Hi, just wondered what everybody thought of
http://www.holidaylets.net
I have been trying their 3 month trial service and now they want me to sign up for a year for £140 inc vat.
I've had a few enquires - some for big bookings (e.g. 2 weeks whole property summer 2006) but have had absolutely no reponse from my responses to them. I slightly smell a rat - one was from someone at a PR agency which made me wonder - are they likely to send a few emails just to make you think the site is working? I like their site and the simplicity of adding properties but I've been disappointed by the lack of conversion to bookings or even further dialogue.
I am also on http://www.Holidaylettings.co.uk which I have paid for a year - again I think its a great looking and user friendly site but have not had a single enquiry even with late availability and discounted prices for July.
Have either of these sites worked for other owners - particularly in Italy?
Thanks
memes
Holidaylets.net and holidaylettings.co.uk?
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Normandy Cow
- Posts: 2687
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
- Location: Normandy
- Contact:
Hi.I love the holiday lets site and I did pay for a year but I don't think I've had one booking from them ( well,maybe one,I'll go and check).If I don't get any during the year I won't be renewing!!I had a few enquiries at first,all scams!!! 
www.thepetitmanoir.com
www.thepetitmanoir.com
My experience is that the holidaylets.net trial is the best one on offer - it's a serious site with proper backing and technology behind it. The user interface is good and in fact I think the owner interface makes it the easiest site of all to upload text and pics to.
I have had a number of enquiries from the trial. As to whether you should go on to pay for the year - look at the results and decide. How many enquiries did you get in the same 3-month period from other paid listing sites?
My feeling is that the site will eventually emerge from the "could-be's" and become a force in the UK/Europe market, because the basics seem to be in place.
I have had a number of enquiries from the trial. As to whether you should go on to pay for the year - look at the results and decide. How many enquiries did you get in the same 3-month period from other paid listing sites?
My feeling is that the site will eventually emerge from the "could-be's" and become a force in the UK/Europe market, because the basics seem to be in place.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
I've been with them 2 years, love the site, its free to update, (including photos) and very user friendly. However, it doesn't bring in the level of enquiries that I want, only 4 (for my 3 cottages) over the last 6 months, nowhere near the level that I get from my other advertising. And I do update the availability regularly. So I'm not sure if I will be renewing this year.
enquires
perhaps you could give me some tips on how to convert the bookings Paolo as this year has been quite disppointing for me due to so many timewasters and also maybe a glut of properties that everyone is undercutting everyone else!!
This is what I do
I answer the email within 5 mins of receiving it normally (except when I am asleep of course but then I sometimes could be asleep at the computer!!) if theres a phone number I ring them up, sometimes they are so surprised they are not ready really to take it all in and admit they have emailed 'so many which one was it?'' I sometimes think I get back to them too quickly........
if theres no phone number I email straight back with 'thank you for your enquiry,etc etc yes we are avaulable etc etc I give the price (which they know anyway as its on webpage where they have seen me) and what that includes etc etc give them some info on the apartment and the area then sign off with kind regards and look forward to hearing from you. I also put a read receipt on
Then I sit and wait!! If I haven't heard anything in a day, maybe two, I send a polite chaser to ask if they have sorted their accommodation in Spain?? sometimes I even ask if they have what was it that made them choose the one they chose??
I would say 8 times out of ten I hear nothing!!It's so frustrating!!!! What am I doing wrong????
This is what I do
I answer the email within 5 mins of receiving it normally (except when I am asleep of course but then I sometimes could be asleep at the computer!!) if theres a phone number I ring them up, sometimes they are so surprised they are not ready really to take it all in and admit they have emailed 'so many which one was it?'' I sometimes think I get back to them too quickly........
if theres no phone number I email straight back with 'thank you for your enquiry,etc etc yes we are avaulable etc etc I give the price (which they know anyway as its on webpage where they have seen me) and what that includes etc etc give them some info on the apartment and the area then sign off with kind regards and look forward to hearing from you. I also put a read receipt on
Then I sit and wait!! If I haven't heard anything in a day, maybe two, I send a polite chaser to ask if they have sorted their accommodation in Spain?? sometimes I even ask if they have what was it that made them choose the one they chose??
I would say 8 times out of ten I hear nothing!!It's so frustrating!!!! What am I doing wrong????
hi.I've just been to check my stats with Holidaylets.net.Over a 5 month period I've had just 10 enquiries ( far less than any other site I pay for).The first 5 never responded to my reply.The 6th and 7th enquiries were the same person and they did book.The 8th enquiry is for next year and I've not heard.The 9th wanted dates I didn't have available ( I keep my calendar up to date!) and the 10th booked.So:
Over 5 months,9 enquiries,2 bookings.
Trouble is I LOVE the site!!So user friendly!! Just another couple of enquiries that convert and I will def. stay with them
www.thepetitmanoir.com
Over 5 months,9 enquiries,2 bookings.
Trouble is I LOVE the site!!So user friendly!! Just another couple of enquiries that convert and I will def. stay with them
www.thepetitmanoir.com
Hmm so it seems we all love their sites but get very little more than enquiries which seems such a shame when the site is so well designed.
Is their marketing the problem?
Do they have any marketing?
Do we believe the enquries are real? I'd hate to accuse them of fiddling esp just before renewal time but is that something that goes on? I understand what Paolo says about it being our responsibilityto convert the enquiries but you can only do that if the enquiries arn't fairy stories.
I'm very new to all this.
I notice no one has come back about the holidaylettings site which is very similar - dead pretty but zilch response level. I think I paid about £30 for the year which will run out next May.
Its over £100 for my two properties to renew the Lets site. Its not peanuts.
I guess I should be asking these questions directly to the site - very useful to have all your feedback though and any more that anyone has.
Ta
memes
Is their marketing the problem?
Do they have any marketing?
Do we believe the enquries are real? I'd hate to accuse them of fiddling esp just before renewal time but is that something that goes on? I understand what Paolo says about it being our responsibilityto convert the enquiries but you can only do that if the enquiries arn't fairy stories.
I'm very new to all this.
I notice no one has come back about the holidaylettings site which is very similar - dead pretty but zilch response level. I think I paid about £30 for the year which will run out next May.
Its over £100 for my two properties to renew the Lets site. Its not peanuts.
I guess I should be asking these questions directly to the site - very useful to have all your feedback though and any more that anyone has.
Ta
memes
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Today I am not Fluffy.
Listen to me! This is a message to all property listing websites. I don't care about your turnover and profit, I care about mine. I am not on your site because it is the trendy place to be. I am on your site because I want enquiries and bookings. If your site does not deliver I will walk away.
Alan
- I don't care whether one site is flashier than another.
I don't care if one site is more impressive to the techies than another.
I don't care if one site has ten properties and another has ten thousand.
I don't care if one site uses CSS and another doesn't.
I do care about how many enquiries a site produces for me.
I do care about how many bookings a site produces for me.
Listen to me! This is a message to all property listing websites. I don't care about your turnover and profit, I care about mine. I am not on your site because it is the trendy place to be. I am on your site because I want enquiries and bookings. If your site does not deliver I will walk away.
Alan
Hi Meishka,
It sounds like you are doing the right things. Phoning is the tried and tested way to improve conversion ratio - it's an interesting point you make about perhaps contacting them too quickly. Perhaps you freak them out - like opening the door just before someone knocks!
But if you are in a location where there is a lot of competition, you have to expect a low conversion ratio of enquiries to bookings. There are parts of Florida where owners operate on a 0.5-1% conversion ratio - hopefully you are doing better than that.
It sounds like you are doing the right things. Phoning is the tried and tested way to improve conversion ratio - it's an interesting point you make about perhaps contacting them too quickly. Perhaps you freak them out - like opening the door just before someone knocks!
But if you are in a location where there is a lot of competition, you have to expect a low conversion ratio of enquiries to bookings. There are parts of Florida where owners operate on a 0.5-1% conversion ratio - hopefully you are doing better than that.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
Hi Meishka,
I have been dealing with "sales people" for many a year now and have met all types - some Ilike some I don't.
Although Paolo says it is a tried and tested formula that phone calls really help with closing the deal, with my personality I would HATE IT if anybody phoned me up, however politely and however non-pushy they were. I will make up my own mind and will contact you if I need any clarification so give me some space - in fact it would probably make me go anywhere else but you. Mmmm, what a nasty person I am - Ijust hope people don't react like that when I phone them!!
Its a similar story with your follow up email and I would think why shoud I spend my time telling you why I didn' book with you, surely that is your job as a business to know already??
Mmmm again, isn't it lucky that not everybody thinks the same. I do get some very, very nice enquiries who do tell me (usually voluntarily) why they have booked elsewhere, but your 20% response rate is really very good and you should be happy with that.
As for hoilidaylets, in one month I have had 4 enquires and 1 booking (for 2006) so that would be worth £30 to me.
OK, gotta go back to my beer!!
I have been dealing with "sales people" for many a year now and have met all types - some Ilike some I don't.
Although Paolo says it is a tried and tested formula that phone calls really help with closing the deal, with my personality I would HATE IT if anybody phoned me up, however politely and however non-pushy they were. I will make up my own mind and will contact you if I need any clarification so give me some space - in fact it would probably make me go anywhere else but you. Mmmm, what a nasty person I am - Ijust hope people don't react like that when I phone them!!
Its a similar story with your follow up email and I would think why shoud I spend my time telling you why I didn' book with you, surely that is your job as a business to know already??
Mmmm again, isn't it lucky that not everybody thinks the same. I do get some very, very nice enquiries who do tell me (usually voluntarily) why they have booked elsewhere, but your 20% response rate is really very good and you should be happy with that.
As for hoilidaylets, in one month I have had 4 enquires and 1 booking (for 2006) so that would be worth £30 to me.
OK, gotta go back to my beer!!
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What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
Hmmmm interesting reddevil, think you may be right somehow and that I am too quick off the mark sometimes! But I always thought that the personal touch of a phone call was the best but maybe I am being proved wrong! re my follow up email, yes I get your point again, it is my business to know but the only way I can do that is if people tell me!!! And I have the sort of personailty that I MUST know why, it drives me mad!! But I think maybe I will just leave it at least an hour beofre getting back, no chasers and no phone calls, which goes against the grain and all I have read but you never know!!!