How to Address Sales Ghosting

If you're selling in Indonesia, ghosting is inevitable. - You may think that Indonesians are indecisive. - You may think that they don't know what they want. - You may think that they've wasted your time. Thing is: Most sellers only react to ghosting. But only a few actually prevent it from happening in the first place. The difference? It's how you qualify the “yes” you hear. Because not all yeses mean progress. Some yeses are just polite rejections in disguise. --- Why Ghosting Happens in Indonesia 🚨 The "Yes" That Was Never Real Buyers say "yes, let's explore this further" to avoid confrontation. You begin the long trail of "following up" only to be greeted with silence. 🚨 The Decision-Maker Dilemma You pitch to a Director. They seem interested. But execution relies on middle managers. If they don’t back the decision, your deal stalls indefinitely. 🚨 The No-Urgency Trap Buyers say, “This looks good, but not now.” No deadline. No timeline. No priority. That means only one thing - No deal. If you're not identifying these red flags early, you're wasting time chasing ghosted leads. --- The Mini-Playbook to Minimize Ghosting in Indonesia 1️⃣ Qualify Every Yes Immediately ❌ Don’t assume interest = intent. ✅ Instead, ask: “What happens next on your end?” If they can't answer clearly, they’re not serious. 2️⃣ Identify Who Actually Drives the Deal ❌ Don’t just pitch to decision-makers. ✅ Instead, find your internal champion - the person who can push the deal forward. Ask: “Who else needs to be involved in this?” 3️⃣ Secure a Micro-Commitment ❌ Don’t settle for “We’ll review and get back to you.” ✅ Instead, set a clear next step: “Can we lock in a follow-up next Thursday?” If they hesitate, your deal isn’t moving forward. 4️⃣ Address the No-Urgency Problem ❌ Don’t let buyers park you as “nice to have.” ✅ Instead, ask: “What happens if this isn’t solved in the next 3 months?” If there’s no pain, there’s no deal. 5️⃣ Control the Follow-Up Process ❌ Don’t send open-ended emails like “Just checking in…” ✅ Instead, anchor your follow-up to a previous commitment. "Last time we spoke, you mentioned reviewing this by Friday. How’s that coming along?" --- Stop Chasing. Start Qualifying. Ghosting in Indonesia isn’t random. It happens because sellers fail to filter out weak leads early. If you’re tired of chasing disappearing prospects, fix this first. I’ll be breaking this down in detail at my Feb 26 webinar – "B2B Selling in Indonesia" 👇 🔥 How to spot fake yeses before they waste your time 🔥 How to get buyers to stay engaged and commit 🔥 How to structure meetings to prevent ghosting Want in? Drop a "Webinar" in the comments and I’ll send you the invite. ✌🏻

Ever get ghosted in sales and think, “What the hell happened?” You have a solid conversation. Things look promising. Then… nothing. Only the soft sound of inbox tumbleweeds rolling by. Here’s what I send when that happens: — Hi Pete, It seems like you decided to hit pause on the cold call workshop. Perhaps I dropped the ball somewhere along the way. You don’t owe me a response, but if you’re open to sharing some feedback, it’d be gold. Timing, priorities, my receding hairline? I’m not trying to move anything forward, just hoping to be more aligned if our paths cross again. Whatever the reason, I know you have a lot of options for sales training, so thanks for considering me. — Why this email? Because ghosting isn’t usually about us. Most people aren’t dodging you. They’re dodging pressure. They’re dodging the feeling of being pulled into something they’re not ready for. And when people feel pressure, silence is the easiest escape hatch. So instead of chasing, I lower the temperature. I fall on the sword a little. I own the misalignment instead of forcing the conversation forward. This does a few things: It removes defensiveness. It gives them an easy path back. It shows I’m not here to push. It keeps the relationship clean, even if nothing happens. And the self-deprecating humor? That’s intentional too. Making fun of my receding hairline signals I’m not taking myself too seriously. It lowers the emotional stakes and makes the moment feel lighter, not loaded. And here’s what’s interesting. This email has a 100 percent response rate. Not because everyone writes back. But because no response is a response. Silence tells you just as much as words. It tells you they’re not ready to change. Not now. Not with you. It tells you the conversation doesn’t need more energy from you. Either way, you get clarity. Either way, you can let go. You can exhale and move on. That’s the real win. The less you chase, the more peace you get back.

Prospects ghosting you? Here's the follow up strategy that brought back a dead $50K deal Quick back story: A prospect ghosted me for 8 weeks. Opened every email. Zero responses. Most reps panic and send "just checking in" messages until they get blocked. Here's what I did instead that revived that dead opportunity: Instead of begging for meetings, I became their unpaid consultant. Every 2 weeks, I sent content that solved their specific challenges: → Training video on scaling teams (their biggest pain point) → Hiring scorecard for sales talent (something they mentioned needing) → Custom playbook for their exact situation No sales pitches. No product demos. Just solutions to problems they told me about. Week 8 response: "Sorry it's been crazy here. I've watched everything you sent and it's been incredibly valuable. Can we hop on a call to get started?" The system that makes this scalable: 1. Document everything - Keep detailed notes on every problem discussed 2. Build a resource library - Categorize valuable content by challenge type 3. Play the long game - Nurture with value, not desperation 4. Track engagement - They're reading, even if not responding Pro tip: Create a Google Doc with 600+ resources organized by problem. When prospects go quiet, you have solutions ready to go. The difference between top performers and everyone else? They solve problems before they sell solutions. When you provide value first, ghosting becomes impossible. — Sales Leaders! Want even more systems and playbooks installed across your team? Let’s talk: https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

Prospects ghosting? It's more our fault than we like to admit. Not saying ghosting is okay - it’s emotionally immature. But it usually happens for a reason. Here’s what causes it: - Weak discovery - Avoiding tough questions - Leaving next steps vague - Not surfacing real objections - Hearing what you want to hear - Assuming interest instead of confirming it Here’s what prevents it: - Specific next steps on the calendar - Making honesty easier than avoidance - Strong discovery that uncovers real pain - Understanding internal processes & roadblocks - Being okay with a no, so you can get to the truth faster - Asking directly: “Is this something you’re actually interested in?” What I’ve learned: Prospects take the path of least resistance → Your job is to make honesty easier than ghosting. Hope is not a strategy → Assume uncertainty, not alignment. Ghosting happens when we ignoring the signs → Healthy skepticism is your friend in sales. You can't prevent it completely. But the best reps I know get ghosted far less. They don’t wait for it to happen. They surface objections. They clarify intent. They ask the hard questions most sellers are afraid to ask. And in the end, they don’t just close more deals… They waste less time on ones that were never real. What’s one way you prevent ghosting in your deals?

“I thought ghosting was just a dating thing—now it’s infiltrated the business world like an unwelcome trend.” During my recent coffee meet-ups and networking dinners, I’ve heard the same story over and over—friends and connections who are looking for new roles or chasing new projects, only to find themselves ghosted. 💼 HR vanishes after the final round of interviews. 📧 A red-hot prospect excitedly asks for your proposal… and then—crickets. 🤝 A CEO gives a verbal “yes” to your proposal… only to disappear forever. Sound familiar? Ghosting has become part of professional life, and it stings just as much here as it does on a dating app. No explanations- just radio silence. But here’s the thing: we can’t control how others act. What we can control is how we respond, bounce back, and keep pushing forward. Here’s how to handle ghosting without letting it derail you: 1️⃣ Don’t take it personally. Ghosting is rarely about you. Priorities shift, budgets freeze, or decisions get delayed. Instead of assuming the worst, recognize it’s part of the game. Remember: You’re still awesome—even if they forgot to hit reply. Example: I once had a CEO give me a yes in principle for a big deal. After two follow-ups, nothing. Total radio silence. I moved on—and signed a bigger deal the next month. Later, I found out he had been fired by the board right after our conversation. Sometimes, ghosting has nothing to do with you. 2️⃣ Follow up with intention—not desperation. Timing is everything. A calm, confident follow-up can re-engage them. If there’s still no response? Walk away with grace. Example: “Hi [Name], just checking in. I’d love to hear where things stand. If it’s not the right time, no worries—happy to reconnect down the road!” 3️⃣ Keep your pipeline full. Waiting on that one client or job offer is risky business. Always be talking to new leads, exploring options, and creating new opportunities. Momentum is your best defense. Example: Sales pros know this best—5 ghosted proposals hurt a lot less when you’ve got 20 new leads coming in next week. 4️⃣ Reflect, tweak, and level up. Each ghosting is a chance to improve. Did your proposal answer all the client’s needs? Was your follow-up clear but respectful? Review and refine so you’re sharper for the next round. 5️⃣ Focus on what you can control. Your time, your energy, your skills—that’s where your power is. Spend less time wondering why you were ghosted and more time focusing on things that push you forward. Keep showing up, and the right doors will open. Example: One founder who got ghosted by investors didn’t waste time sulking. They took the feedback, refined their pitch, and nailed their next round—eventually raising millions. Ghosting might feel like rejection, but more often, it’s just redirection. Let it roll off. Keep building, keep showing up, and trust that the best opportunities are still ahead. Ever been ghosted in business? How did you handle it? Drop your story below!

If someone says “I’m not interested,” believe them And no one in sales wants to admit: A lot of follow-ups don’t happen because the buyer is interested. They happen because the seller is afraid to lose the deal. Real persistence means you are following up because: - There was genuine curiosity. - There was a specific problem discussed. - There was timing friction, not rejection. - There was budget talk, but no final decision. That’s professional follow-up. But when there is no reply after 8–10 thoughtful touch points, and no signal of interest, what you’re chasing is hope. And hope is not a strategy. Here’s what actually works in 2026 outbound: 1. Ask for the no. After 6–8 touches, send a clean breakup message: “Should I close the loop here, or is this still relevant?” 2. Track signals, not emotions. Opens mean nothing. Clicks mean little. Replies, calendar bookings, and specific questions those matter. Build your follow-up system around signals, not assumptions. 3. Qualify early. If you are getting ghosted repeatedly, it’s usually because you didn’t qualify hard enough on: - Problem intensity Decision authority Timeline Budget ownership Unqualified leads create long email chains with zero revenue. 4. Respect attention. Every inbox is overloaded. If your value is not clear by email 3 or 4, sending 43 more won’t fix that. Instead of increasing volume, increase precision. Tighter targeting. Sharper positioning. Stronger problem framing. Here’s a simple rule I personally follow: If there is no positive signal after 8 structured follow-ups across different channels, I archive and move on. Not because I gave up. But because time is leverage. — When you keep emailing someone who has already disengaged, you’re not being persistent That is insecurity disguised as effort.

You didn’t get ghosted. You lost control of the decision. That “great call”? The one with: ✅ clear fit ✅ good energy ✅ “Send me the next step” Then… silence. Here’s the frame that stops you spiralling: Ghosting is usually one of two things: 𝟭) 𝗔 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 Your follow-up language leaks uncertainty. It reads like “I’m chasing” instead of “I’m leading”. 𝟮) 𝗔 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 Your follow-up doesn’t land properly. Inbox placement slips. Replies drop. You keep sending… into fog. Both look identical from your side. So you need fixes for both. I made a cheat sheet: 8 follow-up lines that increase ghosting (and what to send instead) 1. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻    ❌ “Just checking in again…”    ✅ “Are we still aiming for [𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲], or has priority shifted?”     2. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗺𝗽    ❌ “Bumping this to the top of your inbox”    ✅ “Two options: 𝗔) we start [𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲] 𝗕) we park this until [𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵]. Which is right?     3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁    ❌ “Any thoughts?”    ✅ “What’s the remaining concern right now: 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸, 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻?     4. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁    ❌ “No rush at all”    ✅ “Timing matters because [𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻]. If we want [𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲] by [𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲], the next step is [𝗫]. Want me to send it?”     5. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁?’    ❌ “Did you see my last email?”    ✅ “Recap in 3 bullets: (𝟭) [problem] (𝟮) [plan] (𝟯) [result]. The decision is: [𝗫].”     6. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴    ❌ “Let me know what you think“    ✅ “If you’re aligned, I’ll send [𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁/𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲/𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲] today. Shall I?”     7. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝗸    ❌ “Want to jump on another call?”    ✅ “I only need 𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀 to confirm [𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴]. 𝗧𝘂𝗲 𝟮𝗽𝗺 or 𝗪𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺?”     8. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲’ 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹    ❌ “Following up one last time…”    ✅ “Have you given up on this project?     If you’re getting ghosted, start here: • Fix the 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹:   language that creates clarity and a next move.    • Fix the 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹:   make sure your emails reliably reach the inbox. That second part is why we keep 🔥Warmy running in the background. It helps protect deliverability and flags inbox placement issues early, so a good follow-up doesn’t disappear into spam/promotions. Get started today: https://lnkd.in/eYaDJQfd 💾 Save the infographic. Use it as your follow-up checklist this week.

Three weeks of silence from a prospect. Called, emailed, sent a LinkedIn video you thought was clever. Nada... Folks, that person may not have rejected you. They could have just got pulled into a fire drill, changed roles, went on leave, or just forgot you exist because seventeen other vendors are hitting them up at the same time. But the pain that made them respond in the first place? Still there. It just lives with someone else now. So why are you hammering the same locked door? Find a colleague in the same department or adjacent function. Reference the original contact by name: "Sarah had mentioned your team was looking at improving onboarding velocity. I've been trying to reconnect but haven't been able to catch her. Figured I'd check if this is still on the radar." Two things happen. 1. You sound like you're returning a call (vs making a cold one). Gatekeepers wave you through because youre following up on existing interest. 2. If Sarah left the company or got pulled off the project, her colleague will usually just tell you. Now you've got a new entry point with full context instead of a dead thread. How you frame this matters, of course. Never say "Sarah's been ignoring me." Say "I haven't been able to connect with Sarah." One sounds like a complaint, while the other sounds like someone doing their job. Basically, one ghost shouldn't kill a deal. Treat the ACCOUNT as the opportunity, not the individual contact.

Ever had a prospect hang the phone up on you? Not return your email? Say they are going to buy and then all of sudden.... not buy? Have they ever pretended to be your champion? The above is the key ingredients to every salespersons diet, rejection Here is the mindset shift, buyers don't owe us anything! In fact we should assume it a 'NO' until otherwise Our job is to create enough value in every interaction that staying engaged feels like the sensible choice for the buyer Our job is to qualify with honesty, not optimism. To listen for what is said, and what is carefully avoided. To recognise that enthusiasm is not the same as commitment Because when you start from the assumption that it is a “no”, something interesting happens. You stop clinging to false momentum. You ask better questions. You look for evidence instead of reassurance And perhaps most importantly, you become far harder to mislead Rejection is not a sign that you are doing the job badly. More often than not, it is proof that you are doing the job properly. Selling at a high standard means hearing “no” far more than your ego would like The professionals understand this. They do not take it personally, and they certainly do not let it cloud their judgement They focus on building real champions, understanding decision dynamics, and helping buyers make confident, well-organised decisions So yes, expect the silence. Expect the ghosting. Expect the opportunities that drift But never mistake activity for progress, or politeness for intent Our job is simple, but not easy: pursue truth early, create value often, and have the courage to walk away when it is not real

If prospects are ghosting you, it’s not because they don’t care. It’s because you’re making them do too much work. Having done founder-led sales for 10+ years, I’ve come to realize that in most cases, buyers who ghost you aren’t stalling. They’re stuck. These buyers are navigating internal red tape, influencing stakeholders, and trying to prove the value of your product. They WANT to buy, but they need more than a killer demo or a slick pitch. To stand out in a sea of endless software vendors, you NEED to make it insanely easy for customers to buy. Here are three steps you can implement TODAY to make this happen: 1. Make it EASY: give buyers different rollout options, guarantee ROI, and DO THE WORK for them. Examples include migrating their data or building their content for them. 2. Make it FAST: own the project plan, take note of all stakeholders that need to be involved, and (politely) multithread with them to help drive consensus, quickly. 3. Make it UNQUESTIONABLE: provide a clear, time-bound guarantee on value. Work with champions to craft clear ammunition that they can sell to their management or CFO. As someone that sells and buys software for a living, I see it firsthand. When you reduce buyer effort, closed-won multiplies. Big time. So stop running your sales process like every other software vendor and start building a process that buyers actually enjoy. Any other tips and tricks on making the software buying process simple and easy?