How would you handle people that simply ignore your emails or texts?

You know "Stuff" happens in life. Maybe something horrible came up or they got sick, there are a hundred reasons why they didn't respond. Maybe you forced it and they got annoyed. No matter what give it a month and try again. If you don't get a response just let it go. I get 100 emails a day and sometimes I'm sort of interested until the next email and then I let it go. Don't take it personal and go on to the next prospect.  I have had prospects 2 - 3 years later return my email interested again so hang in there and just let it happen.

When a person tells me no or doesn't answer my text or email after I have followed up with them that doesn't mean no forever just not right now. I would just leave it alone for now give it sometime and at a later date check back with them. In addition to this I have also had customers reach back out to me when there ready.

I find people ignore you for basically two reasons. They are not interested in what you have to say or they fear the potential confrontation that may arise in saying no or not agreeing with you.

I am in total agreement with you on that being very rude.

How you respond may be dependent on how bad you want their attention or business.

You may or may not have the patience to try again a couple of times to get a response. After all, there can be a legitimate reason for not responding once or twice. Death in the family, computer problems etc. However it may be they are just rude or dont want to talk with you.

When to give up trying to get a response is really up to you and your level of frustration.

Email (including chat), text, phone, face-to-face. These are essentially your choices when communicating with someone. I always ask my clients (and prospects) which option they prefer, and I confirm that choice with them by asking a question such as "OK, if I text you next week, you'll be sure to respond?" then I proceed to communicate wtih them in their desired fashion, including stopping by their office to that is preferred. 

And yes, not responding is rude. However, I recognize that responding to me is not high on the daily priority list of most business leaders. When they do not respond, I generally send a polite email with the subject line "This is My Last Attempt" and include a message that thanks them for the consideration, recognizes that now must not be a good time, and tell them to keep me in mind when their circumstances change. I also inform them that I'm adding them to my monthly email newsletter unless they respond with a NO. 

Very simply: they are not buyers right now. Move on.

Not everyone is as 'in your face' as you are.

Their reason for not contacting you is their own. If they initiated the contact, they have every right to stop. And if you initiated the contact, I am betting you were selling. No one has any obligation to reply to cold calls.

While it is frustrating, it's part of doing business.

Move on!

Harsh but true- and not personal...

Mark

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That is rude and unprofessional when someone suddenly stops communication without reason.  In sales, however, this is commonly known as "ghosting". When this occurs, it's usually because they don't want to say No to you and hurt your feelings.  As sales people, we can handle the No and that's their biggest fear, you overcoming the objection.  So it's easier to hide from you instead of facing the facts that they are not interested.  

If this is a pattern that triggers you (which it clearly is) it will help you to reflect on why you're experiencing this. Everything we experience is a reflection of our consciousness, and triggers show us where we are out of alignment with what is loving for us. When you understand the lesson, you will no longer feel triggered, or attract this kind of experience. The first step though is to accept that we're all attracting our experiences. Only then do we have the power to redesign our lives.

I read an article that suggested when someone doesn't respond to your email, don't send another email saying in the subject line, "Just checking to see if you received my email." Instead write in the subject line, "Did my last email get buried?" 

I did it and the person answered me right away. It's worth a try. I hope it's successful for you.

Sandra 

This is something that really triggers me. It can be a serious problem in ones personal and business life. There was a good article in the NY Times this past week on this topic (I will share this in LinkedIn and twitter) which basically said that this is a serious red flag about someone's  ability to be a good leader.

People are afraid to say no and/or feel they are too important to be bothered by replying. Interestingly the biggest CEOs I have ever approached NEVER do this. And often they have gotten on the phone themselves to tell me. Good executives don't burn bridges.

What to do about it? I call and hopefully can get to an executive assistant to get a yes/no. Otherwise, as Sandra said, take them off your list as someone you wouldn't want to work with anyway. Mostly, DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY!

Rachel,

           Please dont take it personally. This is part of the sales process. The unknown is, why they didnt respond to you. The reason could be many things. You need to shake it off and move forward to the next prospect. Give them some time and contact them again at later time.  Also, you may want to send them a promotional product. Something useful with your business name on it. Make your business name visible to them.