I have a question for the other route shoppers out there. How do you deal with targets and appointments for apartment shops on long routes? And I'm not talking leaving today and coming home tomorrow. I'm talking about leaving on Monday and coming back NEXT Friday and you have a targeted apartment shop that you'll maybe get to next Monday or Tuesday. I've been stuck with quite a few of these lately and I'm not finding an easy way to do this. For instance I did an apartment shop on Monday. If you had asked me last week I would have expected to do this shop Tuesday morning. But a 10 day route is going to get 3-4 hour behind or ahead a couple of times in the same route. You just can't plan ahead long enough to start making appointments 4 days ahead. Had I called last Friday I would have booked that appointment for Tuesday morning. I would have then been stuck sitting in a town with nothing to do from 3pm on Monday until 9am on Tuesday. I got way ahead over the weekend, so I started calling Monday morning to make a Monday afternoon appointment and couldn't get the target. So what do you do? I don't want to start refusing targeted apartment shops from companies that give me a ton of work, but at the same time I just simply don't want to do them anymore using my current system.

When I was doing 7-14 day routes with targeted apartment and/or new homes shops, I always insisted that the scheduler agree, in writing, that if I was unable to get there on a day when the target was working (either because I was delayed OR because when I showed up for the appointment the target would not be available for too long to keep me on schedule) all would be forgiven and a new shopper assigned. In order to have both the scheduler and me feel comfortable with this arrangement, we agreed to load those shops into relatively early in the monthly (or quarterly) target requirement for the scheduler.

By doing this, I found that when I had to bypass an assignment for either of those reasons, the scheduler would, often, actually come up with a replacement shop that we could negotiate into a later day on my scheduled trip.

If you and the scheduler can agree on an "everyone wins; nobody loses" plan, go for it. But, even if a replacement shop is not available later in your trip, reassuring the scheduler that there would be time to find another shopper (without penalty to you) would make most schedulers happy.

btw, I dd similar arrangements with high end auto sales and new homes and senior living targeted shops on routes. As long as the schedulers were confident that they would hear any "bad" news immediately, everyone was happy.

Targeted new home shops are a different animal, because they don't require appointments usually and they pay well enough to work around a bit. I guess I wasn't clear on my question. When do you start calling? And how do you determine what time you set an appointment for? I'm finding if I start calling early enough to have a decent chance at getting the target I don't have a clear enough idea of when to set the appointment. And if I wait until I have a good idea of what time I can be there I don't have enough time to get the target on the phone. The thought of setting a 9am appointment then getting there at 3pm the day before is problematic.

Correct, I did not correctly interpret the question. However, if you portray someone who is moving into the area nd making a special trip for apartment/house hunting, calling ahead by even a couple of days and stating that arrival time will depend on traffic/road conditions, should help in your scenario.

I try to avoid targeted apartments for my longer routes, if at all possible, as they really cut down on route efficiency. However, if the pay is good.....

I communicate with the scheduler that I am on an out-of-town route and have limited ability to be flexible with setting an appointment. When possible, I get the target's schedule from the MSC, so I can schedule everything else around potential appointment times. I also try to start calling a week (or more) in advance. (For an apartment this is completely normal for a prospective resident moving from out-of-state to call the leasing office well in advance of a visit for appointment.

I have had a few times when I could not get the target on my routes and the scheduler has ALWAYS been understanding about.

In terms of scheduling myself, I categorize my shops in terms of geographical locations and "flexible v. "not-flexible" visit times. I get the "not-flexible" times set ASAP as they often dictated how many/which other shops I can take on my routes.

MFJ, you said it all much better than I.

@walesmaven wrote:

Correct, I did not correctly interpret the question. However, if you portray someone who is moving into the area nd making a special trip for apartment/house hunting, calling ahead by even a couple of days and stating that arrival time will depend on traffic/road conditions, should help in your scenario.

That doesn't change the fact that if you don't come at your appointment time and either the target isn't there or you get turned over you don't get paid.

@MFJohnston wrote:

I also try to start calling a week (or more) in advance. (For an apartment this is completely normal for a prospective resident moving from out-of-state to call the leasing office well in advance of a visit for appointment.

I have had a few times when I could not get the target on my routes and the scheduler has ALWAYS been understanding about.

In terms of scheduling myself, I categorize my shops in terms of geographical locations and "flexible v. "not-flexible" visit times. I get the "not-flexible" times set ASAP as they often dictated how many/which other shops I can take on my routes.

Ok. So if you call a week in advance, so, let's say you called last Wednesday for an apartment shop today, and you set an appointment time for 1:00 PM and you arrived in the town of your apartment shop on Tuesday at noon, what do you do?

Most of the time targeted apartment shops come after all the other shops I get. The routes aren't made around them. If they are that's an entirely different animal.

And this isn't a case of not adding them. When an MSC has 5 shops in a town that you're driving through in the middle of nowhere they're not giving you the 4 other shops if you say no to the targeted apartment. And they shouldn't.

Arriving in town the day of my appointment:
I will call the apartment community the morning of my appointment (if it is in the afternoon) or the day before (if the appointment is first thing in the morning) to confirm my visit with the target. If I do that and the target either doesn't show up or passes me off to somebody else (I'll protest a little), I've NEVER had the MSC not pay me. That's out of my control and the MSC fully understands that. I explain what happened and shop the person with whom I am left.

Adding apartments late:
I've never had and MSC demand that I take a shop under the threat of taking others away. If the place is truly remote, they are putting at risk losing you from the other shops, too. Perhaps its how I plan my routes and communicate up front? Let's say Walesmaven's Wobbly Writers and I agree that I will do five shops in Antarctica for $5,000. I then immediate ask if there is anything else in the area that they need done. I clearly state that I want to fill my schedule, but want to verify that their needs are met before I fill it with work from other MSC's. Once they tell me that there isn't, I clearly state that I am planning on committing my free time to other work.

I then reach out to other MSC's and start scheduling time, making it clear that I'm on a route for the great WWW MSC and figuring I can help other MSC's with any shops they are struggling to fill in Antarctica. Of course, I'm clear with what these shops need to be in terms of payment and types of shops. When these MSC's offer me work, it is very much with the understanding that I am in control of my schedule. If an MSC asks me to pick up a targeted shop, if I want the shop, I explain that I will be in that particular neighborhood on exactly one day an will try to set up an appointment, but can't promise success. If they need a promise, I thank them for the offer and say that I fear I would not be able to keep such a commitment...

As my schedule fills, should the WWW approach me with another visit, I look at my schedule and make an honest effort to see if I can get it done. However, I explain that I have made commitments to several other MSC's and that, once I make a commitment, I don't break it (even if a better deal comes around). Every scheduler I've dealt with has respected that.

I've never taken a route where the MSC was in control, so I can't speak to those dynamics well. However, I feel like I can generally do better financially if I am in full control.

@walesmaven wrote:

MFJ, you said it all much better than I.

Thanks and oops - sorry. I did not realize that I had basically repeated what you said. I read your post after posting my response. (I was interrupted multiple times while writing and over an hour passed between when I started and finished my post.)

Why I have the shops is a different discussion. I guess I'm not doing a very good job of explaining my problem.

This is the way I normally do it:

I have 70 shops between here and targeted apartment shop. I think I will probably be there next Tuesday afternoon. Late on Monday, but more likely early on Tuesday, when I have a fairly strong idea of when I will be there I will start calling. Unfortunately, about half the time I'll call 4 or 5 times during the day and still not get the target. It's stressful and time consuming. And sometimes I'll get to the apartment and still not have gotten the target. I'll make a last call and get them sometimes, or I'll get permission to ask, but by that time I have to sit around for 30 minutes because I can't really book an appointment for "right now."

It SOUNDS like if you had 70 shops between here and targeted apartment shop and you thought you would get there next Tuesday afternoon you would start calling today. Once you reach the target you would book an appointment for 1pm on Tuesday. Ok, that's great, I get that. That works wonderfully if you get there around 1pm on Tuesday. That's not my problem, here's my problem.

What happens when you get there at 9am on Wednesday? You've missed your appointment. You can walk in and hope? If you go in and your target is there with another customer and you get moved to someone else the client might not pay you. Or the target could be off that day. Or whatever.

Or what's worse to me. You get there at 3pm on Monday. You now have 6 working hours with nothing to do. What do you do in those cases? Or maybe that's not an issue with anyone else but me?

I understand better now....
With your scenario, I would absolutely start calling the target about a week before your anticipated arrival. Waiting until the last couple of days for a target is asking for trouble... So, your schedule changes:

* If you are running early: As soon as you realize that you are ahead of schedule re-examine the route. Call the community and ask for the target to see if you can reschedule. Can you do something in a different order, even if it is less efficient? Do you have a list of last-minute fillers you could add? Are you caught up on reports? How about sleep? I had this issue once and I decided to visit the Golden Gate Bridge.

* If you are running late: As soon as you realize you can't make the appointment call the apartment community. (Normally, you don't lose a full day all at once.) Since you have already made contact with the target, you don't need to play the "target hunting" game. Instead call and ask for him/her immediately. If s/he is not available, see if whomever answers the phone can schedule you for another time/date with the target.

Your apartment shops let you reschedule???

To put my frustrations in something that you might understand geographically:
You pick up a package of 7 shops in Boise from MSC 1. You reach out to MSC 2 and say hey, I've gotta go to Boise next week, do you have anything out there? And they say yeah we've got 4 Griffin's Widgets shops in Tri-Cities and a targeted apartment in Yakima. Now, you could say yeah to the Griffin's Widgets and no to the Yakima. Absolutely. They might even give it to you. But next time you go to Boise and they have those same shops they'll so, Oh no, don't have anything for you. Because you left them with a stranded shop in YakimafreakingWashington and they had to bonus $200 over what you would have taken it for because somebody had to drive from Seattle to Yakima for 1 lonely video shop. So you take the targeted apartment in Yakima. And lets say you took a circuitous route because whatever, more shops and you're only passing through Yakima on the way home and you HOPE that's on Thursday because weekend and all. But your 7 30 minute shops only averaged 10 minutes each and holy cow traffic was great and the 10 minute cushion you added to each one for driving wasn't needed and wow you're 4 hours ahead of schedule and you have no shops between Tri-Cities and home except for this crappyass targeted shop in Yakima that you scheduled for 1pm on Thursday because you schedule targeted apartment shops a week ahead of time and suddenly you get there at 6pm on Wednesday.

I totally get it.

I have never had an issue rescheduling appointments with targets - with numerous MSC's. I might put a blurb in my report about it. I simply call and reschedule, making up some lame excuse with the target. "My boss has called a meeting for Thursday afternoon." "My sister has invited the entire family to dinner for some "announcement" - I think she just got engaged." Whatever. The client wants to know how the target did on the phone and who s/he performed for the tour. The reschedule is irrelevant - as long as you can.

When ahead of schedule, I always consider it a blessing, even when I realize I could have gone home earlier than expected. I look at this a good problem....

So, you really don't want the "Yakima" shop, but feel like you need to take it.... My approach: When asked about it, be honest: "Yakima is 75 miles from the Tri-Cities. That's really out-of-my way. I can do it, but really need $xx added to my usual fee." If they refuse and you still feel obligated, you have to make a choice. If I were to choose to take the visit, I'd chalk it up as "part of doing business" and make the most of it.

MFJ,
I was not being snide; I really thought that you provided a more cogent explanation than I did. Good on you !

I didn't think you were being snide at all! I just looked at the juxtaposition of our answers and though *I* came across as talking over you.

@walesmaven wrote:

MFJ,
I was not being snide; I really thought that you provided a more cogent explanation than I did. Good on you !

No worries. I know you better than that, lol.