Re: What do you do if a scheduled day is cancelled?

boothm@ibm.net wrote:

> What do you do if a client cancels time that he's asked you to schedule?
>

Booth,

I've faced this very same situation and I ask myself two questions: 1) How
important is this client to me 2) How often have they done this.

The majority of clients make every attempt to meet their appointments, just as
you do.  Things happen.  Catch up on your
family/reading/filing/bookkeeping/testing/etc. ;-)

A repeat offender on the other hand tells me two things 1) They believe my time
has no value 2) They lack organizational skills.

For the occasional offender, let it slide. (as they would let you slide)  For 
the
repeat offenders, send a bill to remind them that your time has value to you and
your other clients.  Remind them that you have value, if not to them, then to
others.  The same others that got juggled to accommodate them in the first
place.  If they don't get the hint, juggle them for a while. Maybe,
diplomatically, remind them that you have a hard time taking their commitments
seriously.

I've had 2 clients (out of over 70) commit to 3-6 month projects only to renege.
For them, and them only, I added a rider to my contract that included
cancellation penalties.  If they would not agree to the penalties, I would not
commit to the project. Period.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

In some cases I even show up in spite of the cancellation to visually remind 
them
that they requested me not to engage in any other business activity (read "make 
a
living") during that period and failed to notified me of the change in time to
recommit to others.

After all, other professions charge for visits if you fail to cancel within 24
hours, why shouldn't a professional like you?

And should you lose them as a client ... remember, your competition will not be
making any money while they continuously get put on hold ;-)

James W. Kilgore
qappdsn@ibm.net

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