SHARING VIEW |
What is the point?
By The Editor - March 2006 - Leer en Español
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Waiting at the airport for the arrival of an international flight with a few friends on board, I [sadly] noticed that undoubtedly this is the most efficient center for prospecting qualified couples for the time-share developments.
Some years ago - and after very interesting, arduous and apparently millionaire negotiations - some time-share developers obtained through their association the approval and authorization to build a welcome reception room  inside the airport, just in front of the door of the international arrivals, where promoters – and seemingly the best ones of every development – located behind a huge counter, wearing a uniform as if they were airport employees and identified only by a small name tag and the logo of the development they work for, are inviting all the arriving tourists to approach them in order to obtain, in addition to some handbook, map or information of the city, discounts on local tours and activities which are connected to the opportunity of assisting a time-share presentation.
I observed this prospecting strategy for the first time some years ago at the airport of Los Cabos, and being a visitor of the destination I remember that at that time I thought that I would not like to see the same thing at our airport.
Some time ago this system was implemented here, too and in accordance with what is observed it can be said that of course it produces excellent results. According to comments of diverse sources, the airport is the most productive prospecting center a developer can count on. A place at this welcome counter is exclusive to only some time-share developments. The main advantage of those who are there is that they have the privilege before anybody else - even before the representatives of the destination management companies that receive many of the arriving tourists - to speak with any of them in order to invite them to a time-share presentation. Once the tourists have passed through this “welcome” funnel, they go through another glass door now at last entering the airport hall and meeting the representative of their tour operator, or their friends or relatives that have come to pick them up or the promoter of yet another time-share development!!!
At present the airport is definitely an excellent prospecting center for those time-share developers that have paid the price of exclusiveness. And of course for the promoters, too. Even though there is a respected code concerning the job and whose turn it is, competition amongst the promoters is ferocious and constant. Some of them say that this is one of the prices that they have to pay for being placed in the most sought-after space by time-share representatives.
The point is that, independent of the high level of efficiency that this prospecting center represents in general, for the travelers that arrive and especially for those that visit us for the first time, the arrival process at our airport, after passing customs, turns into something truly stressful. The tourists come across a place where instead of being met cordially and feeling really welcomed, they perceive that they are in high demand sought after by a group of people that try to influence them through signs and screams so that they may approach the promoters in order to receive information.
The point is also that of course the time-share industry continues to contribute to having more and more repetitive tourists in our beautiful Puerto Vallarta. Nevertheless this prospecting center causes the visitor to go through a bitter experience right from the start instead of being received with a warm welcome.
The ironic thing of all of this is that being a tourist destination known as the friendliest city in the world, we have forgotten that “there never is a second chance to cause an excellent first impression”.
If you are a future visitor of our destination, please take notes of what I have mentioned here so that you will not be surprised upon your arrival, and in fact, if you would like, take conscious advantage of the fantastic discounts that the time-share developers are offering in exchange for approximately ninety minutes of your time for a sales presentation during which you certainly are under no obligation to buy anything.
Nothing can be said against the time-share vacationing system. It is the prospecting methods that interfere most of the time diminishing credibility towards the time-share developments.
The Editor
E-mail: editor@pvmirror.com
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