No-shows killing your quota? Here are 9 steps to make prospects show up

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You've worked hard to set up that sales meeting or demo—but your prospect never shows up. No-shows suck but there are 9 things you can do to reduce them. | Related blog post here: http://blog.close.io/sales-no-shows

Monday morning, 10:00 a.m. Meeting time.

You’ve got an appointment with a major prospect who seems really interested in your product. You take a deep breath, lean back in your chair, and stare at the phone in eager anticipation. Any time now.

10:05 a.m.: Nothing. But they’re probably just late, right? These things happen.

10:10 a.m.: That’s odd. But they’re probably on their way to the phone right now.

10:15 a.m.: Still nothing. You decide to take the initiative and call, but get no answer.

10:30 a.m.: No call. No text. No email. No doubt: You’ve got yourself another no-show.

Maybe they just forgot, or perhaps they lost interest. Either way, it doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating, especially when they’re the ninth no-show this month (and you’re not even halfway through the month yet).

There’s nothing more infuriating than investing your time in a prospect only to have them go dark without warning.

Sure, you can argue that no-shows are just a part of the sales process. And you’d be right: Occasionally they are just a part of the job. But if they’re a regular occurrence, you’ve got a problem.

Let’s talk about the steps you can take to ensure that your prospects don’t just show up for meetings; they’re excited to be there and eager to move forward.

How many no-shows is too many?

Think you’ve got a no-show problem? Let’s confirm that. What’s your no-show rate?

Most people I ask have no idea. If that’s you, here’s a quick way to calculate it: Divide your total number of no-shows by the total number of scheduled meetings.

For example: If you had 50 meetings scheduled for the last month and 15 of them were no-shows, your no-show rate would be 15/50, or 30%.

So how many no-shows are too many? That depends on what stage of the sales funnel your no-shows happen.

Top-of-funnel no-shows

No-shows at the top of the funnel are prospects you’ve only just met.

If you do a lot of cold prospecting, no-shows are just a part of the deal; it’s almost impossible to entirely eliminate them. But, as a general rule, these no-show rates should never exceed 20%.

Bottom-of-funnel no-shows

No-shows at the bottom of the funnel are those you’ve already invested substantial time and energy into. You've pitched them, managed their objections, learned about their needs, and have done everything you can to schedule them for a meeting.

If you’re getting cancellations and no-shows at this stage of the sales process, something is wrong. As a general rule, your bottom-of-funnel no-show rates should never exceed 10%.

“Is it something I said?” Why prospects don’t show up

Before we talk about reducing no-show rates, let’s take a look at what’s causing them in the first place. Generally speaking, no-shows happen for one of two reasons: Emergencies or priorities.

Emergencies

Emergencies are the reason it’s impossible to have a “zero” no-show rate. Unexpected crises happen and, when they arise, they often make it inconvenient or impossible to meet.

This could be anything from a family emergency to a last-minute board meeting. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to eliminate external emergencies.

Priorities

More often than not, no-shows are the result of a prospect prioritizing another task over your appointment. Sometimes this is intentional, other times it’s accidental.

This could be anything from the prospect just forgetting your meeting to actively choosing another meeting over yours. Thankfully, you have almost full control over your level of priority with a prospect.

9 scheduling tips to get prospects to show the hell up

When a prospect no-shows, it’s tempting to place all the blame on them. How dare they, right?