Enquiries conversion rate - one week in

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
Londoner
Posts: 157
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:13 pm
Location: London

Enquiries conversion rate - one week in

Post by Londoner »

We have been live for one week toaday - at 4.30pm to be exact.
We have had 20 enquiries in that time however have only managed to convert 3 into bookings. I think this is poor, although I have no experience.
The 3 that converted are good bookings - 22 nights in total so I am not complaining, just wondering am I doing something wrong?
Of the 17 that did not convert, 2 were over capacity requests, 2 got back to me to say that the plane/Eurostar costs were too high.
The rest nothing, which is not unusual from what I gather on here.
9 enquiries have been from Italy and not one has converted despite us speaking the lingo and writing detailed responses in Italian.
All the enquiries seem to be similar, price and availability even though both are clearly listed on site. :?
Margaret
Posts: 3574
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Bavaria and Mid Wales
Contact:

Post by Margaret »

I would say that a week is far to short for judging a conversion rate. You really need to see what it is after a year to have any real idea. 20 enquiries in your first week is really good though but I think it is a bit early to worry if you are doing something wrong. It is good to remember that people do not read websites carefully and may also ask for information to be confirmation so that they know you are there and replying and sensible! Patience is definitely a virtue.
brenda
Posts: 1256
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:32 pm

Post by brenda »

I would be delighted to have 20 enquiries and 3 conversions in a week!!!
Nightowl
Posts: 2185
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2005 4:14 am
Location: Cadiz, Spain & London
Contact:

Post by Nightowl »

my enquiry rate is also high and conversion prob about the same at first. London is such a popular destination but there are now quite a few properties to choose from and people will have different criteria. Some want to be very central, for others it's price only and the cheapest will get the deal.

But sounds like a great start and you will certainly get plenty of business. This end of the season is 'quieter' and I have found enquiries tend to be more 'last minute' - right now I am getting enquiries for end Sept and October - whereas I was thin on the ground for Sept/Oct enquiries 3 months back. Although lots for New Year - as you are more central than me (I think) you should find that one goes pretty soon.
Nightowl
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
Londoner
Posts: 157
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:13 pm
Location: London

Post by Londoner »

Thanks to all who responded. I am not complaining just a little bemused by it all. I am amazed at how many people do not read the price/ad details before sending an enquiry.
People also seem to look for accommodation first then for flights which I found odd.
Nightowl, yes all enquiries have been for September - December. Have you noticed the "Pope effect". I said to my husband last night I bet we get loads of Italian enquiries tomorrow due the the coverage of the Pope visiting London. Sure enough first thing this morning we have had two Italian enquiries. One of them asked how far we are from Lambeth Palace which the Pope is visiting today. It's 10 minutes walk away but I would not have considered it a major tourist attraction.

I am on a steep learning curve.

Londoner
AMC
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:49 pm
Contact:

conversion rates

Post by AMC »

wow 3 out of 20
I will take that any week. The 20 enquiries is good on its own but to get 3 bookings from them :D Keep up the good salesmanship, it can get you down at times with all the timewasters that want a £2000 holiday for £200
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Nightowl wrote:my enquiry rate is also high and conversion prob about the same at first. London is such a popular destination but there are now quite a few properties to choose from and people will have different criteria.
Yes Londoner, I'm sure markets differ depend on what you're offering and where. You've done really well by the sounds of it!

We show an availability calendar and keep it up to date - do you? It helps keep the wasted enquiries down but not altogether. Some people enquire anyway just in case we've had a cancellation - and some I guess don't think to check the calendar! These are the occasional ones who perhaps aren't quite as specific about "where", and send out a job lot of emails (the ones whcih don't address you by name) to places they quite like the look of.

We sleep 8 and are in a rural part of France- and not in a village with commerce - so this also narrows the number. More and more, people are specifically searching in our area so that refines the number of enquiries further still. So, fewer enquiries but higher ratio of conversions.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
kendalcottages
Posts: 2474
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:08 am
Location: Kendal, between the Lake District and the Dales
Contact:

Post by kendalcottages »

Bear in mind also that people won't always book straight away. Sometimes they'll get back to a couple of weeks later (or even a lot longer) to confirm their arrangements. So you can't really say you're achieving a 3 in 20 conversion at such an early stage, as many of those enquiries could be still 'pending'.
Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd., Kendal, Cumbria - between the Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Yes, that's true!

Stat Counter is a handy tool if you are able to match the user's IP address with the timing of the first enquiry and label it. You can then see if the enquirer has visited your site since the enquiry.

Of course this only works if the visitor to your site originally enquired using its enquiry form.

Does that make sense? Brain's a bit mangled this morning!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Londoner
Posts: 157
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:13 pm
Location: London

Post by Londoner »

We are now two weeks in and have had 38 enquiries and converted 6, the average stay is 6 nights.
I honestly believe that people do not read the listing, if they did why would they all ask about price and availability when it is listed and up to date.
As I said before if they do not answer within 6-12 hours then are a "No". I have not had any "pending" enquiries come back to me a few days later to book.
They all sound so keen and rave about the place when they send the initial enquiry, then you never here from them the majority of them again.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Londoner wrote:We are now two weeks in ....
.....As I said before if they do not answer within 6-12 hours then are a "No". I have not had any "pending" enquiries come back to me a few days later to book.
kendalcottages wrote:Bear in mind also that people won't always book straight away.
Two weeks is nothing in terms of getting a feel for this market Londoner - reserve judgement for the time being!

Yes, people can be very lazy when it comes to reading the content of the ad or website. Rates, dates, the property ... it can all be on your website but still those same questions keep coming. You just have to take a deep breath and answer as if you never tire of talking about it.

Some enquire about the rates I suspect because they hope you may show a willingness to negotiate if the date is close ... I have certainly had that.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Hells Bells
Posts: 13173
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:42 am
Location: French Alps
Contact:

Post by Hells Bells »

Nearly all enquirers ask about price and availability.I have live booking, and they still ask. Maybe they just don't know what else to say.
Londoner
Posts: 157
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:13 pm
Location: London

Post by Londoner »

Yes, I think some of them are hoping to open a dialogue regarding price but I have had only one direct request for a discount.
It was for New Year's eve so I will hold out.
User avatar
vrooje
Posts: 3202
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:48 am
Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

When I looked for a rental in San Francisco, it was a last-minute search and I must have inquired at 40 different places. I learned the following things about what's important when renting in a high-traffic location:
  • - Because it was a last-minute search, I didn't read the advert text. I looked at the availability calendars, photos, and prices -- in that order. If all three were okay, I'd send an inquiry. If/when people responded, I'd look at the advert/website in more detail. In retrospect, this worked very well at culling properties that weren't available and it meant that I didn't spend a lot of time dreaming about a beautifully-advertised property that never responded to me, so in the future I'll probably do this for all my trips, even those planned well in advance.
    - Quick response was key. The places I ended up seriously considering had all gotten back to me within a couple of hours of my inquiry.
    - Even for properties with calendars, I still asked about availability because I wanted to confirm it before proceeding.
    - Tailored responses were important, as were complete sentences, Blackberry/iPhone-written or not. I was not impressed with owners who sent a purely pre-written reply and couldn't be bothered to answer my specific questions. Pre-written general info with a short paragraph that indicated the owner had actually read my inquiry was fine. I didn't mind auto-responses, but ignored them.
    - Even though it was a last-minute booking for a smaller place, I still had to confer with the others in the group, so it took me about 36 hours to make the final decision. I did tell all the properties on my shortlist within a couple of hours of when they replied to me that I'd get back to them, though.
    - I actually liked longer responses, as they gave the impression that the owner really wanted the booking and had taken the time to put together information they thought would be useful to me.
    - The place I ended up renting was from one of the owners who took the time to actually call me (I provided my phone number but didn't expect anyone to use it). I got a good feeling from the owner and was able to ask various questions that wouldn't fit in the character-limited inquiry comments box.
    - The listing site I used (VRBO) saved my inquiry text from one property to another, which was convenient for me as a customer, but as an owner it's something to be aware of -- the customer may be "raving" about every single property in the same way.
    - The fact that I had inquired at so many places made it really daunting to try and respond to all the ones who responded to me (about half) just to say "sorry, but we found a different place." I used to think that was common courtesy, but after being on the other side, I think it's unreasonable to demand any response from the customer if they decide not to book. (I still did send regrets to everyone, but I wouldn't expect others to.)
Londoner, it sounds like you are already responding quickly and doing the right things, so this post is perhaps more useful for other people reading who may also be new to renting in a big market. If my experience is anything to go by, though, I'd expect a lower conversion rate than a property in a smaller market might see, just because you have so much more competition.
Brooke
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

I think it's unreasonable to demand any response from the customer if they decide not to book.
I don't agree with this. If somebody's taken time and trouble to respond fully to questions with a detailed email, it's discourteous (at the least) not to respond to say you've booked elsewhere. If you had to write a letter and walk with it to a post office miles away, then maybe ... but a couple of lines of email is just so easy.

Jim
Post Reply