Hey There,
Ghosting. According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of ghosting is “the act or practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with someone (such as a former romantic partner) usually without explanation by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages, etc.”
I’m going to highlight the words “such as a former romantic partner” because I do NOT believe that it applies to the workplace.
Let me tell you why.
I genuinely believe that it takes 7 no’s to get a yes. If you’re trying to land a deal, don’t even TELL me you’ve been ghosted until you have had 7, yes, SEVEN bona fide asks for that sale.
I had a client of mine tell me that he was ghosted after his potential client didn’t respond to their first email. He said he was really struggling with getting ghosted. I suggested he try 6 more times. I think we all know where this is going here. In fact, the second time he asked, the deal moved forward.
Too often we make business personal by making assumptions about others and how they work vs how you work. Are you one of those people that responds to every email within 24-48 hours no matter what? Wow, good for you. Get busier maybe? Realistically, your potential client has a million other things going on that they do for a living, and your portion of their things to do is not a priority. I can assure you that they are RELYING on you to keep yourself front of mind. Yes. They need you. They want you. They are just really busy people.
I love closure in a relationship, who doesn’t? The great part about business is that it is not personal, and you CAN get closure if you are persistent enough and doing your job of following up.
Let me share with you another story. I had a colleague who was very upset that he didn’t hear back from his prospective client via email, and he had called him a handful of times as well, and he wouldn’t take his call or answer his voicemail. My question was; “Is he a millennial?” After confirming he was, I suggested texting. There were little bubbles and a response within seconds. I’m a millennial and I can ASSURE you that I have never picked up a phone call without severe anxiety and don’t even listen to my voicemails. But if you text me? I can promise I’ll get back to you that day. (Especially since Apple gave me the ability to mark iMessages as unread!)
What can asking for the sale 7 times look like? Well, it can include things like emailing, calling, texting, dropping into their DM’s (aka sending a LinkedIn message) or even stopping by their office unannounced. I suggest you make a 7-step plan for follow-up for yourself, using a combination of these things that you feel most comfortable using.
The next question I get asked is, “How often is too often?”
Think about yourself and what would annoy you or not. I normally suggest 3 days, then 5 days, then 7 days, and then 14 days, and finishing with 30 days later. The 7th ask for me might come a couple of months after that when they really miss me and wish they had my services.
The average B2B selling cycle can be anywhere from 2 months to 3 years. Don’t give up.
My final thought on ghosting is that if you aren’t using the right technology with your follow-up, then everything that’s happening is your opinion, guess, or perception. Tools like HubSpot show you when someone has read your email or clicked on your proposal. Use the tools you have available to you to verify if you’re making assumptions or being blocked by a great IT system. Schedule a demo for HubSpot with me here, and I’ll rock your world with not only those awesome sales analytics but how you can automate follow-up and not even have to think about it.
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Lisa Proeber | Owner, The Middle Six®
