We in law firms are driven by billable hours, so it’s no wonder that we depart our offices for sales appointments at the last possible moment, thinking, no doubt, that we’ll arrive right on time.  But there may be a big cost to this efficiency maneuvering.  Everything communicates. 

Showing up late – even one minute late – for a meeting with a client or a prospective client sends the message that something is more important to us than the client/prospective client and her calendar.   Also, rushing into a meeting deprives us of the opportunity to compose ourselves for the challenging work ahead of asking great questions and really listening to the answers. 

Our advice is to make it a high priority to arrive at the sales meeting location 15 minutes ahead of time, being sure to build in a cushion for contingencies such as traffic jams.  Arriving early communicates the right sales message, and it gives us time to mentally prepare for optimum sales performance.