How To Schedule Business Meetings?

scheduling business meeting

We confidently state that business is all about relations. According to this statement sales should be based on real interactions. That is why meetings plays such a crucial role in every salesman’s schedule. Facing the fact that a single day has only 24 hours and your clients represent different demands you may find it difficult to manage your meeting schedule effectively. Therefore, I gathered a few tips about planning business meetings with your personal agenda. Let’s start with simple introduction about this irreplaceable business tool…

HOW TO CHOOSE A RIGHT AGENDA?
I believe I don’t need to convince you about the importance of personal agenda and the whole variety of benefits from it. However, if you are still looking for a most suitable calendar, here you can find things worth considering while making a selection:

Layout of days and weeks – make sure settings meets your expectations and needs (In what periods do you make your plans – weeks or months?) Is there enough space for notes under each date? (Consider size of your handwriting!)
Size and cover – think how you are going to carry your calendar – in your handbag, your laptop bag or just in your hands? Than determine size and cover. Hard one will protect your agenda better but soft one is definitely lighter.
Content – check if agenda has all the information you need in your work every-day reality. Weekly and monthly planners? Address book? Telephone prefixes? List of free days?
Extra features – a cubbyhole for a pen, a pocket on the inner cover where you can store extra documents, colorful bookmarks that simplify your research or rubber that you can put around your agenda to keep all loose papers inside. Wonder which of these extras can be useful for you.
Appeal! – choose a gadget that you like! You are going to work with it for an upcoming year so make sure you like the design! Also, consider the fact that you may need to use it during business meetings – so opt for more sophisticated and professional model.

PRACTICAL AND PLEASING – GIVE YOURSELF A BUSINESS TREAT!

HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR MEETINGS?

Keep it brief! Learn to only write down the information that you need. In case of a meeting it is: a person, detailed address, time and reason (maybe you need to prepare or bring something?) Avoid a necessity to check other notebooks or databases for these information. On the other hand, don’t overload you agenda – keep it handy! More information can be stored in your other tools – just make a notation in you calendar where to look for it!
Timing! Keep enough time between meetings to avoid stress and delays (always consider factors as: rush hours, unpredictable events, delays of your guests, extra questions etc.). If you don’t know how long a meeting can take – make a trail presentation, even in front of a mirror. Consider questions and some time lags.
Your nature! Act on your biology clock operating within a day. If you’re an early bird it is good idea to plan most of your meetings in the first part of the day. Of course, you won’t be able to always adjust your schedule to your preferences but that’s not the reason to give it up completely.

Important! Determine what calendar is a prime one for you (your book calendar, computer one or the one on the wall in your office) and always refer to it first. Remember about regular controlling and synchronizing it with other ones you use.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD BE IN YOUR AGENDA?

Company’s updates! Remember to regularly add meetings organized by your company that require your presence like staff gathering, conferences etc.
Personal issues! It is a good idea to put some important personal events in your business calendar (than you can avoid scheduling an important meeting after your best friend’s wedding).
Contact details! Put some important numbers in you calendar – to contact your company, your family and people ICE. Even if you have them in your phone and know them by heart. Believe me – both things happen to be unreliable.

MAKE YOUR PERSONAL AGENDA YOUR PRIME SUPPORT

WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR AGENDA WITH AN APP?
Traditional calendar seems to meet most needs of a modern businessman, but there are quite a few activities that technology handle easier and better. When is it smart to close your agenda and download an application?

SCHEDULING: when you want to plan a meeting with several people manual way turns out to be very time-consuming. Just count for an application! Send a sheet with your availability to all your guests and see how a meeting date is being arranged itself.
ALERTING: your handheld agenda keeps all the information for you but it doesn’t remind you about your plans until you open it on a right page. If you’re a person who tends to regularly forget about some commitments, use an application to make you remember. You can adjust the frequency of alerts yourself.
STORING: the capacity of your agenda is quite limited so anytime you have some more data to store – go for an app! Weather it is a few photographs or a contract templete you may feel more comfortable to have a copy in your “cloud”.

MEETING ARRANGEMENT? LET TECHNOLOGY HELP YOU OUT!

Even though many people opt for electronic calendar nowadays, I strongly advise you to stay loyal to a traditional version or – to combine them both. Hand agenda won’t let you down in case of no electricity!

Below you can check out our Slideshare presenation on

How to schedule business meetings?

[slideshare id=52294617&doc=howtoschedulebusinessmeetings-150901133502-lva1-app6891]