Sometimes the Strategy Isn’t the Problem: The Attitude Is
- Kevin Wash
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
When the Only Clients You Have Are the Ones Who Already Said No
Years ago, I was working as Head of Sales in the Balearics for Marriott Vacation Club International. We were performing reasonably well, but as is often the case with large American corporations, expectations kept rising. Pressure filtered down from VP level to the sales floor, and the message became increasingly clear: if you didn’t convert at least one sale from every five clients, your job might be at risk. It wasn’t exactly the most inspiring environment for a sales team trying to stay motivated.
The irony was that the hotel division genuinely believed in developing people for long-term careers within the organisation. It was a noble philosophy and one I respected. Unfortunately, that mindset didn’t always extend to the vacation ownership side of the business, where results tended to matter more than development.
Then things became even more challenging.
Marketing introduced what they believed was a brilliant initiative: invite previous clients who had already declined to buy and bring them back for a heavily subsidised three-day inspection visit. Internally, this was known as the infamous “Tour No Buy” strategy, or TNB.
The logic sounded simple enough. These clients hadn’t purchased before, so perhaps they just needed another chance to reconsider.
Reality, however, had other ideas.
“Of course we’ll come back,” the clients would say. “Three days away, a nice stay… and we’ll still not buy anything. Thank you very much.”
Very quickly, the mood within the sales team started to drop.
I could hear the frustration in the office every day.
“These clients will never buy.”
“Another TNB? What’s the point?”
“I may as well start updating my CV.”
It became genuinely demoralising. At times, it felt like I was sending my sales team into a gunfight armed with knives.
As Head of Sales, I couldn’t openly agree with them, even though privately I understood their frustration. So I spoke with the regional VP to see whether we could adjust the strategy or at least reduce the number of these tours.
His response was short and direct.
“You are Head of Sales.
Figure it out.
Assume these are the only clients you will see all year… so make it work.”
That moment changed my perspective.
I realised I couldn’t change the clients, and I couldn’t change the strategy coming from above. The only thing I could change was how we approached the situation.
After thinking it through, I developed a very simple tactic.
I introduced a new opening line for the sales team to use when greeting these TNB clients:
“Welcome back, Mr and Mrs XX. I know you’re among the small number of clients we saw last year whose timing wasn’t quite right to purchase. The fact that you’re here today tells me the timing might be right now, so let’s cover a few things together and then move on to the paperwork.”
It was a straightforward assumptive close, delivered right at the start.
Training the team didn’t take long. They trusted me, so they were willing to try it.
And something interesting happened.
The entire tone of the conversation changed. Instead of treating these visits like lost causes, the team started approaching them as genuine opportunities. The clients responded differently, the energy shifted, and gradually we began converting more of these tours than anyone expected.
The lesson was simple.
Sometimes the situation doesn’t change, the clients don’t change, and the pressure certainly doesn’t disappear. But if you change your attitude and your approach, you can often change the outcome.
In the end, we learned how to maximise every opportunity.
And sometimes, that’s all sales really is.
How’s your attitude today?
Written by Kevin Wash / VOS Consultants
