Discount Vacation Club Memberships as Home Business Opportunities

The most obvious financial benefit of discount vacation club memberships is the member's ability to stay in accommodations that he or she might not otherwise be able to afford. For some,that might mean simply taking a vacation that their budget would not allow. For others, it might mean taking more people along...taking a longer vacation...going greater distances...being able to participate in more paid activities...and so on. However, there is another potential financial benefit; namely the opportunity to turn a membership into a business opportunity as well.

Travel in general is a growth industry, well-suited both to Internet and to network marketing. Although statistics are hard to come by, the WTTC estimated that travel would become a $6.5 billion dollar industry in 2006. It is expected only to keep growing as a flood of baby boomers retires. For this reason, a number of different types of travel clubs have formed, not all of them offering discounts.

These trends have created opportunities for travel clubs to succeed as home businesses, and the number is multiplying rapidly. These include Platinum One Destinations, Cruise to Cash, Coastal Vacations, Global Resorts Network, and a number of others. Generally, there is a charge for membership in these clubs, and for many - notably Platinum One Destinations - there is a hefty extra charge to become a direct sales representative.

When considering whether or not this kind of a business opportunity is right for you, first consider whether you are interested in and - more important - believe in the value of the service offered. It's very difficult to market something unless you truly feel that the service you are offering is really valuable. One test for this is to imagine whether you would use it yourself or recommend it to your friends. Then, once you have joined, use it just to get a feel for your customers' experience.

Many people who join these clubs intending to make money with them do not realize that, as home business opportunities, membership clubs are, in fact, businesses. Money will not just fall out of the sky into your lap.Yours, as others, will require time, effort and, usually, at least a small amount of capital to get started.

One attraction of home-based businesses is the tax advantages that come with being self-employed and using your home as your place of business. Speak with an accountant in order to learn more about this subject.

You are the most important factor in the success of your business, so you also need to explore the personal aspects of this venture - ask yourself questions about yourself. For example:

• What purpose do I want the business to serve in my life?
• Have I ever owned a home-based business before?
• What level of income do I want or need to produce?
• Do I want this business to supplement or to replace my current primary source of income?
• Realistically, how much time do I have to devote to this business?
• Can I achieve my goal in that amount of time?

Most people who consider home based businesses - and particularly Internet marketing businesses - are seeking freedom. Freedom from having a boss, from the constraints that their jobs impose on them. Maybe the freedom to spend more time with their families or to provide more for their families than their current level of income will allow - to send their children to college, for example. They may also want the status that buying more and better "things" can give them. Bigger houses, fancier neighborhoods, dream cars, boats. In the end, though, motivation is almost always connected to the emotion behind the "things".

Success as a direct sales representative in the discount travel industry requires strong self-motivation, determination, dependability, and perseverance, among other attributes. You also need people skills so that you can deal effectively with your prospects and the corporate entity as well as possibly participating in travel decisions.

Once you have decided to participate in the home business aspect of this industry, you will need to decide which one of the many opportunities you want to work with. For a discussion of criteria for choosing, see http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Choose-a-Discount-Vacation-Membership

The criteria mentioned there are also applicable to the business opportunity. How long it has been in business and its record with the Better Business Bureau are of particular importance.

When you're joining an organization as an affiliate marketer, you will also want to investigate its financial soundness. Is it profitable? How much debt does it have? Does it pay its affiliates on time? You may also want to consider whether it offers a merchant account. Basically, this is an account that allows people to pay for their memberships with credit cards and then forwards that payment to you.They do charge for their services, as do other services such as PayPal. Google Checkout is a relatively new service offered by Google. It has a low service fee or none if you spend a certain amount with AdWords, its pay-per-click advertising service.

Finally, you should choose your sponsor well. Sponsors can mean the difference between success and failure in network marketing. Generally speaking, you need a sponsor in order to join these organizations because their compensation plans are based on each member's affiliation with others in his or her team. A sponsor's income is dependent on the sales of his or her affiliates. Your sponsor is your connection to the corporate organization and should keep you informed of developments at that level and be able to offer you explanations about or elaborations of policies and procedures. More important your sponsor should offer training about the business aspects of your new business, particularly about the various ways to go about marketing and which ones suit you best.

Generally, you can find a number of different people who are affiliated with your choice of club. Just Google the program in question. You will be able to click on the websites of affiliates. Look at them, and decide whether you like the website. More important, does it have pictures or videos of the sponsor? Does it offer a way to contact him or her? If there is a phone number. If it's the sponsor's personal phone number, that's a good sign. Speak with the sponsors you're auditioning. Feel free to ask questions about the business as a whole and the training offered. To consider someone as a sponsor seriously, you should come away from the conversation with a sense of rapport and, most important, trust.

I sponsor a Global Resorts Network Team. We look for people who are dependable, motivated, and coachable to join our team. There are several websites you can go to in order to see more about the Global Resorts Network Opportunity and me.

They are http://www.GlobalResortsSpecialReports.com for current travel specials; and http://www.lookatgrn.com.