Some comments in recent posts have me wondering.  I often find my business schedule changed suddenly, only to find out later I may be back on my original schedule.  After reading the posts and replies about "first choices" I want to toss out my idea of how best to handle my scheduling nightmares. As an example; I plan a vacation a couple of months ahead to a provider plentiful city and make arrangements to meet with a couple of well established providers while there.  My business schedule changes and I have to cancel my trip and my meetings.  I contact the providers and apologize for the inconvenience. This situation has occurred on more than one occasion for me.  I have now started asking to be pre screened with no date set in an area I plan to visit.  I thought it would be best to pre screen with a few providers, knowing that any meeting would probably have to be last minute because of uncertainty with my business schedule, and being prescreened with a few providers would increase my chances of actually seeing one.  Is this a bad practice? I am beginning to get the impression that some providers take it personal that I pre screen with them but then see another on my visit. While I was trying to be considerate and allow myself the best chance to hobby am I practicing etiquette no no?

any kind of screening takes work. So when you ask a lady to "pre-screen" you, it should be with the assumption that you plan to book with her when the next occasion arises. Otherwise, it is a waste of her time-- all so you can be assured of the widest possible net of choices.

If a potential customer of your business asked you to prepare a sales presentation, and then booked with your competition before you even had a chance to present your work, you might be peeved, too.

I often request "advance screening" and give a rough time table.  It has worked out for me.  Those that are not interested just get scratched from the list, save me the trouble, simple as that.
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When planning my day I make sure that I'm as flexible as I can be. If you tell me our meeting should be "sometime between" certain hours, and the meeting should be a certain length, if you call me the day before because you can't make it, you haven't hurt me at all. Although scheduling is important to me, I have mastered scheduling myself where if a cancellation has to occur it doesn't hurt so bad.

At times I get contacted by gentlemen for dates and for one reason or another schedules do not mesh.

I do encourage to get prescreened for future availablities in these cases.

Lina

I had not looked at that side of the issue.  Thank you for your perspective.  There is the other side of it though.  By me prescreening it allows a last minute meeting where you might not have had an appointment. If I call at the last minute and you are already booked then I guess my prescreening did not cost you a booking, and hopefully my next call I get lucky with an opening with a provider I am already screened with.

I work extra long hours and usually I travel with business colleagues. They also make demands on me and expect me to be with them at hours normally considered personal time if I were at home.

There are ladies that have no problem pre-screening and some of them even state as much on their websites. Then there are others that will not screen at all unless they get a commitment to a specific date and time. I often have to pas them over due to their strict rules. I’ve never made a booking with the intentions of possibly canceling. Then there is a third group of providers that desire a date and time but are sympathetic to my dilemma. With them I will make a tentative date, making my situation clear. If I am trying to see a lady that is in the pre-screening is no problem group, they will often accept a tentative date as well.

If I know I will be in town for a few days I sometimes make the date for later in the week with the proviso that if I happen to get “freed up” sooner I will call to see if she can move things up in the week. I understand this is entirely up to her schedule and discretion, but it improves our chances of meeting at a reasonable hour in the evening. Otherwise I need to make the appointment time of the initial date for substantially past the dinner hour to insure my availability, say 10 or 11 pm (and this time can be later than some ladies like to stay up).

Other times the lady will suggest we setup for early in the week with the understanding that if it does not work out we might have a second chance, depending on how full her schedule gets. I only do this if no date looks best.

Anyway you try it, being open and up front is always what works best.

I'm in much the same situation:  lots of travel on short notice with many changes along the way.

Some providers don't like to prescreen.  That means those providers are off your list but there are others who are willing to prescreen.  Not saying this as a slap at anyone who doesn't prescreen they just don't fit your needs as well.  Prescreening has greatly helped fit dates into my schedule when I need them.

If you have schedule issues then I suggest this.

Be upfront with the lady about the situation and give her as much information as you can.  Some ladies cannot handle anything more than "today at 1 PM". Others are scheduling wizards. You'll know if she's up to the task.

This way the provider can decide what to do. Also, plans fairly far in advance should be assumed to have some flex in them.

Do your best to be considerate of her efforts and time, but it's her choice how to use her time, so let her decide as Raegan suggested.

"If a potential customer of your business asked you to prepare a sales presentation, and then booked with your competition before you even had a chance to present your work, you might be peeved, too."

This is almost what PerplexedChanges said happens. His schedule gets changed, not that he changes his schedule (on a whim or a lark). And he probably is peeved. If he does NOT accept those changes he'll lose his clients (or his job) and not be earning the disposable income that would then head your way.

Also, he isn't necessarily booking with someone else; he may be booking with NOONE else, until his next trip comes up when he will try again.

Needless to say, I also ask to be prescreened and explain my interest and possible scheduling problems. Although I've had to change a couple of appointments, I always give a lot more than 24 hours notice. And it's not to see another provider, it's for my business. (On the flip side, I've been NCNSed a couple of times, even after voice-to-voice confirmation an hour or so ahead of time.)

It's a recepie for disaster.  Schedules change on both sides. Three or four days is enough to screen and set an appointment.  If a girl is particularly busy or low volume, then maybe start contact two weeks out and set the appointment a week out.  Anything more than that and you are wasting both of your times.

You said: "Also, he isn't necessarily booking with someone else; he may be booking with NOONE else, until his next trip comes up when he will try again."

Perhaps you missed the part where he said: "I am beginning to get the impression that some providers take it personal that I pre screen with them but then see another on my visit."

Just sayin'.

especially if you belong to any of the reputable verification sites.

At that time, most of the ladies indicated a strong preference for pre-screening, though I assume with the caveat that you were easily "screenable".

Setting things up before you are even sure you are heading somewhere is, well...not smart.  Ladies screen with the expectation that there will be a date, not a 40% chance.
Besides the fact that your schedule may change, hers may too.
If you have any kind of verification, ie . a realTER handle, some reviews, date check, etc.  it should not take more than a couple days to get set up.  Then the chances of it changing are slim to none!  Sometimes too much planning ahead is not always a good thing!

I see your "Perhaps you missed the part where he said: "I am beginning to get the impression that some providers take it personal that I pre screen with them but then see another on my visit."" as something I didn't miss and that may happen SOMETIMES but I raise you a "My business schedule changes and I have to cancel my trip and my meetings." which implies that he isn't seeing anyone on those occasions.

Bottom line: Not all of us have complete control of our schedules. Not exactly like, but sort of like you ladies, we have to keep our clients happy, too! And they can be bigger pains in the ass to us than we are to you.