| Dishonest…Unscrupulous…Unethical… Frauds. Liars. Believe you me, timeshare sale agents have been called all these names. And maybe a few more that are unprintable in this newsletter. It’s a very common experience. So common, it’s almost like timeshare reps are TAUGHT be to this untrustworthy. Huh. Wait a minute… could it be? Business experts will tell you that the culture of an organization, its guiding values and ethical climate, is most influenced by the tone and example set at the top management levels of the company. It all trickles down from the leadership. Well, that begins to make a lot of sense if you are talking about Westgate Resorts. All you have to do is listen to Richard Siegel, a vice president of operations at Westgate, describe his basic sales philosophy. “100% of the people we’re talking to are…it’s not a nice word…but we call them mooches.” What? Did Richard Siegel, the vice president of Westgate just call his potential owners…mooches??? He sure did. And he even explains himself. “They are coming in for a sales presentation, on their vacation, for a free gift. So, we train our salespeople how to take someone greedy like that and get them to buy today.” It’s interesting to note here that Richard Siegel is the son of David Siegel, Westgate’s founder and CEO. Talk about setting the tone from the top! In a pep talk to the Westgate sales team in Las Vegas, he even encourages them to lie in order to complete a sale: “Y’know, you should own at least one week yourselves…and if you don’t, lie and say you do!” And the overarching, all important reason why Richard wants them to lie to customers? “Don’t let these people leave here without buying something. Something. Whether it’s big or small, make sure they buy something.” At Westgate, anything goes because, as Richard explains, it’s all about sales. “100% of our sales are on the first day…They will not buy today if they don’t’ get a ‘great deal’, if they don’t believe they are getting a great deal.” Yup… he even uses “air quotes” when he sarcastically says “great deal.” Timesharing is great, Richard tells his team. “You can sell every unit 52 times because you sell it by the week.” Now that sounds kinda Moochie, Richard. Shouldn’t trustworthiness be the quality on which a good sales relationship is built? Let’s email David Siegel at david_siegel@wgresorts.com and “politely” suggest his son stops lying to Westgate customers and starts treating them with respect. We should also email Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association for timeshare companies. Let’s ask if he thinks it’s okay for Westgate sales agents to lie to customers and treat them like “mooches.” Jason’s email is jgamel@arda.org. Does your timeshare company’s leaders act like you’re a mooch? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to demand a change in tone and tactics. Did your timeshare company lie just to make a sale on the first day? Let us know at info@timesharefacts.com. PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
