How to improve the show rate on your sales demos and meetings

It’s late Tuesday afternoon, and you are still waiting for the prospect who agreed to meet you at 12:OO PM on Tuesday.

Nobody likes to wait. Besides, time is money in sales.

The time you wasted waiting for a prospect could have been invested in pursuing a lucrative opportunity,

Without a doubt, sales reps have the most hectic life shuffling from one task to the next.

With high pressure and a tight schedule, a no-show seems like a punch in the gut. Doesn’t it?

You put in so much effort to prepare for the demo or meeting. You even blocked time for the prospect.

It is exasperating when the prospect does not turn up or cancel at the last minute.

Well, do not be discouraged. Every problem has a solution.

Read on to find ways to improve the show rate on sales demos and meetings.

6 tips for improving the show rate in sales

No shows affect not only productivity but also sales quota. Which is why it is important to improve the show rate for a sales meeting or demo.

Here are ways to do it.

Reduce the broad window time between scheduling and meeting prospect

It is good to do things in advance; you get more time to prepare. However, in the case of demos and sales meetings, there’s a risk attached to it. The longer the gap between appointment setting and the meeting, the more likely it is to either blow it off or forget about it.

Why?

Well, people are busy. They have a lot on their plate. Besides, there are even chances that your competitors might approach them with a better offer.

So, when a prospect shows interest in meeting you, grab the opportunity and try to meet them as soon as possible. Try your best to schedule the appointment within a week. Leads go cold fast, so it is essential to get in front of them shortly after you have piqued their interest. Therefore to shorten the time window between scheduling an appointment and meeting the prospect.

Give your prospects the flexibility to choose the meeting time

Potential buyers feel good when you respect their time and give them the flexibility to select the time for a meeting or demo. The modern buyer wants control, so give it to them as it will help reduce the no show rate.

When you make the prospect feel valued, they will reciprocate and do things for you. For instance, if they aren’t able to make it for the meeting, they might inform or reschedule rather than ignoring you.

Besides, if they’ve selected their convenient time, the chances of attending the meeting or demo are more. So stay positive and find out the prospect’s meeting time preferences to avoid a no-show.

Build rapport

Before setting appointments, focus on building rapport with the potential buyer. Try to establish trust and get into their good books from the first interaction.

If the prospect is comfortable with you, they will freely speak if they’re confused instead of not showing up for a demo or meeting. To increase the show-up rate, make sure you do your research and try to build on the connection.

Try to find common ground or prospect’s areas of interest to build a good rapport. Ask generic questions and try to have meaningful conversations with the prospect. Ensure your listen to the prospects when they are speaking. You never know when they might spill the beans and provide information that might help nurture and close the deal.

Before the demo or demonstrate the value of your product

To increase the show rate, it is important to demonstrate the products’ value before scheduling an appointment or demo. Give them a strong reason to meet you. If you succeed in making them believe that your product is worth their time and effort, then they won’t disappoint you by not turning up.

Help them visualize the benefits of using your product. You can give them real-life examples by sharing the case studies of your satisfied customers. Show them how you’ve helped a company in their industry to solve a similar issue that the prospect is currently facing.

Follow-up after you schedule the appointment

Make sure you follow-up and take demo or meeting confirmation from the prospect to avoid no-shows. You can send an email or a text to take the meeting confirmation. Do not give up after the first follow-up.

Put in efforts and follow-up consistently. Yes, with a busy schedule, there are chances you might forget to follow-up. However, many automation tools can make your life easier by automating the follow-up. You can even create an automated email sequence or text sequence to follow-up in real-time. You can even merge the email and text sequences to increase your chance of getting a response from the prospect.

Send reminders

Just because you blocked a slot in a prospect’s calendar, that doesn’t mean they are 100% going to show up.

Prospects function in a busy business world; there are chances they might not remember about your meeting or demo. So nudge them continuously to ensure your meeting or demo stay on top of their mind. Do not hesitate to send consistent reminders for the upcoming demo or meeting. This is one of the best ways to increase the show rate.

Conclusion

Just filling calendar slots with a maximum number of demos and meetings isn’t enough. What matters is how many people actually show up for those meetings' or sales demos. If you use the above tips in the right way, you can surely improve your sales meeting and demo show rate. With little effort and unwavering determination, it is possible to improve your show rate for meeting more prospects who can be then converted into paid customers. Just make sure you demonstrate your product’s value and give a strong reason for the prospect to meet you. And yes, do not forget to send reminders and follow-up to avoid no shows.