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03/05/2024
Why It’s Rude to Be Early
Source: Bill Farquharson, The Sales Vault, March 4, 2024
There is more to being on time than just not being late.
I remember my mom telling a story about how the British were painfully punctual. Show up early to an appointment—even by just a minute or two—and you would hear a Butler say, “You’re early.” Likewise, show up a minute or two late and you will face the inevitable, “You’re late.”
That is a tough target to hit!
Farquharson’s are punctual to a fault. 10:00 means 10:00. Being late is simply not acceptable. My idea of hell includes Tom Brady playing for anyone but the Patriots, a world without Cadbury mini eggs, and showing up chronically late to events. Makes me crazy, as my wife will attest.
But what about showing up early?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard this sales tip anywhere. These words have certainly never crossed my lips before, but I want to advise you all not to be early either. While you think you are perhaps doing someone a favor or demonstrating your eagerness, showing up or calling earlier than the agreed-upon time is an interruption. You are expected at the top of the hour and even a minute earlier can cause a client distress. They were counting on using that minute another way. Taken to the extreme, it can be read as disrespectful, as if you are saying, “I am ready now, and that is all that matters.”
If you are going to be late, call or text. It will be appreciated and forgiven. But don’t show up early to an appointment unless you have already cleared it with your customer.
It’s rude and, while it’s a small point, it will not be forgotten.
Treat every appointment—in-person or phone call—like it’s Cinderella’s Ball and be there before the clock makes its last strike.
The Sales Vault, created by Bill Farquharson, is a subscription-based resource and sales community featuring a calendar packed with live workshops, on-demand sales courses, peer-to-peer discussion groups, and 35+ years of sales training content all searchable by sales challenge. Think of it as a sales conference where the seminars and workshops, full of instantly applicable ideas, are ongoing and more programs are added constantly.
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