This isn’t a party 🎉
So being fashionably late to a sales meeting isn’t a thing.
You’re trying to hit quota, keep your job, feed yo-self & possibly a family.
"A sales reps time is as valuable as the prospects" - Confucius (maybe)
So keep that in mind here. Stick to your guns.
Rules of engagement 📜
Wait 5 minutes & then send an email reminder. Using the Calendar invite email is great for this.
A quick little message can be punchy: “On the Zoom. Is now still a good time?”

If they join within the 5-7 minute range:
- Address it
- Then cut the small talk and jump into the agenda and meeting
“Glad we could make this happen, we’ve got 25 minutes, was hoping we could do xyz”.
You should still have time to cover most of what you planned.
If they email you & join really late (like 10 minutes+ late):
- Use that meeting as an opportunity to connect casually
- Book another meeting
You can’t do a good discovery or demo here. Time to punt & book more time!
Next article: How to Build an Internal Champion