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WHY THE GSO?
...A message from MJ Tolan, founder
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About 22 years ago, I was in awe of the Legends of Timeshare, the new industry that made it possible for salespeople and marketing people to earn as much as they were worth (at least that's what they said at the interview).
Names like Jon DeHaan, Mario Rodriguez , Keith Trowbridge, Jim Lambert were already in the street talk "Hall of Fame" of this new and exiting industry called timeshare. It was even OK to say that word back then. No one really knew what it was.
They were the players, the movers and the shakers. In fact, we owe a lot to these pioneers and others like them, who are many, as it was their efforts and entrepreneurial savvy that turned a neat business idea into the Mega industry that we have all experienced and enjoy today. A business that we successfully reproduced, improved upon and grew with, in maturity.
Over the years I have had the great pleasure to be involved in all facets of the business, having had great experiences and also ones that never make it to the bragging room. Most of us can say the same. However, whatever the title, I am a still a salesman and proud of it.
| I remember the old days, the early years. Timeshare was
cutting its teeth in 78'. Salespeople bragged and boasted about being number one and claimed that one day we would
have over 200 resorts in the exchange network! Imagine that! I can remember having a great day at the resort back then and everyone going to the happy hour lounge nearby, celebrating and reliving their presentation, or complaining about their clients' qualifications. 100 of us invading the place at once! It seems so long ago but I remember the adrenaline that we all felt when we did a deal or had a record day… it was this, I believe, that kept most of us hooked on the jazz of it all. The adrenaline. |
Over the years we saw regulations in many markets become introduced and implemented (thankfully) and witnessed (and/or developed) new marketing methods being created and employed, but the business of making the sale has changed very little. The process that supports the idea that "belief and attitude can conquer resistance" is still one of the favorite ingredients of sales champions worldwide.
Today
we are truly blessed in many ways. We are a socially acceptable trade in some countries. We could improve our image
in others. We have seen the Big Corporations and Hotel Branded Groups enter our industry and they have indeed added
a great deal of credence to the overall mix of the product and its image.
It is still, however, the individual salesperson making the bulk of sales today, even though the internet will
become a greater sales tool in the future.
We should all be happy about all of the credibility that the big name brands give us as an industry. Are the Brands
setting the pace for the future? Do all of us work for a Branded company? How many of us work in this industry
globally and not for a brand?
My guess is an amazing number of us are working with a single entrepreneurial company. The foot soldiers of the industry. Week for Week, there are still a lot more independents who are still making an impact worldwide.
The people who make this industry great, who sell and market, are too often left out of the corporate equation, because lawyers or public companies have more credibility and are better at getting the job of shaping the industry for all of us.
The significance of the paramount importance to recognize the front line sales force is best explained in the following equation:
No prospects=no sales=no industry.
What about the Salesperson, the OPC, the T.O., the Independent Marketing company?
- Do they have any opinions, input or experience we could
benefit from?
Do they have something to say?
Is anyone listening?
There
are a lot of very, very talented people in our industry who sell and market and could help us get even further
than we are now.They need to jump into the GSO.
One
reason that the GSO was first conceived was to have a place to go after work to unwind, meet a few new friends
who share similar concerns and simply get together. The GSO's ideal outcome is to bring these independents together,
wherever they are in the World, and unite them with each other through "sharing the pride of service through
selling".
In 1978 when I started, I do not believe that 15 countries
were trading in the timeshare business, but look at us today!
There are companies selling timeshare at The Red Sea of Egypt, The Canary Islands (Europe's Top Market), Singapore,
Moscow, Rio, Beijing, Senegal, Kenya, Thailand and the list goes on. It is truly amazing! (We are currently creating a meeting lounge and a chat facility to give our members
real possibilities to reach out to their fellow colleagues!)
That means in those foreign and strange new markets there are people who are facing some of the same challenges
as you are, getting the right lead generation schemes, recruiting appropriate sales staff, getting a T.O. to do
a close, doing the button up in a language incomprehensible to most of us.
They are dealing with one or both of the exchange companies and bragging to their clients that their network now
has the resort affiliated where you may be working .
We are all linked.
Hence the creation of the GSO.
The GSO concept is simple… "provide an environment
where like-thinking people can contact each other, learn about new markets, strategies or new opportunities. Create
a path of Discovery to the world's markets and act as the "UNITED CLUBHOUSE" for industry sales and marketing
personnel around the world."
Of course, placing an application for membership is only the first step. Involvement is what will make this club
house work.
As founder of the GSO I am soliciting no fees to join. However, I am requesting and inviting interested parties
to become proactive on line.
| That means you, I hope. |
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CONTACT: register@gso-timeshare.com
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Click here to visit the
World Class Club - A Vacation Owners Club