How do I check where a limousine service gets most of its bookings?

Start by asking how bookings are recorded. A busy operator may keep a calendar, a spreadsheet or a booking system. Whichever it is, ask for a full export and check that it covers every job. Sort the jobs by how each customer found the company, and tally the revenue from each source rather than just the number of trips.

Next, test the answers. Match a sample of bookings to invoices and bank deposits, and read recent online enquiries to see how people reach the company. Ask which referral partners send work, such as hotels, planners or venues, and whether any of them are paid or favoured. If a few partners provide most of the work, find out how those relationships started and whether they depend on the owner.

Finally, think about direction. Are bookings coming more from the company’s own channels or from partners that could move on? Is repeat business growing? A buyer who understands the sources can judge how much of the income would follow a change of ownership. Ask the seller what marketing they do, and what would stop if they did less.

Key takeaways

• Sort several seasons of bookings by source and by revenue, not trip count.
• Match a sample of bookings to invoices and bank deposits.
• Ask which sources belong to the company and which to the owner.
• Look at whether the company’s own channels are growing.