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<DIV>I have about a 95% or so success rate doing it like this. If I am
sure they write it on their calendar, put on their refrigerator, at the end of
the current calendar with a view to post it later to the upcoming calendar or in
any way doing something that convinces me they are serious about
remembering it I can be sure I will see them at the appointed time upcoming. I
usually only call them the evening before to confirm unless they specifically
request that I call a week before or some other length of time before. Sometime
they call me to be sure I am remembering. Most of the time when the appointment
is not kept it is usually because of sickness, maybe a death in the family
or they have moved. Even in cases when they do not return my confirmation call I
go there anyway and they are there and expecting me. It is only rare that I go
to one that did not return my call and they are not there. In the case of
churches where I have previously set appointments, I usually don't even
call to confirm. If the church is large enough to have a day time, weekly staff
I just go there, walk in, say "Hello" in so many words and go to work. If the
church is too small to have a working staff, I do call to make sure someone will
be meeting me there, preferably with checkbook in hand. I had rather tune at a
small church where the Pastor drives up in a Lincoln with checkbook in hand than
for a large church that has a web of procedure to observe before I can get paid.
Most of the time a cancellation is really a postponement to a later time due to
events not known at the time the appointment was made. Sometime I am able to
plug someone else into such a slot, sometime right at the last minute or I might
just use the time to stay home and do office work since I am a widower. The main
point about making appointments in advance like this is that I do not pressure
my customers to do so. I give them the complete option to do so or I will ask
them if they had rather call me instead in 6 months or a year. Most of the time
they agree to the appointment. I am satisfied with this way of making
appointments. But I would supposed any system could have flaws of some kind. But
this works for me.</DIV>
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<DIV>Martin Wisenbaker, RPT</DIV>
<DIV>Houston, Texas</DIV>
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