Last week, I wrote about a power question to use when your client no longer responds to your emails. The goal is to encourage a response so you can move the project forward.
There’s another one-liner you can write, when you’re in the same scenario. Although I haven’t tested it myself, I know the author and believe in his teachings. And apparently it’s just as effective as the power question.
All you write in the body of the email is, “Since I have not heard from you on this, I have to assume your priorities have changed.”
In this scenario, you’re signaling you’re ready to move on without the client and they will use lose your attention if you do.
Both options, the power question and this one-liner, invoke the loss aversion bias. Basically, people feel a stronger emotion to act when they fear they have something to lose, as opposed to something to gain.
The takeaway
As with the power question, use this statement as a last resort. Your goal should always be to help your client, and firmly believe you can be of service.
PS. This one-liner is from The Magic Email by Kai Davis