This isn’t just any ghosting story; it’s one with a “no-show” clause.
And if you think it’s only agencies that get ghosted, prepare to be surprised. Because our most recent experience involved a wonderfully personable international client who outlined urgent needs and was of course… “keen to get going.”
So as anyone working in the marketing business typically does, we poured our heart and soul into a comprehensive proposal, marshalled international resources all over the globe and devised a solution that was (even if I say so myself…) well… bloody good.
So far so good.
The client called a follow-up meeting about a week later with resources in Los Angeles and London, which we accommodated from Seoul and Sydney. I’ll spare you the time-zone gymnastics, but God bless Darren Woolley for joining us at 11pm on a Sunday night to make it all work.
‘Back to you Tuesday or Wednesday…’ said the client as we ended the call.
That was a month and multiple emails ago enquiring about where things were at.
But alas, since then – nothin’. Crickets. Tumbleweeds. Email and telephone silence. Our potential client with the urgent ‘gotta get going’ project has seemingly vanished into the digital ether without a word of ‘thanks but no thanks.’
While we all might appreciate a good mystery novel, we’re less keen on starring in one when it comes to our proposals. We invest significant time, expertise, and a healthy dose of caffeine crafting tailored solutions. And when those efforts are met with… well, nothing, it’s not just a little disheartening; it impacts our ability to work with other fantastic, (more) communicative clients.
Ghosting Fee
In a world of increasingly odd client-side behaviours – I’m talking about extended payment terms, onerous insurance requirements and the latest daftness – a ‘success fee’ (that’s another way of saying ‘pre-arranged discount’ to you and me…) it’s perhaps time to raise awareness by charging a fee for developing proposals.
Now, before you all gasp, let me be clear: I’m only advocating this when a (potential) client completely disappears after you’ve invested heavily in a detailed proposal and concerted follow-up efforts. So call it a Ghosting Fee. A Proposal Fee. Or perhaps a ‘Retrieval and Existential Crisis Support Package’.
This isn’t about being punitive. It’s about valuing time and fostering respectful communication.
We believe in building strong partnerships, which starts with clear expectations and mutual respect. Plus, who knows, maybe it’ll encourage a few more ‘no, thanks‘ emails, which, honestly, we’d prefer over an endless game of hide, seek and ignore. Because this kind of behaviour just isn’t ok.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? And how do you handle ghosting?
#GhostingFee #ProposalHumor #RespectOurTime #NoMoreCrickets #BusinessLessons
Stephan Argent
Stephan Argent is Founder and Principal at Listenmore Inc offering confidential advisory to marketers looking for truly independent insight and advice they can’t find anywhere else. Read more like this on our blog Marketing Unscrewed / follow me @StephanArgent