Quality interactions are a huge part of sales success. However, it’s difficult to foster a relationship with a sales lead when they won’t respond to you. Even worse, if a lead shows initial interest and then ghosts you, it can leave you feeling discouraged and at a loss.
If you’ve found that you have a lead giving you the cold shoulder, you’re not alone. Here are some ways to shake things up, close that sale, and finally bring them into the fold.
With so much data constantly at your fingertips, it’s important to utilize it whenever you can. This includes when a lead has gone silent.
When that happens, it’s important to start by gathering and organizing whatever information you can. Ideally, you’ll already have any available information readily available. If not, consider using customer relationship management (CRM) software to help you do so.
From there, consider other ways to gather information. Take time to research the lead’s company, industry, products, and so on. Use email tracking to see which of your emails they open, what they read, and if they click on any links. As you gather more information, it can help inform your efforts to re-establish two-way communication.
Sometimes you can hit a wall because a prospect isn’t interested in taking the next step. For instance, if you ask a lead to set up a meeting with you, they may go silent. This could be because they’re not ready to invest that kind of time and commitment into the relationship.
Rather than continuing to request a meeting, consider shifting your objective. Reconnect with them by changing the subject, such as asking them to read a white paper and provide their thoughts instead. This can help get the conversation going again without forcing them to take any action that they’re not ready for.
It’s possible that a lead goes dark on you because you’re contacting them at the wrong time. This can be true even if it wasn’t a problem before. They may have a recurring meeting or different work hours that have tampered with your previously established communications.
Changing the time that you make contact can resolve this issue with ease. This can be a different time of the day, day of the week, or both. In addition, look for trigger events such as a holiday or birthday that can provide an easy excuse to reach out.
You can also change the frequency of your timing. The lead may have gotten used to being contacted by (and ignoring) you at specific times. Changing frequency can help to shake things up and get them to reconsider.
There are many effective ways to reach prospects these days. Communication channels include email, text messaging, social media, video conferencing, voice calls and more. With so many options, it can be difficult to know the best way to contact a potential client.
If a prospect goes dark, it’s particularly important to consider how you’re contacting them. Are you using the same method over and over again? It’s easy to hide behind generic text messages or repetitive emails that lack personalization or tact.
Consider changing your communication channel to prompt a response. In addition, refer to past messages to see if the individual has a preferred method of communication. If you’re already using it, switch to another like it.
Sometimes a lead can go silent because you’ve asked too much from them. This can happen with even the most interested people. They may be intrigued by your product or service; however, if out of the blue you ask for their detailed thoughts about a thirty-page white paper, they may feel a bit paralyzed in knowing how to respond to the request.
If you’re asking for too much information, consider revising your request. Reduce complex topics to simplistic solicitations for information. Yes or no answers are good. Offering a small selection of multiple-choice question prompts is even better. This allows a paralyzed lead to respond to you in an effective manner that doesn’t require excessive investment.
When you’re reaching out to prospective clients repeatedly, it’s easy to get lazy with your wording. Canned phrases and predictable sales verbiage can slip into your conversation without you even noticing.
Instead, look for a way to infuse your communication with something that is specific to the individual. This can be a bit of humor. It can be something that pertains to their company. It can even have to do with personal information you’ve received in past messages. By personalizing an email or a voice message, you can coax a disinterested lead into feeling valued once again.
If you find that a lead is refusing to cooperate, you may want to try reaching out to a different person within their organization. However, make sure to do so carefully. If you contact someone else who may be sitting next to your original contact, you could risk losing everything.
Instead, choose something, such as a request for a meeting or feedback on an article, and send it to your first contact. If you don’t hear back, then try sending the same request to someone else. This gives you an easy alibi if the original contact comes up in conversation.
If you continue to get radio silence, you may feel it’s Hail Mary time. While there is a time and a place to take risks, though, you should always resist this option. Messages like “This is my last attempt to reach you” spark more harm than good.
By the time you’re sending a message of that nature, the client has already made their intentions clear by refusing to respond. If you take the bait and threaten to cut off contact, you’re only hurting yourself. Instead, consciously decide to move on while leaving the lines of communication open if they decide to make contact in the future.
From adjusting your approach to changing communication channels, personalizing requests, and avoiding Hail Maries, there are many ways to overcome being ghosted by a lead. Each situation will require different solutions. So keep this list handy. Then, the next time you find yourself in a one-sided conversation with a prospect, start making adjustments. The results may surprise you.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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