Managing clients who fail to attend mortgage meetings
We’ve all been there – waiting for a friend who’s later than they said they would be, or killing time for that family member who always has an excuse for their lateness. Sometimes someone doesn’t turn up at all, which is deeply frustrating of course, but when it happens in your professional life, that frustration can be next level, and - over time – potentially costly.
“Time is money,” noted broker Chris Wade (pictured left) as he recounted a recent no-show client. “When you’re a self-employed mortgage adviser, every minute matters. I found myself staring at an empty Teams screen. No reply to the WhatsApp pre-appointment confirmation, no message to cancel over the weekend, yet they accepted the invite before the bank holiday. Maybe it’s the post-bank holiday hangover, maybe they genuinely forgot? How long do you wait before calling it quits on a no-show appointment – five minutes, 10, 15?”
It's a pertinent question at a time when mortgage brokers need to secure as much business as they can in a not entirely favourable economy. In Wade’s case that failed appointment cost him 12 minutes of his valuable time. So, what do other brokers do either when faced with the irritation of a no-show client, or to try to prevent this happening in the first place?
Sam Mason (pictured second from left), founder and managing director of The Mortgage & Protection Hub, maintains what he describes as ‘a fairly tight process’ to guard against no-show clients. “Reminders go out automatically ahead of the meeting, giving them the option to reschedule automatically, too, if they can no longer make it,” Mason said. “We usually call the day before to confirm. That helps a lot, but ultimately, some people just won’t turn up, and it is what it is.” He admitted it is frustrating. “I try not to dwell on it,” Mason added. “This business is a numbers game, and I’d rather focus my energy on the clients who do show up and are ready to move forward.”
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Responding to a no-show client
When a client doesn’t appear for a meeting, broker Emily Franks (pictured second from right), director of Emily’s Mortgage Services, sends them an email with a link to rebook, saying that she hopes everything is OK. “It just seems courteous from my perspective,” Franks noted. “I realise I'm not someone's priority sometimes. I don't find it overly frustrating as I always have something to keep me busy, so if they don't show they don't show. Between the hours of nine to six, Monday to Friday, it doesn't really bother me. If someone requests a time outside of that and then doesn't show without letting me know, that annoys me. I have a two strikes and out rule - if you book and miss two appointments without prior notice or mitigating circumstances, I will no longer look after the case. Sounds cruel - but I think I'm pretty relaxed in my stance, so when I say no I mean it.”
For Jonathan Smith (pictured right), adviser at Springate Mortgages, no-shows are rare, whether its face-to-face or virtual. “So it’s not something that bothers me,” Smith said. “What I have noticed is that since video calls became the norm, people are more likely to be on time. Back when it was face-to-face, people were a lot more likely to misjudge the traffic, parking or their own ability to map read and people being 10 to 15 minutes late was very normal and very annoying. The other added benefit of virtual meetings is that if they are late, I'm just sitting at my desk, so I can get on with a few bits of admin, of which brokers are never short.”
Meanwhile, Louis Levine (pictured above inset), senior mortgage broker at Orton Financial, suggests that an upfront discussion of the fees involved in providing your service focuses a client’s mind. “Generally, ahead of calls we have quoted the rate and our broker fees,” Levine said. “Clients then tend to see our value and are on time and prepared for the call. It is very rare we have a client no-show, but ultimately you aren't going to convert every lead and this should be factored in.”
Broker Luke Senior (pictured above inset ), from Just Mortgages, can’t remember the last time he had a no-show, though re-scheduling happens occasionally. He prefers the personal touch anyway. “I’m a bit old fashioned, and still primarily do face-to-face appointments,” Senior shared. “I just find that the conversations we have are better in person, so I’m happy to travel to see the clients.”
