A Deep Dive into the Shocking Lack of Responsiveness That Could Make or Break Your Business
Updated: Oct 2, 2023 5:18 PM
2020 was a crazy year no doubt, but it was also full of new insights and perspectives. One that stands out for me in the vacation rental industry is not what you might expect with all the Covid going around.
Tasked to secret shop vacation rental companies nationwide began as busy work, but became so much more.
As an industry veteran I started to see an alarming pattern developing and started keeping track and looking more closing at the responsiveness of vacation rental companies.
I called 90+ companies during business hours looking to speak to someone about vacation rental management services. It was shocking how I could not get connected to anyone when I called and was lucky to get a call back when I left a message.
On average I could only reach someone to talk about services 34% of the time. When I left a message I got a call back 57% on average nationwide. But that means 43% of the time I never heard back at all!
This was mind blowing to me! All the great marketing in the world would come to nothing if an inquiry is not responded to. When I worked at a big national VR, this sort of thing would have never happened. As someone in sales most of my life I know how important it is to answer the phone and you should too.
There are many studies out there that talk about the odds of a sales conversion and response times. Notable sources like InsidesSales.com and MIT agree. A lead that is picked up at the time of call is 10x more likely to convert. Leads that aren’t replied to within an hour are 10x harder to convert.
Back when I was answering the sales lines for that national VR we’d miss calls occasionally as we scaled. Sometimes when I called someone back they were irritated. They said their first impression of the company was not good. That if we couldn’t take their call, they didn't feel we’d be able to take very good care of their property or respond to their needs.
First impressions are crucial, especially with phone sales. It’s no wonder that 75% of people don’t leave a message. They are shopping around, and if you answer their call you’ll likely be the one who wins their business.
Harvard Business Review did a study that show that my numbers are on par with most businesses overall in their responsiveness.
What did I learn from secret shopping? That answering the phone is the single most important and cost effective thing you can do for your business.