A Timeshare Presentation Survival Guide.

Have you ever attended a timeshare presentation? To be honest, I love them. I love sales presentations. Even before I owned one I had been to quite a few. They can be quite informative and of course you get the free gifts and sometimes even a fancy brunch and nice snacks. However, for others, it can also be a traumatic experience depending on the style of presentation. Because at some point you are sitting in front of a salesperson who is pitching the sale to you.

What is a timeshare presentation?

It is a sales presentation where the timeshare developers make a pitch for you to buy from them. You are usually invited first to see a presentation whether that is a video, a presentation to an audience, or a one-on-one presentation. After the presentation you will probably sit down face-to-face with a salesperson who will now try to sell you the timeshare. Depending on the sales person you get, this can be a pleasant experience or a horrible experience making you wish you were never there.

I personally have been to probably five or six presentations. We did purchase one on the fifth, and I personally love our timeshare and am happy we purchased it. I want to say this because I think it will help with the context of my survival tips which are as follows.

1) Be rational

An emotional sale has a higher likelihood of buyer’s remorse because it is based on a temporary emotion which may not be justified later. A rational decision will be based on facts and the situation. If there is buyer’s remorse, it will only be because the situation has changed and the timeshare advantages no longer apply. So go in being rational knowing what you want, what you can afford, and seeing if there’s a fit. If there absolutely isn’t, be polite about it and comfortable knowing that you cannot rationally buy a timeshare right now. They will continue to push, but then again you are getting a gift for your time so just be logical about it in return: “Now that I understand this, I can’t see us ever using it so it makes no sense for us to spend any money on it”.

2) Be confident in yourself and your decision

Expert salespeople are able to break resistance down. If you know your decision, remain absolute about it. Keep a polite and open mind, but also be confident in what you want and what you don’t want. We had been invited to a presentation a few years back and were offered a $75 gift card for our time. We were interested in the gift card and knew that there was a slim to none chance we would want what they were offering. As they did make the offer, we accepted. We still kept an open mind but could tell early on we would not be interested. In the one-on-one, we were steadfast about our decision. The sales person tried quite a few times but as we remained absolute he could see that any more time on us would be wasted time when he could be selling to someone who would be more likely to buy.

3) Be objective and have an open mind.

An open mind will open opportunities to you. Realize that it is possible that what they are offering will be of interest to you. Going in with a closed mind will make you feel anxious when they start trying all their sales tactics. In the same way it will make a sales person anxious if all they wanted to do was present facts but you are being stubborn about it.

For the timeshare purchase we made in Hawaii, my wife and I had beforehand sat down and discussed owning a timeshare. We realized that we love Hawaii, could see ourselves traveling at least every other year to Hawaii, and from that point we just had to find out if it made financial sense. So we kept an open mind and after finding the costs fit in with what we wanted, we made the purchase.

In the presentation a few years ago that offered us the $75 gift card, even though we knew the likelihood of our purchase was slim to none, we still had an open mind to see what was offered. As expected, we were not interested. However, in this second case for the Hawaii timeshare, we kept an open mind and open conversation (even in front of the sales person) and realized that it did make sense for us so we purchased. And we are very happy still about this purchase, but had we gone in with a closed mind we would have missed out on something which has enriched our lives.

Keeping your mind open will help everyone be at ease. Don’t worry, because with an open and objective mind there will be a point in the presentation where you will realize that yes, it makes sense, or no, it does not make sense. Having this on your side will also help you remain confident and steadfast in your decision.

In conclusion, think of buying an automobile. Some salespeople are intimidating and nasty, some salespeople are pleasant and courteous. Would you let a bad sales experience influence what you think of cars? Of course not! Cars are helpful for those who need them. Timeshares are the same: they can be a blessing for those that would benefit from owning one. So do your best to learn about timeshares prior to your meeting and how they could fit in your life. And to survive the timeshare presentation, just keep these tips in mind: be logical, be confident, and remain open minded. You will find the experience much more pleasant this way, and you may also find that owning a timeshare is for you.

Learn more about all things related to a timeshare: Stop by Emil Yau’s site where you can find out all about selling a timeshare and other useful timeshare information