How to Avoid Getting Ghosted
Several years ago, Neil Rackham, author of the groundbreaking book SPIN Selling, shared a story during a sales keynote address that I can’t get out of my head.
The story was about a business associate making an introductory discovery call with a new business prospect. He was delighted by the prospect’s warm welcome and their openness to share information about their firm.
During the meeting, there were several cases where the prospect stated agreement on various points made by the seller. As the appointment was about to end, the seller proposed developing a formal recommendation that he would share later. The prospect agreed this was an appropriate step.
As the seller was leaving the prospect’s office, he had a strange feeling that the call might not have been as positive as he first thought. As he walked to his car, he worried he may have already lost the sale he was expecting.
After the seller returned to his office and debriefed his boss on the call, he started developing his proposal. When he reached out to the prospect to schedule the follow-up meeting, the prospect became impossible to reach. It didn’t matter what communication method he used; the prospect was ghosting him. His gut was right.
Circumventing Missed Opportunities
So, what should the seller have done to get a different result?
He should never have left a discovery meeting without scheduling the follow-up! That sounds like something easy to do, but frequently sellers skip this step. They don’t want to look pushy or are uncertain how long the follow-up proposal will take to craft. But this missed opportunity costs a lot.
Did the seller in this scenario truly understand the needs of their prospect? It’s possible the seller discovered several issues important to the prospect, but unless they asked if there are other issues they should be aware of, it’s possible the prospect didn’t see them as someone who can meet all their needs.
Value in Asking More Questions
A prospect may have many issues and needs, but not all of them are equally important. Understanding your prospect’s priorities is critical to developing a proposal that pushes your prospect’s hot buttons. Are you asking the right questions to help prioritize everything a prospect shared? What about trying this one: Can you share what are the top two priorities for your firm right now, and how you envision our partnership directly contributing to achieving those?"
While the meeting example Rackham shared seemed positive, it’s possible that prospect had unspoken concerns or objections that weren’t addressed. Sometimes, prospects are polite in-person but become non-responsive afterwards because they don’t see enough value or have doubts. You could prevent that from happening by asking the prospect if they have any concerns about your firm’s capabilities by asking, What specific concerns do you have about my firm’s ability to meet your needs? (Notice I didn’t suggest a question that could be answered with a yes or no.)
Share Responsibility for Next Steps
If you want to form a true partnership with your prospect, explicitly state who does what following the meeting, including the deadlines. For example, if the prospect owes you some information before you create the proposal, get commitment on what the prospect will do and by when. Sharing responsibilities throughout the sales process creates buy-in on the part of the prospect. And it shows you care about the details. If you offer to give the prospect something else to consider before you complete a proposal, such as providing sales or industry data, be specific about when you’ll send the information.
Often business developers believe they should end a sales call by seeking permission to create a proposal. However, it doesn’t require much on the part of the prospect to just say yes to get the seller out of the office.
I would want to be 100% certain how the prospect will be making a buying decision and would ask questions like this:
Is it necessary to do a written proposal or deliver a PowerPoint deck?
When must the decision be made?
Make sure to align your proposal with what your prospect expects to receive.
Ask About Your Competition and the Decision-Making
It’s rare to find a prospect who is considering just one firm. During your discovery meeting, ask your prospect who else is being considered for their opportunity and what their strengths are relative to your company’s.
Also ask who is involved in the decision-making as many times it takes several people to sign off on a decision. Find out who will be involved in the process and how you can help your contact share (or customize) the information for others. And why not ask if you can talk with other decision-makers, as well?
Trust Your Gut, But Use Your Head
Many sellers are overly reliant on their feelings when it comes to the future potential of a positive sales call. And that’s OK. But before you leave the call with your prospect and work on the proposal, ask a few more questions of your prospect, and confirm any remaining to-dos and deadlines.
How Can I Help You?
I’m a business coach, consultant and mentor for business developers who work in the legal and accounting industries. If you’re interested in finding out how I can help you or your team, let’s talk. I’ve spent the bulk of my career supporting salespeople and sales managers, helping them focus on accountability, metrics and written commitment plans. I use creative approaches and have a servant leader mindset.
If you’re interested in knowing more about SPIN (that’s Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-Payoff, by the way) Selling, check it out here.
