Dictionary.com defines "Ghosting" as “the practice of suddenly ending all contact with a person without explanation” ... Whatever the reason, the act of ghosting effectively ends a relationship.
One of the biggest B2B sales challenges today is the act of "Prospect Ghosting" Effectively the prospect goes dark and will not respond. It is the bain of every sales manager and is very embarrassing for SDRs. SDRs are often blamed for such prospect silence. Despite the significance of Ghosting, it is rarely discussed in the daily sea of self-help sales and marketing blogs.
Based on an in-person study of 200 B2B Buyers, here is why prospects actually ghost your sales team
They were never really interested in your offering
Your junior level sales reach is not an effective match
Your offered limited understanding of them or their industry
You did not share any relevant or meaningful insights
You did not offer them "Peer-Based Best-in-Class" examples of how their competitors solve such problems
They went with a competitor
Your content is not unique or visually engaging, it does not tell a compelling story, it is biased just like the others.
You did not establish sufficient credentials to proceed
You did not understand and cater appropriately to their current buyer journey stage
No value-added, respectful relationship was established
They see no downside to ignoring you
They downloaded a piece of your content, this does not imply they were ever a prospect
They attended a webinar or an event, this does not imply they were ever a prospect
Their corporate priorities have moved and your solution is no longer relevant.
Your cases studies are irrelevant
They have no budget or authority to buy
They have limited internal policial sway to create or influence a buying team
They are just too busy
Their interest was temporary, spontaneous or random
Your company is seen as self-serving and sales-oriented
You have not figured how to bring a credible third party who can set up and moderate intelligent, value-added & customer-centric meetings with your sales team
Most sales organizations react to this by doubling down and pounding away with additional communication. Most of this is a waste-of-time. Many sales pundits say, email and call 20-30 times, however, that rarely works
There are much smarter ways to engage prospects, Magnet Marketing is one excellent example. I highlighted areas that Magnet Marketing solves for. However, they are other ways to solve for Sales Ghosting
Please share your ideas on Sales Ghosting, how can your sales team do a better job of reducing Sales Ghosting? How can Marketing help to reduce Ghosting?
michael@gotomarketpros.com