How To Get Out Of A Timeshare Sales Presentation or Owner Update Without Buying Or Upgrading

Timeshare Sales Presentation

30 July 2024

Timeshare sales presentations are notorious for being long and painful because

They don’t honor the time limit.
They don’t take, "no" for an answer.
They use high-pressure sales tactics.

Almost everyone you talk to has a story about their horrible experience when they attended a timeshare sales presentation. And whatever the prize was, at the end of it all, the consensus was, “It wasn’t worth it!”

Because even if the reward for sitting through the presentation is a gift card or a free vacation or tickets to Disney or a cruise, what we’ve learned is that, free isn’t really free when you pay with your time and attention.

Today I want to give you some tips and tactics for managing the timeshare sales process gracefully, so you don’t waste valuable time on your next vacation.

So let’s begin by identifying why people attend timeshare sales presentations in the first place.

Why do people attend timeshare sales presentations?

There are 3 main reasons that people will attend a timeshare sales presentation:

They received a phone call from an appointment setter saying, “Congratulations, you’ve won! All you have to do is attend a free 90-minute presentation and then you’ll discover what your prize will be! It could be a boat, an iPad, a free vacation, or a $100 gift card!” So they attend to get the free gift.
They are a timeshare owner who is invited to an Owner’s Update meeting where they will learn about the newest benefits available to them.
They won a free vacation and the only requirement is to attend a presentation during their stay.

What’s missing from this list? Buying intent!

Surprisingly, not many people actually go to a timeshare sales presentation because they want to buy a timeshare. And because of that, the salesperson’s job is that much harder. Which explains why they have to trick you into going or bribe you.

*If you've attended a timeshare sales presentation for a different reason, I want to hear about it. Let me know in the Comment section below.

Avoid getting caught in a timeshare sales presentation

The primary hook that timeshares use to get you into a sales presentation is a free gift.

They are using a sales tactic called, “the law of reciprocation”, which is a psychological principle that states that people feel obligated to return a favor, gift or service when someone does something for them.

The law of reciprocation or reciprocity is a powerful persuasion technique. And in this case, it is implied that the best way for us to show our appreciation is to buy a timeshare.

Now, they are very clever about when and where they give out these free gifts.

Sign up for a free raffle

You can find booths at all kinds of events that allow you to fill out a form to be entered into a raffle to win a fantastic grand prize. In reality, your information is passed to an appointment setter who calls you to congratulate you on winning one of the lesser prizes, and you’ll find out which one when you attend a presentation.

At the airport

In Mexico, when you arrive at the airport, people will come up to you and offer to give you a free breakfast plus a limo ride and tour of a nearby resort. Of course, the resort is a timeshare and they will invite you to become an owner during a long sales presentation before they take you back to your hotel.

On the street

In Las Vegas, people are standing on the sidewalk handing out free tickets to see fabulous shows. Of course, the catch is that you have to sit through a presentation first.

Information Booths

In the Ala Moana Shopping Center on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, they have information booths positioned strategically throughout the mall. When you have a question, they are happy to help. Once they’ve answered your questions, they surprise and delight you by giving you tickets for a free luau or excursion. Of course, they come with the requirement to attend a timeshare sales presentation.

At check in

Sometimes you have made a reservation at a resort and you didn’t even know it was a timeshare. After all, the check-in experience is the same as any hotel. But a timeshare will have one extra step that you need to do. Once you’re checked in, the front desk person will give you some good reason why you need to go talk to an appointment setter. Often, the excuse is that you have to talk to them to get your parking pass or a wristband. Or maybe they’ll have some coupons for you. This person will do everything they can to get you to commit to a time to attend a presentation, and it often includes the enticement of a free breakfast.

During your stay

If you don’t schedule your appointment then, don’t worry, they will call your room and leave messages for you. And of course, you can expect to receive regular phone calls and emails from them throughout your stay and throughout the year.

To minimize this nuisance, here are a few suggestions:

Tell the appointment setter that you have a very full schedule during your vacation and you won’t have time to attend.
Set up a throwaway Google email address just for the timeshare folks.
Set up a Google Voice phone number that you can block later on.
Unplug the phone in your room

When you buy

They even have interesting sales tactics to start you off with a cheaper trial offer and then have you come back later to upgrade. Westgate, for example, will sell you an every-other-year plan and then 6 months later they tell you it’s time to come in for an Owners Update where they convince you to upgrade to an every-year plan.

Wyndham has been selling a 1-year package that doesn’t include maintenance fees. But, of course, at the end of the year, you will be invited back to upgrade to a full membership.

*Timeshares are always coming up with new ways to get you into a timeshare sales presentation. Please share in the Comments below what trick they used to get you to attend one.

Now that you’re aware of the tricks and bribes that are being used to get you to schedule a timeshare presentation, let’s talk about what happens during the sales presentation.

What are the sales tactics to be aware of?

When you willingly walk into a timeshare sales presentation, the moment you cross the threshold, you are in their domain, where they control every aspect of the presentation that you are about to experience.

And the timeshare sales people are stacking the odds in their favor that they will get the sale, using what I call, the 4 T’s.

Time

They begin by setting your expectations by telling you how long the presentation will last, but it will actually take much longer.

And when you realize that the time limit has passed, and you have no idea how much longer it will take, you begin to feel uncomfortable because they are not respecting your time or keeping their promise, which is very rude.

And the truth is, being rude is part of their sales tactics.

Because psychologically, rudeness can cause negative emotions like sadness and anger, which can make it harder for you to think clearly and rationally. In fact, rudeness is one of the most powerful sales tactics that they use because it can make people feel stressed and defeated.

And the sooner you feel defeated, they win!

Team

And the timeshare sales people work together as a team.

You’ll notice that they will keep bringing in more-senior people to continue the presentation.

What that does is it allows them to keep having fresh new players take over while you and your family are getting tired, hungry and frustrated.

Threats

The threat I’m referring to here is indirect, because most people are worried that if they leave the presentation without buying, the salesperson will be angry.

It’s surprising how effective this implied threat is, because people will stay in a presentation long past the time limit, even when their family is miserable, just so they don’t offend the salesperson.

Tricks

The sales people are also adept at using tricks to make you think others are buying timeshares all around you, which is a psychological principle called "social proof" to give you the sense that you should buy one too.

Plus, it gives you a sense of urgency, making you feel like the best deals are already gone, and you should buy now so you don’t miss out.

This is a psychological principle called, “FOMO” or Fear Of Missing Out, and it has been proven to be a very effective sales technique.

Now that you’re aware of the theatrics going on behind the scenes, how can you use this knowledge to your advantage?

How do you leave a timeshare sales presentation on time?

I want you to be able to leave a timeshare sales presentation feeling good about yourself.

That means that you keep your promises to the salesperson, to your family, and to yourself. That way you won’t let negative emotions get in the way of enjoying the rest of your vacation.

Srdjan is one of our Success Coaches at Timeshare Rental Strategies and he shared a story of how he leads with integrity when going into a timeshare sales presentation.

Here is his simple 5-step plan:

1. Tell the salesperson that you will not be buying or upgrading today.

2. Tell the salesperson that you have an appointment to get to. (Of course, you need to plan ahead and schedule another activity for a time that gives you a reason to have that hard stop.)

3. Because of that other appointment, tell the salesperson how long you can stay. For example, “I only have 2 hours today. And then we will have to leave.”

4. Set 2 alarms on your phone: The first alarm is a 15 minute warning. The second alarm is 5 minutes before the deadline to give your family enough time to collect the gift card or prize you were promised.

5. When the first alarm goes off, let the salesperson know that there are 10 minutes left. When the second alarm goes off, thank the salesperson for their time, stand up and start walking toward the exit.

So, all you have to do is communicate clearly and keep your promises. That way, it doesn’t matter if the salesperson is unhappy. You are taking care of your priorities and treating others with respect.

Best timeshare sales presentation tips

Stay calm

Understand that the real sales mechanism that the timeshare salespeople are using intentionally is emotional manipulation. Therefore, the key is for you to stay calm and rational.

I once heard a salesperson say, “When she got really mad, I knew I had the sale!”

Never tell them what it will take for them to sell you

One of our Timeshare Rental Academy members, David K. shared this story:

Thirty years ago I gave in to going to one of these timeshare sales presentations with the free gift offer of a new cell phone. I had no intention of buying a timeshare.

My wife also attended. I heard the presentation and the timeshare came with an offer of a loan to finance the purchase.

At that time, I had been working as a mortgage broker, and I was very good at my job.

I was shocked to learn that the offer to provide financing involved a loan at 12.5%.

After they pressured me with lots of hard sell techniques, I advised them that there was a way that I would agree to purchase. I told them that I considered the loan rate to be too high and that I could arrange financing at a rate closer to 5%.

I told them that if they gave me 4 clients who might be interested in buying but needed financing, I could more than likely show them how I could reduce their mortgage payments and include the loan required to purchase the timeshare. They took me up on my challenge and gave me FOUR CLIENTS.

What I’ve learned is that if you tell them what it will take to get you to buy, they will bend over backwards to give it to you.

So when the sales people probe you with questions, trying to find out what will get you to buy, the best thing to do is keep your answers short and non-specific. Or, name your price and see what they say!

Do not leave the property

Sometimes it cannot be avoided, but if they take you on a bus or in a limousine to another resort property, it makes it very difficult to leave when you want.

Don’t ask questions

Asking questions gives clues into what you want most, and makes the presentation take much longer. So as they are explaining all the math and making notes on that piece of scratch paper, just nod.

The last time I personally went to a presentation, I said very little and at the end of 90 minutes they asked me, “What would make you buy this timeshare?”

I said, “I believe that I would buy it on the secondary market for $1, so I can keep my expenses as low as possible, and then rent it to make the biggest profit possible.”

They looked stunned and said, “I’ve never heard that answer before.”

They had nothing else to say at that point, so I thanked them and left with my $100 Visa gift card.

Pay attention to the Rescission Period

If you buy a timeshare or upgrade, and you regret making that decision, you do have a right to change your mind.

Every contract has a clause that allows you to cancel it within a limited period of time, typically between 3 to 10 days from the date the contract is signed.

You will have to follow the instructions exactly. Otherwise, they can deny your request. If you send the signed cancelation request by mail, make sure you send it certified so you get a receipt proving that they received it within the time limit.

Conclusion

Be aware that no matter what they call the presentation, the salesperson’s agenda is ALWAYS to get you to buy or upgrade a timeshare. Plain and simple.

This can create a conflict when your agenda is to get out in 90 minutes with the gift they promised you.

I hope that these tips will help you exit an uncomfortable sales presentation or avoid getting caught in one in the first place.

And of course, if you want to learn how to make money with your timeshare to offset the cost of your maintenance fees, you can click the button below to schedule a free 30-Minute call with a timeshare rental expert.

Click Here To Schedule a FREE 30-minute Timeshare Rental Training Call

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Sue Hoyuela

Sue Hoyuela is a timeshare rental expert. Since 2011, she has been educating and empowering timeshare owners to rent their timeshare safely and profitably by using her unique Fixed Dates Strategy. Her mission is to teach timeshare owners how to rent their timeshare themselves so they can rent their timeshare for top dollar while keeping more of the money that they make.