Why do prospects ghost you?

I’ve lost my fair share of clients who originally seemed interested in hiring me or even say, “yes” but then I could never nail them down to get started.  How can it be that people who seem like they are interested suddenly vanish, never to be heard from again?

I assumed the answer was just to get better at closing more deals on the spot.  This way they had zero chance of ghosting me.

But no matter how hard I tried, there always seemed to be a good reason for a client not to close right then and there…

… they needed to think about it

… they wanted to talk it over with a partner

… they were waiting on other bids

… their grandson’s birthday party was this weekend (LOL)

I’m not a hard core closer.  If anything I’m an empathetic closer.  I don’t want to pressure people and I don’t want to come across as some slick salesperson.  So I thought giving people time to think it over was the right thing to do.

And, I was right… except after too many people continued to ghost me and I got super frustrated, a question popped into my head, “What exactly do they have to THINK about?”

You see, when someone hired me on the spot, it seemed I overcame any objections they had to move forward and that’s why they hired me.  So, I thought the opposite must be true.  If they don’t hire me on the spot there is still some objection hanging out there that I didn’t answer, or perhaps didn’t have anything to do with me.

I realized if I really wanted to get the sale, I needed to know the objection.  In order to do this, I had to invite the client into a situation where they had to make a decision.

Have you ever had a door to door salesperson knock on your door?  The reason this style of sales works is because there is a clear YES or NO at every door that is answered.  We’re forced to say NO or even just imply it by shutting the door.  

The truth was, I wasn’t creating these kinds of moments in my sales presentations and the reason I didn’t was because it felt inauthentic or slimy.   Fortunately, I found some easy phrases I could use to create this situation and still be the hero.

Here are 4 different scripts you can use to get prospects to talk about their objections and prevent (or eliminate) the chance they will ghost you.

1. The “Which Card” Method

This method is all about giving the client permission to move forward with you and making it clear it is possible only with a financial commitment.

Here’s the script:

“Great, this seems like the right way to move forward. Which card would you like to use to get started?”

Use this method and be surprised how many people are just ready to move forward with you, you just need to give them permission.  If it doesn’t work, it allows you to follow up with additional questions about why they aren’t ready to move forward with you now.

2. The “Goals & Requirements” Method

This method is all about identifying any objections early on in your sales presentation and handling them early on.  If you don’t identify objections early on, it sets the stage to uncover true objections at the end.

Here’s the script:

“If what I share with you today meets all your requirements/goals, do you see any reason you wouldn’t want to get started right away?”

By identifying that there are no objections, and the client is not moving forward due to an undisclosed objection, you can then follow up with:

“You mentioned if this met your requirements/goals that you didn’t see a reason to get started.  What is it about the project that doesn't meet your requirements/goals?”

This gives you the best chance to move past any weak objections and dive into their real concerns.

3. The “Contract” Method

This method is similar to the “Which Card” method but uses the contract or agreement as the catalyst.  It’s all about giving the client permission to move forward with you and making it clear that only a signed contract will get things kicked off.

Here’s the script:

“Great, this seems like the right way to move forward. I just need your signature on this work agreement to get started.”

This is a great way to get clients to commit or start discussing their true objections. 

4. The “Kickoff Meeting” Method

This is among my favorite strategies to close a sale or get true objections.  You can also use this strategy as a fallback after trying the other methods.

Here’s the script:

“The next step in our process is to schedule a follow up meeting.  This way you can think about it and we can use the next meeting either to kickoff the project if you are ready or if you still have questions, I can address those before we start the kickoff.”

This works amazingly well.  Think about it.  At the point you use this script you might have already met with this prospect a few times and the prospect has already proven to you they can show up to meetings.  So what do you do next?  Invite them to another meeting.  

This meeting will allow you to start the project or continue the conversation about what is holding them back.  And, if they are unwilling to schedule this meeting it creates a situation where you can probe for more objections on the spot.

All four of these methods are designed to create a point of decision.  The prospect has to commit to moving forward or be open with the reasons they are not willing to.  Once you are armed with the true objection, only then will you be able to address it.

In sales training, everyone is interested in objection handling, but without the ability to extract the true reasons your prospects aren’t committing to you, you’ll never close the deal.

If you want to learn more about how to close deals and get past objections,  apply for a call with our director of coaching. We'll help you learn what's holding you back, and give you some next steps to help you move forward in your agency.