Whether you are in sales, client development, broking, recruitment or any other deal-making role, I am sure many of you will have experienced the confusion of when a prospect you have been engaging with just ceases communication. After all, this is a prospect you have nurtured and developed. You have built trust and credibility and there are strong buying signals.

You call, you send an email, you call again and leave a VM. You send a LinkedIn message, you send a text, a WhatsApp or Facebook message. You call the switchboard and contact colleagues. You repeat this process time and time again but hear nothing. Should I send a letter?

Have they been involved in an accident? Are they or a family member sick? Has a close relative died? Or have they been abducted by aliens? OK, so the last thought might be ridiculous but these are some of the thoughts that go through our minds when people we are doing business with disappear into thin air. Whatever channel of communication you try to contact the person you are trying to engage with, they simply will not respond, but why?

The list of factors as to why someone stops communicating are infinite but the factors of why communication stops without a reason are zero. Whether you are a client, broker, recruitment consultant, candidate or a sales person you are all equally responsible for the process whether it is successful or unsuccessful. If you are part of this process it is your responsibility to keep communication open until the process is closed.

Deals come and go. Some you win, some you lose. Its’ all part of business but doing an impression of Houdini is not (unless of course, you are actually a magician!). If you are the person responsible for breaking the process then ‘man-up’. Take the call, make the call or send the email. It might not be easy but I promise you will feel better for it!

Are you looking to find and engage with candidates? Check out our guidance on how to advertise a job and attract the best candidates.