Waiting for a client’s response often feels as dramatic as looking at a slow-motion scene in an action movie. Every day seems drawn out with anticipation and you find yourself analyzing details of your last interaction that you would normally zing past unnoticed. Seconds feel like minutes, days like weeks. Both cause a dramatic element and a sense of suspended reality where time and reactions are exaggerated.
And for both, it can be a real pain if they stretch on for too long without culminating in relief or action.
In sales, it is often said that the best possible answer is “yes”, but a close second is “no”.
“Maybe” is the real killer here, because as long as a deal might happen
– Resources and time have to be reserved, in case they start soon
– You need the mental capacity to keep this client on top of your mind
– There may be other projects we cannot do because we assigned the resources for the “ghost client”
– It deteriorates the relationship with the client, with pressure turning it into an “ego game” of who breaks the silence first
The longer a client doesn’t contact you, the more likely it is that they never will, at least not on their own.
Once you are pretty sure there is no rush or excitement for working with you in a company, it’s a good idea to cut losses and move on.
I’ll describe the technique I use to make the most of a bad situation in my next email.