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How to Convert Vacation Rental Inquiries into Bookings
Whether a renter books your property or someone else's falls largely in your hands.
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So you have done all the marketing right, made sure your advertisements are perfect—wonderful photos, detailed descriptions, well-researched rates, and an updated calendar. So how do you move your inquiries to actual bookings? After all, that's what really matters isn't it?
While there are the occasional vacation rental “lookers,” most often when a renter inquires, they are serious about booking a vacation rental property. From my experience, for every 3-10 inquiries you receive, you should expect one booking. So if you are getting tons of inquiries but haven't booked, the following tips might help:
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| Check your email often. This may sound like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how many people only check their email once a day or once a week. At minimum, check your email first thing in the morning, right as you come home from work and before bed. Try to also sneak a peek at your email during lunch time, too.
• Reply immediately to inquiries. Be sure to be detailed and friendly in your reply. Include the rates including taxes and fees. Confirm the exact check-in and checkout dates that you have available and tell them to feel free to call you if they have more questions.
• Include a signature line. Make sure that your renters know how to contact you. In every piece of email correspondence include a signature with your name, phone numbers, and a link to your personal website or HomeAway listing.
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| • Pick up the phone and call. When a renter inquires, rather than email them a reply, pick up the phone and call them. Studies show that the first person to call the renter is most often the one that the traveler will rent from. Owners who call rather than email have a significantly higher conversion rate than those who simply email. The general rule of thumb is that if a renter puts a phone number on the inquiry form, they expect or at least invite a call back. |
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• Return your messages. When a renter calls and leaves you a message, call them back! Don't blow a potential rental by not calling them back in a timely manner! Make this a priority.
• Follow up. Give your inquirers a follow-up call a few days after your initial correspondence to see where they are in the planning process. If they're wavering between a handful of properties, your phone call could convince them to close the deal with you.
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| Many renters say when they get down to their final choices, it's more often their comfort level with the owner tips the scale in favor of one property over the next. So that being said, always be friendly, honest and sincere when communicating with your renters. |
How do you convert your inquiries to bookings? Share your expertise. |
| Many renters say when they get down to their final choices, it's more often their comfort level with the owner tips the scale in favor of one property over the next. So that being said, always be friendly, honest and sincere when communicating with your renters. |
How do you convert your inquiries to bookings? Share your expertise.
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