How to handle canceled calls

Don’t Panic! Often times if we don’t prepare ahead of time our first instinct when things do according to plan is to panic in some way, form or fashion.

Thing is, from a neuroscience perspective, when we panic, we invite our survival instincts to kick in. I once heard a specialists call it “drums”. When the drums are beating in our heads, it is hard to think logically or strategically. We think more from a survival process, which can sometimes cause reactions that make things worse.

So, now that we have established not to panic, let’s look at what we could do instead. Think about the purpose of your call and if it was going to be of value to your audience. How was the call going to benefit the person, which whom you were planning to meet. Was that value established when setting the appointment. Oftentimes in our excitement of setting an appointment, we get ahead of ourselves and may forget to “feel” out our audience. Was there hesitation? Some methods would teach, make the appointment any means necessary and that is one approach.

In my experience I have better show up when I address any concerns or give the person an opportunity to think about it and join a mailing list instead with valuable information to keep top of mind when they are ready for the appointment.

Many may not agree with that and that’s okay! Above all it’s wise to go with one’s instinct taking under consideration consult if one so chooses, but from my own experience, allowing the person on the other side of any conversation to remain in the driver’s seat and fully in control has served me and them well.

So to recap, don’t panic, when setting appointments, address any hesitation or concerns and reiterate value to your audience. As you can see, we are first addressing how to minimize canceled calls as well as provide some potential understanding as to why a canceled call may occur.

Of course there is also the reason of something coming up, but I will say if a person is eager to meet, they will reschedule themselves! This is why establishing value and getting your audience excited is such a great strategy.

So, what do you do in the event a canceled call occurs? There are automations to help you reschedule so they don’t fall through the cracks when you are working with high volume, many of them with texting options. Someone has an appointment coming up, they get a reminder text to confirm the appointment with a call to action to confirm the appointment. Then should the miss the call, an automation is triggered that takes them down the workflow of rescheduling.

If they don’t reschedule, then you may want to follow up to establish value and need for your call, because the situation may have changed.

Remember and I haven’t mentioned this yet, but always be willing to walk away and put the needs of your audience before your own. Trust me, it works and builds trust. What someone doesn’t need today they will most certainly need tomorrow or some time in their future- or know someone who does need it!