Allocating time on my calendar
As a business owner and a networker, doing one-to-one meetings is a big part of getting to know people and their businesses. One-to-one meetings are also about creating and nurturing that all-important KLT (Know, Like, Trust) factor. The theory goes like this, “How can I confidently refer you to others if I do not know you? And how can you possibly refer me if you do not know me and my ideal client?” With that said, allocating time on our calendars to conduct one-on-ones is an important part of not only marketing our own businesses, but also for learning who and what resources are available to us and to our clients.
Ruffled feathers
So here is what has my feathers ruffled: Meetings that get canceled at the last minute. Let me be clear here, I understand that life happens and that emergencies crop up and appointments need to be rescheduled from time to time, that is not the problem. What is frustrating is the frequency with which these last minute cancellations are occurring. Last minute cancellations ultimately affect the bottom line, and that is not a good thing.
Respect for your time and my time
Two times in the last month, I have been in my car driving to a scheduled appointment only to receive a phone call that my appointment was canceling. Three other times, I have sent courtesy emails confirming appointments scheduled for later in the week, only to get responses back saying that they were canceling. Arranging my day around these meetings means that space was held, and therefore not available for anyone or anything else. Can I adjust my day? Of course I can. There are 1,000 things I can do to fill up that spot, but do you get where I am coming from here?
Here is the thing, I place a high value on my time and on others’ time. And so I am just putting this out there for discussion: How do you handle last minute cancellations and/or no shows? What if the last minute cancellation is from a client? Do you handle it differently versus a cancelled one-to-one meeting? Do you feel differently if the meeting scheduled was a face-to-face meeting that required travel time versus a phone call or an online meeting? Does a last minute cancellation affect whether or not you feel confident referring someone to potential clients or business partners?
Are you good at follow through? Here is another article written byLisa Plancich, Etiquette Editor atBellaOnlineon the topic of “Cancelling an Appointment.”
If you are ready to get organized and move from Chaos into Calm, click on my Get Started tab, or give me a call at (480) 382-1085.