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The Importance of Following Up
by Robin Fowler

Following up on inquiries can make or break your vacation rental business. If you haven’t heard from a customer after sending requested information, it takes very little time to send a message or make a phone call to simply say, “So, are you still thinking of renting my property for your vacation?”

How many times have you received inquiries from a potential renter, sent them information, and then never heard from them again? It’s bound to happen, and when it does, there is always a possibility that you have lost a customer. By following up with all of your inquiries, you are guaranteeing more bookings for your vacation rental home.

People are very busy these days with work, family, and life in general. It is hard enough for them to find time to take a vacation, so when it comes to planning them, it is easy for them to forget about inquiries that they make, or push them aside for a later time. If you reply to an inquiry, and do not hear from them within a week or two, make sure that you follow up with them. While it might be that they are no longer be interested in renting your property, it could be something as simple as they have been meaning to get back to you, but forgot or couldn’t find the time. Following up will remind your potential customers that they were interested in your property in the first place, and it will express your desire to have them as renters for your property.

When you follow up on an inquiry, you can either send an email or call the potential renter directly. Sometimes a phone call is the best way to communicate with someone, because you are obliging him or her to speak with you right then, rather than playing email tag. Either way that you choose to communicate with a potential customer, you are sending a message that you want their business. Be friendly, but make it known that you can’t hold your property for long periods of time. Encourage them to make a decision. You will find that more often than not, following up will reap you great rewards in your vacation rental business!