Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cable News Thinking and Traditional Timeshare Thinking

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog...and highly encourage you to. Today's blog concerned "The Problem With Cable News Thinking" and by way of illustrating, listed these 12 elements:

* Focus on the urgent instead of the important
* Vivid emotions and the visuals that go with them as a selector for what's important
* Emphasis on noise over thoughtful analysis
* Unwillingness to reverse course and change one's mind
* Xenophobic and jingoistic recations
* Defense of the status quo encouraged by an audience self-selected to be uniform
* Things become important merely because others have decided that they are important
* Top down messaging encourages and echo chamber (agree or change the channel)
* Ill-informed about history and a particular issue
* Confusing opinions with the truth
* Revising facts to fit a point
* Unwillingness to review past mistakes in light of history and use those to do better next time

Seth concludes by stating, "If I wanted to hobble an organization or even a country, I'd wish these twelve traits on them..."

"Hobble" is an interesting choice of words...for I believe that these 12 traits are evident in the way the traditional timeshare sales and marketing machine operates. Re-read the list with your mindset on a timeshare sales presentation, regardless if you are a consumer or a timeshare salesperson.

Scary, isn't it?

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Did You Know We're Also On Facebook?

In this ever expanding social-networking frenzy that everyone finds themselves in lately, Timeshare Insights has a Facebook page. If you become a "Fan" you will receive a free ICE Gallery Membership.

A Self-Serving Blog Entry

It just dawned on me that some of my readers aren't all that familiar with me...so just to let them (or you) know, I am the author of three (3) books..."Surviving A Timeshare Presentation...Confessions From The Sales Table," "Timeshare Vacations For Dummies" and "Timeshare Management-The Key Issues For Hospitality Managers."

If you'd like to order any of these books, just e-mail me at lisa@timeshareinsights.com.

Commercial over!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Marriott Halts Timeshare and Luxury Project Developments

In a sign of the difficult economic times that have hit the timeshare industry, Marriott International recently reported that they will stop developing new timeshare as well as luxury residential projects.

They site "weakening demand, falling prices and difficultly securitizing loans for consumers" for the change in plans.

Stay tuned to hear developments from Wyndham and Starwood.