My parents loved time share presentations, and I've done a couple as an adult. It's easy to "win" the game:
- They have great places for your kids to play. When we were teens, we loved for our parents to drop us off where we could play video games.
- First they'll give you a small meal. Note that this is NOT part of your 90 minute commitment; however, the salesperson will chat with you during your meal. Reality: He or she is sizing you up -- do you have kids? do you vacation with your elderly parents? do you want a place with tennis courts, or a place right on the beach? This is when he or she decides just which tactics to use. If you want to eat, by all means, do. If you want to minimize your time, skip the meal. Casually mention your restaurant reservations or your tee time, which is -- of course -- 90 minutes + 1 hour away.
- The first portion of the sales pitch will be about the importance of vacations, family time, time away from your job and stress. Agree. Agree. Agree. It's how you move on quickly; in fact, be proactive and jump right in by explaining that you're completely devoted to your family's vacations and how you don't need to be convinced that "promising yourself" a vacation each and every year is a great idea. The more you agree, the faster things move.
- The second portion will be fuzzy math: Buy in, get a condo for the price of a hotel room ... have a kitchen ... several bedrooms so the kids can spread out ... Agree. Agree. Agree. Again, it's how you move on quickly. If you really want to put the thing on roller skates, talk about how you already own one time share and are anxious to have a second -- or how much your parents or your brothers love theirs, and how much money they save. Start to emphasize your excitement about seeing the condo itself; the sooner you do the tour, the sooner you're done. Point out the time, and remind your salesperson that you were silly enough to have made that reservation, and you must watch your time.
- Finally you get to the condo tour. You love it. Gush over everything. It's exactly the right size for your family. Start to talk about your vacation plans, and emphasize your serious interest in getting down to some serious numbers.
- At this point you'll return to the sales office, and your salesperson will finally show you THE COST of the condo you just saw. At this point, you are shocked. What? It's THIS MUCH? But how can this be? No, no, your neighbor didn't pay anything like this for his time share! You open your purse, and you show your print-outs of what this time share costs on the resale market (hint, 5-10% of the full price). You are dismayed. How can such a large investment instantly drop by 90% or more? Why should you even consider buying "new" when the resale market is so much lower? Hint: The salesperson cannot answer this question. No answer exists.
- Your salesperson will bring in the manager, who will attempt to "close you" by emphasizing that buying "new" gives you some nice benefits: maybe the first year you'll receive a free week, maybe you'll get two airline tickets. You point out that these things STILL don't add up to the price difference between "new" and resale. They warn you that this price is going to increase in only two weeks! A new portion of the time share will be opening next month, and the prices will shoot up by 10-15% -- buy now! The manager points out that by purchasing directly from them, you'll be backed by the company. You are now more shocked than ever -- you don't stand behind ALL your owners?
- You're so confused. Thank the salesperson for his or her time, ask for your tickets or gifts or whatever, and leave.