To ensure timely conversion of your incoming leads, follow these best practices.
- Review and work through Leads on a daily basis.
- When a lead shows genuine interest and meets the requirements for a good piece of business, it is recommended to convert them into at least a Prospect Booking as soon as possible. Prospect Bookings serve as the initial stages of a Booking and allow for potential overlap with other prospective Bookings. This will start to build a database of your customer for future marketing regardless if the Booking comes to be.
- On the other hand, if a Lead does not qualify for your Hotel or you can not accommodate them at this time, it is advisable to convert the Booking into a Contact/Account. This conversion will preserve their information on your site for future reference in case they decide to book again or if you wish to reach out to them.
Let's review the typical Lead to Booking Conversion process.
So your Lead is confirmed as a good piece of business, and you would like to potentially host them at your Hotel. You've made any necessary edits or additions, and you are ready to convert it into a Booking.
First, Click the "Convert this Lead" button.
Then select "Convert to Booking."
Information from the Lead will autofill in the corresponding Booking Detail fields. Fill out any pertinent Booking details that were not added while in the Lead status.
Now, select a Booking Status.
Here is a brief description of the Booking statuses
Prospect = Light inquiry, next step up from a Lead, can double book or overlap Prospective Bookings and Events
Tentative = Contracting stage holds space for Booking
Definite = Contract signed & deposit paid
Lost = Business is lost, *note reason for lost business for follow-up process
Closed = Booking has taken place, and financials have all been updated
After adding the Booking information at the top of the page, you can move down and fill out the appropriate Booking financials. You can also start building the Guestroom Block if sleeping rooms were requested or come back to it later.
Now it's time to add a few details to the requested events.
- If you know the type and setup of each Event, you can add them now or add and adjust once the Booking and Events are created.
- Ensure the correct Event status is selected.
- An Event space or area is required for each Event.
Now add in any required Event level F&B minimums or Rental Fees for each Event and click "Create."