Stop Getting Ghosted
I remember sitting at home evenings, taking time away from my family to try to connect with people who were ghosting me. That was sucking the life out of me as I missed out on times with my kids because Daddy was working.
I decided to find a way to eliminate the need to follow up with prospects.
This Newsletter is from years of learning, personal execution, and helping hundreds of others eliminate the need to follow up.
You Are Getting Ghosted Again
You have a conversation with a potential client, and it goes well, or at least you think so. They ask you to follow up in a week, and you do; that was weeks ago, and you haven't gotten a response yet. You follow up and follow up, and they have yet to respond. You are being ghosted.
It can be demoralizing.
This scenario plays itself out repeatedly as people lack the skills and processes to eliminate or significantly reduce being ghosted. Over the years, I've personally talked with thousands of frustrated business owners and salespeople who consistently face being ghosted.
People tell me they would instead be rejected than endlessly wonder if they were talking with a qualified prospect.
Can you relate to this?
When I first got into sales, I was the follow-up king. I figured that if I talked to enough people and continued to follow up, I would eventually get the attention of the people ghosting me. It worked, as I became the top salesperson at my company, breaking records for most sales in a month, year, and seven-year period.
BUT!
As I continued to follow up, I was exhausted and mentally drained most of the time. There had to be a better way, I thought to myself.
AND!
In 2006, I learned an important lesson that almost eliminated my need to follow up. My follow-up activity went down 80%, and my sales doubled. What made the difference? I started studying sales, sales processes, tactics, and techniques. I used my new skills to spend more time onboarding new clients than following up with prospects.
The following steps are what I learned and teach my clients, which helps them eliminate being GHOSTED.
How To Proactively Prevent Being Ghosted
One of the best ways to avoid being ghosted is to get a third-party endorsement introduction to prospects needing your solution.
This ensures people want to talk with you.
I created a community of professionals, The Collab Accelerator.
We are a community of service-first mindset entrepreneurs who actively introduce others to thousands of prospects who need your solution.
Practical Steps To Prevent Being Ghosted
Ready?
YOU can significantly reduce and, in some cases, eliminate the need to follow up. You read that correctly! You may be thinking… how is this possible? Let me walk you through a few proactive ways to stop being ghosted.
Start with the intention to serve, and it will change what you say and how you say what you say.
Your Intention is the Foundation for Building a Meaningful Relationship with Your Prospects.
You need to do two things to proactively prevent having to follow up and reduce the odds of being Ghosted.
Go with the Intention To Serve, NOT sell
Be The Authority
1.) ABCs of Making Your Intention Attract New Clients
A.) Go with the intention to Serve, NOT to sell, and you will Attract and not Repel. This will change what you say and how you say it. People don't want to be SOLD, but they will buy if they see you are sincere about helping them. It sounds like common sense, but I talk to businesses and salespeople weekly who are STUCK trying to convince people to BUY their product.
Key Takeaway - Sales isn't about getting people to buy the thing you're selling. It's about helping them BURST through OBSTACLES and ACHIEVE their goals. That's an intention that will differentiate you from your competitors and attract people to you like a magnet.
B.) Having the right intention will cause you to do the necessary research before meeting with your prospect. Knowing your prospect's background, problems, challenges, and wins is right at your fingertips with a few clicks. It's inexcusable not to have a grasp of their goals, objectives, and challenges before meeting with them.
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Here's how it practically works in the REAL World of Sales. I had an initial meeting with the president of a manufacturer (Doug), and he "welcomed" me into his office by saying,..
"Hey, Chaz, I'm really busy right now; what do you have, a PowerPoint or something? Make it quick!" He was extremely dismissive, and his tone said. Hey, sales guy... GET LOST!!
I responded by matching his tone and bold demeanor.
"Doug, you'll be glad I don't have a PowerPoint, and I just want to know how the HELL you went from plant manager to president of this manufacturer; that's no small feat!"
Having done my research, I learned something important, and by matching his communication style, I had his attention. He came around his desk, sat next to me, and spent the next 25 minutes telling me about how we went from plant manager to president and went into detail about his challenges and goals.
Forty-five days later, he became a 100k plus monthly customer. Key Takeaway: Do your due diligence with research and be prepared for whatever may come your way from YOUR prospect.
C.) You build trust by asking the right questions to understand your prospect's needs better and wants.
Key Takeaway: Make it about them and prepare questions that help you understand their problems, what they cost them, and how the challenges personally affect the decision-maker/s. Learn about their goals and why their objectives are vital to them.
If you seek first to understand them, they'll see you care, significantly reducing the likelihood of being ghosted.
2.) ABCs of Being the Authority - Control the Process
A.) It's your responsibility to guide and direct the sales process. If you allow the prospect to control the process, it will end up a mess for you and them, and you'll most likely have to follow up and get GHOSTED. Here's one way to establish yourself as The Authority. Always end every conversation with a Clear Next Step.
B.) Clear Next Step = Ending every conversation with your PROSPECT with a specific plan and purpose. EXAMPLE: The meeting ends, and you need to GET a time and date, and all parties agree upon it. They must accept the calendar invite before leaving the conversation.
C.) Additionally, they should have something to do before your next meeting. They have skin in the game, and it's not just you doing all the work. Example: In Mastery's Sales Process, our clients have their prospects fill out a form to help guide and direct the following conversation. They also have specific information to consume before the next meeting.
This step changes the prospects' intention, and they show up prepared for the meeting with our clients.
Get 3rd Party Endorsement Introduction To Your Prospect
Eliminate The Need To Follow Up
The Clear Next Step will save you and your prospect much time and eliminate the NEED to follow up.
53-Second Video Breaking Down A Clear Next Step
Understanding that you need to have a Clear Next Step by implementing the correct tactic technique and having the proper intention is vital to ensure you get the next meeting scheduled and on each other's calendars before the conversation ends. This requires a new skill set that takes practice to perfect.
A Road Without Frustration
These proactive steps above will help you gain your prospects' confidence, as they will see you as the authority leading and directing the process. When the skill set with the right intention is developed, this will eliminate the need to follow up 91% of the time. By implementing these in conversation with their prospects, my clients reduce their sales cycle by 50% while increasing their closing percentage by 21%.
In many cases, being GHOSTED becomes a thing of the past. When you gain your PROSPECT's confidence as an authority, they will stay with you throughout the process.
What happens if you still get GHOSTED from time to time?
Chris Voss, a former FBI Hostage Negotiator, understands human psychology and has a sales consultancy business. He's the master of one-line responses to people who GHOST. His process will ensure that 92% of those ghosting you will respond to your message within 2 to 5 minutes. Go negative and use a version of "Are you no longer interested in talking about this project?" or "Have you given up on the idea of solving ________?
I consistently have my clients try this simple one-line response going for no during our group Q & A Session. Within minutes, they will proclaim for all their peers to hear. "John just responded, and he's been ghosting me for 3 weeks. It works, and here's a video to explain.
If you execute what you learn in this Newsletter, your need for following up will be significantly reduced, and you can eliminate being ghosted most of the time.
Case Manager & Life Coach | LinkedIn Strategist | Empowering Growth, Resilience & Self-Sufficiency | Fitness Enthusiast & Global Traveler
2moFantastic insights! Chaz Horn
Sales Navigator Driven Sales & Marketing | Accelerating Growth for Salespeople & Founders | Creator of the Sales Navigator Blueprint | Founder @ Linked Into Sales
2moReferrals and introductions from 3rd parties come with built-in credibility so being ghosted will be much less likely, Chaz.
4x Founder | Generalist | Goal - Inspire 1M everyday people to start their biz | Always building… having the most fun.
2moSuddenly being cut off from communication without explanation—can be frustrating and disheartening.
Creating financial freedom & confidence for women entrepreneurs & sports executives | Strategies that turn success into security | Founder, Nexa Wealth | Financial Wellness Speaker
2moThis is way too familiar, Chaz! I know the frustration of constantly following up only to be met with silence is something so many of us can relate to.
Reclaim Your Life Without Sacrificing Business Growth / Investor / Board Chair / Co - Founder of Shift Intelligence
2moNo one likes being ghosted. Thank you for addressing this Chaz Horn