Last week I talked about why I let go of prospects. Of course, it’s a delicate process since it’s rarely wise to burn bridges. You never know what event in their life made them non-responsive.
Let’s talk about “the how”. The message needs to be universal, short, and adhere to the following principles.
– No hard feelings: show no resentment to the communication dying out, so there are no emotional trenches to cross if they want to get back to you later.
– No pressure: no hard selling means revealing no desperation to sell. I’m interested in working with you, but I don’t need to.
– No leaving things open: This is about finality and clarity. It’s clear that I’m closing the book on this unless they actively stop me.
– Not waiting for them: it needs to imply I’m moving on because my time is scarce and needed elsewhere.
– “No” is what I’m after: Chris Voss proved that it’s easier to say “no”, even if the meaning is positive. So I don’t ask “Are we going to work”, I ask “Should I cut you loose”.
With all of those in mind, I use a modified version of Blair Enn’s “magic email”, that goes like this:
Hi [Name]
I’m closing the [month] and haven’t heard back from you on [project] so I’ll assume your priorities or circumstances have changed. Let me know if I can be of assistance in the future.
Regards, [Me]