Reading your note again, I see that the client has paid already. We’ve never had an issue like this because we specifically tell the client they have to cancel a whole week in advance unless it’s an emergency. In an emergency, we make exceptions.
2. If you do (or even if you don’t) do you have ideas for wording it so it’s clear and also friendly?
Here’s an adaptation of what we give the clients: Our mutual profit is based on each of us respecting the other person’s time. In most cases, you’ll know well in advance if you have to postpone a session. In case you have to move an appointment, please let us know a week in advance. If I book time for you, I can’t book that same time for anyone else. So please keep this time between us as sacred and non-negotiable.
3. What’s your response to the cancellation policy? Is it well received amongst your clients?
Yes. On the rare occasions clients have cancelled, they’ve actually ask to forfeit their money. But we’ve also allowed them to rebook later.
4. If you don’t use a cancellation policy like this…what do you recommend?
If you don’t have a cancellation policy I recommend you make sure the client comes to you. That way, you can continue working. If you’re half way across the town and they cancel, it’s time wasted. If you’re in the office, you can do something else. I always keep a list of what to do when such emergencies occur. Of course, we keep our consulting to less than 6 clients at any given time, so it’s much easier to handle.
Go To Top of Page | Ask Your Own Question
1) What is the best way to make a first sale of a product that you believe is good, and will do what it is designed to do, but you have not personally used the product yourself?
Don’t sell anything you haven’t used yourself.
I once offered a book as a bonus. I hadn’t read the book, but the author (or compiler in this case) was pretty well known. I offered it to my workshop participants for free. One of the participants came back later, asking me if I had read the book. I admitted I hadn’t. He said, it wasn’t exactly up to the standards I profess.
“It’s hurting your credibilty,” he said. In effect, it wasn’t enough to damage my credibility, but it wasn’t a good move on my part either. I thought it was a good book. I hadn’t checked and tested, and not doing my due diligence was a mistake. Don’t make the mistake I made — even if you’re giving the produuct or service away free. Due your due diligence just like you’d do when recommending anything to anyone.
Go To Top of Page | Ask Your Own Question
Question: How do you wake up so early?
Answer: I didn’t always wake up at 4am. I guess I’d usually wake up at 6 or so.Over time however, I started to wake up a little earlier till I got to the 4am slot. It’s a quiet time of day and I find it easier to accomplish a lot. In the winter, it can take all my effort to drag myself out of bed to get to the computer. So it’s not all fun and games. 🙂
You have to decide what you want. I know people that work late and those that work early. You have to see what suits you best. However, the later bird is always troubled by the burdens of the day. The early bird has almost no agenda early in the morning. Therefore you may achieve more in the morning than at night. Plus you never have to go to a party etc., at 4am or 5am. And you may have to do that at night.
So my advice would be to wake up just 30 mins earlier than you currently wake up. Do this for a month. Then next month wake up another 30 mins earlier. Do that for a month. And keep pushing it back till you get to the point where it feels normal to wake up at a particular time.
As you head into winter, the challenge will be greater. It always seems so much darker and colder at 4 or 5 am than it does at 8 am :). If you last the winter, you’ll change your habits forever
