Emailing to Ask for Availability Again

You suck at request for people'southward fourth dimension

You send an email to someone asking for some of their time.

At the end of your email, y'all write: "Let me know your availability. Thanks!".

You get an email back from them the next day with a reply that sounds something similar this:

"Yeah, let's encounter! I'm usually bachelor on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the afternoon. Let me know if that works for yous."

Every bit before long as you read the email, you reply with: "Yes! How does Thursday at 3pm audio?"

You hear back from them a twenty-four hours later on:

"Oh, I just booked my Thursday afternoon. Let'southward run across on Tuesday instead.."

Later receiving the email, you check your calendar just to realize yous're booked for that afternoon.

So, you reply with "I'yard booked that day, how does side by side Thursday sound?"

And so, you never hear back from them. Ouch!

You can't assistance merely wonder if it was something y'all said or if they were only leading you on. Either way, yous're not happy about it. You might even be a tad offended.

Every fourth dimension this happens, your confidence fades a niggling. And you need conviction in tact when asking for people's time—particularly when selling!

Who'southward normally at fault when meetings don't happen?

And then, what went wrong? Who's fault was it? Was it yours or theirs?

Deplorable to be the one to break it to you but…

Actually, I'chiliad non sorry! Permit me exist upfront and straight most it with you lot.

It's your fault the coming together never happened. You suck at asking for people's time. It's a fact.

We've all played this scheduling game earlier. It's shocking to see how very few people ever master information technology—especially those whose business depends on asking for people'due south time!

Someone who is a chief at asking for people's time tin schedule a meeting in a single e-mail. And if they tin't nail it in a single email, all they need is two or three interactions at the most.

If you're interacting anymore than that, then you suck at scheduling meeting and you improve up your scheduling game, ASAP.

You're wasting a ton of your precious time—not to mention, other people's time likewise.

So, how tin yous be more than effective in request for people's time?

The bigger effect you lot oasis't idea about

Before I give you some tips, permit's talk over the bigger issue worth addressing.

If you tend to inquire open-ended questions when trying to influence someone to practice something, similar give you some of their time, then you're defective some leadership.

Anyone running their own business needs a certain level of leadership. After all, people hire you lot considering they perceive y'all to exist a leader in a specific area of expertise.

Don't fail them. Bear witness them right. And do information technology by being decisive.

Scheduling meetings is really a conclusion game. Click To Tweet

And people play the game all the time. It's not only in business, either.

We've all asked a friend where they would like to eat and received this response:

"Oh, I don't intendance, how most you?".

And you say: "Well, I'yard not a picky eater, are you craving anything specific?"

And you go back and forth until someone finally makes a determination.

I've thought about these occasions many times. This game is incredibly abrasive to me.

So, it'due south my rule of thumb to ever make a decision when someone doesn't desire to, and bargain with any objections afterwards.

This arroyo won't but do good you in things like scheduling meetings, it will extend into every expanse of your life—from simple quick decisions to circuitous well-thought-out decisions, with or without people.

The point is to motion you and others forward by making a decision.

(That last sentence has Leadership written all over it.)

iii Things yous should always do when y'all ask for someone's time.

Okay, and so how tin you apply being a decisive leader when asking for someone's time?

Permit'due south discuss 3 things y'all should alwaysdo when you lot ask for someone's time.

one. Remind them of what they'll leave of the meeting.

Let's confront it. People are selfish to a sure caste, fifty-fifty if nosotros deny it (that includes you and me too).

I don't feel guilty nigh being selfish with my time. It'south mine to begin with and I make up one's mind where I spend and invest information technology.

And then, don't expect someone to spend time with you just considering you lot desirethem to. It'south not enough. You must give them a expert enough reason—i that benefits them enough to desireto invest their time with you.

You know you'll benefit from their time. It's only right to convince them of the benefit they'll receive from your time.

That's how it works, specially in business organisation.

If you tin do that, and so people will make fourth dimension for y'all, because they're really making time for themselves to receive something beneficial. Again, we're all selfish to some degree.

With that being said, in that location will be times where y'all'll have to depend on someone's generosity. Just try to avoid that if you lot tin can. Heck, buy them tiffin or some coffee or something!

It'south much amend to seduce them with something they'd want, though.

For example, if you're scheduling a sales meeting with a prospect, then remind them of why the sales coming together is happening.

Frame it in a fashion that screamsbenefit to them.

Here'south a bad example:

"Let's schedule a time where nosotros tin can talk more about what y'all demand."

That's a horrible manner to ask for someone's time. There'south no benefit mentioned. Why would someone attend?

Here's a adept instance:

"And then far, it seems similar I tin can help you with trouble 10 but we should schedule a time where nosotros can discuss more specifics. In the meanwhile, I'll make a list of possible high-level solutions and have them ready for you by then".

Perfect. Non but was the person reminded that they would meet with an expert, but they also were promised some kind of solution fifty-fifty before discussing specifics. This invitation screams benefit all around!

ii. Suggest 2 meeting times and at least i place.

Anybody is busy. The less fourth dimension you accept from them, the less they'll notice the time they're giving you, which is a skilful matter.

If y'all're someone who takes fifteen minutes to express something you could have in five minutes, you lot'll rapidly become a threat to someone'due south time. They'll notice you for all the wrong reasons.

When you inquire for someone'due south time, make it easy for them to make a decision. Click To Tweet

You tin can practice this by immediately proposing two meeting times you know y'all're available for and at least one identify that you both can access.

Using this approach also makes the decision process a lot quicker. In that location won't be this back and forth game people usually play, which drains all of united states of america.

Here's a bad case:

"Let'south schedule a fourth dimension to see. What does your availability expect like for adjacent week?"

Asking for someone's time like that sets things upward for the perfect scheduling game. The person would demand to check their calendar, reply with some meeting times (sometimes, that means typing it out in an electronic mail), and await for your answer. Y'all haven't fifty-fifty started to discuss howyou would come across. This has RED FLAGS all over!

Hither's a skillful example:

"Let's schedule a time to meet at Cafe Ten. How does Thursday at 2pm sound? Or does Friday at 10am work amend for you?"

This arroyo makes it piece of cakefor someone to make a decision. This invitation gives context to the meeting by specifying howy'all would meet and too provided a couple of meeting time options. The person would simply need to bank check their calendar and decide which times would work all-time. If the options don't piece of work for them, they'd virtually probable reply with other possible meeting times. People volition unremarkably follow your instance, instinctively.

If you're lucky, they won't even accept to check their agenda if they already know their availability off the top of their head. Just that's a best-instance scenario.

Scheduling Cheat Sail

Reference this quick cheat sheet when you schedule your side by side meeting.

Y'all'll go a script template, examples, and weekly manufactures congenital to teach introverted freelancers how to sell better.

Success! Now bank check your e-mail to ostend your subscription.

3. Make things equally piece of cake as possible for attendees

If meetings with y'all feel effortless, people volition attend. Click To Tweet

This isn't rocket science or some swell revelation. Information technology'southward common sense that we sometimes forget.

For example, request someone to see with you through a software in which they'll need to sign up for and then install on their reckoner right before the meeting, will not brand things easy for them or you. On the contrary, the meeting will probably starting time belatedly.

Here are some fiddling things you can do to make your attendees lives easier:

• Send a calendar invite so attendees won't forget. In that location'south a huge benefit from existence on your attendee'southward calendars. They'll call back twice most double booking since they had to accept and corroborate of the meeting request before it appeared on their calendar.
• Choose a location or medium you lot know is easy for anybody to access. Again, only like in the case of the attendees having to install a certain software before the meeting, not choosing a location or medium everyone can access will waste everyone's time. This is probably the #1 culprit for wasting time in meeting that hasn't even started, yuck!
• Aid your attendees set for the coming together by sending relevant information alee of fourth dimension. Sometimes, this means sending an agenda. Other times, it could be a document that helps give context to the coming together. Whatever the data, it should always assistance drive the meeting into deeper conversations and allow the meeting to happen as quick every bit possible.

Learning how to ask for people'southward time is game-changing

Asking for people's time comes with the freelancer's territory.

Y'all'll utilise this skill for:

• Sales meetings
• Road mapping sessions
• Sprint reviews
• Follow-up meetings
• Support meetings
• Networking opportunities

And the list could become on and on. It's through meetings and gatherings that yous'll move projects and relationships frontward.

It's all-time to main the skill of asking for people'south time. It could make all the departure—especially when it comes to selling.

Then, retire your jersey and cease playing the scheduling game, which actually is a determination game.

Be the leader your clients expect you to exist and help them move forrad. They're depending on it.

fordcluat1994.blogspot.com

Source: https://mightyintrovert.com/scheduling/

Share this post