Timeshare Sales

Vacation services provider, Travel To Go released a media announcement this week to its members and others who may own timeshare, warning them to be wary of timeshare scam solicitations. In the  press release, the Travel To Go Scam Department described some of the approaches and ruses used by timeshare scam companies and disreputable individuals to receive payments for services that will likely never be received by the timeshare owner.

The full content of the Travel To Go timeshare scam announcement to the media appears below. You can learn more about Travel To Go by contacting (800) 477-6331. You’ll also find a video below from Sell My Timeshare NOW that addresses both timeshare scam and the need to be an informed consumer, no matter what you are buying, selling, or services for which you may be contracting.

Travel To Go Scam Department Warns Members of Fraudulent Timeshare Purchase Calls

The Travel To Go Scam Department was established so that members of this travel club could fully enjoy their luxury vacations without worrying about falling victim to scams of the moment, thereby improving the whole travel experience by education members one scam at a time.

Travel To Go Scam Department is one of the most acclaimed in the industry, and members of this travel club are ecstatic to know about all of the present scams in the travel industry like that of fake timeshare purchase calls. Every year there are scams that are far more successful and much more common throughout the industry, and in 2013 the main scam is that of the fake “Timeshare Buyer” interested in purchasing a person’s timeshare.

Travel To Go Scam Department warns their members to watch out for any calls talking about selling their timeshare memberships, because this is the newest scam on the scene. Unsuspecting timeshare members will receive calls, from supposedly legit timeshare dealers companies offering them deals of a lifetime to purchase their timeshare memberships. There are even some buyers that offer a trade, and only ask members for a small deposit to switch over their memberships. Travel To Go recommends that members proceed with caution when these buyers promising amazing deals show up out of nowhere.

Travel To Go Scam Department suggests that members first get the person’s contact information and immediately call their individual timeshare contact at the company where they purchased their timeshare ownership. These members should look up the legitimate number for their timeshare dealer online to make sure that the person who contacted them is actually affiliated with their company. To do this, call the exact number listed on the site, and ask about the person that made the call. More often than not, the person offering to buy the timeshare is actually a con artist looking to have money wired to them. So, members will end up wiring a few thousand dollars to a person that only wants their money, and they are still in possession of their timeshare, and out the money that they sent.

Travel To Go Scam Department watches out for all of their members so that travelers can enjoy going on vacation, versus falling victim to travel scams. It is nice that a person can rely on a company to watch out for all of their needs, which is why so many members are satisfied with all of the travel deals and individual attention that they receive as a member of Travel To Go.

Let’s face it, one size doesn’t really fit all. This is true in the clothes you wear, the financial choices you make, and even the car you buy. And it’s just as true when selling your timeshare. When it comes to timeshare resale, you need choices.

With Sell My Timeshare NOW, as a timeshare seller, you have options regarding whether to sell by owner or to sell your timeshare through a licensed timeshare broker. If you choose to sell by owner, you  can then choose whether to handle all aspects of your resale yourself for to turn to professionals to help you with certain parts of your sale.

Most by owner sellers find they need an advertising partner that has a global internet presence. They also typically, find they need (or prefer) to have help from a timeshare closing company. A timeshare closing company will help you with the final paperwork and will function as your escrow service. Both a timeshare advertising company and a closing company require payment for their services, which means you have to consider their fee as part of your cost to sell.

These professionals tend to be the difference maker in the ease of making a by owner sale. An ad company helps you find your timeshare buyer through targeted internet advertising. A closing company helps you with the final steps of timeshare closing and title transfer, which is especially helpful since closing laws vary from state to state and the process can be different for each resort.

Beyond these two steps of timeshare resale, many current owners can and do elect to handle the other parts of their timeshare sale themselves. They can answer prospective buyer inquiries and when they receive offers they can then negotiate the terms that are acceptable to them, all without paying money or giving up proceeds of the sale to a third party to provide these services. Timeshare resale by owner means that the seller keeps all of the money from the timeshare sale after the expenses of the sales process and any outstanding debt, annual fees, or timeshare taxes are satisfied.

But as effective as timeshare resale by owner can be and as much as it is an ideal choice for many timeshare owners, it is not your only option for selling timeshare, nor is it the right choice for every owner. Many people choose to turn the resale of their timeshare over to a timeshare broker. A timeshare broker is a state licensed real estate broker who has specialized knowledge of timeshare sales.

If you choose to sell your timeshare through a timeshare broker, you will find the process to be extremely easy and “hands free” for you. A timeshare broker requires no money up front, so you don’t pay any resale advertising costs, nor do you pay a separate timeshare closing service or escrow company fee. In fact, if a broker is unable to sell your timeshare, you don’t pay anything at all.

Timeshare brokers are paid only when they sell your timeshare. Their fees, like those of most real estate brokerage transactions, are satisfied from the proceeds of the sale and are based on a commission rate that you and the broker agree upon before he or she takes on your timeshare as a listing.

While by owner timeshare sales and timeshare brokerage sales are two options for selling your timeshare, Sell My Timeshare NOW also offers other services that might be an even better choice for you. Before you decide how you will resell your timeshare, why not talk to a company that is truly full service? At Sell My Timeshare NOW, we’ll help you find the timeshare resales choice that is the best fit for you.

The following article looks at some of today’s challenges when it comes to marketing timeshares and timeshare resales. Much about the decision to sell your timeshare or to buy a timeshare  is  surprisingly similar to the decisions you make and the sales strategies behind the last cup of pumpkin latte you ordered. This article, “Why the future of timeshare marketing is not an either/or option,” was published in The Resort Trades, November 2012. It is republished here with their permission. 

Why the future of timeshare marketing is not an either/or option

When it comes to timeshare sales, resales and rentals, the secondary market and those who represent it, tend to be outspoken disciples of the power of Internet marketing. New York Times best-selling author Chris Anderson, in his book titled, “The Long Tail,” (© 2008, Hyperion) examines the power of the Internet, saying, “Now, in a new era of networked consumers and digital everything, the economics of … distribution are changing radically as the Internet absorbs each industry it touches, becoming store, theater, and broadcaster at a fraction of the traditional cost.”

Anderson’s message feels like a perfect fit when discussing timeshare sales and marketing. But is the Internet really absorbing every industry? Or are some companies and some types of products driven by the nature of their business to find ways to use the Internet to enhance the marketing they were already doing well? The successful Seattle-based coffeehouse Starbucks might be a perfect example of achieving an optimum marketing balance that incorporates the best of all strategies.

Getting the coffee into the cup

You can recharge your Starbucks card online. You can order the beans, buy the Starbucks branded K-cups, and probably, if it mattered to you, even get someone to write your name on a paper cup and ship it to you via FedEx. But the one thing you can’t do online at Starbucks is get someone to put a steaming hot cup of pumpkin spice latte (or any other favorite flavor) into your hands.

In a world in which Internet marketing and sales are claiming more and more territory every day, Starbucks, because of the type of product it sells, has no choice but to carve out a very different kind of space. Starbucks saw its role, identified its perfect place and then claimed it. Starbucks became your neighborhood coffee shop and in the process set the standard to which its competitors aspire.

Starbucks has taught an entire generation that the specialist serving coffee isn’t a clerk, server or sales associate; that person is a barista and when you go to your favorite Starbucks, the barista will know your name and remember how you like your coffee. As a company, Starbucks clearly has lived up to its corporate mission of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Achieving balance

Howard Schultz is the visionary who grew the Starbucks empire initially from a coffee bean sales store into the mega giant it is today, and later regrew it after the company’s rapid growth plan collided head-on with the faltering global economy of 2008 and the recessionary years that have followed. In his book, “Onward,” (© 2011 Rodale) Schultz writes, “I still remember what it was like when we started building the company. Every day we were fighting for survival, doing whatever we had to do. We rolled up our sleeves and left our egos at the door. Every small gesture mattered, and so much of what Starbucks achieved was because of partners and the culture they fostered.”

Many of the most successful names in timeshare and vacation ownership could tell a similar story. Good marketing and a powerful brand identity may have drawn owners, guests and prospective buyers to resorts initially, but over and over again it is the human touch – those critical small gestures made by the employees working on the front lines – that have been responsible for a resort’s survival and success.

Timeshare sales and rentals, are in many ways much like that steaming hot cup of coffee. A first taste is logically often required to initiate the relationship with the buyer. That first taste can come as a mini vacation or a site visit. But it can also happen during a hotel stay at a mixed use resort or a business trip to one of the resort’s other branded properties that may not include timeshare at all. A first taste for timesharing can even be gained vicariously through another timeshare owner so passionately sharing his or her enthusiasm for the product that the desire to own is contagiously caught rather than instigated by a sales professional. And yes, it can even be accomplished for many buyers via their online experience, a pattern that is now more prevalent in timeshare sales than the traditional resort tour.

The power of the Internet is the most pervasive, growing, and dynamic marketing medium ever conceived. Internet engagement enables businesses to permeate niche markets that previously could not have been sold to in a cost-effective way. In so doing, the Internet empowers businesses to effectively sell less of more and to do so in many cases by staggering proportions.

But niche marketing, as Chris Anderson explains, is not about replacing traditional ways of marketing, relationship building, and consumer engagement; instead it is about sharing the stage. Starbucks has more than 30 million “likes” on Facebook and offers a hub of Internet connectivity in every one of its storefront locations. Starbucks uses the part of Internet marketing, online sales, and social media engagement that works for its product and then capitalizes on the company’s unique proficiency to deliver the human touch in an impersonal ecommerce-driven world.

As an Internet marketing guy in the timeshare resales business, I understand the idea of selling less of more and find it extremely exciting. But I am also part of an industry that sells a product as appealing, as personal and as restorative to the soul, as is a fresh brewed cup of coffee. Through whatever ways we deliver the all-important small gesture and human touch, it is important to vacation ownership that those qualities are never lost. Timeshare sales and timeshare resales professionals must be the baristas of vacation ownership. When it comes to building and growing the next generation of timeshare, the answer is not either traditional marketing or Internet marketing; it’s all of the above delivered in the most personable and meaningful ways we can accomplish.

A select group of some of the timeshare sales and vacation ownership industry’s top professionals met last week in Deer Valley, Utah. Coming together were corporate vice presidents; regional vice presidents; directors of sales; and project directors—the cream of the crop, one might say, when it comes to timeshare sales and leadership. The group experienced three days of high-intensity training at the Levitin Group’s “Showtime 2012” Leadership Workshop.

The highly respected Levitin Group is an international training and consulting company specializing in timeshare, real estate, and sales process design. The Levitin Group family of companies includes: ePercipio, a software-as-a-service provider that offers a next-generation, internet based education, training and communication platform, and www.TimeshareU.com, the timeshare industry’s first and only online training university.

The attendees at Showtime 2012 shared their expertise and challenged themselves to grow; tackling interactive exercises, role-playing, and competitions developed to enhance their skills to design and lead result-driven, high-impact training sessions.

The Levitin Group includes experts whose methods and philosophies are supported by in-depth research and hands-on experience. Levitin Group training is recognized for producing record levels of success  for its client companies.

With most of the attendees already embracing online learning, Showtime provided techniques and psychology for utilizing Levitin Group’s online resources (the ePercipio online learning platform and “Timeshare U,”) to  develop additional training, both live and online, to drive sales performance into the future. Shari Levitin, Levitin Group/ePercipio CEO, explains, “Showtime works so well because it combines our curriculum with the talent of the participants; the synergy created defines the Showtime experience. This time, though, I was amazed at the result.  The amount and quality of information exchanged was astounding!”

Attendee Terri Cotter, Sales Manager at Grand Lodge at Peak 7, says, “Right from the beginning I could tell this would be huge. I’ve been doing this for years and have received so many takeaways; everything in this seminar is new and fresh.  It’s going to be great to take what I’ve learned and put it into practice.  I can’t wait to get back to work!”

Beyond the Timeshare Sales and Leadership Training

When they weren’t in class, the attendees at  Showtime 2012, enjoyed 5-star accommodations  gourmet meals, and  a “Wild West” evening at the Blue Sky Ranch, sponsored by RCI.  From start to finish, the event was designed to stimulate the senses, forge new friendships, and transform a group of individuals into a collaborative team.