Should You Respond To Ghost Clients?
The ghost clients are real phenomenon in the sales profession.
You got a lead.
You had a lead, but now it seems like you’re dealing with someone who’s been ghosting on the conversation.
As you probably know, when a prospect suddenly goes silent on the phone or stops responding to emails and texts, its called getting ghosted. Though things seem promising at first with your potential client, they eventually stop communicating altogether.
Is it possible to get ghosted but still make the sale?
Sometimes it does, but not always. Ive found that sometimes salespeople get too attached to silence way before they should and ghosting is a good example of how we deal with the situation.
In this post, well talk about how to deal with ghosting and what does getting ghosted mean. Sometimes it may be possible to get back in touch with the client and salvage the project.
Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?
LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.
Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year
What Causes Ghost Clients?
There are different reasons why someone may ghost you, including:
Timing Your prospect may have just been learning about the opportunity, and it isnt yet an actual lead. They might not be able to commit with their current workload.
The product you’re using may not have all the features that are needed.
One reason a prospect chooses not to sign with me is because they have an existing relationship with my competitor. This could be due to price shopping or just comparing solutions.
Pricing is a common problem. It could be that your prices are too high, or you might have misunderstood the budget constraints of the prospect.
And sometimes the relationship just doesn’t work out. You might have:
Pushed too hard Pressing to quickly in the sales process could make prospects feel uncomfortable and pressured.
Sometimes you think you have a viable lead when in fact, its not. You might not be asking the right questions or qualifying them as much as needed.
The wrong person You may have been working with somebody who wasnt the true decision maker. They might not know all there is to know about budget, timing, etc.
But perhaps, it’s your fault for not doing enough to diversify the workforce.
Its a mistake to think that you can always be on top of things. You could have been busy and not as responsive or delivered sub-par service. Mistakes happen.
The prospect may not feel you added enough value. They might think they never got to know or grow with your company and want to break up, or the relationship just wasn’t there.
Tips to Avoid Ghost Clients
Here are a few things you can do to reduce ghosting.
Ask detailed questions to help qualify the prospect. Have a conversation about their buying cycle and your sales process, then align.
Listen closely, take notes and write down your thoughts on a piece of paper.
Preparation is key when preparing for a sales call. Be sure to research the company and their competitors, as well as any other relevant challenges that might be faced.
When it comes to avoiding ghost clients, you should expand your audience. You need to find the people who are decision-makers in all of the functions you impact and talk with them.
When you finish a meeting or call, make sure to create action items for both yourself and the prospect. You should also agree on next steps and deadlines so that neither party feels like they are letting someone down.
Dont give out quick quotes unless you’ve already established a BANT fit. If someone only wants one, they won’t be able to get any value and it’s unlikely that there will be an opportunity for them in the future.
I try to find out what mode of communication the prospect prefers. Do they prefer email, phone, text or smoke signals?
Try to learn something from every opportunity. Establish a relationship where you can be honest with the other person, win or lose.
Ghostbusters: How to Deal With Ghost Clients
To deal with ghost clients, here are my suggestions:
Don’t give up too soon – It may be a communication breakdown. There might just be some miscommunication going on. Be patient and persistent.
Be sensitive and reach out. Show that you care by asking about their vacation or if they need help.
You can also find another champion, someone who has joined the calls or is an influencer. You could approach your prospects manager but be aware that it may backfire.
Be brave Call or leave a voicemail. Ask some thoughtful questions about what you should do next, and if they think it would be worth your time to work with someone else.
If you’ve tried everything and they’re not interested, send them a cordial email with the door open. Stay professional.
How should you respond to a ghoster?
I try to be assertive without being overbearing when dealing with clients. I think it’s important to find a balance.
Its hard to find a perfect formula for following up with leads. Different people have different tolerances and preferences.
Its important to be tenacious, but not so much that it affects the customer experience. I try and push back internally rather than externally because confidence is key.
Should You Sell Harder with Enterprise Software?
If youre a salesperson and your job is to sell software, it might not matter whether you go for the hard sale or the soft one. However, I do know that if you want to be successful in this field then:
Understand the dynamics of enterprise software sales. The stakes are high, so decisions often need to be made by a team.
It is important to qualify hard. Not everyone needs your software, and its a waste of resources if they don’t.
You need to be aggressive and push for a sale; otherwise, you risk losing the deal.
The softer side is when you convince your customer that they are gaining something by working with you. Youre not just selling them a product, but also giving them advice on how to improve their business.
Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?
LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.
Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year