What do you think about double booking appointments?

Maybe you would be better off booking qualified appointments in the first place. 50% no-show rate tells me that the appointment call is being wrapped up something like this:

OK Joe, see you tomorrow at 2!

When it should be more like this:

OK Joe, have you got your calendar in front of you?
Can you jot this down or key it in please? Again, my name is John Jones, and my number is 555.555.5555. I'll be in your office tomorrow (or I'll meet you tomorrow) at 123 main street, at 2PM. Joe, would you mind reading my number back just to make sure you've got it? Because I'd like you to give me a call if something comes up and you can't make it.

Thanks Joe, see you tomorrow at 2!

There are better and stronger ways to qualify an appointment and I'm sure a few others here may offer their suggestions. It's hard to be any more specific without knowing what your product or service is.

However, it is clear that without some kind of qualification that lets your prospect know that you respect your time and his, you will have a high no-show rate.

"In the rare case that both do hold, it's better to reschedule one of them than it is to have a gap in your own schedule."

He was making appointments where people didn't show up half the time? Then he's dealing with weak prospects and working off of volume. What else does he preach? Getting two forms of payment in case one bounces?

Having two parties show up at the same time is going to piss off one. 100% of the time. What's better is to overlap appointments, but not double book.

But if he's showing properties... then having two parties show up at the same time can trigger urgency in the buyers. And so maybe THAT's what makes double booking successful.

"Mr. Prospect, now that we've agreed on what time and where we're meeting, and what we're going to discuss...is there anything that could change in between then and now that would cause you to have to move the appointment?"

Don't forget this little question.

If you don't let the prospect know what's not OK to do, then you can't be mad at them when they do it.

I honestly don't believe this guy was double booking and successful.

The two don't go together.

As others have said if you have to double book because 50% of people don't show you have serious issues with qualifying.

Now in events it is common to overbook but this is not an appointment where someone is expecting to meet you. I don't have a problem with booking 15 people for an event where you want 10 but you should do your best to make sure you can handle everyone if they do show up. So don't book 15 people for a room that legally can only hold 12. But booking 15 in that same room but keeping 5 chairs in the corner is fine. "Oh I'm sorry I thought they had put out all the chairs I requested. Let me get you one." Or just have the 15 chairs out and not worry about being "full". "I'm glad everyone made it today. I had them put out a few extra chairs in case anyone brought a colleague. Before we get started is their anyone here who did not register?" If it's paid you need to handle it a bit differently but you can play it off before anyone brings it up.

I never double book my online marketing appointments. But for years I double booked my in home sales appointment. Usually they held, but I was looking for easy sales. And if I was there for 20 minutes, and saw that I wasn't getting anywhere... or the prospect wasn't qualified (beyond what I found out booking the appointment), I would jump to my next appointment. I made my appointments "Between 6 and 7 PM" So nobody got angry. I would never bump an appointment twice.

But business appointments? With the owner? I would never double book. Just qualify better on the phone, like the previous posters suggested.

I'm not in real estate, so I have no idea how many show up. I'm assuming he goes to them. Maybe he doesn't qualify, or ask for the husband and wife to both be there. Who knows. Maybe there is more to what Dan Doran said. Again, Who knows.

But if you are asking because you are making appointments with business owners, I wouldn't double book.