We’ve all been through it: You set an amazing demo or presentation call and, and…they don’t show up!

Or, you have an amazing and, what you think is an, engaging demo call and you set a call back and, and…they don’t show up!

“What’s wrong?” you think. “Why didn’t I see that coming?”

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a surefire way to predict who was most likely to keep their appointments and who wasn’t? There is!

I’ve been using a technique for years now and teaching it to my clients, and I’d like to share it with you now. By using this technique, you’ll immediately be able to tell who is most cooperative, who is engaged, and who is willing to go out of their way (a little) to meet you half-way and set an appointment they are actually interested in attending.

The technique is that while setting the next call with your prospect, you direct them to open their calendar and look for a time that fits you both.

Now this may sound like a subtle distinction—and it is—but it makes a huge difference.

The way most sales reps set appointments now is to just ask when a day and time might be good for a prospect. If they get fancy, they do the alternative close: “Would Wednesday at 3 pm work, or is Thursday at 9 am better?”

That’s an old school technique that is taught to help keep control of the sales process, but it’s pretty worn out these days.

A better way is to test for engagement by seeing how cooperative a prospect is. And you do this by seeing if they are willing to open their calendar, look at their openings, and actually put you in it.

If they are willing to do that, I’ve found they are 70% more likely to show up for the appointment—or more likely to let you know if they need to reschedule.

And the opposite is also true: If someone isn’t willing to open their calendar, then it’s a Red Flag that warns of a prospect’s inherent uncooperativeness (and unreliability).

Here’s the script for how to do it right. While scheduling the call back, simply say:

“Okay, let’s get our next call on the calendar at a time that works best for both of us. I’ve got my calendar open here, can you go ahead and pull yours up for me?”

And then wait for them to do so.

Once they have, go ahead and agree to a day and time and simply say:

“I’ve gone ahead and put you in my calendar for Tuesday at 10:30 am EDT—have you got me in yours as well?”

It’s that simple. That extra step of confirmation makes all the difference in whether or not a prospect shows up.

As always, don’t take my word for it, try it yourself. But if you want to reduce the amount of ghosting you get, trust me, start using it today!

Further resources are available in the Mr. Inside Sales blog by clicking here.