Do you remember the classic film, “Swingers”? There’s a famous scene in the 1996 film where a character played by the brilliant Jon Favreau, makes a call to a woman he just met. He leaves a message, hangs up, then quickly redials, knowing he screwed up, and calls back… repeatedly. He is mortified because he knows he blew it. His friends tell him he blew it, because you never call “your babies” that fast. And there’s a great back and forth between the characters.

Do you think it’s the same in business? Where you leave a message, and they never call you back? The kids call it “ghosting”.

I get that some people are just too dang busy to call back, especially if you’re cold-calling them. But what about if you’re in the middle of a negotiation? Or a deal with a business we affectionately call a “pre-client”.

This is someone you are sure you’re in a relationship with, but they just don’t call back. It’s not as severe (or comical) as with the “Swingers” reference, because you’re not continually calling and hearing nothing, or making a plain fool of yourself. You’re actively doing a deal and they blow you off.

Here’s a hint – their emails are filled with mis-spelled words. Like the Prince from Nigeria who needs to offload $10,000,000.

What’s your obstacle or pain point in business?