Setting appointments is one way to get clients through your doors. It gives you a chance to sell your services and customer service to a client. Appointment setting includes a pitch and an attempt to build rapport. To set great appointments, use these six secrets to appointment setting.
Be Real
When talking with a friend, you don’t immediately head into serious territory. You and your friends say hello, ask how they and their family are doing, and make small talk. When talking with a client, you shouldn’t jump into serious territory right away, either. A scripted sales call sounds like exactly that: a scripted sales call. Channel your inner friend. The friendlier you are and the more you make a call about a client, the more likely they are to set an appointment with you. Don’t simply use clients as a way to get your next dollar. Build a connection and be real. This helps your business in the long run because your clients will be more likely to refer your services out to your friends and family.
Be Honest
It’s important to not try to manipulate your clients in order to make a sale. Clients need to know that they can trust you. They depend on your honesty. Manipulation might be seen as lying. Honesty can look like many things. If your client wants to know if you offer different services than you do, say no before you set the appointment. This will help both you and them. For example, if you said yes, the client may come to find out that you don’t offer a service you said you did. They may stay angry at you for lying. They may feel that you intentionally wasted their time. They will tell their friends, family, and colleagues about what they feel to be dishonest practices of your business, damaging your reputation. Don’t lie to a client, even if you think that getting them through your door for an appointment will help you make a sale. It’s not worth it to the client or to your business. Be honest and your clients will thank you for it.
Give Your Clients Choices
When you talk with a friend or schedule play dates for your children, most often you ask your friend what time they are available. Too many times, an appointment setter will try to cage the client into a box.
Though some clients find it helpful for a business to be specific when setting an appointment, the majority do not. Many clients pack their schedules full and want to set their own times for appointments. Ask clients when they’d like to meet. If you already have an appointment or other priority scheduled, simply tell them that the time isn’t available and ask them to choose another time. Give your client the ability to choose.
Gather Contact Information
Once a client says yes to an appointment, gather their contact information. Contact information allows you to email, call, or text your client with updates and reminders, plus any information you need to send them or that they request. Gathering contact information also allows you the ability to get ahold of your client and ensures you won’t lose their number.
Reschedule
Sometimes a client needs to reschedule their appointment. Don’t worry if your clients call saying this! This means they remembered and want to keep the appointment to talk to you, but they need to schedule it for another day because of a conflict. You shouldn’t worry unless a client reschedules several times. A client may do this because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, but they aren’t interested in your services.
Send a Reminder
We all forget. Clients, business owners, everyone forgets. To prevent no-shows to scheduled appointments, send your clients a reminder via text or email. Reminders help your clients get ready for an appointment and arrive on time. Send reminders to your clients. They’ll be most thankful!
Need Help Setting Appointments?
Do you need help setting appointments, but you don’t want to take time away from your business? Contact Clients ARM! Clients ARM provides services such as appointment scheduling, accounts receivable management, customer service, billing, and more. We have over 30 years of experience in providing top-notch services to business owners like you. We use old-fashioned customer service principles and innovative technology to bring your clients the best experiences in the business. Contact Clients ARM today to find out what we can do for you!
