In this video I am delighted to interview Céline Dehouck who talks to us about the keys to the subject of her seasonal rental concierge service: Trip objective. How it delights its owners.
Her methods for obtaining good ratings from tenants
Being a professional marketing expert, she also shares her tips on this subject
To find Céline here is her company website: https://objectiftrip.com/
💯Receive the free book by email (the 6 mistakes that make you lose money) by joining my private group on Facebook 💯 https://bit.ly/2KRS5WK
(don't forget to enter your email to receive the bonus)
⚠️ Subscribe to this channel and 🔔 click on the bell 🔔 to stop saying to yourself: “what was the channel that gave good ideas on prices? » https://bit.ly/2OLq0lx
Allow your name to be displayed on streamyard to leave a comment: https://streamyard.com/facebook
Hello and welcome to the J'poster Complet channel, the channel which helps seasonal rental companies, seasonal rental concierge services and professional sub-renters to increase their turnover. Today I am delighted to offer you a case study, an interview with a very interesting concierge manager named Céline Dehouck.
– Hello Céline!
– Hello Elise! Hello everyone!
So I think his journey will inspire you a lot. You will see that there are lots of interesting things that I would like us to talk about together:
– And the first thing I suggest to you, if you want, is that you share with us your journey, perhaps, before the concierge service and after the creation of the concierge service.
- Yes ! So, I started by studying tourism; finally, it was digital communication, mainly marketing, applied to tourism. So, after that, I worked in campsites and in hotels, mainly, which had, in addition to the campsite and the hotel, lodges that they put on AIRBNB, etc. So, I have my feet in it a little bit like that. And then, after having finished working in the last hotel where I worked, I told myself that it was the time to create my business, because everyone told me that I was young and that it was was a milestone to pass, but ultimately, I found it less risky to do it young, rather than a little older with all the constraints that come with it, if I had had a permanent contract before leaving it, the house credits, children to feed, etc. I found it a little less risky to try now, and if it didn't work, too bad, I would have returned to work in hotels and campsites. And so, I created the concierge service in April 2019. Not thinking that it was going to work as well, clearly. I didn't think there were so many requests. So we, in fact, are on the Normandy coast, so there are quite a few second homes, mainly Parisians, but also a few from elsewhere, and therefore, who wish to rent their house when they don't come not on vacation in their second home. And so, there you have it, I decided to take care of their accommodation for them, in fact.
– Great! And your company is called Objectif Trip.
- Exactly !
– Trip objective. And so, when you created, we were talking about it a little bit off-air earlier, when you created your company did you perhaps have this worry of saying to yourself “bah! maybe I’m young, will the owners trust me”, because that’s something you felt?
- Yes ! So, I was worried, indeed, I said to myself “perhaps the owners, mainly, will believe that I don't have enough experience and that I simply wouldn't know how to do it”. So in the end, I didn't particularly get any feedback in that sense. Of course, I had a few people who told me “but you are young!”, but on the contrary it was more along the lines of “it's good to have started your business so young”. And then afterwards, they finally decided to trust me, all the same, so, surely, in relation to what I told them about what I was going to do with their house in fact surely. And finally, it went very well and the fear quickly disappeared. But it’s true that I asked myself the question before starting.
- Upstream ? (Yes).
- So !
– There is also something that is interesting in your background and in your expertise, which is that you also have strong marketing communication expertise, do you train people on that?
– Yes, because (that’s interesting), so, actually, I have a second part in my company where I give training in digital marketing communication, so not particularly applied to tourism at the moment, to small shops, mainly clothing or other. There's a little bit of everything. So, it's true that it's going to be quite good for the concierge service too to have this expertise, because, suddenly, especially in terms of the distribution of announcements, advertising in a way, for highlight the properties and try to rent them, to make people want, in fact, to come. I think it will help a lot too. And then, when I started, I mainly found my first client-owners thanks to the creation of my website, the Facebook page, etc. So, I think that also, quite a bit, helped to make me known.
- Oh yes ! That’s strong, that’s it! Succeed in finding your first customers through a Facebook page!
- Yes.
– Was it really qualitative? because…
– Yes, this internet-Facebook is really where I found my first clients! It was after that that I had an article in the newspaper a few months later. So that added a few more clients to me. But even today, it’s the website and social networks that help me to make myself known, in fact. And people say to me: “Yes! I came across your website, your social networks” and the same for tenants. I have tenants who call me saying: “Yes! I saw that you had a concierge service, would you have goods on offer, on a given date, for that many people?” and who find me through Facebook or through the internet page, therefore.
- Yes ! Do you have any tips to share, perhaps without revealing secrets, but tips to share for having a high-performance site like that and a high-performance Facebook page?
- Yes. well, so, on the website, already, you have to know that the main thing, I want to say, when you create a website, so of course, there is the design that it makes you want, etc., but before that, you still have to be referenced on Google, in fact, because the site may be very pretty, etc., if you can't find it, it's useless, in fact. So, really pay attention to the site on which you create your site, because there are weeks, wordpress, etc. I think you know Élise a little too? And there are some sites that help with SEO better than others, so be careful about that. And then, especially the keywords, etc., to be well referenced. And then, the second part is really the design of the site: making the owners want to join us quite simply. And on social networks, what people also like is not necessarily just putting the link to the ads, for example, on Facebook, saying “we have a new ad, a new property, such and such a place” and then There. This is not necessarily what interests owners. Certainly, they like to see the other announcements that we could see a little of what it looks like. But they also like to know a little bit about the back office, in fact: how does it ultimately work? Apart from that, for example, as I take care of the laundry myself, I don't use a laundry, I would share the detergent that I have, that I use which is a little eco-responsible, etc. It's all these little tricks, this, how it actually works. Even sometimes, my owners who give me small gifts, I put them on social networks. It shows that my owners trust me and are happy with my work.
- Yes !
– It’s not necessarily just highlighting the assets and stopping there.
- Yes ! You share a little, ultimately, in the life of the leader.
– That’s it after all. So ! As it bothers them, what's more, it's exactly what they tell me, for example, my little dog that I have today...
– We need to present. She's so cute!
– My assistant
– Welcome Tahice in this interview
– And so, I have already put it, for example, on social networks. And it’s true that there are people, owners who call me for the first time, saying: “Ah yes! I also saw that you had a little dog or that you go horse riding” because I also highlight it on my website, a little bit of my passions, what I like outside of that. And as a result, people have the impression of being, perhaps, a little closer to me and they more or less already know who they are talking to before having me on the phone for the first time.
- Yes ! It's true that you are right. When I see your horse riding photos on Facebook, I can't help but write a little note to tell you “I'm amazed”.
- Yes !
– It’s true that it’s amazing, and it’s… There’s something that I find very strong in sharing your hobbies, I wouldn’t have done it spontaneously, but I find it very strong to also convey the image of a balanced leader, you know? In the sense that, in fact, you are very committed to your work, but at the same time it's not your life, your work, you know? You also have strong passions and…
- Yes yes.
– It gives a personality, it lets an interesting personality shine through, you know?
– There you go, that’s it. They don't just have the impression that they're talking, in a way, to a robot that will put the ads online one after the other without knowing who we're talking to, etc. At least there, yes, they feel like they know me a little more! It creates a close relationship, a little more than if we didn't do it, I think.
- Yes ! And above all, perhaps this is the opportunity to talk about that too! It's one of the strengths – you stop me if I say stupid things – but I have the impression that it's one of the strengths of your company, of your concierge service. It’s really also the proximity with the owners, the bond of trust that is very strong.
- Yes. That's it. And so, indeed, as we also talked about off-screen earlier, I said that “I do not want to become a big concierge service with hundreds and hundreds of accommodations without knowing what they are called, but owner and where did they live, etc.” I really want to remain a small concierge service, a bit of a family on a human scale where everyone knows each other a little bit. As I also told you another moment, my owners, sometimes, when they come back to their house, they invite me to eat to take stock. And there you have it! Discussing everything and nothing is also fun. I don't want my owners to be numbers. And there really is this close relationship, once again.
- Yes. And confidence.
- So.
– Would you say that there are other points that are in the strengths of your company?
- Well ! Afterwards, it's true that we're talking about close relationships, etc., it's all well and good to get along well with the owners, and that's it. But this is very far from making housing profitable and all that follows, because, clearly, the goal is also to rent as best as possible. So, it's true that with the expertise that I have acquired, already in terms of the distribution of goods, etc., I hope to do the best at least to have the best possible visibility. And so, well, obviously thanks to revenue management, now that you're helping me, it's even better than before, let's say. So, to try to rent at the best price and as often as possible, because even if most of my owners – then I have a part of investors, but I also have a part of owners who did not want to , not even, necessarily rent at the base just – they discovered that the concierge would have existed and that well why not rent when they are not there? But the goal is also to be able to repay the credits they have to repay every month and to compensate for all that. So, it still has to work, in addition to getting along well.
– Yes, that’s it. And where you are very strong is that you are also quite used, I think, to managing second homes. It's very special, because there are constraints linked to that. It's because obviously people still want to enjoy a little more, and you know, you're very used to managing that.
– Yes, that’s it. Well, most of my owners don't come to their residence very often because they obviously don't live there, and it's a bit complicated, but it's true that you have to manage availability. so that they can still come to their accommodation whenever they want, the goal is not just to rent, and so that they can no longer even access their homes. It's not great. So they can access it whenever they want. And then there is the whole part also a little troubleshooting, as is often the case investors are earlier in the sector of their property, in fact, in general, I find, in any case, for investors of mine , this is rather the case. So, they can manage a bit of small work, repairs, etc. Whereas the owners of second homes, most of the time, they live a little further away, and if there is any problem, they themselves take care of mowing the lawn. If there is, I don't know, a bay window was replaced, because they decided to change it and they didn't like it anymore, so I'm here to go. Again this week, I had the case of someone, an EDF owner, who had to come and read the meters. They are Parisians, well obviously, they couldn't be there to read the meters, so I went there to help them out, to open up to the EDF, so that they could read the meter and then get it done . And there you have it, so there is also this whole part where there is not just arrivals, departures, posting of announcements online.
- Yes.
– It’s also all the “extras” that the owners cannot do themselves, since they are too far away.
– Ouch! That's a valuable support, because a company which, well, I don't know if it's things that are re-invoiced afterwards or it's things that are...
– So, for now, these are things that are not re-invoiced and I work on a percentage basis. So a percentage and after the cleaning costs which are entirely paid to me for this. But all these little repairs are included in the percentage as soon as there is a need to go back and forth to give the keys. There I have a lady who changed her windows, I went to see the company to give them the keys, information, etc. And all of this is included in the service. Afterwards I tell them: “it doesn't have to happen every day either, because, obviously, I can't just do that”, but from time to time, there's no problem and it's is these repairs are re-invoiced behind.
- Yes ! And that is very precious. I think that for them, when we are far away, it is reassuring to say that we have a caring partner who is committed to making sure that things work and that there are no problems.
– Yes, that’s it, and I’m also here to watch over their house. Again, the owners are mostly far away. Here, if, for example, there was a big gust of wind with heavy rain, etc., sometimes they ask me to come to the house to see if the garden furniture has not landed at the other end of the garden, or if everything is going well, if it is, if the house is still in good condition, if it is not squatter, I don't know what, in the low season. If there are no tenants in the meantime I'll move on. There during the Covid, the confinement everything was, we rented very little, especially during the first confinement since, moreover, it was prohibited, and so, I still went to the accommodation to see if everything was okay well, and that is obviously reassuring for the owners.
- Yes. It’s a serenity and a reduction in the mental load, I think, enormous.
- Yes.
– That’s nice. So you also told me earlier – we're going to reveal everything we know – you told me about the really cool little things that you also do for travelers, since we talked a lot about prices. But it’s true that you also have very good ratings on your ads. You have travelers who are really very happy when they come to your place.
– Well, that’s the goal too, because obviously the grades today are a lot. If the ads don't have good ratings, obviously that doesn't make the next tenants want to come.
- Exactly ! And it's even true that from a pricing point of view, it also supports a pricing strategy which can be upwards when possible.
– Yes also definitely. The more the property is better, the property is rated, is well rated, the more we can necessarily increase the prices, since that shows that it is a quality good. It's not, that's it.
– Well, so, do you have any little tips?
- Yes.
– That’s what I find interesting.
- Yes. But suddenly…
– If you want to talk about it
– Yes yes, no, but no problem. But suddenly, it's true that I'm trying to have little ones and - we didn't talk about earlier, it makes me think of other things, we'll talk about it again -, but we try to look a little, but not often, when the tenants book, they either tell us “I'm coming with my partner”, and sometimes, it happened to me, “I'm coming with my partner to surprise her , we're having a little weekend in Normandy, for example, she doesn't know about it” so when it's like that, I try to, so for now, I don't have at all training on this, so I looked on the internet once for example to fold napkins in the shape of a swan or in the shape of a heart, with little candies next to it, it's always nice. And we were also discussing those who tell me that they come with animals, so a dog, a cat, even a rabbit, that happened to me too, I always put a small bowl of water with a small lentaccic under the little conquests for cats. It's always a pleasure.
– Yes, that’s surprising. And so, it's super touching, because it shows that you've done something personalized especially for them.
- Yes. That's it. Well, finally, they saw that I had really looked at their message, and that I saw in what situation they were coming: if they come with children, we put in some games; or if they come with an animal, we put some treats, etc. We try to personalize it a little bit, because it's true that most rental companies, they put, at the end, for example, in Normandy, they put a bottle of cider, small cakes. It's very good, it's always great fun too. But it’s true that it’s becoming a bit common in a way. So finally here it is. to have a little something to drink, a little something to eat, yes, it's always nice. It's better, limits, than doing nothing. That's for sure. But it's true that sometimes you differentiate yourself a little bit with things that people don't always see, that, as you said, surprises and always pleases.
- Yes. That's nice. And sometimes you have Isted too.
– Exactly, yes.
– So, that’s the charm of checking.
– That’s it.
– If you don’t have pets, well then, that’s not going to work at all. If you are checking without pets frankly there, you are in the past there.
- It's true. No, but it's true that the tenants love it when I bring my Thai assistant with me to do arrivals and departures. It's the same, it adds a little extra to the canines. They don’t necessarily expect and…
- Yes
– And that’s always a pleasure.
– That’s one, I’m willing to believe that people don’t expect it. And pets then, it’s true that there can be people who are allergic, but…
- Yes.
– Overall, even people, it gives something of…
– In general, they still like animals. People even if they don't necessarily have one, but often when they see a little dog arriving like that, very cute, maybe she is. They often say that “she is cute. What is her name? Oh well! Does she come with you when you work? It’s nice!” so, then, it also creates a link. That starts the discussion a little bit because the goal of arrivals and departures is not just to say “well! here are the keys, here is the apartment, enjoy your stay! I'm leaving”, we talk a little about “how was the road?”, if what they are going to do during their stay or at the start what did they do, etc. SO. It can also create a bit of a bond.
– And it also probably allows us to provide what some come looking for in the AIRBNB, that is to say the link with a contact who lives here, who can give tips, etc. And there we really find this quality of the link!
– Yes, that’s it. Well, we come back, I find that we are losing a little more and more this aspect of AIRBNB in particular which was at the basis of the owners who opened only one room of their house and who had breakfast together, and that was very, very collaborative, etc. There I find that we are losing it more and more, but people still like this proximity when they ask for advice on the region, how things are going, etc. So that’s still what people are looking for.
- It's true. It's true. So that's great. Great ! Can you tell us about the price? What was it like before determining the prices?
- Yes. So, but I still had some basics, since as I said, I worked in hotels or in campsites, so the campsites did it a little less revenue management, but the hotels still do it not bad in general, so I had some basics. After the basics that I had, I wasn't necessarily taught them in fact. I saw them a little on the job, how it was going, without anyone telling me, I saw a little that prices fell when there was less demand or in low season, and that they increased the summer, etc. And so that may seem a bit silly and boats, but there are plenty of owners that, for example, owners or other rental companies who don't necessarily know that they set fixed prices all year round whatever whatever the period, for example, whereas it is really the basis of the basis of the bases what according to the period. So I had some basics like that, I tried to see a little bit depending on demand and depending on the period to lower prices according to public holidays, etc. Afterwards the main concern I had was that I didn't have the time to do, as you do, in-depth studies on the competition, really look at all the other ads, at what price they are, finally make some studies using tools like meridiana, or whatever other site that helps you a little to see how the request is going, so. I wasn't doing too bad. We cannot say that I did nothing in revenue management. But on the other hand, it's true that I didn't have the time to take care of it properly. So it wasn't necessarily as well done.
– What was your time spent on as a business manager? What takes you the most time?
– I find that what takes the most time is responding to travelers, giving them information, and…, finally. After all, perhaps not everyone does it, but for example when they book, we tell them “thank you for your reservation”, we see if they have any questions when booking to answer them. Then, from time to time, they send you messages to find out if a baby bed, if the sheets are well provided, or I don't know what other requests, if they can leave a bicycle or others. So, there are all these demands. Then you have to send a message before arrival to find out: what time do they expect to arrive? send messages the same day to find out if they haven't had any delays with traffic jams or whatever else? to know what time they actually arrive? During the stay, if they have any questions, they must be answered. If the wifi no longer works, you have to go and troubleshoot, etc. Then you have to ask again what time do they leave the next day? Often the day before sends a little message to find out what time they are leaving? So, we went back. After these days, sometimes they give us little ones again, or they send us little messages back. We must also respond. So, I think that's the part that really takes, well, the most time, is responding to all the travelers. So when we have one, well, that’s fine; when you already manage around twenty, well obviously, it multiplies, etc., and it takes a lot of time. And then aside from that, there is all the management of remodified adverts if we ever, well, if we ever change something, if we change the size of the beds, we remodify the adverts, etc. So, there are all these changes and as a result the prices are obviously that – well, anyway, the proof is that it’s a full-time job, really! So, there you have it! It's, it really takes a lot of time. So for me, what I did before, at my level, I couldn't have done it in such detail before with all that I have to do on the side, because, suddenly, afterward there were still the arrivals, departures, cleaning, invoicing, linen and laundry, so there's everything else.
– And make teams?
– Yes too. Everything that is a cleaning lady because I do as much as possible myself, but I still have people who help me with the cleaning mainly to tell them such time they arrive at such time they are leaving, he You have to do such and such storage, at such and such a time, the laundry bag is in such and such a place. And so, I think it's just impossible for a human-sized concierge service like mine where I'm more or less alone, since I'm not talking about big concierge services which don't have a lot of employees. Obviously, it's simpler for them, but for small concierge services, it's impossible to do revenue management correctly on your own with everything you have to do on the side. Clearly!
- Yes.
– This is not manageable in terms of time.
– That’s it. Or, well, it would be to the detriment of something else, there would be other things that would build...
– Yes, that’s what the goal was to do a little bit of each in fact, so that there is a little bit of everything that is good. But, we couldn't afford to spend more time on one thing, but not on another, etc.
– To guarantee the satisfaction of the traveler, the satisfaction of the owner.
– That’s it.
– In fact, this position as concierge is, it’s a criticism! We are between the two parties.
– Yes, we create a link between everyone. We have to manage all that even when we said earlier, if the gardener ever has to come by to mow the lawn, etc., we have to manage him to tell him when there is no reserve, you can come by at such and such a time, since after such and such an hour, there is someone there. So there's all that too.
– So, how did the transition go with J’show Complet?
– Well, it was pretty simple. It took a little time at the beginning, because, obviously, I had to give you all the information on all the accommodations, so we had to redo a big detail, in fact, in a way on the points strengths and weaknesses, at what price we rent at the moment, bring out all the histories so that you have them directly and do the best right away, and not start from scratch in some way.
– Especially since you changed channel managers, in addition, at that time
– Yes, correct. Because, as a result, I was on a channel manager who was a little less efficient with a little fewer possibilities. Afterwards, it suited me very well for what I did with it, because, once again, I didn't go as far as you go. So that was enough. But yes, there was the whole change of channel manager part which took a lot of time. So you give all the information, and then it was done very simply, afterward it was you who worked, so, telling me, but for such and such a city, we are going to start on such and such a basis, to know if that suits me because that’s the advantage too and that’s what I also tell my owners “it’s not because we have someone who sets our prices that” already there’s only you and your team who set prices. I already have my say, because the owners don't necessarily know you in person.
- No.
– So they trust me, not necessarily in you.
- Yes yes.
- It's true.
– We are in your team, you are the boss, you see.
- So !
– That’s it.
– So, it reassures them that I already have my say and that they have their say too, as we used to say, for example, in winter we necessarily pay less, but they have no more electricity charges. So the goal is not necessarily to rent and lose money, that's not that at all. So, they can tell us a minimum price below which we will not go down because otherwise it is no longer profitable. So they also have their say. So you work well, but it's also reassuring for them to know that they still have a bit of control, if they want to. So, after that, you sent us all the price proposals, etc., and then we got started. So, it was done really quite simply. The longest part was at the beginning to discuss it, to know what we wanted to go for, the types of accommodation, etc.; and then, even today, it is done very simply. You send us the business points every week, we don't have much to do in the end in terms of the price, except to see if it's fair.
- So.
– If it suits us the questions you have to answer, etc. But it’s true that it frees up a lot of time. And then, finally, beyond the time that it frees up, it is above all that there is greater profitability, since obviously you go further than in any case what I did before, so obviously, you rent much better at much better prices and much more often, therefore. That’s also what’s important.
- Yes. Financially, where do we stand?
– Yes, that’s it. As much as I have to pay you, I manage to find myself that the owners, well, for them, it's even better, because I haven't changed the prices. And so obviously, they rent more expensively and more often. So for them, it’s really the best of the best.
– Yeah.
– He sees the difference elsewhere.
– That’s what I asked you; have any owners given you feedback along these lines?
– Uh yes yes. They actually told me particularly about the summer, because we started in January this year, so we have a very small part of winter with additional confinement, so not great. Um... because in winter, it's true that, even I, I noticed that we rented more often in winter, because you often set prices a little bit lower than what you I put myself, and I also see it in relation to other concierge services with which we all get along more or less very well here in the sector between concierge services. So we discuss a little bit about how it's going, from their side what, if it's a general trend, or if it's us the problem, or precisely if it's us who are breaking down the scores, and that's not the case. It's not normal. And that's rather what I feel, when we discuss with other concierge services or even other owners about what we did last year, they tell me, well particularly here about the summer , but we rented at prices we never thought we would rent. Me, I would never have dared to put them, already, the owners tell me “but you rent at prices and what's more it's rented” which is not fair we put prices and it's not rented. No, no, it works. And then beyond the prices which are still higher than what we could have set when we discuss with other concierge services or even when we see our occupancy rate before, it is also much higher. And then, it's also reassuring for me or for the owners to have your opinion a little more global, since you don't have a lot of cities, you have a lot of housing of all types. So you have a slightly more global vision than if we just had studios in a particular city. And as a result, we don't really realize what the market is like, since we only have our own property and we say to ourselves that “are we the problem? Should I have paid more? Because it’s done well, or do you have a much more global vision?” And so I think that’s also an asset.
– Yes, I understand. So in fact, you have become a bit of a star in the region?
– I would perhaps not go that far, because there are concierge services which were established well before me, and which are still in quotation marks “better known” in a way, because, even on the internet, they are , finally, they appear before me, for example, in the search results, because they have been there longer. So, it's normal. But it's true that even the CCI there, I had gone to see them for a change of status for the company and suddenly they told me “but we have lots of people who want to create concierge services”, because it's It is true that the creation of concierge services was booming at the time. And so, they send them to me, they send them to me so that I can give them advice, in fact, on the creation of concierge services. There, I still have two/three that I am in quotes, so for free. It’s really…
– But could you do a favor?
– Well, I think about it, it’s more or less in progress.
– Oh well, great! If you want to be accompanied by Célie to create your concierge service.
– That's it, it can help or even the owners if they don't want to use a concierge service, because they are in the sector where they have the time, and that's it. They don't necessarily want to delegate, but they don't necessarily know how to do it right away. So, I also sometimes give little advice to owners to tell them “well, you should improve that in your ad, etc., to rent better”. But yes, the CCI therefore sends me a lot of concierge services being created there so that I can help them a little bit to get started. I still have a concierge service there, which I helped create not very long ago, so I don't have it in my town, but it's really right next door in Can there. And so, she sent me a little message yesterday to find out how things were going for me and if I had any reservations, to find out if that was the trend. Well yes, summer is filling up, but it's true that it's a lot of last minutes, etc. And so, she was also reassured to have my return.
- Yes.
– By saying yes, well, it’s the same for me. So it's good, I'm on the right line and the right path. That's it.
– If the bump has the same things, it’s good. And so, you see this step of delegating, of transmitting part of the sound of your company. So I'm not always very comfortable when people say “my baby”, but in the end it's a bit like that, you see, so when you create a company.
- It's true. It's a big part of our life anyway.
– That’s it. And then, all the same, it’s true that we put a lot of time and energy into it. Did you have any fears before delegating this part, which it's true can be – so I'm going to say the word – strategic, even if it seems like I'm being lazy. But it’s true that the question of the price of turnover is…
– It is the center of….
– That’s it, if we screw up on this, it could be complicated for the sustainability of the company.
– It’s, it’s… There are lots of other things besides. But, it's almost the most important thing when you rent a property to put it at the right price, because if you put it, for example, too expensive, especially in that sense, it will never happen. So, ultimately, if we make it too cheap, well at the limit, it will be known, we could do better, but it will be known. But if we put it too expensive or at, for example, this minimum night all year round, not necessarily, depending on the city, I imagine that it may differ a little, but we won't get it correctly. . So it’s still the heart of the profession in a way. It's true that it's a little difficult to delegate at the beginning, because we say to ourselves, well, you're ultimately fine, because the advantages of your business are also that you are present a lot on the internet at discussing this type of interview or getting customer feedback, doing case studies, it's not fair because I didn't know you before. In truth, I didn't necessarily have any pure recommendations saying “yes you have to go see Élise, that's great”. I knew you a little by chance, thanks to Emmanuel. But suddenly, it's not just on the internet. We don’t just see “Yes, I do revenue management, I promise I will increase your turnover. It's going to be great. Trust me” period, it’s that many euros and that’s it. There we say to ourselves we don't really know what to expect, does it really work?
– Who is this girl?
– Yes, that’s it. Where does it come from? That's it, it's quite the opposite on social networks, on your website, etc., we really see concrete cases, in fact, in a way. Finally, sometimes you even say: “yes, such and such a person can increase their turnover by the same amount”. And then people even post reviews, etc. So we say to ourselves, with everything we see, we still see how you work and that you don't just make random prices with the help of a site that does it automatically. You're doing real forced research. So that already inspires a little more confidence.
- Yes.
– But, it’s true that it’s a bit complicated to delegate even though at the beginning we say to ourselves “well it’s still a cost, is it really going to work? Wouldn’t I have been better off continuing to do it alone?” Here it is, after…
– Will it work for me too? since we can say that.
- Yes. That's it.
– It may work for others.
– Yes that’s it, it could have been too. And then finally, after the advantage also is that we do not have, we are not really linked for years with you as you say very well everywhere: “it’s satisfied or your money back” in quotation marks what SO. So, suddenly, we say to ourselves “well I have nothing to lose in any way”. We'll try and then we'll see how it goes and ultimately it goes very well so we have no regrets. How are you.
– That’s cool. It's true that our contracts are non-binding and this is a point that is very important to me. And we had the opportunity to talk about it. It's that our customers to this day I knock on wood or I don't know what to say
– There is none.
– That’s it. But there are no clients who have left us and I am very happy about that, because people don't stay with us, because they are tied hand and foot like that in the contracts, not at all. People stay with us because they find that it gives them time, money, and that it works.
– Yes, that’s for sure.
– So, that’s great. And it's true that if it can, in addition to satisfying you, but also satisfy your owners, we've won everything.
– Yes, because that’s the goal too, because of course I’m on the percentage, so at best it’s praised, and the more I earn too. But it's still not as much as for my owners, because I take on average 20% commission, so if we increase the prices, that only gives me 20%, that's it, of price on the famous prices which have increased or finally on the margin in some way. But for the owners, they still have everything else, in addition, so they see the difference even more, because it works, it works even better than before.
– But besides, there are also certain concierge services which take advantage of the fact that we are present in the team for perhaps a given moment for new properties or new owners, well, also increase their prices, say to themselves “we also have a service which has become more” finally among all the positive elements, this is added and therefore.
– Yes, because it's true that there are also a lot of concierge services that do what I did before, they manage their prices themselves and therefore have very good foundations. But once again, if we wanted to do it correctly, it would take, well, it would be full time, that we would have to do it. So there you have it. And then finally, even if we have very good bases, even very very good bases, we don't have the expertise that you have, it's really a profession. There are studies for that. You need experience. So either it's concierge services that do it somewhat themselves, or or it's concierge services as we were discussing earlier who can also use sites that do it somewhat automatically, but it's is made by robots, and it's not as personalized, as well researched as what you do. So, it’s true that it’s still a great asset to have you among us.
– And it also allows us to be competitive with start-ups. Have you ever been evaluated in competition with big Parisian start-ups who will say “we have analysts, etc.” or not at all?
- Yes. Well, sort of. After us, in our area, we don't have a lot of big start-ups like that. They are not very well established, if they are in Deauville, for example, they are a good hour from us, there are a lot of big start-ups, but there on the landing beaches, there where we are, there aren't a lot of them. But there were some who left, because I think they didn't have enough customers, I don't know why, but there was and still is one or two. And it's true that these big start-ups, in general, use robots to set prices and it's done a little too often in quotation marks. They have so many managed accommodations that it's not the same. And I have owners who were previously with this type of start-up, more or less small or large, because there are very very large ones which are all over the world, but there are some a little smaller than they are in some towns in France, but which are still known, which have a name of some sort. And I happened to get a lot of their accommodation back too, because people wanted to go back to basics a little, to return to something more concrete, more family, more, more personalized, and that's it., more human, that's it.
– And on this aspect, last question: what if if there were not our service in your life as a business manager today, what would your life be like as a business manager of your company?
– Very very full, too full.
– Okay.
– No, but if you weren't there I wouldn't have been able to develop my own company even further, because obviously as we said earlier there are lots of things to do in different areas, when you are self-employed and when you have a concierge service. So, after a while, you can't do everything, if you can do everything yourself with five/six accommodations or ten grand max, but beyond that, you can't take care of the price properly, take care of the laundry properly, take care of the housework properly. So it would have already been complicated to manage everything on a basic level, and I wouldn't have been able to develop as much as I am doing here, even if once again I don't want to develop to become a big, huge place with hundreds of housing units. But the fact remains that to live, you still need a few more homes. So, this allows us to be able to develop nonetheless.
– While keeping personalization, because personalization is, it is an important value for you. But it takes time.
- Yes. Well, that's it.
- Yes.
– So, it's important for everyone, both for my owners, who are in the same perspective as me, and for me who needs help to succeed in doing everything and doing the best.
– And so, if I am an owner, and I watch this video and I say to myself, I would really like to entrust you with my second home, how does that work? Is there a small process to follow?
– So, just to know that I am only really present on the landing beaches of Romain Chérubin, Luc sur Mer and a few towns in the surrounding areas. I have had requests to go a little further to Deauville, even to the south, etc. For the moment, this is not yet the case, so you still need to know, because it is complicated. You also have to find someone on site to manage the whole part, well, the actual on-site part. So for the moment I'm only on this part, otherwise on the website objectiftrip.com so there are all the details of our services. That's a bit of what we have, what we've talked about here in a way. We summarized well. So, above, there are also the contact details, so my number, my email address, etc. So, if the owners want to contact me, they can contact me directly by email or by phone, that way, we can see the property they have. I don't really have criteria like some people. I know that there are concierge services in the area, for example, who only take accommodation with a sea view or who have a bit of criteria like that, but that's not necessarily my case. The main thing is that the accommodation is clean and in good condition and so I still find out a little about the property knowing that I just offer a complete service. Also I did it before proposing just an arrival just a departure just a cleaning or that arrivals, etc. But it becomes very complicated in terms of planning to be able to manage and organize. So here I only offer a complete service, but as a result, owners can contact directly to discuss it. So we often explain a little bit over the phone how things are going, how we manage the announcements, etc., to us on our side. Then, we meet, most of the time, in the accommodation in question, like that, I can see a little bit of what it looks like, even if once again, I don't have any big criteria. , but at least it is clean and in good condition, etc.
– And suitable for seasonal rental too.
- So. That's because I've had accommodation, for example, where there's just a convertible sofa or in a city where it doesn't work at all. There I tell them, I don't want to lie to them, I tell them “well it's long-term rental, it will be much more profitable for you than doing seasonal rental”. There are sometimes accommodations which are not made for it, which would not work as well, so there you go. So afterwards, we meet in the accommodation, we talk a little bit, if they have any questions, etc. And then, if they are up for it, we just sign a small contract. So the same, we don't have a commitment for six months, a year, whatever. There is no commitment, but they leave whenever they want. So far no one has left, so it's the same. I'm pretty proud. The small contract, I need the keys, and then the owners don't do anything. We take the photos, we put the ad online. I still need them to arrive to pay them the money. And then, that's all, I give them a little recap from time to time. They ask me questions whenever they want. And then, they have nothing more to do, in fact. If everything is fine, everything is going well, if there's nothing to fix, if there's nothing broken, whatever it is, they don't have to do anything. There are owners, in fact, there is one I have never seen.
- All right.
– There are some that I never talk to them in fact because suddenly. Everything is going so well that we send each other an email, for example, once a month to tell them “everything is fine” that's it. And then, they tell me “super great, we’re very happy, it’s going well and that’s it”. That's all.
– It’s perfect,
– So, they really have nothing to do. And that’s also the goal of everything.
- Awesome. And so that also means that if we're not starting from scratch if, for example, we have a second home and we've never had this idea of seasonal rental, we can really come and see you even if we don't have no announcements, we have no PNR, nothing at all?
- Yes !
– Do you take care of everything?
– Yes, that’s it, I really take care of everything. They have nothing to do. Afterwards, what we also do, thanks to you too, is that the owners are not necessarily aware of how much they could earn, is it really profitable, that's it. So this whole part, it's true that sometimes, I may have to say to you “I have such and such accommodation in such and such a place and how much is it? do you think we can hope to win?” So afterwards, I give feedback to the owners, and then it can also help them to decide, to move on to seasonal rental. But the same, even in terms of everything that is legal because it's all well and good to get into seasonal rentals, but there are things to respect in terms of the law, finally, you have to declare yourself to the town hall, there is insurance, etc. So even if they don't know anything about it, after me, I also help them at that level, if they have questions, to know what to do concretely to get started.
– Great. Great. Well, listen, thank you, super interesting. Thank you Celine.
– Thank you.
– Thank you for sharing this. It’s really a great interview. I think your journey will also help a lot of people. And I hope many owners will come to see you.
– Well, I hope so too.
– Thank you for your time, and see you soon.
- See you soon.