What to do when a Client doesn't respond?

[Claire Freshney]

Scenario:

You have had chats with Clients a particular project. They seem interested. You exchange a few emails. You send your quote, they don't respond to any emails or calls.

What do you do?

 

[Mark T Jones]

1. Keep on it. They may be in a consideration process

2. Create time critical actions or incentives for them (beware of looking desparate)

 

[Claire Freshney]

Please could you expand on your 2nd point?

 

[Clinton]

Claire, I'd leave them and move on.

If a client needs to be chased and pestered, they're not worth having as clients. If they are rude enough to not reply to your repeated emails, dump them.

Along with my quote I explain that I won't be following up and that if the client wants my services they need to reply within the validity of the quote. This doesn't need to be said arrogantly, but it does need to be made clear.

 

[Claire Freshney]

I do agree Clinton.

I guess for me, its the lack of respect... I was wondering if there was a way to get them to respond in the initial proposal stage e.g. by adding something into my email to them when i send them a quote?

 

[Mark T Jones]

Personally, I'd completely disagree with the above

Each client has their own MO which often doesn't include getting back to suppliers until they are ready to do so. Showing you are interested (not desparate) is professional.

It is t u usual to lose the first bite on a deal to an incumbent competitor. That's just part of the process - those can end up being loyal and lucrative clients

 

[The Byre]

I spent an hour with a potential client last week and we discussed their project. After a great deal of umming and arring, we got to the knotty question of price. I stated the basic rate and even cut a bit off.

He stopped breathing and his heart went 'dot-and-carry-one'.

I shall not be chasing him!

 

[Clinton]

Each client has their own MO which often doesn't include getting back to suppliers until they are ready to do so. Showing you are interested (not desparate) is professional.

I hear what you're saying and I can see it working in some cases.

However, when I get quotes from people I always reply to thank them and to say I'll get back if interested in taking it further. I've now got control of the ball, it's in my court, and I'm calling the shots. Leave it with me means leave it with me.

If they then chase me, send follow ups etc - which happens in most cases - I don't take it as professional. I take every such follow up as either desperation or harrassment. I'm probably the exception, but that's what I do.

If I find I've been added to their newsletter - which happens so, so often - then boom! they are automatically discounted. Lack of respect for me the client is displayed in many ways including not respecting my preferences and choices. If you're arrogant enough to assume I want your weekly newsletter (or stupid enough to think you should be getting your name in front of me regularly so I remember your quote), then I don't want to deal with you.

So all those marketing gurus out there responsible for the above harrassment techniques, bear in mind that there are customers like me around too.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Please could you expand on your 2nd point?

It really depends very much on what you are providing. There might be a valid reason why that proposal should expire at such and such a date (availability of resource, exchange rates etc)

Personally, I make no secret of the fact that the client is dealing with me, not a team. When I plan a holiday I use the opportunity to advise prospects that I will be away - so please can they advise ASAP if action is need Before I leave. Invariably those who aren't urgent will respond saying 'don't worry, it can wait'.

Again it really does depend on your own environment

 

[Claire Freshney]

Ok for this particular case i am on about they told me their business partner would like to accept and he said he would contact him to get to see what is happening.

I then have done a follow up email/call since.

I have found previously being persistent, but professional has actually won me many jobs. So i do believe in keep trying.

 

[Mark T Jones]

With some caveat, you need to make a judgement as the whether you are really talking to the client or if they are just using you as a stick to beat their incumbent with

Also, consider the ongoing value of a client - if it is just a deal then time might be better spent moving on and finding a new deal

Personally, the majority of my solid, repeat clients come through a process which has often included losing a deal or 2 in the process.

It's fair to say that Clinton and I are unlikely to do business together as I always follow up and add prospects to my newsletter. - it works far more than it fails.

 

[Claire Freshney]

I believe there is a way to secure deals, so i was actually looking to generate positive ideas from this thread oppose to 'walking away' and 'loosing a deal'. I'm a business woman, so i rarely would do that.

I like to learn new ways to do things. There will be a psychological solution here and i'm more interested in 'learning' why people walk away oppose to accepting it. As i said before, persistance has actually been a positive in some cases and won me contracts. I am wanting to do research as to WHY people ignore, without guesswork.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I believe there is a way to secure deals, so i was actually looking to generate positive ideas from this thread oppose to 'walking away' and 'loosing a deal'. I'm a business woman, so i rarely would do that.

I like to learn new ways to do things. There will be a psychological solution here and i'm more interested in 'learning' why people walk away oppose to accepting it. As i said before, persistance has actually been a positive in some cases and won me contracts. I am wanting to do research as to WHY people ignore, without guesswork.

Again, it will vary from business to business. For me, walk away points would be

- genuinely too busy to give it attention (nice problem)
- prospect really not engaged. For us that really means they aren't giving the information needed to give a considered decision
- limited potential in a prospect. If they just finance a car every 3 years I won't try very hard!

 

[Alan]

I'm half in Clinton's camp and half in Mark T Jones.

Clintons's Camp: The final stage of my sales process is obtaining a signature on a project & services agreement. This is after the client says yes lets go a head. The signature is collected via an electronic system that just sends automated reminders, continuously (weekly ) I never manually follow up at this stage - if they are not going to sign or get back to me its dead.

Mark T Jones' camp: I'll play it by eye, each client is different, some need a little reminder, I never push, but if I expect a response and it doesn't come I might well check that the original email didn't end up in their spam box. Sometime, clients seems to appreciate a little follow up - like have you any further questions or concerns. But I won't pester as I hate being pestered myself.

 

[Carl "Excel-Expert" Nixon]

Depending on the turnaround time needed by the client I will chase up a day or week later. It is normally just a quick email that asks them if they got the information I sent and to see if they had any questions as a result. If there is no response to that second email, they generally get binned there and then.

I need a swift flow of information from my clients to deliver on the turn around times they need. If they drag their feet at this stage what will they be like to work with?

 

[Clinton]

I don't say there's anything inherently wrong with following up (after a respectable time lapse). But it's not something I do personally.

It's fair to say that Clinton and I are unlikely to do business together as I always follow up and add prospects to my newsletter. - it works far more than it fails.

But adding prospects to a newsletter without their permission is, IMO, definitely not on the level. "It works" is not a good enough justification in my book. Is it polite? Is it the decent thing to do? Is it something that will be universally welcomed or will it p*ss some people off? Am I imposing / harrassing some of the people who trusted me with their email address? Those are the yardsticks I would use.

But unfortunately in this day and age it's all about whether it works or not!

 

[bharris]

Totally agree with Clinton regarding the newsletter.

Following up really depends upon what you are selling, the relationship you have built up and the amount of time invested by you and the potential client. However repeated emails and calls is just waiting your time and makes you no better than an spammer, regardless how rude you think they are you need to move on.

 

[Clinton]

I must admit I tried it once in the past a long time ago and even though it was on behalf of a non-profit (rather than a business) and the newsletter was not actually selling anything ... it left a bitter taste and I haven't repeated it since.

 

[tony84]

I would fire one more email over to thank them for their consideration and advise that if you have not heard back by the end of the week you will assume you are no longer in contention for the business and then scrap it and move on to the next.

Occasionally being polite whilst acknowleding you will not get the business has resulted in me actually getting the business.

 

[AyrshireBacon]

The tone of this thread seems to encourage penalisation rather than incentivisation, in other words try not to state that your quote is valid until X then the deal is off but instead offer a 'good thing' like discount if they agree in principle by a set date. I'd also recommend early diligence, ask the client their 'expectations' and that includes cost, you should never be afraid to ask.

As to how you communicate. This is fundamental 101 stuff, written follow ups are lame and in my opinion only to confirm what you have verbally discussed to avoid future misunderstanding. I get hundreds of emails every week, most offers are met with a spam marker but invites for a coffee are rarely turned down, ask how you'd like to be treated... do the same.

 

[Gecko001]

I never do make a follow up call as I am rarely the only one bidding for the work. If I do not get a call back, I will assume that someone else has got the job or that the prospective client has decided to not proceed with the project. I think it would be different if I was offering something unique that they could not get elsewhere. In that case, I would make a follow up call and give the reason for the call as something like for internal planning of my projects or the such-like.

 

[MBE1]

Personally I tend to build a relationship to the stage where I ask why a job was lost, if quoting for a job I would mention I would contact them shortly for feedback etc. Maybe it differs in various industries, but if I have spent a few hours working on a quotation I feel I have the right to get an answer, or at least ask the outcome. I guess everyone is different in their sales technique though.

 

[ShirleyM]

I wouldn't chase. Once you start chasing and they sign up, you will be forever chasing as you have built in an expectation that you will go out of your way to overcome their lack of cooperation.

I actively avoid clients like that, as they eat up valuable time.

 

[Rockpapercopy_biz]

Put them on a mailing list. People on average need to be exposed to the brand 6 x times before they make a purchase. Be 'in da face', hustle relentlessly. There is apparently 40 meanings to the word 'NO' - not yet, not now, I'm busy, not this month etc. be persistent till you find a YES

 

[AllUpHere]

Put them on a mailing list. People on average need to be exposed to the brand 6 x times before they make a purchase. Be 'in da face', hustle relentlessly. There is apparently 40 meanings to the word 'NO' - not yet, not now, I'm busy, not this month etc. be persistent till you find a YES

You'd have to be pretty desperate to follow that advice, and you'd make your desperation immediately obvious to your prospects too.

 

[stevebrownlie]

When it comes to the data/marketing/mailing list stuff, the reason people do it is that the data shows it works. However, doing it with 'here's my general mailing waffle with my latest blog post' isn't the way to do things. You need to think creatively about your actual funnels. Say you're pitching to a law firm... and you do say... insolvency... you should put them on a specific list where you send things relevant to them that look natural (all of this can be achieved with marketing automation and there are free open source solutions now so no excuse).

eg.

Hi Bill,

I thought you might be interested in this International Business Times article because [blah blah relevant to why they're on the list] - link...

If you'd like to grab a coffee next week, I'd love to catch up and hear what you've been up to since we met up.

Cheers,
Steve

Obviously putting a fair bit of time into each one. You'll be amazed how effective that kind of thing is. We used to do it 100% manually but when people have very similar interests automating it can add to your productivity. It's amazing how it works - I've had quotes reappear a year later "the board was really grateful you shared x with us... we didn't know that was coming so soon. Can we meet up?"

 

[Rockpapercopy_biz]

AllUpHere, if only all marketers that mail me each day had the same morals as you, I'd die a happy woman. Marketing is not the same as being desperate. We wouldn't be here looking for marketing advice, otherwise we'd be calling each other desperate all day long!

 

[John Crowder]

Try this as a final email or better a personal text message - its from this.

If email - Subject line: RE: Project your were bidding for.

Since I have not heard from you on this, I have to assume your priorities have changed.

Sincerely
Name

Its taken form a website I found called the magic email .com

I`ve actually used this or a very similar worded approach and it has generated positive responses.

Don't sweeten it, add to it or offer them an out - ill follow up in x months etc.

If they are interested they will respond.