Soul Proprietor - It's about time

When you’re young, you feel like you have all the time in the world. But as you get older, you become quite aware that it’s actually a limited resource. At some point, that clock is going to run out.

If you’ve ever considered that, you might find yourself pondering how you might want to use the precious time you have. Do you want to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones? Are there hobbies you wish to explore or distant places that call to you? Would you like to have time to read all of those books sitting next to your bed?

Or how about this: sitting around waiting for a client who doesn’t bother to show. Do you like that scenario? I thought not.

If you’re running your own business, a no-show amounts to coming to work and not getting paid. If this happens often enough, it could impact your bottom line and kill your business.

Clients might not consider this when they cancel their appointments at the last minute or pull a no-show. They may assume it doesn’t hurt you one bit…or that you don’t mind.

They might not think of the impact that no-show has on your day, your business, your life.

A missed appointment with zero notice means:

No one else can get that spot.
Money that you were counting on is not there. In some cases, that could be a huge cluster-fudge.
You’re sitting around like a dumped prom date when you might use that time to write, market, or network – activities that could help you grow your business.

Clients also might not realize that as a self-employed person, you don’t get sick leave, vacation pay, and you have to pay for your own health insurance.

So yeah…a no-show or last minute cancellation leaves a pretty big footprint.

How can you keep those to a minimum?

It starts with firm policies.

For example, my policy on no-shows is hard core: I require a 24 hour notice to cancel or payment is forfeited. No shows do not get another appointment with me.

I had to create this policy after one-too-many flakes left me sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Since I’ve set this policy, the no-shows are less frequent because people know the consequences.

You may prefer a different policy such as a rescheduling fee, prepaying for appointments, or perhaps paying for the missed appointment before they can reschedule with you. Think about what would be fair to you. What might make you feel whole and respected? Create your policies around that.

Here’s a simple template:

If you need to cancel your appointment, I require ______ hours notice. If you do not give me that notice, (this will happen)______________________________. If you pull a no-show, (this will happen) _____________________________. Thank you for respecting my policies…and my time.

Post this on your site where your clients can see it. BAM!

I also recommend adding this policy to your emails when you schedule appointments. That way, it’s right there in their face and leaves no room for excuses. Double BAM!

It’s important that you enforce your policies because if you don’t, they are not policies. If you feel a need to bend the rules in special cases (yes, emergencies DO happen), then do…but don’t let that become a habit or you’re going to be right back where you started…sitting around, feeling dissed and having trouble making ends meet.

Your time is priceless. Respect it. And make sure others do too.