Dont let your quotes die!
Just thought I'd pass on a conversation I had with a villa owner earlier today.We were just chatting in general about rental levels when I happened to ask 'so what happens after you give a potential customer a quote?' The owner told me casually that they didn't really do anything....they basically would wait and see what happened.
Yikes! I thought. If there is one thing that bugs me in this market at this time its 'wait and see' Right now I'd advise any property owner to chase any rental enquiry until the customer finally gets so sick of you that they file a restraining order. OK, I'm exaggerating...but we should all be following up quotes. All of us! I understand that a lot of people are not comfortable with this sort of thing and have never had to do it but trust me, after you've done it a couple of times you'll wonder what you were ever scared of.
Here are a couple of good tips;
When you give out a quote casually mention that you'll follow it up with a courtesy call or email to see what they think. When calling back make it seem like you are doing them a favour because you have limited availability.
When you give out a quote (only if you are prepared to offer this) tell the customer that if they find a cheaper rate for a similar villa call you back and you'll see if there is anything you can do.
If you don't win the rental don't be afraid to ask the customer 'how come?' Finding out why will help you improve things that you might have over looked. Don't be afraid to ask questions like 'who did you end up booking with?' and 'How much did you end up paying?'
Yikes! I thought. If there is one thing that bugs me in this market at this time its 'wait and see' Right now I'd advise any property owner to chase any rental enquiry until the customer finally gets so sick of you that they file a restraining order. OK, I'm exaggerating...but we should all be following up quotes. All of us! I understand that a lot of people are not comfortable with this sort of thing and have never had to do it but trust me, after you've done it a couple of times you'll wonder what you were ever scared of.
Here are a couple of good tips;
When you give out a quote casually mention that you'll follow it up with a courtesy call or email to see what they think. When calling back make it seem like you are doing them a favour because you have limited availability.
When you give out a quote (only if you are prepared to offer this) tell the customer that if they find a cheaper rate for a similar villa call you back and you'll see if there is anything you can do.
If you don't win the rental don't be afraid to ask the customer 'how come?' Finding out why will help you improve things that you might have over looked. Don't be afraid to ask questions like 'who did you end up booking with?' and 'How much did you end up paying?'
ABOVE ALL: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE BOOKING!
If you are already doing these things then sorry for boring you, you've just wasted 6 minutes of your life :-P But if you're not then it wont hurt to employ a couple of the techniques above. The more you speak to your customers the more you can understand what they are looking for which, theoretically, will help you win more of those bookings floating around in the travel stratosphere.
If any of you have any other little tips or suggestions please send them in and ill blog about them.
Look forward to hearing from you,
Karl
karlh@bargainvillas.co.uk
http://www.bargainvillas.co.uk/
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You missed the obvious one... but to be fair many do...
ReplyDeleteAsk for the booking.
Its so easy just to say "Shall i book that for you?"
Honestly it works.
@ Alan - you are correct - excuse me while I do a quick edit :) Cheers Alan for the comment.
ReplyDelete