How to Increase Attendance for Scheduled Sales Calls
I have been having one of those difficult weeks where my scheduled calls with prospects have been no-shows, canceled or rescheduled for a later date. Two out of the three prospects were kind enough to email me, letting me know that unfortunately something beyond their control had occurred and they needed to reschedule for next week. While I do appreciate them reaching out to me, how can we as sales people eliminate the issue of prospects missing scheduled calls?
There is nothing more de-motivating than psyching yourself up for a great week of scheduled calls and then having them fall through. In an effort to decrease the amount of no shows moving forward, I recommend using a combination of these steps so there is a greater likelihood of your potential buyer making the call:
1. Remind the prospect of your scheduled call 24 hours in advance via phone and email. Make sure to send your email within 10 minutes of leaving your voicemail message. There is a higher likelihood they will make the connection and read/listen to the contents of your messaging.
2. If they don’t answer at the scheduled time, 0# out to talk to the administrative assistant to find out if a meeting came up, if the person had a family emergency, etc. If the prospect had to attend another meeting, talk to the administrative assistant to see if they have access to the prospect’s calendar and try to reschedule for later that day on the spot. If they don’t have an assistant, leave a voicemail and email them immediately afterwards asking for a day and time to reschedule. I would provide three times that you have available for them to choose from when sending them an email.
3. When you email the prospect about the call they missed, don’t write a brand new email – try instead to respond to the original accepted calendar invite you received from the prospect when you had set up the meeting. I know, this seems like I am trying to give them a guilt trip. In my experience though, it works! This way the prospect will clearly see they had made a commitment to you and will be more willing to get back to you with a day and time that works better for them.
It is easy to get de-motivated when a prospect misses your scheduled meeting time. Instead of feeling down about it, follow steps like I mentioned above to ensure your sales calls occur moving forward.