Why Some Sales Calls Go Nowhere (+ How to Fix It)

Have you ever finished a call feeling like you nailed it—only to realize weeks later that nothing came of it?

You had great rapport.

They seemed interested.

Then, radio silence?

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Surprisingly, the fix is pretty simple (yay!).

Let me share a story…

The Call That Almost Didn’t Convert

I was working with a client earlier this year who I’d describe as “confident” overall.

She’s able to easily connect with potential clients, is warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely cares about helping people.

She also kept running into the same problem: her sales calls weren’t converting.

One day, she reached out to me after yet another “great call” went nowhere and asked, “What am I doing wrong? People seem excited, but they just disappear afterward! I feel like it’s me, but I don’t even know how to find out!”

So, I asked her to walk me through her process.

Turns out, her calls were missing a critical piece: a clear next step.

She would spend the entire call answering questions, giving advice, and building rapport (she was a little off here too, but that was a quick fix), and at the end of the conversation, she’d say, “Let me know if you’d like to move forward!”

Sound familiar?

Without a specific next step, each person felt just as unclear as she did about what to do next!

Her Small “Tweaks” That Made Big Differences

Here’s what I suggested she do instead:

1️⃣ Set a goal for her calls. I don’t mean beginning each call by saying, “The purpose of today’s call is to explore if we’re a good fit to work together” or some other lame scripted introduction. I mean setting a personal goal for the call. I like a good, better, best framework on this so:

Good: Agree on a date to follow-up

Better: Get a follow-up scheduled

Best: Close on the spot

2️⃣ Give each call a 5-10 minute buffer.

Since she was feeling a bit rushed towards the end of her calls, I encouraged her to plan each call to end a few minutes early. This way, she would have the time to share any final thoughts without feeling rushed and align on next steps without pressure.

3️⃣ Suggest a closing action. Instead of leaving things open-ended, I helped her script a good closing statement, which she phrased like, “It sounds like your best next step is X, would you agree?”

And once they did, she would propose an action, such as signing an agreement or scheduling a follow-up call, if needed.

The result? She started closing more sales calls within days because her closing framework was more organized, her sales cycle got shorter, and everyone was clear on their next steps!

Next time you’re on a sales call, try a version of her solution in your own business, depending on where your specific gaps are.

Not sure where your most immediate opportunities for improvement are? ⤵️

DM me to ask for a quick audit of your sales process! I can help you figure that out in under 15 minutes so you can close more sales with confidence ASAP.