The experience conversation is one of the most important tools we have in Owner Services. We encourage an experience conversation in every interaction we have with our Owners because it allows us to discover what our Owners love about vacationing, and how we can tailor that vacation experience to their individual needs. By leveraging an experience conversation, we have the ability to increase Owner satisfaction, create opportunities for sales leads, and introduce options for hotel reservations.
The experience conversation isn't just talking to our Owners about their vacation; it's not an experience conversation until you do something productive with what you discover. It involves listening to our Owner for clues and ideas, asking questions to elaborate on those clues, and clarifying with your Owner about what their needs are. By asking questions, we can begin to discover our Owners unspoken desires, or even help them to better articulate their needs. Once we understand what kind of vacation our Owner is interested in, and who they are traveling with, we can tailor our services to meeting their needs.
For example, let's assume your Owner calls about wanting to book a vacation in Rome, Italy. You could begin by asking what excites them about visiting Rome? Are they interested in the artwork and architecture, or are they going for the sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches? Are they going for the rich history, or just to get away from it all? Will they be traveling with family, friends, or going by themselves?
Let's say these Owners are on a second honeymoon, so they will be by themselves. They are curious about the history, but don't know much about what Rome can offer. They love the beach, and hadn't realized that there are some great ones less than an hour away. With just a few simple questions, you gain insight that will help you to guide them to the best property for them. By asking the right questions, we can offer answers that match what our Owners want, and share their excitement for their vacation plans. We can make the conversation more than a transaction, and build rapport with our Owners. We're helping to build a dream, and discovering how to make that dream come true.
The experience conversation isn't the same as making any conversation. While it's nice to talk about the weather, that isn't really relevant to vacation planning, and isn't going to give you any insight into an Owner's needs. Taking time in idle conversation can be a lot more harmful than helpful, as the Owner may feel like you're wasting their time. Try to stay on the subject of vacations, and keep the details relevant to the Owner's needs.
By understanding what your Owner is looking for, you can begin to expand their vacationing with options that meet their unique needs. We can get them excited about hotels in locations they may not have thought considered, and experiences they could enjoy by purchasing additional Vacation Club Points.
The experience conversation is a fundamental tool we use to better understand the needs of our Owners, and create natural, personable methods to discover and attend to our Owner's unique and individual needs. The simple act of talking to an Owner about their upcoming and past vacations gives us the opportunity to cater our advice and assistance towards getting our Owners on the vacation of their dreams. Taking the time with our Owners helps them to build trust with us, while we build our credibility as individuals, and as a company.
