24Oct/114

Early Is On Time…Or Is It?

Is being early on-time? Or is being on-time late? Let me know what you think...

One of our sales training programs recently sparked an interesting debate. I made the point that being 5 minutes early for an appointment was on time, being on time was late, and being late...well that, I said, was unacceptable.

It was a premise drilled into my head by my late father -- and The Brooks Group’s founder -- Bill Brooks.

Some of our participants disagreed with the premise.

They believed that arriving early for an appointment could be awkward and uncomfortable for your prospect or customer. What do you think?

Let me know by commenting or tweeting @JebBrooks

 

 

 

 

 

@JebBrooks

Filed under: Time Management Leave a comment
Comments (4) Trackbacks (0)
  1. Mark Heroux
    October 24th, 2011 - 11:24

    You are right! Showing up a little early shows you have the customers best interst at heart, that you respest there time. I, for one, hate having someone show up late for a meeting, so You will never be late if you are early. Arriving early gives me time to think, rethink and get clear in my head one more time the reason for my visit.

  2. Heather McGhie
    October 24th, 2011 - 12:52

    While I agree that showing up a few minutes early is good practice; if you arrive on time… then you are on time. I believe that looking at people who show up on time as already being late is just not right. Having said that when you arrive you should be calm, organized and ready to go… not rushing through the door like a contestant on some show trying to make it to the finish line before the time runs out.

  3. Nick
    October 25th, 2011 - 11:59

    Being early is the right thing to do, but being too early could be awkward or annoying. I agree with the 5 minutes early is on time and on time is late statement. But any more than 5 minutes early gives off the impression that you don’t have much to do.

  4. Emily
    October 27th, 2011 - 20:00

    I’ve always been the ten minutes early type, but as an attorney, I’ve definitely noticed that my clients who are early are generally “on top” of the main issues with their cases and respond promptly to calls, letters, and bills! Those who are habitually late also seem to struggle to make it to crucial meetings, court dates, etc., and most of them communicate poorly when they do at all. Perhaps it’s unfair to equate time management with preparedness, but being on time is something people can control the vast majority of the time by simply not procrastinating! Being 30 minutes early says “I have nothing else to do,” but being 10 minutes late says “I don’t value your time…”


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