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Millions of people attend a timeshare presentation every year. Millions more are invited but do not attend. You are probably one of those people, and if you’re not, it is pretty easy to get yourself invited to one. I honestly love sales presentations, but that is because I know sales tactics which helps me see them for what they are and survive them. That being said, I find many of them to be informational and fun, and the fancy snacks and “free” gift offered are not shabby either.

What exactly is a timeshare presentation?

It is no more than a sales presentation. It is usually dressed up a bit with some nice snacks or brunch, a possible video on the merits of vacationing and owning a timeshare, and it usually is accompanied by a nice gift for your time. Following the presentation is a one-on-one meeting with a sales person who will now pitch the timeshare to you. Just like life, some people are pleasant, some are nasty. So you may have a nice pleasant experience, or a horrible experience.

I have probably been in six presentations personally. I believe we purchased one on the fifth. And I do not regret making that purchase at all. In fact I am very happy we did. I am saying that because I want to set the context of these survival tips.

1) Be rational, not emotional

Any sale which is made on emotion has a higher likelihood of buyer’s remorse. A rational decision can be explained that it was a good idea at the time and in that circumstance. An emotional decision is one that may not have been made otherwise which could lead to bitter feelings. So be careful of how you are feeling during the sales meeting. Rationally, you want to know what you are getting, know what it will cost you, so you can decide if it is the right decision for you. Ask rational questions about cost and about what you are getting. Once you decide “no”, make sure it is a business decision that just doesn’t make sense. In this way you do not have to harbor ill feelings. You can justifiably say “no”. Responses could simply be “Okay, I understand. I can see we are not going to make use of this so it’s not in our interest to spend money on it.” A popular sales response is “Well, how much can you afford?”. You can be realistic and say that if the price were low enough you’d consider it, but if you don’t think you will ever use it, a fine answer is that as you will never use it, there is no reason to spend any amount of money on it. Realize that for your gift you agreed to give them their time so you will get more attempts at sales. So be polite and thank them for your gift.

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) Remain objective and keep 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 an open mind will help everyone be at ease, and help you make the decision rationally and logically. Don’t worry, it’s okay to be undecided with an open mind because eventually there will be a point in the sales presentation where you will have enough facts to make your decision of “Yes, it fits in with what we want”, or “No, not at this time”. Having this open minded logical decision will help you remain steadfast and confident particularly when the decision is “No” and more sales tactics are thrown at you.

In conclusion, you can think of a timeshare purchase like an automobile purchase. Some sales people are friendly and courteous while others are pushy and intimidating. Do not let a bad experience with a car salesperson influence your thoughts of what a car is. Cars are great for those that need them. Similarly, don’t let a bad timeshare presentation influence what you think of timeshare properties. Buying a timeshare is a great opportunity for those that will benefit from it. So when you go to a presentation, just keep these tips in mind: Be rational, be confident, and be open minded. You will have a much more pleasant experience that way .

Want to find out more about how to buy or sell a timeshare, then visit Emil Yau’s site to learn more about selling timeshares and other timeshare information.