What To Do When a Client Cancels

A few years ago I had a label seminar dining a card with a large company. Two weeks before the session, they phoned me and said: "we want to move the formation of two days later than scheduled." Unfortunately, I was scheduled to go to New Jersey date here. I asked if they could choose again the following week, and they answered, "no, the Group was only for this week." When we realized the dining room session would not occur, the company wanted a full refund.I told them that I had booked on that date for them and that I could not reserve this date with another client. They could not call two weeks prior to the session and expect to obtain a full refund on their deposit. I told them that their initial deposit of $500 is non-refundable and I send them a cheque for the rest. They were furious and does not see why I should not repay their entire deposits. Unfortunately, I didn't have a clause in the contract to explain what would happen if they must cancel. I finished by giving them a full refund on their deposit. He left a bad taste in my mouth and I probably do business with this company again. Lesson learned.Now, I have a clear explanation in my contract with the corporate clients that cover these issues. Here are some things you can be considered in the drafting of your corporate contracts. This is to protect your interests!Cancellation window. If a client gives you a lot of notice, you may be able to find alternate sessions to compensate for the loss of income. Yet, it is not a given. I recommend having staggered Windows cancellation so that enterprises are encouraged to know let me as soon as possible if they have to cancel. For example, if a customer cancels a seminar within 21 days of the event, they will lose a percentage of their deposit. If they cancel within 14 days, the percentage will be more important. Consider how long you need realistic make other arrangements.Reimbursements of expenses. Say Client X has cancelled a seminar 22 days before it was scheduled. They lose part of their deposit, but if you have already booked a flight or a hotel, it should be their responsibility to pay. Keep careful track of all costs on your part, and that your contract clearly state of the costs associated with their account is also removed from the deposit. (Note, by spending, I want to say major purchases such as air travel.) (Only pay for each paper clip that you used.) You can also consider that your travel expenses can sometimes cost more than the deposit itself. If it looks like you will have to shell out lots of money for flights and rooms of the hotel, you can request a higher deposit cover these costs.Cancellation of your part having to cancel a seminar is always as a last resort. That said, emergencies arrive. If you must cancel due to illness or personal emergency, alert the client as soon as possible. Does their burden with too much information (they have to hear your drama), but to apologize and offer alternatives. Able to manage a colleague of the seminar, or it can be moved at a later date? If this is not the case, suggest that you give the customer a credit to use toward a future seminar. You can also add a clause in your contract that allows you to deduct a small percentage of the deposit if the customer refuses a credit.Spelling these things in advance, you will prevent misunderstandings on the road. Make sure that you and your customers have a clear understanding of what the contract stipulates that there is no unpleasant surprises if a cancellation should be necessary.By Juanita Ecker

How to Follow Up With a Potential Client

A perspective you contact on the use of your services, but wants to learn more. You send the information requested, and then you do not hear them. Make shrug their shoulders and this chalk up to a lack of interest on their part, or do follow with them and help sell yourself? I hope that this is the last.With the new year upon us, companies are giving a thought more to invest in their professional presence of employees. As consultants image and label, we can help. We contribute to a potential customer to make the leap from "thinking of training" to "take action".It is imperative to follow-up when someone requests information about your services. Here are some tips: thinking about the next step. When a prospect send my quotations or details, I like to include a demand for action. For example, instead of sending by e-mail of a document and saying "Let me know if you need anything", I'll let them know that I will be in contact with them in time of a week to follow. Alternatively, I'll ask about their availability, so that we can schedule the same week a brief telephone call to review the questions they might have on what I sent. This way to keep the momentum going and my email is not languishing a person box for all eternity.Schedule reminders. I would ask the perspective when they take a decision on the project. Then, ask the date that I must follow them. Once you have sent a perspective your information, make a notation or schedule an alert for the computer to remind you to follow-up on the agreement on the date. I find generally two weeks to be a reasonable period of time. In my email followed the prospect, I remind them that they asked me to follow in this time. I ask then, "the project always study or have you chose another provider?" I'm looking for an update. If you chose another provider, please let me know I can close your file. "The question on another provider, you can know the status of the project so that you do not waste your time if they project has been assigned to someone else. It is also useful to maintain a database (such as an Excel worksheet) that keeps track of the State of your prospect, as when you send info, contact the person and notes on their needs or schedule. Sometimes, they you email back and say that they have not taken the decision yet. It is ok. you're always in the running. Ask once more when they you would like to follow-up with them.Don't be not insistent. There is a fine line between a follow-up and to be energetic. You want to come across as attentive and helpful, desperate or demanding step. Sometimes the prospects are undecided or need more time to move to the next step, which means that you must give a space while keeping in your sights. Pushing to make a decision before they are ready or hunting after them without any response can easily frighten them. If you have followed after two weeks and received no response, try again after two weeks longer. If you still don't hear anything, it's probably better to go ahead.Explore other options. One way to encourage a quick decision is to offer a discount of time-limited with an expiration date. Often, this will stimulate prospects to sign quickly so that they can save a little money. But if a prospect finally chooses not to register your services, there are other ways to keep them "in"pipeline."." For example, if the budget is not a perspective for my services, I thank them for their account and they sign suggest for my newsletter or read my blog. These are two free services that offer advice and assistance perspective will remember my business. They can pass to another division within the company, look me again when they have the budget or simply to increase my web traffic. In any event, it is not a total loss.It is easy for you to not take account of the importance of your follow up - especially if you have difficulty handling rejection. How proactive and follow-up with prospects, you can run less risk of dropping the ball and likely usher in new business for 2011 tonnes!