Last week, while meeting my new client Elaine for the first time, she asked for ideas about running her business more efficiently. I love efficiency! This is a conversation I truly enjoy.
My first three questions are always the same:
- Where are you making mistakes?
- Where are you wasting time?
- What’s driving you crazy?
In Elaine’s case, it was mostly calendar management and scheduling appointments. She was forgetful when it came to adding meetings to her calendar, so she often ended up double-booking herself. Plus, she never had time to send out reminders or confirmations.
She’s a rock star in her industry, but the impression she was leaving, when it came to scheduling, was anything but professional.
I asked a few more questions and then offered the suggestion that she consider using one of my favorite tools – Acuity Scheduling (my affiliate link) to help solve this problem.
I started using Acuity a couple of years ago when I noticed how much time I was wasting going back and forth with people to find a mutually convenient time to connect. I’m sure you’re familiar with this problem, too.
At first, I was a little bit afraid that by offering my calendar on my website I might lose control of my day. Happily, just the opposite occurred.
Here’s how Acuity works:
1. I set the time slots I want to make available for meetings. In my case, I chose 9:30 am through 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. (I can further customize individual days as I wish).
2. I can create a buffer around appointments so that I have time before and after each meeting to transition. For example, with in-person meetings I add thirty minutes after each meeting. For phone calls, I add fifteen (I can modify these on a case-by-case basis, as well).
3. Acuity syncs – instantly – with my Google calendar so I’m never double-booked. This means that I can look at my iPhone, laptop, iPad or any device and my calendar is the same, regardless of how the meeting was scheduled.
4. I gather information before each meeting. By attaching an Acuity “form” to my scheduling page, I can ask for information that will make the meeting more productive. For example: What’s your website address? How long have you been in business? Who referred you to me?
5. Meeting Reminders are automatic. When a meeting is scheduled, an email confirmation is sent to the other person. Then, 24 hours before the appointment, a reminder email is sent. All this is completely customizable and personalized.
6. Acuity can also be set up to take payments as part of the scheduling process, making it a snap to charge for “spot coaching” or one-off appointments.
The result? Clients and prospects can add themselves to my work day during time slots that work for both of us. I know what they want to talk about ahead of time, plus writing reminders are a thing of the past.
Click here to see how it works on my site and feel free to schedule some time with me!