Appointment-flow ‘marketing’ Setting the table, part 3

Today, all of that has changed. Our schedulers now deliberately set my meetings back-to-back based on the anticipated agenda for each meeting: 90 minutes for first and implementation appointments; 30 to 60 minutes for annual reviews and deliveries. I now average seven to 10 appointments per day, often over 35 per week, and we make every effort to set existing client review and service meetings before and after first and second appointments with new prospects. The latter now see someone leaving when they arrive—and another couple arriving when they leave—a more representative indicator of our busyness and the intense demand for our services.

Now, when I walk a long-time client out of my office to our reception area after an annual review meeting, the waiting prospects seated therein are able to witness the genuine depth of relationship, obvious gratitude, and even affection of a satisfied client of many years—exchanges that had previously gone unobserved. And 90 minutes later, after a productive first meeting, they'll witness the warmth of a second such reunion between my staff and another arriving client, while we schedule their second meeting at the front desk.

Today, we see more people, solve more problems, are more efficient than ever—and incoming prospects routinely witness the obvious demand for our services. 

Next month: Respecting your prospect's marital privacy

"The waiting prospects are able to witness the affection of a satisfied client of many years."