bananacake wrote:There has been a long chain of emails going back and forth with a potential guest.
bananacake wrote:Today they asked if they could have a call to discuss. (So far every question they have asked i have replied with the details they require).
OK, fair enough.
So you ring him.
bananacake wrote: the guest advised to call back later.
A bit cheeky since it was you calling him in the first instance, and at his request. Are these international calls he is expecting you to initiate?
Without having read the email exchanges of course, it sounds as if you've already been very patient and helpful. So my impression is that he's arrogant with inappropriately high expectations, and would possibly make a difficult and demanding guest.
A pal of ours always phones the potential guests. She says she gets a substantial booking rate by doing so. I am sceptical.
We tried phoning and got very negative responses. We felt that it was giving the impression that we were desperate for the business. I have been in retail/wholesale sales for 40 years and am convinced the best customers are the ones that come to you cold or from a advert. If you show weakness or desperation for their business, they will run you ragged. Also if they complain before even becoming a customer, then it is time to walk away.
Returning guests and those recommended by previous guests are usually the happiest bunnies. First time guests only have the info they have found on ours or other websites to go by and I'm sure their brains get half addled while trawling through who knows how many countless websites and sending out identical emails to many of them at the same time? There is now a mind-numbing choice of anything and everything on the internet.
We try to make contact with enquirers as soon as possible wherever we are, be it by email, e-phone or call if their number has been freely provided, but most seem happy to get a quick, polite and concise response by email. If they come back to us, we then tie them to a chair, shine a very bright Dunelm mill lamp in their face and drip feed them malt whiskey till they surrender, it usually works with pesky first timers..........
salmoncottage wrote:If they come back to us, we then tie them to a chair, shine a very bright Dunelm mill lamp in their face and drip feed them malt whiskey till they surrender, it usually works with pesky first timers..........
salmoncottage wrote:First time guests only have the info they have found on ours or other websites to go by and I'm sure their brains get half addled while trawling through who knows how many countless websites and sending out identical emails to many of them at the same time? There is now a mind-numbing choice of anything and everything on the internet.
Yes, it's true and a very real reason why some may sound a bit taken aback on receiving a call: they're trying to fathom which property from the long list of generic enquiries they sent out is yours!
I don't see any harm in speaking to the individual either but the tone of that reply would ring alarm bells with me. It seems totally unwarranted and would have me wondering what kind of guests I'd be dealing with. Even the excuse of using a mobile device (and hence the message being short) doesn't excuse the tone IMHO.
