Likeability Tip: Show Up...ON TIME!

Have you ever had an appointment at a doctor or dentist office for a particular time? When that time came, did they call you into the “back”, where you went into a room and waited….and waited….and waited some more?

Why even call you back there then, right? I don’t get it.

Why not just take you “back” when they are actually ready to see you? At least you could stay in the lobby and read the 3 month old gossip magazines.

How about the cable guy that makes you wait ALL DAY? Why do you have to be home from 8 to 5, without knowing when he/she is going to be at your house?

To steal a line from Jerry Seinfeld, “What’s the deal with that?”

How does this type of situation make you feel?

• 
  Angry?
• 
  Under-Valued as a Customer?
• 
  As if your TIME is not valued?

Do any of these three options sound as though they build value? How about loyalty?

Probably not, right?

The one thing that you can never have back is TIME. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Cherish your time and be mindful and respectful of other’s time as well. Time is a commodity. If you set appointments at a certain time…SHOW UP!

Don’t show up twenty minutes late. Be at your meeting on time! If you can’t be there on time…pick up the phone and make the call. It is common courtesy. Don’t leave people waiting and wondering if you will show up.

On the flip side, it is equally as important to gain an understanding of how to set an appointment…and have somebody actually show up.

As a Real Estate Professional, setting appointments is a daily occurrence for me. Before I learned how to properly set an appointment, I would often find myself in the situation of waiting for someone to show up at my office….in all honesty; I never knew if the people would show up or not. In all honesty, I never knew if my customers would show up or not.

Then one day it hit me. I finally cracked the code to setting appointments. These days, I almost never have a “no-show” without a phone call.

What is the secret you ask?

Simple!

To properly set an appointment, a few things need to be established first.

1. 
   Have a reason for your customer to come back. This means that you have established what you are offering is what your customer needs…they just may not quite see it yet.
2. 
   Provide Value to your customer DURING their FIRST visit.
3. 
   Set a firm date and time for the appointment. Let your customer know that to provide them with your maximum service to give them the greatest benefit, it is necessary to set aside a specific time with them. Let your customer know that it is your goal to provide them maximum service. They will receive the greatest benefit, your time, if they SCHEDULE a date and time with you.

That’s it. That’s the BIG SECRET! Now go put it into action and you will see your appointment rate go up and the “no-shows” will stop altogether.

How do you set an appointment?