Closing the Sale When You Get Ghosted

When you get ghosted by buyers it can be crazy frustrating, especially when you feel you are right on the cusp of closing the sale.

We’ve all got a pipeline full of them: prospects who sounded good in the beginning, but now they are ghosting and non-reponsive.

• Are they still interested?
• Have they found another solution?
• Was it something we said or is the price too high or have they changed their mind?

Who knows why buyers ghost you. They just do.

Never Let Them See You Sweat

What do you do when buyers ghost you? Don’t be desperate, don’t pressure, and don’t let your prospect see you sweat. Relax. Take a deep breath.

Just because they haven’t gotten back to you doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t still interested, nor does it mean they aren’t going to still be a deal. Some won’t, but some still will.

Instead of getting frustrated or giving up, use the four tips below to get your buyer to re-engage and close the sale professionally and confidently.

#1: People Buy on Their Timeline, Not Yours

The first thing you need to remember is that prospects buy according to their schedule – not yours. As a sales rep, I know you want, no, you need the deal today. We all do. But your prospect usually isn’t under the same urgency as you are to get the deal done. There are many other initiatives, activities, people, processes, etc, they are dealing with and your product or service is just one of many things they have on their plate. So again, don’t take it personally, just relax and plan your next move.

#2: Always Set the Next Meeting

Your next move should be the one you both agreed on during your last conversation. You did make a firm appointment for your next conversation, didn’t you? Setting the next meeting is rule of engagement number one, so if you’re not in the habit of doing that, please begin today.

If you did make a firm appointment and they missed it, then send a gentle email acknowledging that they must be as busy as you are and you understand. Do not be accusatory, don’t assign blame and don’t under any circumstance sound hurt or make them feel guilty. Instead, be professional and use something like the following:

Subject Line: Our meeting

John,

So sorry we missed each other today – I know how time can get by us. When you have a moment, please shoot me an email back suggesting some better times later this week or next that would be better for us to connect.

You can either respond to this email or leave me a quick message here (your number).

Looking forward to hearing back,

Mike Brooks

#3: Get Deep and Wide

Talk to secretaries, assistants or others in their department. If possible, always form a relationship with anyone else answering the phone or working in the same department as your prospect.

When you next attempt to reach your buyer, ask that other person what your prospect’s schedule is like and what’s going on with the department or company. Using this method, I’ve found out that some of my prospects were travelling for two weeks, or they were at company conferences, or on vacation, etc. Once I learn this, I reference this in my next email attempts to reach them.

The best rule of thumb is to acknowledge what your prospect is going through and to never pressure them. Always let them set the best time/days to reconnect. If you are persistent and respectful in this way, real prospects will always get back with you and let you know.

#4: Leverage a Kill Letter

If you have been patient in the ways described above and a month or so has gone by and you’ve still not heard from your prospect, then it is time to use a “Should I Stay or Should I Go” kill letter.

The power of this email is that you are giving your prospect a way out with option number two and this will almost always get them to respond to you. It may not be the response you want, but believe me, if your prospect has found another solution or there won’t be a deal, it’s always better to know it and move on.

Here’s what to write:

Subject line: “Should I stay or should I go?”

“_________ I haven’t heard back from you and that tells me one of three things:

1) You’ve already chosen another company for this and if that’s the case please let me know so can I stop bothering you,

2) You’re still interested but haven’t had the time to get back to me yet.

3) You’ve fallen and can’t get up and in that case please let me know and I’ll call 911 for you…

Please let me know which one it is because I’m starting to worry. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing back from you.”

Mike Brooks

Remember, closing a sale is a process and you must let it unfold in the way that best suits the buying habits of your prospect or client.

Learn how to handle your most challenging sales objections with the Objections Book Club Guide