A potential client and I have been emailing back and forth. She first contacted me on Wednesday about a cake for her child's birthday (at the end of May). We exchanged a few emails, I gave her a few ideas and prices, and I last wrote her on Thursday morning. I haven't heard from her since Wednesday evening (it's Saturday afternoon). Should I email again asking if she received my last email? Or wait a few more days? Should I even contact her again or just wait for her to contact me? I don't want to hound her, but I am afraid she might have missed my last email or it went into spam or something and she didn't get it. I wouldn't want her to think I wasn't responding to her. What's the protocol in this situation?

If I have emailed them last. I usually wait to hear back from them. If you sent prices, and options, it might be that they are trying to figure out what to do, if they want to pay that price, or maybe they just haven't had time. I had a bride not email me for about 2.5 weeks. It turned out their internet had gone out for a week, then she forgot. I figure, depending on how close the event is, and how big the cake, I will send a little "what's up email" if I haven't heard after a week or so. That's just what I do, I'm sure others are different.

Since the cake is for the end of May, maybe give it a couple days and see what happens. Then maybe get in touch.

I usually don't contact them again if they don't respond.

Sometimes if I think there's the slightest possibility they think they have ordered their cake, I will send them a form email letting them know they haven't booked their cake and if they are still planning to do so they need to make a deposit or whatever.

If I think they seemed to want to order, but don't get that they can't wait until the last minute and expect a spot to be available, I'll contact them also. I try to do it as form kind of thing as in we're just dotting our i's and crossing our t's kind of thing. It's never good to sound desperate.

Of course it needs to sound more polite than what I'm saying in the post.

If they specifically told me they want to reserve the date, then I will send a reminder asking if they were still interested.

If they never said they were sure about buying a cake, then I do not write back a second time, I let them come to me once I have sent them the info that they need.