#25 Simon Lehmann on Consulting Secrets and Forecasts About Vacation Rental Tech

In this episode, I am speaking to Simon Lehmann, the CEO and Co-Founder of AJL Atelier, a consulting firm for the short-term rental industry. They consult tech companies and operators in hospitality and vacation rentals, help them build their strategy and recently partnered with Hotel.School to launch a series of hospitality courses. They are the go-to partner in the vacation rental industry.For tech companies in the short-term rental industry having the correct strategy is paramount. This is especially true in the current global climate, as COVID continues to make its mark on the tourism industry. It’s essential for companies to understand how the market is structured and have a clear image of what they want to achieve. Simon challenges tech providers to think about what their future role is in the industry and how they will expand and grow. Survival is going to be difficult, and leaders need to step out of their daily wheel to look at their companies from an outside standpoint. How does the industry see your business, how do investors see your business, and what are they looking for? We talk about:Whether tech companies should specialize in one service, or do a bit of everything to target more customersWhat strategies are working well?How to leverage user forums to get insight into your clients' needsTimestamps:0:02 – Intro to Simon Lehmann1:26 – Adapting strategy during COVID5:30 – How AJL works with tech start-ups6:50 – What tech startups need to think about when building their strategies9:02 – Finding balance between specialization and doing a bit of everything12:00 – Understanding your core and what you should outsource14:57 – What are the current tech needs in the short-term rental industry?17:54 – Why do PMSs keep changing their strategy?20:00 – What strategies are working well?23:15 – Leveraging user forums to find out customer needs26:16 – How to incentivize customers to actually talk to you Connect with Simon on LinkedIn, via email, or check out his website ajlatelier.com While you’re hereFollow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics and knowledge on content marketingVisual – YouTubeAudio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Sticher)InstagramFacebookLinkedin