Has anyone had this problem? I do freelance work, and I usually have to go back and forth with clients over email. We don’t do phone calls because I’ve learned it’s best to have a written record of what we’ve discussed.
I ask for basic things like color choices, measurements, shipping address, etc. I keep emails short and use bullet points. For example I might say “I’m so excited to get started! Which color do you like best? I need to order paint asap to stay on track, just let me know!”
They’ll respond and say they’re excited as well and want to know when I’m going to be ordering paint with no response to the color question. I respond, explain I need them to choose between the two attached colors and then I’ll order. They ignore it, ask another question. I answer, reattach the colors, and ask again. For a third time they ignore the colors.
That’s just an example, this happens constantly with different clients. Even though I keep my emails short and questions to a minimum they skip over basic questions and don’t answer. Sometimes they’ll say they needed time to decide and that’s why they didn’t answer (maybe I’m crazy but I would….tell the person that in email instead of ignoring the question). But a lot of times they’ll say they missed it. How do you miss a question in a three sentence email?
I feel like I’m going mad and this wasn’t really an issue in my early 20’s but it’s gotten so bad the past ten. Most of my clients are fellow Millennials or GenX, not on the younger side. If they are GenZ they usually answer me properly. People who do this to me tend to lean more male than female. Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t feel like my expectations are out of line…