frugal underground

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I know that many of my readers are bloggers, too, so I want to tell you about a new site that could make you some extra money.

The site is called ReviewMe, and it’s basically a matchmaking service for advertisers and bloggers. There are a couple other sites out there along the same lines, but ReviewMe has some key differences that make it a whole lot more appealing to bloggers.

A very obvious difference, to start with, is how they’re promoting their service. You’ve heard the term “eat your own dogfood”? That’s what they’re doing. They’re promoting themselves by paying bloggers to review them (like I’m doing right now—I’m making a quick $30, and you can too, if you get on board fast enough). I love this idea, because they are clearly demonstrating exactly what’s so great about their service.

What else is great about their service?

• They encourage good behavior in sponsored posts. Not only do they suggest that you be upfront with your readers about the compensation, they require it. This promotes a trustworthy system based on honest opinions rather than underhanded techniques.
• They compensate bloggers fairly. The other companies I’ve seen attempting something similar pay peanuts. Many bloggers debate the ethics and logistics, but ignore the fact that it’s usually a terrible deal. Not so with ReviewMe. They take a variety of factors about your blog into account (traffic, prominence, etc.) and set a price for your reviews. It reflects the work you’ve already put into your blog, and compensates you fairly for your time.
• They genuinely help advertisers and readers by promoting honest reviews. Some other services reported allow advertisers to require “good” reviews, meaning ones that paint them rosily. ReviewMe specifically wants honest reviews, good or bad. Although some advertisers may balk at that, a truthful review is far more useful to both the advertiser and the reader (not to mention that most bloggers won’t touch “positive-only” with a ten-foot pole—it’s not worth destroying your credibility). After all, how can an business improve their product or service if they only hear what people like about it?

It won’t come as a shock to you that I think ReviewMe is here to stay. If you’re a blogger, I’d highly recommend signing up and taking advantage of their benefits. It’s a great way to make a little extra money.

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If you’ve decided that you’re interested in attending a Trendwest presentation, you can sign up online to go. (You can also get an attending friend to refer you, or sign up for one of their drawings—in my area, there are almost always car giveaways in the mall sponsored by Trendwest.)

Here are some tips for attending the presentation.

• Negotiate on your incentive. We didn’t really know you could do this, but the last time we were invited, Daniel told the scheduler that we just weren’t interested in the standard “vacation package” they were offering. (We have heard horror stories about the vacation from friends… suffice it to say, you’re NOT staying at a Trendwest resort…)

  Then Daniel asked if they were offering any gift certificates to local businesses instead (we’d been offered that on a previous visit). Turns out, they were willing to give us a $50 gift certificate to Home Depot, and $20 at Tony Roma’s. Of course, no guarantees, but you’ll never know if you don’t ask, and you could get something significantly more useful than their initial offer.

• Do your homework. Ask yourself the questions about Trendwest’s value to you personally. Have a good idea before you go in about what you actually spend on lodging yearly. This will give you the information you need to evaluate the offer that will be made to you.
• Be prepared for high-pressure tactics. Though every sales person is different, in my experience, Trendwest sales associates play hardball. They won’t hesitate to constantly put down your values if they get in the way of a sale. They have suggested financing a Trendwest purchase by rolling it into our mortgage. They told my husband he deserved a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. They tell you that you only get one chance at the deal (clearly not true since we’ve been four times, each time at their invitation). They will do everything they can to make you decide right then and there, and not give you a chance to think it through. This is why it’s so important to come prepared.
• Consider alternative options. Take a look at what Trendwest points are going for on eBay. In general, it’s about half the price per point, compared to what they offer at the presentations. If you buy via eBay, you miss out on some of the perks that go with points sold directly from Trendwest. If you bring it up, your salesperson will certainly tell you what you’ll miss. Typically, these perks are things like Bonus Time and classes. Be cautious, though… they don’t usually react well to bringing up the eBay alternative. We’ve been told it’s not safe, despite the fact that the sellers are reputable and provide mountains of documentation, which suggests more about the salesperson’s fear than anything else.

  The point is, though, that you should know how the market values Trendwest points. You’ll have to decide first if Trendwest makes sense for your family, and then whether the perks are worth the extra money. Due diligence is key.

• Bring a list of contacts who won’t mind being called by Trendwest. As you’re getting ready to leave (you think!), a salesperson will give you a sheet of paper and ask you to fill it with the names and contact info for people you know. Usually they will offer a modest incentive (like an entry in a drawing) if you provide ten names or more. The attitude I’ve felt here is clearly, “You are a waste of my time but I may forgive you if you provide me with leads.” I find this extremely irritating, but this is the point at which you can get your friends invited if they want to partake of the attendance incentives. Be aware, though, that typically only couples with $35k+ incomes will actually be invited.

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Now that you know what Trendwest is all about, the value question logically follows. Does it make sense to buy in?

Like most of these questions, the answer is a potentially unhelpful “it depends.” However, in the interest of helpfulness, I’m going to elaborate and tell you some of the things it depends on.

The number one, most important question is: how much do you vacation? I’d say your answer to this question is about 70% of the “big picture.” That’s because the value of Trendwest ownership is greatest if you’re already spending money on vacations. You can take the money that you’re already spending, put some of it into Trendwest, and pay for future vacations as well as the current one.

For me, this is about where the value question stops. That’s because the kind of vacations we take usually involve tents, and our annual vacation expenditures are typically less than Trendwest’s maintenance fee. However, that’s obviously not going to be the case for everyone. For instance, we don’t have kids, and that saves us a bundle in addition to being able to take vacations that would bore kids silly.

The starting point for answering this question is figuring out how much you spend on your vacations annually. If you can, break it down by type of spending: you want to know how much your lodging is costing you, because that’s where the opportunity to save with Trendwest comes in. Armed with that number, you can look at the points cost and the annual maintenance fee, and do an accurate comparison of your long- and short-term costs.

Next question: would you vacation more if it cost less? The Trendwest folks will really push this question, though they’ll treat it as rhetorical. Prepare by coming to your own conclusion (outside of the high-pressure sales environment). If you have more time than money, this might be a good opportunity.

The main thing is to be realistic when answering the question. Frankly, I have a hard time taking time off for the short trips we take, and I can’t imagine telling my clients that I’m going to be gone for two weeks. I am very happy with our weekend camping breaks, and any increase in vacation time based on savings would be minimal… for me. But this is something you’ll need to figure out for yourself, one way or the other.

What kind of vacations do you take? Where you go on vacation and for how long will really impact the relative value Trendwest holds for you. This is because they are all about lodging, but vacations include costs for travel, food, attractions, etc.

If you like to travel in your area, say, for a weekend getaway just a few hours away by car, Trendwest will almost certainly make this more affordable (provided you are vacationing often). However, if your vacations typically involve air travel, or other expensive non-lodging costs, the value goes down.

Another reality check: food. Most of the Trendwest properties boast kitchenettes, which can be a fantastic money-saver… if you’ll use them. But don’t sell yourself on a fantasy of saving money if you really prefer the convenience of dining out. Remember, this doesn’t make you a good or bad person; you just need to be aware of what you’ll really choose when it comes down to it, and make the decision based on accurate info.

Hopefully these questions help you figure out what your accommodations are worth to you. Up next, some tips for actually attending a Trendwest presentation.

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