What to do when a client doesn't respond

There's nothing worse than getting on a call with a client, connecting well, sending through your proposal and then... crickets.

Estimated read time: ~4 minutes (Skim time: 90 seconds)

What is ghosting and what kind of problem is this?

Basically, ghosting is when someone doesn't reply or leaves you "on read". It's bad when someone you're romantically interested in does this to you... but what's worse... is when a client ghosts.

But don't worry, it's a problem we can fix; a clarity problem because once you know what to do, you just have to follow the steps and move on without overthinking it.

Boring Studios was ghosted

Ahhh let me take you back to little Eden and Penelope who had no idea how to run a business or professionally work with clients. Ohhh the hours we lost but... the lessons we learnt.

Okay so I think it was our 3rd or 4th client for Boring Studios and it was a biiiggg one. I think we quoted around 30k for this project. We had two calls with this potential client and then an in-person meeting. After creating a thorough pitch to the client, he agreed to work with us.

After a week, we heard nothing so we called him. No answer. Then another couple of weeks, nothing... no returned calls and eventually months later, we presumed he had died. (We hope he is okay).

We handled this badly from the start. Firstly, we spent too much time on him; 2 calls, an in-person meeting and a thorough pitch, all adding up to over 7 hours of unpaid work. Then we endlessly hassled him with calls and emails for weeks.

Us now... we would never.

So what should you do?

Firstly, don't take it personally

At the end of the day, clients are just people and ghosting is pretty common in the creative industry. It's not just you, but we know it can feel personal. Don't get angry or passive aggressive about it. You're a professional remember?

Potential clients who've left you on read aren't evil. Budgets change, things come up and people forget. But we stay professional in language and communication tactics. ie. don't call them 100 times or send angry messages like you would to your ex who broke your heart. It's a waste of time.

This week you will

Step one: Save time and weed out clients

As always, we start with your process; This part of your process is your pre-client process.

You need to have a booking system that has a drop-down budget starting at your lowest possible package price. If your starting package costs $500, your drop down should not say $0-$500. It should say $500-$700. This already removes people who can't afford you.

Calls should be 30 minutes, not one hour or infinite. 30 minutes is more than enough time to gauge what the client needs. Have this in your booking system also. Book free 30-minute consultation.

And finally your proposal framework should be ready to send as soon as that call ends. You're only spending 30 minutes with a potential client; that's it.

Step two: Follow up (first)

Wait 3-5 business days after sending your proposal before following up.

Something like: "Hi [name], just following up on the proposal I sent over. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions."

Add follow up reminders into your CRM so you know when and who to follow up.

Step three: Follow up (second)

If there's still no response, wait another 3-5 business days then send your closing email. This closes the loop on your end and frees up the mental space you've been wasting on a maybe.

Something like: "Hi [name], thank you for the initial conversation. I'll close this off on my end for now. Feel free to reach out anytime."

After this, you move on.

Just like your ex doesn't want 100 missed calls from you, neither do potential clients. You hassling them isn't going to make them take you back... I mean... pay for your services.

So send one or two emails to remind them. And if they're interested, they'll be back.

Ghosted clients are inevitable, but you shouldn't waste time chasing people who don't want to work with you.

See you next week,
Penelope
Co-Founder of Boring Studios, not-ghosting