Dealing with TS Direct Sales Rep

[snpperhd]

As some of you already know, I'm new to the TS world and initially received purchase information from a MVC Direct Sales Exec. While I have since learned much about the resale process and will NOT purchase directly from MVC (unless some outrageous deal is offered), I respect and appreciate this agent’s help and wish to close the loop with him. Before doing so, I wanted to hear any thoughts on how he might react to decision. Aside from their compelling "points" mantra, any ideas what the direct sales agent will throw at me? Maybe he'll be impressed with my due-diligence and wish me luck as I make a resale purchase. Thanks for any input.

snpperhd

[BocaBum99]

Originally Posted by snpperhd

As some of you already know, I'm new to the TS world and initially received purchase information from a MVC Direct Sales Exec. While I have since learned much about the resale process and will NOT purchase directly from MVC (unless some outrageous deal is offered), I respect and appreciate this agent’s help and wish to close the loop with him. Before doing so, I wanted to hear any thoughts on how he might react to decision. Aside from their compelling "points" mantra, any ideas what the direct sales agent will throw at me? Maybe he'll be impressed with my due-diligence and wish me luck as I make a resale purchase. Thanks for any input.

snpperhd

Your underlying premise is flawed. You are setting yourself and the sales rep up for a miserable sales presentation.

There is NO WAY that the direct sales rep can offer you a better deal than you can get on the resale market. It just won't happen. If they present an offer to you that looks better, it's because you are missing something.

You should go into a Sales Presentation with one of the following objectives:

1) To get a free gift only. If that is what you are doing, just tell them that upfront. YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR GIFT. They will say that that is what everyone says and their job is to persuade you to change your mind. Just keep reminding them that your ONLY objective is to get a free gift. When your 90-minutes are up, you expect to be gifted and will be on your way. Don't be shy to tell them that that is your objective and never deviate from it and definitely do not leave a crack in the door suggesting you may be interested in making a purchase. Any fuzziness about your desire to buy will lead to an extra hour of trying to figure out how to say "no" to his/her very compelling plea for you to purchase. If you use this approach, you will be dealing with them with high integrity and you can take exception to anything they throw at you to make you feel bad about being there.

2) You just want information so that you can learn more about the Timeshare. If this is your intention, tell them that upfront. All you want is information. Tell them you do not intend to purchase today and you will be doing a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of purchasing directly from him and on the resale market. Tell him/her that you would appreciate any information about the benefits that they can get only from the developer. Then, you can decide after a full assessment of the value of those features whether or not the price difference is worth it. Also, empathatically stress that YOU DO NOT CARE about today's incentives to purchase. You are willing to forgo any benefits they give you today so that you can do your full assessment.

3) You know going in that you want to purchase from the developer because you want the benefits. Just tell them that upfront. Bring a list of exactly what you want to do and the benefits you want. Tell him to look for inventory you want and see what he comes up with. Make sure you know before you get there how much you want to pay. This is especially important if you have other weeks you are trading in.

It's always a good idea to bring a copy of the Real Estate Commission complaint form with you for the state in which you are touring. Make sure you put that form on the table in front of you and make sure that your sales rep sees it. The first question you want to ask is the sales reps name and real estate license number. Write it on the top of the form and just tell him that you will be taking detailed notes about your conversations and you will be independently verifying all facts provided.

The worst case in using this approach is you will be out of it in about 15 minutes with your gift. The best case is you get some useful information or a decent deal on a developer purchase that you planned on making before you got there.

[snpperhd]

Maybe I misrepresented my situation; I'm NOT attending any presentation. All of my correspondence with the MVC exec, has been via email and telephone. So no free gift or terrible presentation on the line. Just wondering what he'll say when I inform him I don't intend to purchase from him. Thanks anyway for your thoughts.

[BocaBum99]

Originally Posted by snpperhd

Maybe I misrepresented my situation; I'm NOT attending any presentation. All of my correspondence with the MVC exec, has been via email and telephone. So no free gift or terrible presentation on the line. Just wondering what he'll say when I inform him I don't intend to purchase from him. Thanks anyway for your thoughts.

He will be rightfully ticked off if he spends a lot of time with you and you decide to buy from someone else. These people work on 100% commission. So, if you tie them up and lead him to believe you are going to buy from him when you only intent is to get information from him, then that is pretty slimy. I know because it happens to me all the time. It does go with the territory. So, we all know it happens. When it does happen, I am satisfied in knowing that for certain things, I have the best prices in the industry. So, I love it when someone tries to use me, it back fires and they come crawling back.

As long as you are honest with him. Things should be okay.

[kbletzer]

Originally Posted by BocaBum99

Your underlying premise is flawed. You are setting yourself and the sales rep up for a miserable sales presentation.

There is NO WAY that the direct sales rep can offer you a better deal than you can get on the resale market. It just won't happen. If they present an offer to you that looks better, it's because you are missing something.

You should go into a Sales Presentation with one of the following objectives:

1) To get a free gift only. If that is what you are doing, just tell them that upfront. YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR GIFT. They will say that that is what everyone says and their job is to persuade you to change your mind. Just keep reminding them that your ONLY objective is to get a free gift. When your 90-minutes are up, you expect to be gifted and will be on your way. Don't be shy to tell them that that is your objective and never deviate from it and definitely do not leave a crack in the door suggesting you may be interested in making a purchase. Any fuzziness about your desire to buy will lead to an extra hour of trying to figure out how to say "no" to his/her very compelling plea for you to purchase. If you use this approach, you will be dealing with them with high integrity and you can take exception to anything they throw at you to make you feel bad about being there.

2) You just want information so that you can learn more about the Timeshare. If this is your intention, tell them that upfront. All you want is information. Tell them you do not intend to purchase today and you will be doing a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of purchasing directly from him and on the resale market. Tell him/her that you would appreciate any information about the benefits that they can get only from the developer. Then, you can decide after a full assessment of the value of those features whether or not the price difference is worth it. Also, empathatically stress that YOU DO NOT CARE about today's incentives to purchase. You are willing to forgo any benefits they give you today so that you can do your full assessment.

3) You know going in that you want to purchase from the developer because you want the benefits. Just tell them that upfront. Bring a list of exactly what you want to do and the benefits you want. Tell him to look for inventory you want and see what he comes up with. Make sure you know before you get there how much you want to pay. This is especially important if you have other weeks you are trading in.

It's always a good idea to bring a copy of the Real Estate Commission complaint form with you for the state in which you are touring. Make sure you put that form on the table in front of you and make sure that your sales rep sees it. The first question you want to ask is the sales reps name and real estate license number. Write it on the top of the form and just tell him that you will be taking detailed notes about your conversations and you will be independently verifying all facts provided.

The worst case in using this approach is you will be out of it in about 15 minutes with your gift. The best case is you get some useful information or a decent deal on a developer purchase that you planned on making before you got there.

This info is AWESOME! I am copying to my hard drive for future reference. Where the hell were you when we went to Westgate? HA HA
K

[snpperhd]

Originally Posted by BocaBum99

He will be rightfully ticked off if he spends a lot of time with you and you decide to buy from someone else. These people work on 100% commission. So, if you tie them up and lead him to believe you are going to buy from him when you only intent is to get information from him, then that is pretty slimy. I know because it happens to me all the time. It does go with the territory. So, we all know it happens. When it does happen, I am satisfied in knowing that for certain things, I have the best prices in the industry. So, I love it when someone tries to use me, it back fires and they come crawling back.

As long as you are honest with him. Things should be okay.

Not sure where your bitterness is coming from, but I never used or misled anyone. I merely asked for information on a MVC TS...he replied with that information and I went to the internet to research it. That research led me here (and TUG), thus enlightening me on the entire TS purchasing process. I have since spoken with the aforementioned MVC exec and he was quite professional and appreciative of my honesty and candor. So if you were peeved at how I went about my process, I feel sorry for any of your future customers which may rub you the wrong way. If I misread your statement/attitude, then I apologize. Either way, I appreciate your time and concern on the topic.

[charlie_m]

Originally Posted by BocaBum99

Your underlying premise is flawed. You are setting yourself and the sales rep up for a miserable sales presentation.

There is NO WAY that the direct sales rep can offer you a better deal than you can get on the resale market. It just won't happen. If they present an offer to you that looks better, it's because you are missing something.

You should go into a Sales Presentation with one of the following objectives:

1) To get a free gift only. If that is what you are doing, just tell them that upfront. YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR GIFT. They will say that that is what everyone says and their job is to persuade you to change your mind. Just keep reminding them that your ONLY objective is to get a free gift. When your 90-minutes are up, you expect to be gifted and will be on your way. Don't be shy to tell them that that is your objective and never deviate from it and definitely do not leave a crack in the door suggesting you may be interested in making a purchase. Any fuzziness about your desire to buy will lead to an extra hour of trying to figure out how to say "no" to his/her very compelling plea for you to purchase. If you use this approach, you will be dealing with them with high integrity and you can take exception to anything they throw at you to make you feel bad about being there.

2) You just want information so that you can learn more about the Timeshare. If this is your intention, tell them that upfront. All you want is information. Tell them you do not intend to purchase today and you will be doing a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of purchasing directly from him and on the resale market. Tell him/her that you would appreciate any information about the benefits that they can get only from the developer. Then, you can decide after a full assessment of the value of those features whether or not the price difference is worth it. Also, empathatically stress that YOU DO NOT CARE about today's incentives to purchase. You are willing to forgo any benefits they give you today so that you can do your full assessment.

3) You know going in that you want to purchase from the developer because you want the benefits. Just tell them that upfront. Bring a list of exactly what you want to do and the benefits you want. Tell him to look for inventory you want and see what he comes up with. Make sure you know before you get there how much you want to pay. This is especially important if you have other weeks you are trading in.

It's always a good idea to bring a copy of the Real Estate Commission complaint form with you for the state in which you are touring. Make sure you put that form on the table in front of you and make sure that your sales rep sees it. The first question you want to ask is the sales reps name and real estate license number. Write it on the top of the form and just tell him that you will be taking detailed notes about your conversations and you will be independently verifying all facts provided.

The worst case in using this approach is you will be out of it in about 15 minutes with your gift. The best case is you get some useful information or a decent deal on a developer purchase that you planned on making before you got there.

From a former timeshare sales slug, my take:
1) you'll still get beat on and TO'd but hold your ground, think about when you were a child (LOL) and you'll get through the bullsh!t and get your gift
2) you will get pounded on even worse if you tell them you want info, they take that as a buying sign so refer to #1 be firm, and you'll get through it...the pressure is, the deal is good only today (LOL)
3) the previous poster is correct usually and only if you draw a veteran, a rookie will be fooled into thinking you're a player, then the TO will spot you and get you to gifting...they'll want to get rid of you as not to interupt the flow, like if you yelled cockroach in a restaurant (LOL)

All further points mentioned will freak them out and gifting you will go then you can ROTFLYAO

Let the games begin!!

[Jya-Ning]

Originally Posted by snpperhd

I respect and appreciate this agent’s help and wish to close the loop with him. Before doing so, I wanted to hear any thoughts on how he might react to decision.

It will depend on that personal nature and what you say to him. So read and re-read your eMail message before you hit send. Just make sure you don't say something you don't mean it.

But remember (s)he does work on commision, so it is a pressure to get a deal done. If you think (believe) you owe him(her) a close, that should be your only expectation.

Jya-Ning

I have read your post #6, so it looks like you got exact that.

[GrayFal]

snpperhd
Member
Silver Contributor

Hi and welcome to TS4Ms

You have gotten a lot of great information here regarding attending sales presentations. Following Boca's advice at a face to face presentation is a good strategy.

Marriott is probably one of the few TS companies that NORMALLY doesn't have high pressure sales, so attending, asking questions and then saying no thanks, not at this time is just fine.

Marriott also does not 'bargain' in terms of pricing/incentives. Everyone gets offered the same deal. This can not be said about salespeople in Mexico (except the Royal Resort chain) where if you will pay 30K for a TS, they will take it and sell the same TS to the next person for 14K.

As far as what to say to the telesales person who sent you the material and answered your questions??? Just answer as you would a car salesperson, a store clerk or anyone you are buying something from - No, thank you.

You don't owe anyone an explanation - 'No, I will not be purchasing at this time' - is all you need to say and 'Thanks for your time'