Following up when you have no reason to make contact

6 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Introduction

The awkward case is the one that stops most owners. The quote has been sent, there is nothing new to say, nothing has changed, and contacting somebody anyway feels like admitting you are waiting for them. So nothing happens, the deal drifts, and the silence is later interpreted as a decision that was never actually made.

There are two honest responses to this. Find something worth sending, which is possible more often than it seems. Or acknowledge the situation plainly, which turns out to work better than most manufactured pretexts, because buyers recognise a genuine message and are frequently relieved by it.

1. Following up when you have no reason to is a common and solvable situation

The reframing.

Having nothing new is normal rather than a sign you should not make contact. What matters is being honest about it rather than inventing something. The discomfort is yours; the buyer is rarely thinking about it at all.

2. Being direct works better than a pretext

The counter-intuitive finding.

"I have not heard back and wanted to check whether this is still something you are considering" is honest, brief and easy to answer. Buyers respond to it more readily than to a manufactured reason. Transparent messages also make the eventual conversation easier, because nothing was pretended.

3. Make it easy to say no

The addition that produces a reply.

Explicitly offering the option of telling you they have gone elsewhere converts silence into information. A definite no is a useful outcome and it frees the attention. Many people who would ignore a hopeful message will answer one that permits a decline.

4. Ask about their situation rather than your quote

The better question.

"Has anything changed at your end?" invites a real answer. "Have you had a chance to look at my quote?" asks about you and can only be answered yes or no. The first also frequently surfaces the obstacle you needed to know about.

5. Look harder for something to send

The alternative worth attempting first.

A question others ask, a relevant example, a date, a seasonal consideration. The absence of news is usually a failure to look rather than a genuine absence.

6. Do not invent urgency

The line not to cross.

An imaginary price rise or fabricated availability pressure is transparent and it costs more than the reply is worth. If there is no deadline, do not manufacture one.

7. Keep it very short

The format.

Three lines. A long message with no new content is worse than a short one, because it takes more of the recipient's time to reach the same conclusion.

8. Say what you will do next

The closing element.

"If I do not hear back I will assume the timing is not right and leave it with you." This is polite, it sets an expectation, and it frequently prompts an immediate response.

9. Accept that some will not reply

The realistic position.

A proportion of people will never respond regardless of the message. Two or three attempts and a diarised return is the correct handling, not an escalating series of increasingly awkward messages.

Be careful about repeated contact with somebody who has stopped responding entirely. There is a point at which persistence becomes unwelcome, and in some contexts rules on unsolicited contact apply. A stated ending protects the relationship better than an indefinite sequence.

Conclusion

Be honest that you are checking rather than inventing a pretext.

Look properly for something worth sending before concluding there is nothing, ask about their situation rather than your quote, make it easy for them to say they have gone elsewhere, keep the message to a few lines, never manufacture urgency, say plainly what you will do if you do not hear back, and accept after two or three attempts that a diarised return is better than another message.