Barbara you are right, it is hard time for everyone and the internet encourages people to wait until and try to get the best deal. Quality is definitely the key.
Glad to hear that you have 5 weeks booked Lavinia. My website is on Weebly too - researching it has led to me learning a lot about our area so it has been useful for me (and a basis for the guest information that I keep in each gite) even if no-one looks at it!
Hi Christine
Thanks for your guestimate on your percentage. It is frustrating waiting for a reply that never materialises - especially when you have probably dropped everything in order to reply yourself as quickly as possible. To me it is simple politeness but perhaps that no longer has a place in society....
Maria
I believe that no buisness project is easy now.
For those people who are flooded with reservations...I guesse that they are lucky.
To my mind no amount of marketing schools will be able to change my mind.
I have bought and survived adequately during the last recesion and built an image
based on quality....Location did not enter into the scene. I could not afford the
best landscape and a prime spot on the map. But I sold and moved on in order to
arrive here in S.W.France.
Now is different to any time which has come before it. Logical...yes..
BUT are in check mate and if your buisness is surviving you are doing
extreemly well.
In my limited experience - first year - after I have replied to booking enquiries in much the same vein as you do, unless people come back with a booking I never hear from them again. I agree it would be nice to have one's reply acknowledged, even with a polite refusal! So far I have 5 weeks booked this summer, which is quite encouraging for a beginner I think.. Hardly anybody seems to go to the website, but I suppose it is good to have one in case anyone asks, mine is set up through Weebly which is free anyway.
Hi Maria
I share that frustration! I don`t do on line booking either..it would be too complicated for me I think because I advertise on lots of sites where this is not possible. But I too get annoyed by sending out all the relevant info..much the same as you..only to have folk disappear into the ether. I realise that lots of people send multiple enquiries & then just choose the most favourable but really would prefer them to come back & say that they had found somewhere else, or the price was wrong etc.The waiting for replies is very frustrating! As for %..perhaps 40%...but then bear in mind that I`m uselesss at maths :)
Christine
Thanks Maria :-) The webinar is about creating a strong web presence which means you will attract lots of ideal guests to your B&B or Gite. See you there :-)
Have just signed up, I had seen that you were doing a webinar but wasn't sure whether I should attend not owning a B&B. I'm sure it will be very useful and I hope you get alot of attendees.
You B&B looks lovely too, will keep you in mind if we are ever in your neck of the woods. :-)
Maria, why not come along to my free webinar online tomorrow evening (if you're free) at 7pm GMT. It's mainly for B&B owners, but I think you will get a lot of value from it. It's about how to take charge of your own marketing, so you get all the money. Go here to register
http://bedandbreakfastcoach.com/double-your-bb-incom/
Your gites look lovely btw x
Actually Yvonne, most of my enquiries don't come directly from my website but via a holiday lettings website that I am listed on - I think most people haven't even looked at my own website when they send their enquiries so not sure if the online booking system would help in this case. Still I am looking at webserv which you have recommended previously :-)
Thanks Yvonne, I know online booking systems have been discussed on here before so I will take a look rather than ask you to rehash the subject, I'm just reluctant to throw more money at it if that's what it involves.
Still interested to hear about the response rate to booking inquiry responses...
Hi Marie, yes I do, in fact without an online booking system you're missing LOTS of business :-)
Hi Yvonne
No I don't have on online booking system, I'm not really sure that I want one. Do you think people would just go ahead and book and not want to ask any questions first?
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria, do you have an online booking system?