No Show
I appreciated the advice the presentation offered when handling a situation where the potential student did not show up. Rather than ask them if they still want to come in, simply ask them when they can reschedule. Thanks!
Thanks for posting, Sarah! Let me know how this response works for you!
Dr. Jean Norris
First I would call them, if they answered I would ask them if they are alright? Sometimes they are just running really late, or something came up. I would always say "Oh thank God your alright, because when we spoke you had such a passion for this. (whatever field they were interested in)
Then I would ask if they could come in now or tomorrow?
I would say that this works for me about 90% of the time.
Debby,
Thank you for posting! It sounds like you begin by showing concern for the student. Great job!
Elizabeth Wheeler
Hello Debbie,
Showing empathy is very important to ones strategy of maintaining control of the situation. A "No Show" can become an excuse for the prospect to always do what has always been done based on prior experiences. Though legitimate, the "No Show" is an emotional downer and somewhat shameful to some prospects versus how they are perceived. In fact, some prospects "No Show" multiple times before making it across that proverbial line of success. The never give up attitude of the salesman is key to maintaining or establishing emotional intelligence between both parties. What do you think about this perspective?
Juan Wilkerson
Many times I think we cause our own "no show" because we give to much information over the phone. When setting appointments, I typically look at the time I'm on the phone. Once I start to hit the 5 minute mark, I say something to the effect of "We could keep talking all day and it looks like you have a lot of great questions. Let's do this, let me invite you down to our campus so I can go over the curriculum in detail, give you a tour of our campus, meet some of the instructors and have you speak to FA. I think we can both agree that would answer all your questions". If your appointment setting goes over the 5-7 minute mark, chances are they will not show up because you told them everything they need to know.
There are many reasons that appointments no show and I believe the most common theme I see is how far out the appointment is set. The show rate for my team is about 65% and we only set appointments for today or tomorrow. The farther out you set the appointment the les likely they will show because of isues that may arrise or they forgot about it.
I agree, we try to get the person in as soon as possible, however being a mom and pop school its difficult due to staffing
Eric, That's an interesting point. The obstacles won't go away, regardless of when they come in for the appointment. What can you do to help the student realize these obstacles when you are meeting with them?
Elizabeth Wheeler
