Most options don't get turned down. They get ignored: a long email, five attachments, and a client who means to reply but never quite does. Then you follow up, they apologize, and the cycle starts again.
Clients don't go quiet because they don't care. They go quiet because replying feels like work: reading everything, comparing, and writing something thoughtful. These five habits shrink that work until deciding takes a minute, on the spot.
1. Send fewer, better options
Three to six strong options get a faster answer than fifteen maybes. Every extra option adds a little more comparing, and at some point the client decides to do it later. If you're unsure about one, leave it out and keep it for a second round.
With rufl, a client who doesn't like any of the options can tap to ask for more instead. That's an answer too, and it tells you to keep looking.
2. Make each option quick to judge
Each option should answer the client's first question at a glance: price, location, dates, availability, experience. Put those facts at the top of the card and move the nice-to-know details into the description. If a client has to open a PDF to find the price, you've lost them.
3. Ask for one next step
End with a single, specific button, like Schedule interview, Book a tour or Request quotes. "Let me know your thoughts" asks for an essay. "Tap the ones you want to see" asks for a tap. See Choose the buttons your client sees.
Tip: One clear button usually gets more clients to respond than two or three.
4. Make it phone-first
Most clients open links on their phone, often in the gaps of their day. A swipe deck takes a minute there. A PDF they have to pinch and zoom gets saved for later and forgotten. Sending one link by text or email, with nothing to install, means they can answer wherever they are.
5. Follow up at the right moment, once
Timing matters more than frequency. The best moment to follow up is shortly after a client opens your options without deciding: they're interested, but something got in the way.
- Turn on an automatic reminder so anyone who hasn't responded after a few days gets one nudge.
- Watch for quiet-client alerts: once a day, rufl emails you a list of clients who opened a deck but haven't responded, or haven't opened it at all.
- Send a short, personal note to those people. "Did any of these work for you?" usually gets the answer.
See Reminders and quiet-client alerts.
Bonus: take the typing out
If a client wants to add context ("love the second one, but can it start in March?"), let them do it in a note on the same screen where they choose. Answers arrive with the reasoning attached, and you don't need a call to find out.
A simple checklist before you hit send
- Six options or fewer, each one you'd recommend.
- The deciding facts visible without opening anything.
- One clear next step.
- Works on a phone, with nothing to install.
- A reminder set, and a plan for who you'll nudge personally.
Questions people ask
Why don't clients respond to emails with options?
Usually because replying feels like work: opening attachments, comparing, and writing back. Shorter lists, deciding facts up front and a one-tap answer remove most of that effort.
How long should I wait before following up with a client?
A few days is typical. The best signal is that they opened your options but didn't decide. A short personal note at that point tends to work better than repeated reminders.
How can I make it easier for clients to decide?
Send fewer options, make each one quick to judge, ask for a yes or no on each, and give them one clear next step they can take from their phone.