3 Easy Ways to Avoid a Client Not Responding

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A Client Ghosted Me–What Do I Do? 

One of our ProcessDriven viewers inspired this business ghosting blog after sharing their recent experience with a client. 💬

The customer contacted them about planning an event. The only issue? They couldn’t clarify key elements, like the budget, number of guests, and media factors. Instead, they responded, “We don’t have those details yet, but we’ll let you know ASAP!” 

Naturally, the team nudged them, but they received the same answer. Fast forward to a few months later, and the event date was approaching. The team was in full panic mode, trying to finalize and initiate the plans. 😱 

As a result, the client scolded them about missing details, believing they shouldn’t have to spell things out. Is anyone else screaming internally right now?

While the viewer needed more information, they were worried that asking too many questions would make them look unprofessional. Unfortunately, the lack of context and transparency led to a frustrating experience for the viewer and their client.

Let’s put on our analytic caps and examine this situation a little closer:

🔎 While the client responded, they didn’t supply enough details to support the bigger picture 
🔎 The back-and-forth communication strategy wasn’t effective, leaving the event team scrambling 
🔎 Timelines for finalized decisions weren’t addressed, causing last-minute panic

If you’re in a similar situation, you may wonder how to respond to professional ghosting or communication barriers like this. 

You can sidestep this headache of a scenario from the very first interaction. 

ProcessDriven’s “Stop Business Ghosting” Strategy  

Whether you have an unresponsive client or you’re not receiving adequate information, we recommend weaving communication into your process at every turn. 

💡 Pro tip: CARS, an acronym for Context, Attempts, Request, and Stakes, is a valuable communication framework we use with our team and clients. Learn how it can empower your small business in this post!

Identify All Questions and Default Answers

Your discovery call is perfect for gaining a general understanding of your customer’s desired outcome. For instance, you may ask about marketing metrics if they’re a marketing director. 

While your first instinct may be to retrieve every detail, your client may not have all the answers yet. So, what can you do here?

✏️ Take notes on what they share with you
💭 Chime in with ideas and questions to clarify parts of their vision
🗺️ Use the information to outline a plan (Don’t worry about it being vague. You’ll revisit and update it later!)

At the end of your discovery call, discuss the next steps and schedule a follow-up chat to ensure you’re both on the same page. You and your team can kickstart the project with a general game plan. 

📝 Quick note: A second call allows you to confirm details and make updates before transitioning to the next phase. Building revisions into your process will also enable you to maintain your customers’ best interests and desired results. 

In addition, we recommend including project deadlines and the number of revisions in your terms and conditions. The less you leave to interpretation, the better. If that means spelling out your entire process, from target dates to confirmation calls, do it. 👈

🎬 Go to the video at timestamp (05:19) and use Layla’s example as a loose script to guide your vision call. 

Avoid Unresponsive Clients With a Deadline Call

The second call is to approve your client’s plan. Here, you will walk through each project phase, review what you have so far, and customize it further to align with their goals.

While your client can approve things through email, a brief 15-minute call may be more efficient than a back-and-forth email correspondence. Plus, there’s nothing more infuriating than losing vital information in your inbox. 📧

🎬 Planning on a second call? Check out Layla’s script at timestamp (09:45).

If you have already mapped out most of the plan, send it to them a few weeks before the next call so they can review it. Then, modify it in real-time with them. 

Let them know that this is the last chance to make tweaks and that once they sign off on it, your team will have the green light to execute the rest of the plan. 🟢

At the end of the outcome call, ask about final thoughts and highlight the next steps. For instance, event pros may contact vendors, order items for the swag bags, and create an event timeline.   

Share Your Feedback Policy and Lock in Changes

It may be tempting for some clients to make last-minute changes. However, you can avoid this situation and protect your boundaries by communicating your feedback policy in your contract, proposal, and calls. You can even add a reminder to the end of your emails. 👇

📧 P.S. We provide 2-3 revision sessions. All details must be confirmed by [Insert date here]. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll decide based on what’s worked well for previous customers.

⚠️ Disclaimer: We’re not lawyers. However, clarifying the scope of your projects and timeline from the beginning can save you a lot of headaches.  

Beyond your project process, are there other areas in your business that require a tune-up? If so, we’ve got you covered with 109 Time-Saving SOPs. This free resource dives into the basics of SOPs and documentation. 📝 

Client Not Responding? Let’s Avoid This Behavior

When it comes to business ghosting and unresponsive clients, you may feel like the situation is out of your hands. After all, you emailed them six times, and the ball is in their court.

But you can reclaim your power and bypass this nightmarish scenario by updating your process. A few simple changes, like those mentioned above, can better support your team and your ideal client, so you don’t have to…

❌ Stress over last-minute changes 
❌ Compromise your professional relationships
❌ Overstep your boundaries
❌ Deliver an end product that you’re not proud of

So, revise your process and see how it transforms how you lead your projects. Hooray for putting business ghosting behind us! 🎉

You know what else goes hand in hand with your process? Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)! If implementing SOPs has been on your to-do list, but you need help knowing where to begin, grab our free 109 SOP guide here! It’s the perfect beginner roadmap for breaking down your process into bite-sized steps. 

You can also register for our virtual SOP in a Day™ event, a live 3-hour workshop to help you and your team perfect your SOPs. Are you tired of putting your SOPs on the back burner? Fantastic! Our virtual workshop will dive into:

✅ An efficient 3-phase framework for writing SOPs
✅ A sneak peek at how other organizations craft their SOPs
✅ Real-time expert feedback on your SOPs and processes
✅ An SOP Swap™ where you can unlock up to 100 SOPs

And so much more! 

Consider registering today and grabbing the early bird pricing. 🐦

Thanks for joining us, and enjoy the process!