Now, I'm sure this never happens to you, but I often speak with clients who have met someone who seems like a promising prospect or strategic partner, but aren't ever able to connect with that person again because the other person is "too busy."
Are there times during the year or during the month where your schedule or someone else's schedule might be more full? Certainly.
There are probably some times during the year, especially depending on your industry, when the types of people who would be good prospects and strategic partners for you are legitimately unable to find a time to meet with you.
On the whole, though, when someone tells you they're too busy to meet with you, that's because of a few things.
They're not interested
Here's an easy one. If someone really isn't interested in what you have to offer, they might use busyness as an excuse to avoid talking with you. Offer to set up a brief five minute phone call to see if it even makes sense for you two to meet further, and if you're still getting pushback with that small amount of time, they probably just aren't a good fit for you.
It's a defense mechanism
They might be worried you're going to try to take advantage of them, and they're saying that they're busy because that's been an effective cover in the past. Ask if they're "good busy," meaning that they're bringing in a lot of business, or "bad busy" due to lost time, inefficient processes, or poor delegation. You might be able to offer a solution if their "bad busy" is related to something you help with.
They're used to poor planning
Sometimes people panic when you ask for a meeting because they think you want to schedule a meeting in a day or two, or even worse—that same day! Most people only plan a couple days in advance, so that means if you offer to meet in two or three weeks, they might be more willing to meet with you. It might simply not occur to them otherwise that you intend to put them on your calendar later that month.
If someone says that they're too busy to meet with you, you might be able to resolve the issue by uncovering one of these three motivations. But if they continue to be too "busy," you'll ultimately need to decide if they're someone you want to spend time pursuing.
Crandall is the Principal of Sandler in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He works with business owners and motivated individuals to create and implement Professional Development Strategies to foster the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations.
