Ideas on keeping appointments

From an email I received last year from SalesDog.com:

Avoid Last-Minute Cancellations
by Al Uszynski

Have you ever called a prospect to confirm an appointment for the following day, only to have them cancel the entire appointment on you? Well, so have I.

In my desire to be professional, I didn't realize that my personal call was reminding my prospects that our meeting would be eating up some of the productive time in their already packed day. My phone calls gave prospects golden opportunities to postpone, or even worse, cancel appointments.

As salespeople, we always desire personal contact with prospects. But I've found that when it comes to confirming an appointment, it's best to decrease the chances of a live interaction.

Leave a voice mail for the prospect the night before or before 7:00 in the morning. Don't stop at confirming the time and place, express your enthusiasm for what promises to be a productive meeting.

Another alternative is to send an email. This is particularly helpful when you're meeting in a place that is unfamiliar to the prospect, so you can type the address and even directions if necessary.

Al Uszynski is a results-focused sales trainer and professional speaker. His proven, quick-start sales training program, "15 Ways to Grow Your Sales Tomorrow," helps sales professionals ignite immediate sales growth. Learn more by visiting his site.

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