License held hostage - what would you do?

Ask the Timeshare Crusader / October, 2012

I attended a 40-minute timeshare presentation for free dinner tickets. Three hours into the presentation I wanted to leave, but the sales people had my driver's license and wouldn't give it back. What would you have done?

I have been saying for years that it's time for the industry take the leap from 1980 into 2012 and really understand marketing and the fact that people don't want to be chained to a chair and given the hard sell. In fact, I recently had a guest blogger, Ralph Williams, write a piece on my website about this very issue after finding himself in a similar situation to yours. Ralph is a Communication Advisor for an international airline, and has more than 10 years of experience in media and real estate sales. I have provided below an excerpt of Ralph's blog:

If you really want to sell, you are going to have to change the way you deal with your customers. You don't respect your customers, and your customers reciprocate: according to "Scoop", author of "Inside the Gate", 88% of your prospects do not buy. Many of them, like me, return home to tell their friends and neighbors how badly they were treated. They use words like "scam," "pressure tactics," "dishonest." Let me give you a taste of what it's like from the other side.

What do you need to do to sell to me?

1. Tell me the truth, the whole truth... I'm already suspicious. If you bend things just the tiniest bit, I'm going to be more suspicious. I'm not putting my money down until I'm comfortable.
2. Respect me; respect my time. Don't call me at all hours. If I say, "No," then thank me and hang up. If I've listened to your presentation and I'm not interested, another hour with your closer is only going to irritate me. If you leave me alone, I might come back. If you make me mad, I guarantee I won't be back.
3. Make it fun. Ever heard of door prizes? Freebies? Games? Surely there's something you can do to make me want to participate. Locking me in a room with a high-pressure presenter isn't my idea of fun.
4. Make it comfortable. My first, and best experience with a presentation started with a low-key tour around the property. We were given time to poke around a suite. We didn't buy then, but we were treated well, and we decided that the next time we had the opportunity, we would buy.

To read Ralph's complete blog, please visit my website.

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