Worldmark Layoffs

[tabbyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tabbyc]

Who needs a laptop?
All you need is a pen and paper.
and a kitchen table.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

The wisdom of Wyndham. I respect them for their professional demeanor during these difficult times. They are not alone in this economic struggle due in part to government mismanagement of our financial markets. Growth is a important but the speed and costs need to be evaluated by the bottom line. Internal growth is wise and selling vacation packages for a profit is even better. We need a comfortable consumer interest rate and a superb base price. Marketing needs to generate consistent profit. A lean operation with proven performers and well managed overhead will produce growth and superb profits. This product can be sold over the kitchen table on a laptop. Looking ahead to the future.

Ur, I guess welcome to this forum? Hopefully we will see you again? And have you give out more detail about yourself?

Jya-Ning

[riverseddy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close riverseddy]

well as of 2/19/2009 Vancouver office is still running.

[Flyfishpagosa Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Flyfishpagosa]

9 out of 72

How many offices are still open in the Northwest? Vancouver, Federal Way and what else? My understanding is that a few offices are still open in each region. 9 offices out of 72. I would be interested in which offices? The reduction was and still is primarily from the Worldmark side. Franz's baby is Fairfield so that remains intact with the exception of a couple of small sites.

[tabbyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tabbyc]

Rumor Central!

Utah, Las Vegas, Vancouver, WA and Federal Way, WA are the offsites still open.
All of the top upgrade people in Bellevue have left the company and sales at the resorts are continuing on a smaller scale.
Rumor has it that future upgrade calling will be done at the resort level.
Upgrade sales people were struggling to pay their bills and collected more money from unemployment.
The new employment contract is over twenty pages with non compete and non disclosure clauses.
Most of the Bellevue office is being sublet after all of the layoffs.

[Worldmarkpride Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Worldmarkpride]

Layoffs and marketing

I was part of the team laid off in Bellevue. I worked with marketing as a vendor admin assistant. I know that one marketing OPC vendor named NW resort promotions is doing extremely well because I got to know that vendor and I may go work for them. They are still doing a 12 percent close and 80 tours a week. I dont think the phone rooms are doing well. But maybe Wyndham isnt really using phone rooms anymore either? In NW Fed way, Vancouver, Seaside and Cour d alene are still open. Not sure if they have owner referrel?

[Sheldon Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sheldon]

OPC Pay

How much does the vendor pay its' OPCs? Is $200/tour as an independent contractor about right?

[Worldmarkpride Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Worldmarkpride]

OPC pay

when I was employed there we paid the vendor operators 100 to 150 per tour.
then it went down to 100 right before I was laid off.
The marketing OPCers working for the vendors make about 50 to 75 per tour.

But I heard from my friend at WM that ALL the front line sales offices are closing in june and they just havent announced it bcs they want the vendors to keep working. Dead end for sales at wyndham. And my friend knows.

[Rule72 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rule72]

Front Line Sales

What is the new timeshare sales Business Model? I feel a vacation club with a membership fee and rental pricing equal to or greater than maintenance fees is viable. This vacation club model is currently in use. Wyndham is positioned to take over the rental, resale and new construction markets. They own the market in terms of product line. They need to focus on cross selling their client base. Vacation ownership marketed properly is an excellent long term value. Redweek.com and Tug.com are excellent educational websites for owners and future owners. Sales staff should become educators. The old days of heat and hype are no longer a viable vehicle for long term profitable growth. I see timeshare professionals developing an insurance agent relationship with their clients.
Wyndham can develop a Multi Level Marketing business model for a Vacation Club. This low cost growth vehicle rewards members who build a membership base for Wyndham rental products and conversion clients for the In House sales staff.
In the meantime I am looking for an opportunity to go back to work with a management team focused on profit.