It happened again. Right in the middle of negotiations with a new client, smack dab at the intersection of “I like this person” and “Here’s my fee” – silence. Cold, echoing silence at the mere mention of what I’d charge for this project. My price was fair. It may even have been negotiable. But it’s been a week since I last wrote. Could it be the Internet service on the client side dropped off for days? Is it possible the client cut out early for the holiday weekend? Have gremlins invaded their region? Locusts? Has swine flu and avian flu merged and they’ve all seen pigs fly?
Never fear – I’m on it. When they go silent, I get chatty. In fact, that works both ways. I have a client whose price was so low I couldn’t even respond. I was thinking great, one more scam. However, when he wrote back and I explained his rate was too low, he met me halfway. Now I am happily engaged in commerce with someone I first wrote off. For that same reason, this client will hear from me again, though I won’t give away my hand just yet. I’ll ask if they’re still considering and ask for some feedback. Then I’ll decide if it’s worth moving forward.
How do you handle the silent treatment?
I do a follow-up. And then I move on.
Bingo. One follow-up. If there’s no response, next!