I am always shocked by how few vacation rental owners and property managers take the time to follow-up quickly after a potential guest has inquired about a property. In fact, businesses in general are lethargic when it comes to following up with potential clients and I see a direct correlation with their overall customer service (or lack of). Why is it important to follow up? Simple, because the customer service you provide to a prospective guest will differentiate you from your competition.

Recently, when searching for a beach rental, I was annoyed and frustrated with the lack of response. Here I was, actively looking for a rental and ready to book, but very few property managers and owners would get back to me with the information I needed, let alone in a timely manner. In this situation I was very interested in the vacation rental that was being marketed and advertised as available, but the lack vacation rental management and the absence of a complete response left a bad taste in my mouth.

To ensure bookings, it’s important to respond promptly, engage with a potential guest, and keep in mind the importance of customer service. Here are a few tips to turn a rental inquiry into a repeat guest.

1.   Respond Immediately to Inquiries:  Responding to an inquiry within three hours increases your chances of getting that booking by 54%. MyVRMS’ vacation rental management software can automate bookings and email responses to all your rental inquiries and your prospective guests will receive an immediate response to their inquiry, 24/7. MyVRMS handles all inquiry responses, allowing you more time to follow up with prospective guests so you can be proactive as opposed to reactive.

2.   Reach out to Potential Guests:  After you have responded to an initial rental inquiry, make it a point to send a follow up email or phone call. If for some reason the vacation rental the prospect initially inquired about is not ideal, contacting them directly will give you an opportunity to discuss what they are looking for and offer an alternative property. It also allows you an opportunity to provide alternative reservation dates if the dates they inquired about are already booked. As a business owner, I believe it is important to follow up with prospects until I have determined that they do or don’t want to do business with me. I see it as an opportunity to establish a long term client relationship.

3.   Email Campaigns:  This is another way to strategically reach out to guests who have considered your vacation rental, or guests that have previously stayed at your property. With an email campaign you can easily showcase properties and feature “deals.”  A monthly email campaign will keep you top of mind and in touch with prospects and previous guests. You can also proactively campaign your inquiry contacts to fill upcoming vacancies. Not all prospects that inquire about a rental book immediately and perhaps a week may go by or even longer before a prospect is ready to book. Put plan in place to campaign your inquiry contacts monthly or even weekly and you will have opportunities to turn prospects into a clients. Persistence will pay off!

4.   Follow-up: This is an important step to complete after a guest has rented your vacation rental. A quick telephone call to see how their stay was can reinforce their decision to rent from you again. Some owners actually call the renter the day after a renter has checked in to make sure they are comfortable. A simple gesture such as a phone call can give you an opportunity to connect with your guests and may increase the likelihood of a return guest or a positive review.  Additional follow up ideas include:

·        Send a postcard with a picture of your home, the website or link to easily find you again.

·        Handwrite a thank you note and include a simple refrigerator magnet containing your contact information.

Here’s the bottom line. You can easily differentiate yourself from your competition by making the effort to be customer service oriented and following-up with prospects and previous guests. Don’t take it for granted that they will call you. Be proactive and reach out to them. At the same time, make it easy for them to find you again.

Remember the old saying, “a picture says a thousand words?” It’s a saying that rings true when potential renters are looking at vacation properties. One of the most important aspects in renting a vacation property is having great photography available. Potential renters depend on photos to help them in their decision-making process.  If the photos do not showcase the vacation rental as inviting or in the best light, a potential renter will quickly move on and view another vacation rental’s photos, and if they like what they see, they will book it.

Here’s a fact. No matter how wonderful your vacation rental is….if your pictures don’t show it, you won’t have as many rental inquiries, let alone bookings.  Investing in a professional photographer will pay off. They know the techniques to getting that perfect shot and beautiful photos will showcase just how wonderful the vacation rental is. Yes, paying out-of-pocket for a professional photographer can cost you a pretty penny, but maybe you know someone who might be able to help you out? Or perhaps you can trade a photographer’s services with a weekend getaway at your place.

If you advertise on Airbnb.com you can request for one of their local photographers to shoot your vacation rental for FREE. Although Airbnb.com will own the pictures, this will give you visual proof that professional photos are well worth the investment.

There is no doubt, with beautiful photos you will see an increase in inquiries and bookings. I speak from experience and can show you the before and after pictures. See below:

BEFORE—Taken with my camera.                                                        AFTER—A professional’s touch!

If you decide to take pictures on your own, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• First, make sure you are working with a nice camera that will take quality pictures. If you don’t have one, find one. It’s important to take quality pictures and you’re not going to get the highest quality from your phone’s camera.
• Take exterior pictures during your peak season and when the home’s exterior is truly showcased in the best light. You don’t want to take a picture when there is no foliage on the trees or the grass is brown. If you’re advertising during the ski season, make sure there is enough snow on the ground to make a skier’s mouth water. Also, you want the exterior clean. Do not include miscellaneous trash cans or clutter in the picture. If there is a view to offer, get a shot of the surrounding area ….. mountains with snow caps, an ocean view, nearby golf course, etc. If you have multiple peak seasons, then take an exterior shot during each and change pictures prior to each season to truly paint a picture for the upcoming season!
• For interior shots, make sure the rental is clean and has a look and feeling of “home.”  In fact, the rental should be so tidy, it looks as if the place has been scrubbed from top to bottom and nicely organized. Lighting is also critical. You don’t what the pictures to come out dark and dreary, but rather bright and inviting. Open the windows to bring in the natural light. Also, provide photographs for each of the bedrooms, family room, kitchen and any other room that will enhance the selling point of the rental.
• Once you’ve taken the photographs, invest some time with Photoshop to edit the pictures. Photoshop will enable you to turn good pictures into great pictures.

Yes, a picture says a thousand words. Renters may quickly scan the rental information, but they will definitely spend time looking at the pictures. Invest the money and take the time to do it right. You will definitely see a return on your investment.