do you get back to enquiry's who do not respond?

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
Rocky
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do you get back to enquiry's who do not respond?

Post by Rocky »

This may have been covered before - but it is something I would really like to talk about.

Example - I get an inquiry directly from one of the listing sites (do not have my own site yet - and just began renting out). They ask a few somewhat detailed questions like what different types of dive-drive packages may cost, where they can rent a bicycle, etc. I very courteously answer - and since I'm new, my answers are all clearly personal - not just copy and paste. Then they don't respond and it's over.

Do you get back to them? What do you say?

I ask, because the one person who I DID get back to - and I only got back to him because my e-mail was legitimately not working - I wrote saying something to the extent of "please just let me know if you got my last mail because I realized today that for the last two weeks many e-mails I have sent have not arrived at their destination - if you are still interested I can forward it to you". He wrote back with - "sorry, I did get your message, thanks so much etc... we've decided against coming becuase the only airline that can get us down there is about to go bankrupt and we don't want to risk it". I wrote back mentioning that next time they could get trip insurance, hope they have found another wonderful tropical destination, etc... - and within a day they were booked with me.

So... since it worked one time out of one - I want to get back to others in the future who don't respond after my initial response. But as with my e-mail not working - I'd like something soft - not a hard desperate sell. (You would think I would have lost money due to e-mail not working but I actually gained a booking - I would not have written back to him otherwise.)

What do you do? What about inquiry's that have been back to you once and then no word for a day or two. I'm interested mostly in the wording you use when getting back to someone.

Thanks in advance.
Vally
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Post by Vally »

No I don't, lots of people ask the same questions of all the places they make enqiries to, if they don't come back I just forget about them ...the thing I do think is important is to get back quickly and I mean really quickly to anyone who enquires, I am disgusted by the lack of communications from hotels that I contact for my own holiday, especially when they have contact forms on their web sites.
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

Hi Rocky,

If possible you might get more uptake if you ring them rather than email? I ring all my enquiries and get almost 100% uptake if the dates fit.
Hope this might help.

Kathy
Rocky
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Post by Rocky »

Interesting Kathy -

I have had three phone conversations with potential renters and two have booked. But the calls have all been initiated by them - one requested I call her (she wanted to make sure I exist) one called me to make sure I speak French, I think. One wanted to clarify if I was waterfront or oceanfront -and didn't book because he did want oceanfront - the other two did book.

Kathy, I'm curious how you initiate these calls - I guess something along the lines of who I am and that I'm calling to confirm that we do indeed have availability on the dates they've requested -do they have any questions or would like more info? At that point change over to sending them something by e-mail?? Is there a good time of the day to call do you think? I know it's crazy to ask someone what they say on the phone but I almost feel like I have to be apologetic for not sending an e-mail or make an excuse for it anyway. These days we've become so accustomed to doing business that way.

I actually have been thinking about this - if you have 100% uptake - I'm going to have to give it a try.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

I don't send other e mails if nothing comes of an initial enquiry and I never ring people unless they have rung me or I get a bounced response to an e mail address (it is wrong or for some reason the ISP won't let my response through). I personally wouldn't like to be rung if I enquired by e mail, but it obviously works for KathyG!
LaLuz
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Post by LaLuz »

To be fair, most listing sites have a space on their contact form for a telephone number.

If the enquirer didn't want to be telephoned he could always leave the space blank.
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

Susan wrote: I personally wouldn't like to be rung if I enquired by e mail, but it obviously works for KathyG!
I don't think I'd like to be called either if I'd initially enquired by email! Don't think I'd want to be confronted with a real person if I hadn't made my mind up!:D

It all started this year with the very first enquiry and I was so excited I just couldn't have waited for a response to an email. I only advertise with H-R who text me when I receive an email so I rang this one within 5 minutes of her message and I do remember her being quite shocked and a bit flummoxed!

On the whole I'd say they generally don't have much in the way of questions, mostly just checking availability although it's on the site. And I would say that probably more than 50% of them actually ring me in the first instance anyway which surprises me - usually in the middle of dinner or I'm up a ladder or somewhere equally inconvenient. :roll: People do seem to want instant answers these days.

I have thought that that's maybe because I'm in the UK and they can be pretty much assured of speaking to an English person. Does everyone else find that? Are they more likely to initially email if you're based in another country?

I'll check my records and see what the percentage of emails/calls I've had and post back.

Kathy
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

kathyg wrote: I would say that probably more than 50% of them actually ring me in the first instance anyway....I have thought that that's maybe because I'm in the UK and they can be pretty much assured of speaking to an English person. Does everyone else find that? Are they more likely to initially email if you're based in another country?
Hi Kathy,

You may well be right: I am based in France and very rarely receive telephone enquiries - in spite of the fact that I use my English maiden name to identify me, hopefully, as a native speaker.

I always respond to email enquiries by email, but on the few occasions when I have phoned - because of email problems - my experience is that people have been pleased to speak to a 'real' person. Several have told me that this reassures them. When I phone, I always bear in mind that the call is likely to come as a surprise, so I speak more slowly (don't laugh!) and give them time to get their act together with a sort of 'intro' to the conversation along the lines of You're obviously at the first stage of your enquiries but I thought I'd give you a quick call to check whether there is anything you would like to ask etc. etc.

So yes, my experience is that, being based outside the UK, people tend to email (but seem to appreciate it when you phone them).
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

Rocky wrote: Kathy, I'm curious how you initiate these calls - I guess something along the lines of who I am and that I'm calling to confirm that we do indeed have availability on the dates they've requested -do they have any questions or would like more info? At that point change over to sending them something by e-mail?? Is there a good time of the day to call do you think? I know it's crazy to ask someone what they say on the phone but I almost feel like I have to be apologetic for not sending an e-mail or make an excuse for it anyway. These days we've become so accustomed to doing business that way.

I actually have been thinking about this - if you have 100% uptake - I'm going to have to give it a try.
Hi Rocky,

As I ring them as soon as I get their email, I know they're either still sitting at their computer or it's fresh in their minds so it can be at any time of the day - whenever I get the email. I immediately specify exactly which one my house is so that they're not embarrassed by not knowing which one I am - they've often sent emails to several properties - then I say that the dates they're looking at are available, how much it is etc. Sometimes they have questions about the location, the house, the bedroom mix but generally they then ask what they need to do next. I then send them the Terms & Conditions and a Booking Form with a nice email and from then on it's generally all done by email.

Without fail, all of them have thanked me for getting back to them so quickly. Some people aren't sitting at their computers all day like us so it may even be the next day before they'd read your email and I'm too impatient to wait for that! :roll:

Got my figures completely wrong too!! Just checked all the bookings and since mid-July when we started advertising I've had 14 enquiries by email from H-R. Seven of those (all of them I rang) turned into bookings - of those that failed, 2 wanted a proper pool, one wanted wheelchair access, dates were already booked for 4 of them and then one was a group that was bigger than we would accept. So that's 50% uptake from email enquiries - fortunate as I wouldn't have been able to work it out otherwise!!

As I have accepted bookings from 17 groups, that's another 10 that have rung me direct - 8 from the H-R site (2 are friends/neighbours).

All in all we were thrilled with the 5 weeks we got this year and ecstatic with the 15 weeks we've got for next year so far.:D

Hope this helps Rocky, it's been an interesting exercise for me if nothing else!! :D

Kathy
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

Hi. I'm UK based and nearly all my enquiries are via e-mail. I have the occasional phone call ,but I would say over 90% of the enquiries are web based.I rarely reply via the phone altho I about 5% of the time I'll follow up with a call.
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

That blows that theory then Fraise!! :?

Kathy
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Post by brenda »

Nowadays I never respond by phone unless specifically asked to do so. Initially I rang in response to any email enquiry that gave a tel. no. but found that by far the majority of people felt uncomfortable with the call. The quote most frequently given was that they prefer to use email due to its impersonal touch and feel they can ask more direct questions this way; many also said that they wished sites didn´t require them to give a tel no. However, often people will ring me once they have received my initial email reply and these are generally the people that do eventually book.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

It's interesting to read others take on this..as in our 1st year of renting my husband wanted me to follow up every enquiry. Having worked in both sales & customer service I knew that a lot of wasted time would be spent in chasing up initial enquirers who drop by the wayside. So I refused. He did it for about 6 weeks and got fed up!! He couldn't understand why people gush over your property (...we would LOVE to stay at your WONDERFUL villa etc etc) and then don't get back!
It is frustrating but then thats what people are like. And l know that organising a holiday for 8 people (our usual party size) can have all sorts of ups and downs before it comes together.
The only time I contact them is if we've got a fair way into discussing things and then I haven't heard from them. I usually say I'm sending a 'courtesy' email to see if they're still interested as I have had another enquiry for that week/fortnight etc. This usually illicits a response of yes or no.

I must admit I wouldn't ring the client. a) it would cost too much unless I skyped them & b) I do also think it a little intrusive (just my opinion) as I wouldn't like it

however I have noticed an increase in text messaging!!!! Our younger guests like to do things that way!

Sounds tho' as if chasing them up gets results for you tho' so well done!

Mouse
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Lesblancs
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Post by Lesblancs »

Hello Mouse,
He couldn't understand why people gush over your property (...we would LOVE to stay at your WONDERFUL villa etc etc) and then don't get back!
So he's never tried selling a house in the UK then :!: Usually they come round at least 5 times to measure for curtains etc before they mysteriously fall off the edge of the world, never to be heard of again.

I've had a couple of phone calls from the UK this year that evaporated into thin air, should I have followed those up?

Robert
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

So he's never tried selling a house in the UK then Usually they come round at least 5 times to measure for curtains etc before they mysteriously fall off the edge of the world, never to be heard of again.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

oh Lesblancs! you brought all my bad memories flooding back!!!!!!!! Selling houses...now that's a recipe for stress :lol:

Mouse (wondering where do all those excited buyers end up! :roll: )
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