Have you had customer no-show experiences in the past? We all have. There are many instances when customers promise to meet up but never do.
To avoid being stood up by your customers you should look to lay the foundation properly. Of course you can’t completely eliminate this problem but you can bring the incidence down significantly.
Expounded below are a few tips:
Talk before the Meeting about the Context of the Meeting
Try engaging the customer and igniting an interest in him or her beforehand. Talk to your customer and ask what he or she is expecting. Be very friendly or may be casual and ask what outcome would be ideal.
When you pose such questions, the customer starts thinking about the upcoming meeting and how it should shape up. This thought and interest will reduce the chance of the customer stepping back.
Try Acquiring Commitment from the Customer
Indirectly, you can have your customer commit to the meeting. You can ask something along the lines of “Are there any chances of anything coming in between as an hindrances during or before the meeting?”
If the answer is negative, you will know that the customer is committed. If the customer answers with a yes, you can be prepared for a cancellation or you can simply change the time and day of the meeting.
Email the Customer
After the meeting is set up, it is advisable that you send forward an email confirming the meeting. Schedule it through the email to make it official. When you do this, the prospect will most likely add it to his personal calendar and remember to show up and not make any other plans at that time.
Call the Customer
Confirm the meeting through a phone call or two. You are recommended to do that at least twice. Many people do not follow up through phone calls and expect the prospect to turn up anyway. That is not how things work. You have to remind the prospect about the meeting so that it stays on his mind.
Advice: In case the customer does not show up, you don’t have to feel bad or disappointed about it. This is because the customer basically owes you now. You should work that in your favor and let him or her know that he or she is now obligated to you. Don’t go overboard, though, because that could make the customer very uncomfortable.
Entrepreneurial Learning
Customers cancelling meetings is quite common but it doesn’t need to happen to you as frequently. Take a few steps such as sending a scheduling email, confirming through phone calls, and gain a commitment from your prospect.
