In lean times, even with companies not necessarily experiencing financial difficulties, there is less latitude to waste, or even risk wasting, hard earned revenues.  So an edict comes down from the top – “all expenditure to be sanctioned by the board”.  Suddenly your contact shifts from being the decision maker to being a decision influencer as their purchasing ability is discreetly removed.

The problem for you is that in the majority of cases pride takes over and your contact does not tell you they have lost their power – they just come up withreasons as to why “they” are delaying “their” decision.

If you are working on a deal and the decision is not forthcoming, especially from a contact who has given you orders in the past, then double check the decision making dynamics.  Its a tough call but you may need to go around your contact and go to a higher authority