I have abandonment issues.
I feel abandoned when I:
- spend hours on a proposal, submit it, follow up, and never receive a response.
- respond to a request for information and don’t get any acknowledgement.
- send an email to someone I’ve been corresponding with and don’t hear back.
- schedule on their calendar to meet with someone on Zoom, who then ghosts me.
- submit a request for a recommendation from a close friend and former client that is apparently ignored.
- commit to facilitate a monthly number of training programs that the client never schedules.
- perform hours of work for a client, but when the contract schedule gets changed, the client keeps me hanging for months without any contact.
I hate the feeling of abandonment that results from these situations. It’s hard not to take them personally.
I don’t really ask or expect much, just common courtesy:
- A simple message thanking me for my proposal and explaining if they went with someone else would be nice.
- Even a bare bones reply of “Message received” would be helpful, so I don’t worry that my informational message or email has ended up in a spam folder and gone unseen.
- I realize that all sorts of things can interfere with a scheduled meeting. All I ask is a follow up message explaining that something came up and asking if we can reschedule.
- If a friend doesn’t have the time or inclination to make a recommendation, just tell me so I don’t imagine or worry that there’s some other more ominous reason.
- Should a client have a reason to delay scheduling work, please be upfront and notify me in a timely fashion.
Am I being unreasonable?
May your learning be sweet,
Deborah
#abandonmentissues #commoncourtesy #laurelandassociatesltd
