfront cost of the timeshare, which for brand-name developers can average around $25,000 to $60,000. If you hesitate, the salesperson may bring in a closer to convince you that this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
Bringing in a closer is one of the most manipulative tactics timeshare companies use. These closers are highly skilled salespeople who make you question your judgment, asking you to justify why you aren’t interested in purchasing. They are trained to make you feel irrational for refusing such an “amazing” deal.
If the closer still cannot get you to sign, they may present one-time incentives like lower-than-usual rates on timeshare properties or free vacation packages. To increase pressure, they often emphasize that these deals are only available today and will disappear if you leave without signing.
Outsmarting a Timeshare Presentation
Timeshare salespeople are trained to build a friendly rapport, sell you on making your vacation dreams a reality, give a captivating tour of their timeshare resort, and pressure you into making a large financial decision on the spot. But no matter what they say, great deals in the vacation industry are always available. There will always be more affordable lodging options than a timeshare with a hefty upfront cost and expensive annual fees.
Unfortunately, some people learn this lesson too late. They attend a timeshare presentation, enjoy a free breakfast, see luxurious units, and feel convinced to sign the contract immediately. Often, it isn’t until their rescission period ends that they realize the magnitude of their financial mistake.
If you’ve been a victim of a misleading or scam timeshare presentation, reach out to Centerstone Group. Our team of experienced timeshare experts may help you find a solution for exiting your timeshare contract. Contact Centerstone Group for a free consultation.