Online Lead Generation: Enticing customers with real value

“Times are hard
You're afraid to pay the fee
So you find yourself somebody
Who can do the job for free.” ~Steely Dan

When the economy tanks, as in the current financial crisis, resort portfolios tend to take a hit. Unfortunately, for many resort companies, the machine is leveraged on portfolio interest and ongoing sales. Tough times put more pressure on sales. As consumers get lighter in the pockets each marketing dollars seems to have a diminishing return.

Any well run business will focus on increasing efficiencies. Even in the best times it still makes good business sense to target your marketing efforts and bring in new customer as efficiently as possible. The downward spiral of the economy makes these best practices all the more pressing.

Online lead generation is a trend that brings targeting to a whole new level. Certain mechanisms, like broadcast emails, can be interpreted as SPAM and have a low conversion rate. A completely new trend is mini-vacation specific hubs that entice new sales prospects with real value. These vacation portholes bring together multiple resorts and leverage their targeted marketing efforts over several different offers. One emerging example of consumer oriented vacation package sites is vacation-Offer.com.

Vacation-Offer brings together a consumer facing side like Orbitz while including vacation ownership education to prepare the guests for their experience and the required sales tour. As one Vacation-Offer representative said, “The idea is not to scare them away with the prospects of a sales tour. We put together a site that falls in line with many other professional travel portholes and we educate the prospects. Keep them comfortable and let them make an active decision. That is our games plan. It helps that we focus on targeting our advertising to drive qualified people to the site.”

Breaking the mold on online lead generation is a major step forward for more efficient business models in the resort business. The web boom has set standards for how a travel site looks and acts. It is time that resorts design for people’s comfort zones and provide a clear message to start the sales process.

Timeshare Internet Marketing & Tour Generation Whitecap Lead Generation - Changing the Game

I was recently contacted by a representative from Whitecap Lead Generation, (www.whitecaplg.com). All I can say is WOW!

I had a chance to speak with the founder, Justin Cutillo, who says the Whitecap system has been in development since 2006 as a response to the growth of "Do not call list" adoption. "I knew marketing timeshare tours on internet was the only solution to fill the growing gap of calling lists", said Cutillo, "The unexpected thing we found is that, if done right, internet marketing can not only fill the void, but it can cut overhead drastically by automatically collecting only quality prospects". Sounds simple but that's how Whitecap Lead Generation is changing the game. They don't produce a huge volume of leads that hardly convert to tours at a rate of 1 in 100, they provide you with short lists of people who are ready to book tours at your resort. Summarizing the company mantra, Cutillo stated, "Our goal is to give independent resorts the same high tech tools that industry leaders such as Marriott and Wyndham are using." I think they are on to something.

I tried to prod some details about exactly how the system is able to pluck the 'diamonds in the rough' from the vast internet. Cutillo didn't reveal any juicy trade secrets, but he didn't miss the chance to pitch that the process includes very granular geographic targeting. Which is not an easy task on the internet, but is a must for independent resorts that have limited marketing charters. Cutillo also implied that targeting the right demographic and psychographic was a big part of the initial collection process. Beyond marketing, the Whitecap Lead Generation team prides themselves on their constant improvements to protect their clients from an internet full of spammers and scammers. "Since we've launched the new system, not a single bit of SPAM has been passed on to our clients and if it were to we have an interface built in to notify us immediately," claims Cutillo.

Whitecap Lead Generation is also putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to their timeshare tour generation. Their payment model is on a per-lead basis, which minimizes the risk to resorts who are skeptical. My guess is that there is also a bit of sticker shock as Whitecap Leads can appear pricey when compared paying $1 or less for some internet leads. However when you consider some resorts are paying $200-$400 per booked tour, it is clear that there is immense value of, what I would coin, 'ready-to-be-booked' leads offered by Whitecap Lead Generation. When I was first contacted the representative forgot to mentioned a test program for new clients that included free leads, I didn't get more details but I'm sure they would be happy to tell you all about it, hahah.

After I spoke with Cutillo, I came to my own conclusion that the strengths in this product stem from the fact that they do everything under their own roof, (which is rare these days). Creative/rich media creation, marketing, account management and in house web development means a flawless product from tip to tail.

I'll be keeping an eye on these movers,
The Wizard

Selling Ice to Eskimos

My ear is constantly hot. Sometimes I wonder what this age of the iphone is going to mean for our kids. Will they have hot ears too? With all the technology flying around the world, how has making the sale changed?

Just looking around our sales office the other day I was hit with a flashback. It may have been all that champagne from the Go Go 80’s finally getting to me, but I swear I was in a different world. Gone were the oversized, under produced sales billboards. The sweet sounds of bad elevator music had long ceased to exist. And the furniture…let’s just say things looked a bit more polished.

These days when you come into the office the secretary politely offers you a beverage and the well-dressed sales reps smoothly ushers you over to a polished oak table. These days the flimsy props are replace with wall sized panoramas, 3D renderings of future amenities and of course the HiFi sales videos design to ooh and aww the prospects.

Beyond the immediate sales process, even the architects are getting in on the action. Viewing areas along the tour are design as pit stops to let the sales rep do their magic. Tours get a chance to take in the new water park set against the backdrop of fancy new buildings and manicured lawns.

The point is, the setting has changed, but I submit that the selling hasn’t. They say selling is a killer instinct that you are born with. I have definitely seen reps that were not naturals become good at what they do. However, there is something to be said for the tigers out there. With all the new technology it still comes down to engaging with people and earning their trust.

Companies continue to data-mine their tour channels and monitoring performance. All these metrics are critical for keeping a competitive edge. Despite all the technology and techniques I still believe it comes down to the sales team. With the economy in the gutter and gas prices through the roof, the sales team needs to carry the torch. As resort marketers get creative about generating tours, keep your eye on the sales guys. As long as you get qualified people through the door, they have to sell the ice, even in these hard times when we are all Eskimos.

The Wizard

The Living Link Web Directory

Trends of 'Next Generation' Travelers... three words: Internet, Internet, Internet

Maybe this report is hammering in what we all knew was true anyway, but the next generation of travelers are using the Internet in every aspect of travel. To share some quick statistics, the report shows that 71% use the Internet to find travel information, 41% take virtual tours of prospective destinations, and 38% use the internet to build their vacation itinerary online. Post-trip, one third have even posted reviews about their experience.

What does this mean for timeshare sales? Opportunity.

One - The internet lives on cost efficient targeted advertising. Be carful though, online advertising can be a jungle full of treacherous trails and mythical beasts. One can blow through a modest budget in no time or find a diamond in the rough. My suggestion is to spend a little cash on a few options and see what works the best for you. When you find something that works, don't be afraid to push for more volume.

Two - The survey also indicates that travelers will be more educated than ever before, this means prospects will respond to the value of timeshare opportunities. When talking which prospects don't shy away from concrete numbers.

Three - Good business breeds more business. This is there era where the good guys can win big and the shady scammers of the industry get what's coming to them. Playing the odds, it only takes three people to get scammed before a scathing review gets put up. Most importantly the opposite is true too, being honest, showing a prospect a good time and making a good sale can lead to positive reflections across the net. The cost of doing good business the pays off in the long-term.

Thats my two (er three) cents on this recent survey. Leave some comments about what you think.

The Wizard

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Complete copies of the results of the NEXTgen Traveler(TM) survey results are available for purchase through the Publications section of www.ypartnership.com or www.phocuswright.com.


via ResortTrades.com

Pep Talk -Ramblings of an Honest Man

In the modern world of marketing, change is a constant. As a kid growing up on a timeshare resort I saw my fair deal of change from the 70’s through the 90’s.
At first is started out with, “what the heck is this European stuff they call timeshare?” Then it moved on to, “Wait, you’re going to give me an inflatable boat if I come visit?” Somewhere between “while you are here let us give you a presentation” and “can we get another copy of the phone book”, reality began to set in. The “Do Not Call List” hit most of us like a ton of bricks.

Unrestricted telemarketing had always been the hammer in most timeshare resorts marketing tool bag. In many cases, the old tactics still exist as drop box programs open up new lists of prospects. Still, there is something about getting all too intimate with the good old yellow pages that I think many of us will always miss. In a numbers game it is always best to have the most tickets to scratch.

These days anybody can get on the internet and find the answers they are looking for. There is something to be said about an old fashioned argument where both sides have no proof and you still have a chance to convince your wife that motorcycles are plenty safe, but let’s leave that to another day. The point is the internet is an opportunity, not unlike the Wild West or the California gold rush. You can take your best shot and you might make it big, but you might end up on a bar stool with nothing but an empty glass and a bad case of scurvy.

As long as you make the right decisions you can choose your own destiny. The internet in the greatest marketing machine mankind has ever devised. Some of the largest sites like Google or Myspace were built on the backbone of tapping into consumers and getting inside their heads. The internet, my friends, is a gift to the timeshare industry. Most people might cringe at that thought with the complexities of online marketing and lead generation, but if you look at the industry leaders, the Marriotts and the Wyndhams of this world, you will see that I speak the truth.
With the industry consolidation at a rapid pace and the brain drain pulling some of the best talent into the leading companies, those of us at the independent resorts should not fear the web. The internet is a great equalizer. So whatever you do, don’t avoid the inevitable. Spread the good word about your organization through blogs, create online videos to get people excited, work on your site and fire up your google analytics to see how people are using it. Most of all, do not miss the opportunity to tap into the web and retake the ground you lost when Uncle Same cut your phone line. Generate tours, harvest leads, and target the sales prospects you know are out there. My best advice is keep kicking the horse until he goes somewhere exciting.
GoodLuck,

The Wizard