Resort Trades Learning Center… Doing Our Part to Help You Excel

In case you’ve missed it, Resort Trades Learning Center has had a full menu this spring. (Videos of Resort Trades events are available at YouTube.com/ResortTrades.)

For example, in May we learned what are the “Do’s & Don’ts of Renovations” from Margit Whitlock, AIA, Architectural Concepts, Inc. Georgi Bohrod Gordon, RRP, and our publisher, Sharon Scott Wilson, RRP, had a conversation about the role of public relations in resort marketing.

If you’re involved in the timeshare resort business, then you are very aware of the necessity of sales – particularly sales to new owners/members – in order to stay in business. We are constantly competing with exit companies for our prospect’s respect and trust. In May and June, ADS Consulting CEO Dave Stroeve shared thoughts about this and other challenges to salespeople who are trying to operate in what has been a rougher-than-usual environment. Be sure to go to Resort Trades’ YouTube channel and search for the first two videos of his three-part series, “How to Achieve Sustainable Sales Growth.” Don’t forget to register for his third presentation to occur in July. Visit ResortTrades.com/LearningCenter.

Leaders in the Next Wave

“The New Buyer’s Journey” with Shari Levitin, of Shari Levitin & The Shari Levitin Group, kicked off the June Learning Center lineup, which introduced the industry to innovative new ways to address prospective buyers. Shari has an unequaled reputation as a sales trainer, author, and thought leader in the timeshare industry. When she broadened her market outside the industry over the last two years, however, she opened herself to a broader scope of techniques and thought processes.

There is so much to say about Shari; where can we start? She is the author of the inspirational non-fiction ‘how-to,’ Heart and Sell. Shari was named one of the Top 50 Keynote Speakers globally in sales, the Top 38 Women Influencers to Watch, the Top 10 Sales Influencers on LinkedIn, and recently starred along with 20 other sales experts in a documentary film put out by Salesforce called the “Story of Sales.”

Shari has helped create over 1 billion dollars in increased revenue for companies in over 40 countries. Shari is the bestselling author of Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know, a contributor to Forbes, CEO Magazine, and Huffington Post.

Additionally, Shari was chosen as the first adjunct professor at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business to teach a course in sales, she’s an Advisory Board member of the Sundance Institute, a designated Women’s Sales Pro, and was featured as an expert in the new Salesforce documentary film “The Story of Sales.”

Now she shares from her tremendous wealth of experience – both within the timeshare world and outside its confines of preconceived assumptions about handling tours. “It’s not just 90 minutes these days,” says Shari Levitin.

Shari taught us volumes about how resorts today must use multiple digital tools to integrate sales, marketing, and service. Resort Trades heard back from almost every attendee at the event, saying they were challenged by what she said and intended to change their own methodology as a result.

We heard from another powerful and inspirational woman in June — Sheryl Cattell, of Personal Legend Coaching. In her business, Sheryl assists individuals in personal development. Her wonderfully uplifting personality encourages everyone around her. “

Like Shari, Sheryl is truly a Next Wave Leader. In addition to offering personal and professional coaching, she offers a course in using LinkedIn for personal branding. She rattled off user tips during her session, “Using LinkedIn to Build Your Business, Without Spending a Dime” to rival the pace of a Gatling gun. Following are a few of the links she shared, but you’ll have to view her presentation to learn how to apply many of them.

• Get your Social Selling Index here – http://bit.ly/CattellSSI
• Remove background (for free) https://www.remove.bg/upload
• How to Create a Pod – https://www.joshsteimle.com/linkedin/linkedin-engagement-pods.html
• Connecting with Sheryl – https://www.linkedin.com/in/scattell
• Multiple names & spellings: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzylenz/
• Promo banner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiewemyss/
• Relevant banner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethancbecker/
• Emojis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindymakita/
• Featured section and name pronunciation: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roehm/

Sheryl Cattell is an award-winning digital marketer with more than 25 years of experience in positions including VP and CMO of Marketing. She is the founder of two Interactive Marketing Associations (sfima.com/dfwima.org), a digital marketing coach for the BizHack Academy, and a founder of Personal Legend Coaching as a Master Certified Life Coach. She recently joined Starmark International as a Sr. Digital Marketing Strategist.
The topics she crammed into her 50-minute presentation included:

• Get your social selling score and see how you compare within your industry and network
• How to create a business page on LinkedIn
• Establishing the goals for your business presence on LinkedIn
• Connecting with the target companies, job titles, and influencers in your “space”
• Creating a pillar and cluster content strategy to support your business goals
• Find out how to get more mileage from your posts (from hundreds to thousands of views)
• Discover the Pros and Cons of hosting an event on LinkedIn

Also in May, the Resort Trades Learning Center was honored to have the opportunity for our publisher, Sharon Scott Wilson, RRP, to interview Michael Brown, Travel + Leisure Co. CEO and Newly Appointed ARDA Chairman. Despite being head of the world’s leading membership and leisure travel company (T + L’s portfolio consists of nearly 20 resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands) and the volunteer head of the American Resort Development Association for the next two years, Mike’s demeanor portrayed no signs of angst. He’s a likable and approachable guy. With the responsibilities of running a company that employs 15,500 associates, including the Wyndham Destinations, Panorama, and Travel + Leisure Group business lines, he’s got a pretty full plate. As loyal supporters of ARDA, Resort Trades Magazine welcomes Mike and looks forward to following his progress.

June’s plethora of ground-breaking live events was made ever more remarkable by Kelley Ellert exploring new ground in “BREAKING NOW: Influencer Marketing Is New Wave.” Influencer marketing (IM) is a growing medium in the resort industry whereby resorts work to obtain online recommendations from people who have a number of followers. The discipline is still under development, but grew like wildfire in 2020, probably due to the pandemic’s forcing so many to work from home.

As Wikipedia defines it, “Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organizations who have a purported expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field.” There are IM agencies now such as Americanoize, Carusele, and The Influencer Marketing Factory. There are IM software platforms such as GRIN, #paid, and upfluence. To help bring it home for the timeshare resort industry, Kelley broke down the why and the how-to. She shared the nitty-gritty of how to get started, including choosing influencers, setting up a program, tips for success, and tracking your success. This event was absolutely stuffed with information about a marketing medium that will be the wave of the future. Or, is it the wave of the present?

Don’t miss any of your industry events – past or future! Go to ResortTrades.com/LearningCenter and register for the next event. At the bottom of the registration form is a box that you can check to be automatically registered for all future events. And definitely subscribe and hit the bell icon on YouTube.com/ResortTrades to be notified whenever we post a new video.