WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN YOUR PROSPECT DOES NOT RETURN MESSAGES OR EMAILS

Many sales pros ask me what to do when the prospect doesn’t return calls or emails.  You have been calling on a prospect for several months and believe you have established rapport with your contact. You presented a thoroughly researched business case about two weeks ago but have not received any replies to your telephone calls, texts, or emails.  This is now called “ghosting.”  Yes, they are impolite and don’t care how much it means to you.

You are very frustrated with the silence and wonder what the problem is.  Did you do something wrong?  Your mind is super active. And you now have a lot of negative thoughts. Although the term “ghosting” is new, the act of doing so is not new and has been around as long as there have been sales, which is forever. And it is normal for you to have anxiety because of this. It may be intentional or unintentional. Let’s examine both scenarios:

Intentional-

  • They have selected another supplier but have not finalized the purchase yet. Or, they have done so but are reluctant to break the bad news to you.  Very few people like to break bad news to somebody, especially someone they may like. So they avoid responding. Sometimes, this is called de-escalation or gradually becoming more distant, but it is very annoying.
  • They haven’t decided yet, so they do not want to discuss the situation with you. You must reach them before they make their decision.

Unintentional

  • They are too busy to return calls. This often happens when a higher-priority need arises.  For example, the CEO recently gave them a project to do immediately.  Your proposal is put on hold until the higher-priority project is completed. The prospect does not feel the need to discuss this with you. Or they may have forgotten to respond to you.
  • They plan to contact you once they have decided, so they continue to follow their predetermined tasks or steps. That might be on step 19, and they are on step 13.

How can you get the prospect to respond and let you know what is happening?

  • You should have already established a trusting relationship throughout the sales cycle. So, this should not have happened. But it did, so you should leave a message on their voicemail asking them to please return your call because you are under pressure from your manager to provide an update.
  • Do you have their personal cellphone number or email? If you have established an excellent relationship, then use them to contact your prospect.
  • If you have not established a trusting relationship, you should send them a very polite and professional email. Briefly remind them of the sales cycle status and the reason for contacting them now and request a callback from them as soon as possible.
  • Sometimes, it is a good idea to contact others you have met during the sales cycle and get information from them. Do not tell them your primary contact is not returning calls but ask if she is very busy.

Your messages to the prospect should be brief and to the point.  Do not ramble or go into long stories about why they should be calling you back or responding to your emails.  It is also a good idea to briefly remind them of their “why,” which is the reason why you have called on them.  What is their need or reason for buying?  (This is covered in length in my book Above Quota Performance.1) How can you pique their curiosity?  Here is an example of a voice message: “Kathy, this is Steve calling you to remind you that the proposal we discussed will bring you a 500% return on investment. Please call me back at 312-505-6000 to discuss the next steps.”

Do NOT be a stalker! Then, you will never receive a callback.

In either situation, please do not say anything negative to the prospect about them not returning your messages. I would not ask them why they are not responding to your calls. You do not want to accuse them of anything or make them defensive.

Check your junk mail in your email system.  I recall one time when I was stressed out that I had not received a message from a prospect and later found the email in my junk mail.

I have also found that people are more likely to take calls very early in the morning (before 9 AM) or after working hours when they are less busy.  Also, call from your personal phone rather than the company phone if they are screening calls.

If their nonresponse is because you have already lost the deal, it is best to thank your prospect and ask them the reasons for their decision.  Please do not argue with them; it will not do any good.  And they will likely be more forthcoming if you don’t challenge their reasons.  Learn from the reasons so that you do not repeat them.

You may also stop calling non-responsive prospects because they are unlikely to buy from you. If they are not interested, that’s fine; find some new prospects to call. I would stop calling them after three attempts. Don’t waste your time on prospects outside of your “sweet spot.”2

Remember my adage: “If you’re not winning, you’re losing.”

1 Steven Weinberg, Above Quota Performance, Armin Lear Press (Estes Park, CO, 2022) pp 85-91.

2 Ibid., pp. 145-151.