Do you remember the butterflies you got the first time a lead booked an introductory call with you? Maybe not. Maybe the feeling you remember is the voicemail box you connected with when your first lead was a no-show.
You were disappointed but carried on. You learned no-shows were just another part of marketing funnel frustration. However, if no-shows are the expectation rather than the exception for your business, you are swimming in dangerous waters (i.e. your business might not see the next calendar year).
It’s time to reverse the trend and start filling your call calendar with engaged and energized leads. You produced amazing content that convinced your lead to communicate with you one-on-one. However, the value they saw in that particular moment has to remain with them all the way up to the scheduled call. You need to make them intimately aware of why they were motivated to schedule the call in the first place.
Here are five questions you should consider including on your scheduling form. Pay close attention to the sequencing of these questions.
1. What is the biggest pain or frustration you want to eliminate in your business?
As human beings, we connect far more strongly with the negatives in life than the positives thanks to a little thing called evolution. By leading with negative sentiments, you are triggering an emotional response that is more invested in solving that problem (i.e. talking to you, the problem solver).
2. What new possibilities would show up for you if this pain or frustration were eliminated?
At this stage, you are inviting your lead to deepen their connection with the problem by imagining a future in which that problem no longer exists. This question creates energy in your leads because it’s a thought that has likely gone through their heads over and over again. It makes them trust you understand how important this problem is to them.
3. Is this a pain or frustration you want to solve as quickly as possible?
This simple yes or no question makes the need to solve the problem an urgent one. If you don’t have urgent leads, they are far less likely to buy in the first place.
4. Do you believe scheduling this call will be beneficial for you?
Before this question is asked, you need to remind the lead about the benefits of the call. Make the benefits short and sweet. If you don’t have three high-level benefits that your target audience will resonate with, you might need to niche down (i.e. your target audience is too large).
5. How likely are you to make the call you’re about to schedule?
This question is straight forward and solidifies the lead’s commitment. Provide three options for the lead to choose from—0%, 50%, or 100%. If you receive a response that is less than 100%, consider how you might engage with this lead in a different way. A 50% commitment isn’t a complete loss but is a great warning sign something isn’t resonating.
There are many strategies you can use to decrease your no-show rate like sending automated appointment reminders via email and text. However, those are too easy to ignore. The "busy bees" and "non-committal fiddles" of the world have more important things going on than talking to a stranger they were kind of introduced to online. It’s your responsibility to make sure your leads are deeply committed to engaging with you. By using the five questions above, you are bound to decrease your no-show rate and increase sales for your business.
