Appointments – The Importance of Making Appointments for Entrepreneurs

Our businesses also differ in terms of interface with customers. If you conduct business-to-business transactions, the number of people you interact with on a daily basis may differ from someone whose business depends on interaction with consumers. Appointments may be more practical in some cases than others. You must tailor the way you manage access to your unique situation if you want to eliminate distractions. Having said that, it’s important to note that some people don’t mind spending all day at the office entertaining friends, visitors, and casual acquaintances who drop by the office whenever they feel like it. Don’t be that kind of person. You set the wrong kind of example to junior staff and it can hurt one’s productivity because these people take time you don’t have and you also want to cultivate a professional environment.

The demands of the day are enough to fill the eight hours of work available unless you tend to fall behind and catch up. How do you stay competitive in the marketplace if there is no separation between work and play? Anyone who is serious about success and achieving effective results will set clear boundaries so there is no confusion. Employers are more susceptible to this, especially when the workplace is easily accessible. The fact that you are your own boss places even more responsibility on you to maintain self-discipline and self-management. I have written an entire book called “Achieving More Through Self-Leadership.” In it, I walk you through the practical aspects of how you can get better results through self-management.

Dating is an important way to not only manage time, but also to manage life. They help you to be more structured and productive. Some people just don’t seem to be able to honor their appointments. I once attended a job interview that was supposed to start at 10:30 am. At 11:30 a.m., no word had been given about what was happening or when the supposed job interview was going to take place. I decided at that point that this company probably wasn’t good enough for me to join because if you don’t respect people’s time, you probably don’t respect them.

You may be saying that dating is not for me, but you never go to the doctor, dentist, lawyer, or hairdresser without an appointment. Why is that the case? Because you just won’t see the dentist without an appointment. They have given you conditions acceptable to them. We tell the world around us how to treat us for what we allow.

Some people are always available when you want to see them. If you always have the freedom to see people at short notice, you’re probably not that organized. He who has a journal will manage the one who does not. Why? Because those who do not have an agenda are always available, although it is very likely that they will forget important meetings, dates and commitments due to lack of organization. I used to have a boss who kept a journal and everything you promised to do in the line of work, he wrote it down, including the day and time you said he would have it. Of course, he would forget about it because he didn’t record it like he did and when it comes time to deliver, guess who’s going to find himself in the mood. That’s when I decided I’m not committing to an action I’m not willing to write about because what gets written gets done!

You may be saying, “what if my business is fed by ‘walk-ins’?” The fact that your business depends on passing customers should not be an excuse for disorder. Sometimes those who drop by unannounced can be potential customers, vendors, cold-callers, and even worthwhile business contacts. There is nothing wrong if the call is beneficial to you and your business, but I believe there should be a structure and a way of doing things that follows certain set principles. I remember seeing a sign in an office that said “if you have nothing to do please don’t do it here”. It’s humorous, yes, but true. Appointments help structure your day and help you allocate time for what’s important. This means you can focus on your most important asset – the paying customer. There’s nothing quite as bad as walking into a place wanting to do business and the staff are inattentive because there’s just a demand on their time. I’m more understanding if staff aren’t busy entertaining social visitors at work.

In conclusion, you know your business situation better than any of us. All we can do is make recommendations that enable efficiencies that lead to growth. Some of you may really need a personal assistant to tidy up your office and focus on the things you’re not willing to do, allowing you to focus on the high-value things you need to do, like running a business.