Free template · client ghosted me after quote

What to send when a client ghosts you after the quote

You sent a proposal they seemed excited about. That was two weeks ago. Nothing since.

The email

Subject: Closing the file on [PROJECT]?

Hi [NAME],

I sent the proposal for [PROJECT] on [DATE] and haven't heard back,
which usually means one of three things:

1. It's more than you wanted to spend
2. The timing moved
3. You've gone another way

All three are completely fine and none of them offend me. Reply with
the number and I'll either reshape the scope to fit or close the file
and stop cluttering your inbox.

[YOU]

Replace everything in [BRACKETS] before you send it. A stray [NAME] is the most expensive typo in freelancing.

Why it works

Naming the three real reasons out loud removes the embarrassment that caused the silence — people ghost because saying "too expensive" feels rude, not because they hate you. "None of them offend me" is doing the actual work in this email. And "close the file" is a soft deadline that costs you nothing and reliably shakes loose the ones who were only stuck.

What most people send instead

"Just wanted to bump this to the top of your inbox!" — sent weekly until you give up. It asks them to restart a conversation, which is a much bigger favour than it sounds.