Client Not Responding to Proposal? Here's What to Do

You had a great call. You sent a solid proposal. Now? Silence.

You're not alone in this

Every consultant, freelancer, and agency owner has been here:

You refresh your inbox every hour

You wonder if they even opened it

You debate whether to follow up

You don't want to seem pushy

But you also can't just sit there forever

The silence is worse than a “no.”

Why clients go silent (it's not always bad)

1. They're genuinely busy

Your proposal isn't their only priority. They might be waiting for budget approval, dealing with other fires, or just buried in work.

2. They need internal buy-in

Even if they love it, they might need to run it by their boss, their team, or their finance department.

3. They're comparing options

They might be reviewing other proposals or waiting to hear back from other vendors.

4. Priorities changed

Something more urgent came up, or the budget got redirected. It happens.

5. They're avoiding an awkward “no”

Some people hate saying no directly. They go quiet instead.

What to do when a client doesn't respond

First 5 days: Do nothing

Give them time. They might still be reviewing it, discussing it internally, or just getting to it.

Following up after 1-2 days makes you look desperate.

Day 5-7: Send a helpful follow-up

Don't just say “checking in.” Offer something useful:

“Do you have questions about the scope or timeline?”

“Happy to jump on a quick call to walk through anything.”

Day 10-14: Acknowledge the silence

Be direct but kind:

“Haven't heard back — totally understand if this isn't a priority right now. Let me know if you want to move forward or if I should close this out.”

After 2 weeks: Give them an out

Make it easy for them to say no (or yes):

“I'm going to assume this isn't moving forward — which is fine. If things change, feel free to reach out.”

What NOT to do

Don't follow up every day

Don't guilt-trip them ("I put a lot of work into this...")

Don't assume they hate the proposal

Don't keep following up forever (3 attempts max)

The truth about silence

Most deals don't die because the proposal was bad.

They die because no one followed up at the right time.

Never wonder “should I follow up?” again

SecondPing automatically follows up when your client goes silent — perfectly timed, from your own email.