Welcome to our new blog series, Going Beyond, where we talk with a Beyond employee about their role, how they got here, and why they love working in the short-term rental industry. We are excited to sit down with one employee every month and share their story, unique perspectives, and advice. This month, we got to chat with Jack Reipke, Account Executive at Beyond.
As a user of the Beyond platform and an employee at Beyond, Jack truly has the best of both worlds. A self-professed real estate nerd and a sales veteran with 10 years of experience, Jack combines his expertise and industry knowledge to make a unique, powerful impact in his role at the company.
- What came first? Working at Beyond or using the platform?
I was a user of the Beyond platform first but I’ve always had a passion for real estate. I started my career in commercial real estate and moved into the short-term rental space when my wife and I started doing short-term rentals in Charleston, SC and the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. In the beginning, I was just flat-pricing my rental, and I knew that there had to be a better, more strategic way to set prices for my property. I found Beyond through a Google search, did the free trial first, and loved the product. I was working for a different software company at the time so I started looking into the company more and saw a job opening for an Account Executive. I knew I had to go for it.
- Why did you choose to work at Beyond?
I am a real estate nerd, so choosing Beyond was a no-brainer because of the opportunity to work in the industry I love. I get to talk to property managers every day, networking and talking shop. My personal experiences can be helpful because I’ve experienced a lot of their same challenges firsthand. It really helps in understanding the vision for their business and building authentic connections. Building personal relationships within the space is a blast as well. I'm already working with a property manager in Costa Rica to do an “STR swap” in 2022 with our Charleston property.
- How has being a Beyond user influenced your work at Beyond?
I truly feel like I am more of a consultant than a salesperson. Because I’ve been in this space and am using the tool for my side business, I can empathize with property owners and managers. Whatever challenges they have faced, I have probably been there before. When I’m speaking with clients or potential clients, I frequently take them into my own Beyond account and show the value the tool has brought to our business. This thing really does work and speaking to that confidently goes a long way.
- What is one thing about working for Beyond that people may not know about?
Working for a company with a global presence is one of the best parts of working at Beyond. We’re a largely remote company but somehow I feel more connected to locations I’ve never been. We literally have employees and customers that live in some of the coolest locations in the world. Getting to learn about new cultures and new places is one of the best parts. And now I’ve got a list of vacation spots to check out.
- As a Beyond user, what’s your insider tip for using the platform?
Something people don’t think about is how much lead time they want their bookings to have. Do you want to be booked ahead of the market? A little behind the market? There’s advantages to both depending on your strategy or risk tolerance. So my best tip has to do with pacing your rentals. You can get the tool to do whatever you want in terms of pacing if you set it up correctly. Base price, minimum, price, and customizable pricing (i.e. last minute booking pricing) are the three levers you can really dial in on and make sure you are pacing the way you want to.
For my business, we like to be booked about 4-6 weeks out. It is slightly ahead of the typical booking time in the local market but that is our goal. It’s our sweet spot and gives us peace of mind. Beyond helps us get there.
- How has using Beyond helped you grow your side-business?
First and foremost, Beyond has literally grown my business: we’ve doubled our revenue using the tool.
Besides that, the personal connections are invaluable. It’s great to be able to reach out to property managers, real estate agents, and others in the industry to network and hear their perspectives. The other great part about Beyond is access to the markets and data that the Revenue Management Team closely monitors. It gives you a good sense of where the opportunities are in this industry.
- What’s your proudest accomplishment while working at Beyond?
I am proud of the fact that I can help others on my team get to know our customers better and become true consultants. Coming in with the mindset that I have, thinking about what property managers actually care about, and leading with data helps us get away from the typical sales role and into more of a consulting role. At the end of the day, a lot of our customers are small businesses, and we are here to help them in any way we can.
One way we put this collaborative mindset into action is by holding a regular meeting/training session called Demo Daze. We bring in current customers, industry experts, and Beyond platform experts to ensure we’re laser focused on solving the most important problems for our industry and customers. We talk about the tools they use, what they care about, and aim to expand the perspective of our team.
Our Going Beyond series aims to pull back the curtain and show what it’s really like to work at Beyond. Our five core values provide structure for our company decisions, interactions, and work: We Care, We Go Beyond, We Are On The Same Team, We Inspire Trust and We Ship It. If these values resonate with you, then you belong at Beyond too. Check out our careers page for more information and to see open positions: https://www.beyondpricing.com/about/careers
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