Bob McGrath
Vice President, Business Development
Earlier this year, while I was (again!) traveling to meet with RCI-affiliated resort clients, I read an article in the airline magazine that kept me thinking long after the short flight had ended. What particularly stood out was a quote the writer included from St. Augustine of Hippo: “The world is a book and those that do not travel read only one page”.
As someone who spent the better part of the 1990s as a salesperson and sales manager in the timeshare world, I couldn’t help but think how this quote could’ve helped me to close more sales! Who doesn’t want to travel? Who wants to feel like they don’t know, or haven’t seen, all they can? We (and our potential customers) all want new experiences, and we won’t get those by visiting the same place every year. But as RCI resort affiliates, you have a reliable, proven and well-crafted tool in your toolbox that is sometimes overlooked, but can definitely help – the RCI® Directory of Affiliated Resorts.
This year’s directory for point-of-sale usage has a total of 336 pages. Each geographic section highlights great RCI-affiliated resorts by map, and then by featured resort, including pertinent information and color photography, with many more resorts listed in the appendix of each section for even more travel options. Even the largest clubs in timesharing today cannot offer the variety, selection, and unique experiences which your affiliation with RCI provides.
AIF studies have shown that many new owners place a good deal of significance in exchange.* With purchasers in the “Gen-X” or Millennial generations, this ability needs to be highlighted even more. That trip to Europe to visit their family’s ancestral home, or the trip to South America that combines sightseeing and language immersion with some volunteer time, or yes, even that trip to a beach or a theme park with friends and family for pure fun and relaxation! RCI’s approximately 4,500 affiliated resorts in 100 countries makes those trips possible, and the RCI Directory of Affiliated Resorts makes those trips real!
The best news is that the ability to use this information isn’t just restricted to the physical directory. RCI.com has all the same information that the printed directory has, and a lot more that the printed directory doesn’t, and it is always available.
So, the next time you’re sitting with a timeshare sales guest, show them the directory, remind them of what St. Augustine said. Then invite them to read all the pages.
Good luck!
Bob McGrath
is vice president of business development at RCI with 23 years’ experience in the timeshare industry.
*Source: 2014 AIF Shared Vacation Ownership Owner's Report