Minimizing No-Shows and Reschedules

One of the most frustrating things for a salesperson is dealing with no-shows and reschedules. There are few things more exasperating than building a great trip and having to spend time and effort chasing down prospects to reschedule at the last minute.

Even worse is the dreaded scenario where you spend several hours preparing for and traveling to a meeting (as well as the monetary expense involved) only to have the prospect not show up.

Below are several ideas that we have unearthed to minimize the impact of no-shows and reschedules:

1. When scheduling, listen to hear that your prospect is typing the meeting in his or her calendar. “Let me know when you have your calendar ready for the info.”
   
2. Make sure you build value during the initial call. Sounds like a no-brainer, but if your prospect doesn’t believe in the value of a meeting, there is an excellent chance the meeting won’t stick.
   
3. Repeat the meeting date and time two times in the course of the call.
   
4. If the meeting is live, confirm the address. If the meeting is by phone, confirm the phone number that your prospect would like you to call. It may not be the number you reached your prospect at this time around.
   
5. Give your company name, your name, and your phone number. Ask that the prospect call you if something comes up and he or she needs to reschedule.
   
6. Ask if the prospect has an assistant. Soon after you hang up with the prospect, call the assistant to confirm that the meeting is in your prospect’s calendar. Assistants want to be kept in the loop. Plus confirming with them as well increases the chance the time will stick.
   
7. When sending a confirmation email, attach or forward a copy of the original email you used to schedule the meeting. The confirmation email should be short and sweet, thank the prospect for taking the time to meet, and list the date & time of the meeting in the subject line and the body.
   
8. Copy the admin on all email confirms.

Notice that calling/emailing to confirm the day before is not on this list. The reason I don’t believe in this is I have found that any interaction prior to the meeting gives the prospect another opportunity to reschedule/cancel. I know many salespeople that rely on day-before confirmations and use them effectively; however, I have found that following the aforementioned steps will ensure that your meeting reschedules/no-shows are minimized with no need to confirm the meeting beforehand.

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