Have a question you’d like for me to answer? Let me know.

I recently got this question from Stacey, an employee in the process of transitioning from her job into self-employment. Stacey writes:

Hi Nicole,

I’ve been building up my business while being full-time at my job, and I’m planning on leaving my employer to move onto working for myself by summer. I’ve built up a solid client base, and while I’m happy I’ve been able to do it, I grow frustrated when I land a solid lead only for them to disappear. I do send emails and call them to follow-up, but I’m met with radio silence. Is there a way to stop potentia clinets from ghosting me? Any suggestions for keeping potential clients engaged enough for me to seal the deal?

Landing a new client is kind of like the dating process. While you’re excited at the prospect of working together, you (and the potential client) are still feeling each other out.

And just when you think everything is good to go, they can disappear without warning.

Of course, it’s frustrating because you’ve invested a lot of time into making it work (including submitting your cover letter and resume, a response to a proposal or work scope, and references, not to mention scheduling a meeting either in person or why phone/video). So you can’t help but feel some kind of way when it doesn’t work out.

The short answer to Stacey’s question is: No, you can’t stop potential clients from ghosting you…but there are some measures you can take so that, regardless of the outcome, you can walk away feeling good about your role in the process.

Here’s the long answer, broken up into two parts: 1) When you seek out an opportunity and 2) When an opportunity comes looking for you:

When you seek out an opportunity

Seeking out an opportunity is similar to what you’d typically go through during a standard job application process. You find a job description (or in the case of most consultants or freelancers, a request for proposals or a work scope), and apply by submitting the requested documents. Then you wait until you get a response back.

As with the job application process, there’s a chance you’ll hear back, or not. While this can be frustrating, especially when it’s an opportunity that’s right up your alley, we understand that we’re one out of however many submissions. There are some things you can do to make yourself stand out more (e.g., tailoring your response to mirror the language and needs of the potential client or even matching your hourly rate to the client’s budget), but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll get a response.

Here are two ways you can feel good about your role in this process:

  • Consulting proposal announcements often come with an invitation to contact the organization in question should you have any questions or would like to speak directly to someone. You can contact the contact lead and request an opportunity to talk about the proposal and to have any questions you have answered.
  • All announcements have a deadline and many will include a timeline that outlines what happens after proposals submissions. If the announcement states that you’ll hear back at a given time and you don’t, contact them to inquire about your proposal status. If the announcement stresses you’ll only hear back when you’ve entered the next round, sit tight.

When an opportunity comes looking for you

I’m along in my business now where the majority of my client work comes by way of other avenues besides me responding to a proposal.

This is a great place to be because you’ve established a good rapport with your current and former clients for them to refer you to others.

We assume that a potential client contacting us means they’ve done their homework on us are willing and ready to go. Engaging with us in-person or by phone/video comes next, followed by us submitting our proposal and accompanying documents.

Even after all of this, the potential client still may disappear.

Here’s how to feel good about your role in this process:

  • Before your meeting ends, set up a day for the potential client to follow up with you, either by phone or email. As the potential client came looking for you, it is their responsibility to lead in the follow-up.
  • If they need any additional documents, get those to them in advance of the follow-up day.
  • If you don’t hear back from them by the agreed upon day, feel free to contact them one time. Remind them that you are looking forward to hearing back from them to either discuss the next steps in moving forward or for them to inform you if they have decided to not move forward.
  • Set a deadline for yourself. If still no word from the potential client, assume they do not want to move forward.

It’s possible that there are reasons why the potential client did not respond back–staffing changes, lack of funding, postponing the project, choosing another consultant–but it’s not your place to speculate.

Key takeaway

It is frustrating when you’ve gotten this far in the process, only for it to stall.

As harsh as it sounds, potential clients aren’t obligated to work with you, regardless if they seek you out or you find them.

Potential clients are often “shopping around” before they come to you. At any point in their engagement with you, they can also be engaging with others for comparison.

One thing that helps me is focusing on the clients that I do have so that I don’t feel completely pressed about it. Also, the phrase “there’s more where that came from” comes in handy. As this potential client sought you out, so will others. There will be plenty of opportunities.

But if you do hear back from the potential client at a later date and they would like to move forward, you can discern if you’re willing to move forward.

Raise Your Voice: How do you handle “ghosting” prospective clients? Share below in the comments.