To protect your time and maximize your income, it is important to have a cancelation policy, which you can only truly enforce if you keep a credit card on file. To do this, collect a credit card when you confirm the appointment and at this time, educate your clients on your cancelation policy.

If they just don’t have their card at that very moment, and offer to get back to you, then let them know that you wont be able to secure the reservation until the credit card is on file. Have them commit to a time frame of when they plan to get back to you, so you don’t end up endlessly waiting in case they forgot or changed their mind.

If they don’t have a credit card, you can offer alternate option which is prepayment. Have them pay for their service before their scheduled appointment, using an electronic payment method such as Venmo or Zelle or in person with cash.

If they don’t want to prepay or give you a card, then it’s up to you if you want to accept the appointment. If they do not show up, then you would lose out on that income, where another client could be booked. If you know that you don’t feel comfortable in these scenarios, you can decline to accept the appointment.

For additional guidance on setting up your business policies, see our Business Launch course.