What Should You Do When Prospects Avoid You?

Uncover why prospects disappear without a trace and learn expert-backed strategies guaranteed to get a response when you're dealing with ghosted leads.

Ghosting in sales is when a prospect cuts off all communication without explanation or warning. And it leaves reps feeling frustrated and in the dark.?But when a lead stops responding it doesn’t necessarily mean the relationship is over. It just means you need to take a step back and reevaluate the situation.?

Maybe the lead ghosted because they got busy with a new project. Or maybe they switched jobs.?Whatever the reason, there’s still hope for you to nurture the relationship and close the deal.?To help you figure out your next move, we asked sales experts to share the strategies they use to get ghosted prospects back into the pipeline.

Ghosting in sales is when a prospect cuts off all communication with a sales rep without any explanation or warning. .

It’s become all too common in B2B sales, leaving sales reps feeling frustrated and demotivated. And when that happens, your best course of action is to give up and move on, right?

Wrong! Just because a prospect ghosts you doesn’t mean you need to give up on the relationship.?

Why do prospects ghost salespeople?

When you don’t get a response from a prospect even after presenting a personalized sales pitch that impressed decision-makers, it’s only natural to wonder if you did something wrong.?

But sometimes the reason for a prospect’s radio silence may have nothing to do with you. You could follow the best sales process and do everything right and still lose a deal to client ghosting.?

Gauri Manglik, CEO & Co-founder of Instrumentl, says prospects tend to ghost salespeople when they get busy.?

“There are a lot of different reasons people are busy. Maybe they have a big project due at work or an event to attend, or maybe they just got home from work and need to spend time with their family. It could be any number of things. Whatever the reason, it's important to understand where they're coming from to create a connection that will help them remember you when it's time for them to buy,” she says.?

On the other hand, it’s possible that you didn’t use the best approach to close a deal, and the prospect chose to walk away without an explanation to avoid breaking the bad news or confronting you.?

Jan-Philipp Peters, Co-founder of BitsForDigits, says prospects choose to walk away when sales reps treat them like they’re just a part of an outreach sequence and not like human beings.?

Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People and Culture Officer of HiJunior, agrees.

“They [your prospects] want to be heard and understood, not just sold to. You need to show that you're invested in their success and not just trying to make a quick sale,” he says.?

Jason Moss, President and Co-Founder of? Moss Technologies, believes that prospects ghost sales reps because they lost interest in a product or found an alternative.?

And Kate Wojewoda-Celinska, Marketing Manager at Spacelift, echoes the same sentiment.?

“The primary reason prospects ghost salespeople is because they have found a better alternative.?It could mean many things, such as a competitor's product or service, that suits their needs more closely. It could also mean they have found a more cost-effective option elsewhere. Sometimes, they may have realized that their investment in the product or service was too significant and opted out altogether,” she says.

Understanding why a prospect ghosts you is the best way to prevent ghosting from happening in the first place. But reconnecting with clients who go MIA after you’ve already started a conversation is a whole different ballgame.

Strategies to win back ghosted leads in B2B sales

Don’t lose hope — just because a prospect didn’t get back to you within a specific time frame doesn’t mean they’re gone forever. Instead, take a look at these proven strategies our experts shared to help them repeatedly turn ghosted leads into closed deals.

1. Showcase your product’s value

Prospects often question product value, leading to ghost salespeople. To rekindle interest, highlight product value effectively, avoiding low or high quotes.

According to Jason Moss, President and Co-Founder of Moss Technologies, a great way to do this is to reach out to the prospect with a personalized message highlighting their previous interest in your product and offering additional value or information they would find useful.

“This [the value-add] could include new product features, a limited-time discount, or even a free consultation or trial period,” he says.?

Tarun Agarwal, VP of Business at Mailmodo, says they offer an extended trial period as a value-add so the prospect can experience the product’s value first-hand and see how it can give them a better ROI than their competitors.?

“This helps us justify our pricing and helps prospects understand why we’re costlier than our competitors”, he says.?

2. Make the prospect feel valued

Building a genuine connection with prospects is crucial to earn their trust and break through skepticism about the sales process.

Scott Orn, Chief Operating Officer at Kruze Consulting, says the best way to show your prospects you’re interested in helping them is to offer value without asking for anything in return.?

According to him, this could be something as simple as sending a relevant article that might be useful to the prospect or doing a quick check-in with them via email or social media.?

Jan-Philipp Peters, Co-founder of BitsForDigits, received a response 30 minutes from a ghosted lead after she shared an article that included a backlink to their website.

The strategy worked because it showed the prospect that she saw them as a real person and went out of her way to offer them value instead of looking at them as another name on her email list.?

3. Simplify the Options

While sending emails, case studies, and other information can help to highlight the value you bring to the table and build trust with your prospects, overdoing it may cause them to feel overwhelmed and ignore you.?

If this happens, Michael Dadashi, CEO of Infinite Recovery, suggests taking the time to research the person you’re reaching out to and creating a message tailored to their needs.?

“Make sure the message is concise and includes a call-to-action that will entice them to respond. By showing you took the time to craft a personalized message, you show you value their input and are not just another salesperson trying to close a deal. This can help capture their attention and give them the incentive to respond,” he says.?

Will Yang, Head of Growth & Customer Success, Instrumentl, also follows the same approach to restart conversations with ghosted leads.?

“We present prospects with a curated list of features that best fit their needs, explain the value these features will bring, and ask them if they'd like to set up a call or continue the conversation further. This strategy has helped us win back leads because it's tailored to their individual needs and is not overwhelming with too many options. It also helps build trust with the lead and demonstrates our commitment to creating a positive experience for them,” he says.

Breathe life back into ghosted leads to optimize pipeline generation

When a prospect ghosts you, you’re bound to feel frustrated and demotivated, regardless of your level of expertise.?

However, providing additional value with something like an extended free trial, going out of your way to make prospects feel valued, and communicating strategically can help you win back prospects who have ghosted you.?