• by Laura Lee

I’m sorry, I’m not going to be able to make it.

The call comes in late in the day. The prospect sounds rushed. A little apologetic. “I’m so sorry, something came up. I don’t think I can make it tomorrow.”

And on the intake side? Your team shifts into task mode.

Your team knows every appointment matters. That slot isn’t just a time block. It’s someone who needs help and it’s revenue for the firm. Yet, many times, when the cancellation call comes in, it gets handled quickly. The appointment is removed. A note is added. Everyone moves on.

But here’s what I want you to sit with for a second, Something important just happened, and it had nothing to do with your calendar.

From that prospect’s side? This wasn’t just a cancellation. This was a moment of vulnerability. They picked up the phone because life interrupted something they were already nervous about. Estate planning isn’t exactly something people are excited to schedule. So when they called to cancel, what they were really doing was testing the waters. Even if they didn’t realize it.

And what they quietly registered next was your response.

Did they feel rushed off the phone? Did they feel like an inconvenience? Or did they feel like someone on the other end actually understood?

I’ll tell you what brought this to mind. I was working with a firm where no-shows and cancellations kept popping up in the reports, and those prospects weren’t getting back on the calendar. When we dug in, the issue wasn’t the volume. It was what happened after.

Nobody checked in. Nobody acknowledged the situation. Nobody followed up in a way that reflected any kind of care.

And it wasn’t because the firm didn’t care. They absolutely did.

It was because no one had ever sat down and defined what intake follow-up should actually look like when things don’t go as planned.

So here’s something worth doing this week, and I mean this week, not “when things slow down” (because we both know that’s code for never):

Have your intake team pull a handful of recent cancellations or no-shows. Review the notes together. Then, and this is the part that matters most, look at everything that went out to that prospect afterward.

Phone calls. Emails. Texts. Voicemails. Or… silence.

Now read those messages as if you were the person on the other end. Ask yourself, Does this sound like a firm that understands why people call us in the first place?

Because intake follow-up isn’t about saving the appointment. It’s about protecting the relationship.

And in estate and elder law? Relationships come back when the timing is right, If trust is still intact.

Laura Lee