Returning Emails

So, I'm FINALLY getting some bites to my ads. FINALLY. The only thing is, that's all I'm getting.

Before this week, I've received four emails and met with three of them, and two of them signed on (the third may be coming this coming October).

These past four days, I've received three emails. One guy was very straightforward - I have a daughter of this age, we are looking to start on this day, both my wife and I both work in the west end, please get back to me. I emailed him back and answered some of his questions, asked some questions and asked him to call me the next morning. I realized I should have waited until the next morning to call him myself as he'd given me his phone number. i ended up calling him in the evening and leaving a message. I never heard back from him.

Then I got an email from a woman who was obviously shopping around and asking about rates. She said she was a teacher and asked whether she would have to continue to pay while she was on summer vacation NEXT year, as she would be taking her daughter out. I said no. We went back and for for a bit then I asked her to call me because she was giving me so little information in her emails. Never heard from her again. (I should note that I gave her my rate in the first email, and we continued for a little while longer, so I know it's not the rate)

Now, about ten minutes ago, I got another email. My husband and I talked about the fact that I wasn't getting replies to my emails, and he suggested I say little in the emails and ask for their phone number and a convenient time to call them. I'm PRAYING that she responds.

Is this normal? That people show a lot of interest and then all of a sudden, you don't hear from them?

I will show you what I'm saying in the emails:

This was from the second woman. We went back and forth, two emails each, about rate, hours and the summer thing. (Initially, I hadn't understood her email. She worded it as if she didn't want care until next summer. She said no, no I'm a teacher....) Then I sent this:

Hi (NAME)

Oh, I see! So from August to June. Yes, that's fine! I can definitely do that. As for the summer, we can figure something out to hold your spot but you won't have to pay.

Could I get some more information from you? Days you're looking for, age and gender of your child, start date, your location?

If it's easier to call me, you can do so at.......You can reach me later this evening or tomorrow morning.

I look forward to hearing from you

And I never heard back...I'm sure this happens, I just don't want to be making the same mistake over and over. What do you say in your emails when you're contacted initially and how do you assure yourself that they will reply?

I should say, all these inquiries are from kijiji

Thanks for you help!!

Isn't interviewing an awful part of our business? It's really nice when you get honest, considerate people who are nice at the personal meeting and serious about knowing about your program and location and choosing the best fit for their family. It is also nice when they send you a thank you email even if they have chosen another daycare. The rejection always hurts, but that takes the sting out of it a bit for me. Thinking that I didn't completely waste my time but helped educate young parents about daycare, you know?

Unfortunately, you run into all kinds of people during the interviewing phase and they are not all nice and they are not all polite and they are not all serious, some are shopping and wasting your time. So that's why the preliminatry phone process and emailing process is important to weed out anybody who won't be a good match. Our time is really important and we work such loooong days.

Last week I worked from 7:30-4:30, cleaned my house, had an interview from 5-6, went to get my groceries, ate my supper at 7pm, prepared food and activities and answered emails until bedtime. No rest. That is why it is important to me that when I interview families they are respectful and serious about learning about my daycare. I completely understand how you feel.

This woman was a SHOPPER! She didn't live anywhere near me and I missed that during the preliminary emailing and she was at least nice enough to let me know she found somebody near her home. Yeeeesh!

When there are more caregivers than parents they can take longer and that means contacting more people. Don't seem too eager to make them contact you right away. What a lot will do is take a block of time and email anyone they can find that seems to meet their needs and ask for info. Then they will sit back and collect replies for a week or so. THEN they will choose from the replies the ones they want to actually go and visit so you may still hear from the others. Asking them to call you the next day is too soon if they are still in the info collection stage so don't worry that he hasn't called yet as they may still call.

Yup I hate interviewing :(

I agree that just like dating there is that sweet spot of waiting to follow up so as not to seem desperate ... finding the perfect fit for parents is hard and taking a chance on someone NEW means an extra leap of faith for a parent - trying your best not to focus on being new might help?

Is it normal in your area to hold a spot for a teacher without payment of some kind ? Cause here offering that would be a newbie red flag for some teachers - if everyone else is charging and one persons not they might get that "too good to be true vibe" as result.

Sending ya filler up vibes

It happens for sure. I'm one of those ones who don't call people back after interviews though. The way I see it, if they wanted to place their child with me they would contact me...I just keep on interviewing until the spot fills. They are all told in the interview process that they are not the only ones I am interviewing and that I'll be done interviewing when the spot is filled...

I have had one family that totally threw me for a loop though...interview went great, said they would be back the next day with deposit and paperwork, child was to start a few days later...they left and never heard from them....weird...got an email about 3 months later to say that the person they ended up going with (some lady who charged 20 a day vs my 35) was no longer working out and could they now place their child with me....my answer nope!

I wouldn't hold a spot all summer without payment though...I have one family who take the summers off but they pay for 2 days to keep their spot for sept. Gives me an easier summer without losing all the income. They chose if they want to send her for those 2 days or not. I've been burned with this holding over the summer once before and then they chose not to return to work and I ended up losing the income for the summer and then the time to interview and then replace the child...lesson learned.

Hope you fill up soon!!! :)

Yup I am with Michelle on the summer spots - here you want it to be there in September you pay for it through summer otherwise I would fill it and put them on a waiting list for September and they'd have to hope it worked out!

Another thing that can happen with emails is that new caregivers or prospective caregivers can email pretending to be parents and get all your info by email so they can set their own rates, policies, etc. I always ask them to call as well so that I know they are a real parent and I can get more of a feel for the family before setting up an interview. If they are not willing to call, then I see that as a Red Flag for me and I don't bother with a bunch of back and forth over email when it can all be discussed more easily through a quick phone call. I had one parent recently who asked a lot of questions over email and ignored my requests for her to call and eventually she did call and I ignored my gut feeling that she would be a pain...she interviewed, tried to negotiate my contract etc and it was confirmed to me that parents who ignore your request to call right from the beginning are trouble!

Thanks ladies! I know what you mean about the no calling and being pain, that's what happened with my first family. They're in a pain my ass, but the kid is really starting to grow on me...whatever lol I'm trying to learn to be less...serious with this whole thing. There are times to be serious and times to ljust let it go - pick your battles, right?
Anyways, the third person I told you about did email me back. In my inital reply, Iad asked for her phone number and the best time to call. She emailed me back with a number and a time. The only thing that worries me is that she's going to school to get her ECE....has that ever happened to you guys? I wonder if she's coming just to see what she needs to do to open a daycare. She said she's really nervous about putting her child in daycare and is looking for the perfect place while she works and goes to school. But going to school to ger her ECE? Makes me a little nervous for some reason.....

I have lots of friends who have their ECE who work in centre care but send their children to home care - this can be for a number of reasons from affordability to not wanting their own child in centre ratios but not having a set up to do home care themselves?

Would not make me nervous to have an ECE student as a client although there is that chance when she is done she might want to do home care most ECE students today, at least in Ontario are hoping to land a school board job upon graduation as the new full day early learning has ECE in demand for these new positions ;)

Thanks Reggio. I don't know what I would do without you lol