Having an interested and qualified lead totally disappear after a sales call is a frustrating experience. I’ve had great leads tell me they are interested and then remove all social connections and refuse to respond to any follow up efforts without any note why. 

Here are a few strategies that I employ to avoid getting ghosted: 

#1 Take control of the call 

Even the warmest lead who shows a lot of interest, speaks in “we” language about the future and promises to be in touch soon, can in fact be simply shopping around or being really “nice” on the call. Keep the call focused on what their problems are, the cost of the problems, what their goals are and what the gap is for them when trying to achieve these goals. Letting the call slide into chit chat can remove your authority as the specialist with a diagnosis. Certainly do not leave it with them “to get back to you”. 

#2 Book the next call while on the call 

Part of taking control is never ending the call end without booking the next call to discuss next steps. This focuses a time frame for them to decide at least if they are interested enough to continue speaking and avoids endless “thinking about it.” If a lead refuses to commit to another call this can  reveal a lack of interest or reservations that can be addressed if there is more time. Make sure you have their phone number, best email and are connected on LinkedIn for ease of communication.  

#3. Follow up on every channel you can and keep follow ups brief and direct. 

If you need to follow up then message them on each channel you can – LinkedIn, phone, email etc. Do not give up if you don’t hear back immediately.  Keep it brief and to the point, this avoids any neediness and calls them out on the promise to give you a response. Change up the messaging each time and keep it polite but to the point.

“Hello NAME, we agreed to speak again about X. What are next steps?”

“Hello NAME, I recently sent you an email about X. Shall we chat this week?”

#4 Add constant value 

After a few follow ups, add the prospect to your email newsletter/ community so they can continually receive value from you in the form of educational content, thought leadership, case studies and other tips and insights. They are much more likely to resurface when ready if they have been in constant touch with you and  the value you are sharing with your list. 

Consider sending the occasional personalised message with value to the prospect:

“Hello NAME, I thought you might be interested in this recent Whitepaper we have released showing you X……. do let me know if you’d like to chat again.”

#5 Last resort: Approach colleagues 

You can also consider approaching colleagues and reference your conversation. For example, 

“Hi NAME, I recently spoke with your colleague X about Y but they are not responding to my follow ups. Would you mind letting me know if……”

This can give you valuable insights if the lead has left the company, changed roles or is on extended leave etc. 

In brief, if you take control of the call and do a good job of diagnosing, and qualifying a prospect you will minimize the chances of being ghosted. Thorough follow up processes help to move the lead to the point of sale. 

Happy selling.

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