Of course, not all Location Owners will respond. One followup a week later is appropriate, forwarding them the original message with a followup message like,
Hey Bert, wondering if you had a chance to look at this yet?
Regardless of how a Location Owner responds (positive, neutral, negative), always forward their response to the Creative Director, so he can refine how we present ourselves on SFL and in the email draft.
If the response is positive, move ahead with meeting the Location Owner – at the very least a voice call, but a video call or in-person is better (so they can get the sense that you’re a “normal” sooner in the relationship).
We encourage you to be open and honest with Location Owners. Some will decide this is not something they want to be involved in, but others will appreciate the honesty – and that way there are no awkward surprises!