As a creative entrepreneur, I'm sure you've experienced customer ghosts in your career. While this may seem like the easiest way for a client to say no to your services, it hurts and can cost you. It makes you question your abilities and can even affect your productivity.
SummaryWhy is a client ghosting you?Client is overwhelmed with work or other issuesWhat you offered doesn't fit their needsThey've opted for your competitorThey're not ready to commit yetHow to avoid being ghosted by your clients? Improve your onboarding processHave agreements in placeInvest in the right team and toolsGive them social proofTrack and monitorBe consistentState your price up frontDevelop a strong tracking systemWork with deadlinesIt's up to youEntrepreneurs are advised to reschedule and find better opportunities soon after being ghosted. However, the effect of customer ghosting does not go away easily and more often than not entrepreneurs want to prevent it from happening again.
Many things happen in our daily lives:job loss, illness, travel, business crisis or emergency. This can lead to a client not giving you a response after an engagement.
Although these are uncontrollable situations, they make us anxious. The best way is to follow up with the client or a colleague of that company to explain why the client suddenly shut up.
Turning someone down can spark a series of conversations, especially after he/she gives a powerful and compelling speech. Therefore, some clients would avoid telling you boldly that you are not a good candidate or that your services will not meet their business needs.
They try to avoid tough questions and conversations that can materialize if they answer them.
Imagine telling someone that you are working with their competitor even after all the commitments. That's a hard conversation to have, isn't it?
Getting a customer interested in your product or service is one thing. Getting them to engage is another.
Several factors can work against you. Issues such as takeovers, mergers or insufficient funds can cause a customer to stop engaging even if they have shown great interest in your product. Therefore, opt for avoidance rather than disappointing yourself with bad news.
Maybe customers are to blame for ghosting, but that doesn't mean we're not doing our part to prevent it. You need to stop phantom customers if you want to see your business grow.
If your onboarding process has too many frictions and conversion bottlenecks, customers may have difficulty moving to the next engagement cycle. Some things that can create friction include
Make sure you understand customer communication patterns, their likes and dislikes, their expectations, what success means to them, and what they need to be successful. This way, your process will run with minimal friction, as it will be easier for a customer to opt-in or opt-out.
Agreements are very important because they help channel direction when disputes arise. As a creative entrepreneur, your time is valuable. If, after telling customers about your services and the ways you can help them improve their business operations, they ghost you, start using agreements.
In your agreement, outline the steps you will take if the client cannot commit or pay for your time. Agreements bring clarity to a business relationship and bind both parties to achieve set goals.
Have you ever looked at who you have on your team? What are their daily activities? Are they qualified? What about the tools you use for marketing and outreach?
As an entrepreneur, you need to invest in the right tools and the right people. This may include hiring account managers or outreach specialists to improve your response rates if you feel the person you have is not up to the task. Having the right tools and the right people will help improve your outreach and onboarding process.
Sometimes customers may ghost you because they feel you are unable to meet their expectations. So how do you convince them? Show them other businesses or similar businesses that benefit from your services.
You can easily add such details on your about me page or landing page and remove any doubts customers may have. Show them what you have that the competitor is missing to get their approval and avoid ghosting.
As an entrepreneur, always track your lead, conversions, and other factors that can help improve your business. It's also important to know when your customers become quiet after engaging with you.
Here, use a spreadsheet or gather data from your CRM tool and look for things like
Use the data to find metrics that will stop customers from ghosting you.
When we talk about being consistent, it really means having the same tone of voice or uniformity in your marketing activities, email communications, and attire. If your marketing communications are formal, but when you receive emails and Zoom calls, you use informal language or casual dress; the client may become confused and assume they are talking to another person.
So, make sure the way you talk to customers on the phone/face-to-face, your website, and social media all match. Set a tone or scene for the type of relationship to have with customers so you don't question your identity.
Pricing is tricky and plays an important role in determining whether a customer will commit. If you don't hear from customers, by the time you mention your price, know that's the reason for the ghosting.
Therefore, display your pricing structure on your website or onboarding manual so that you only deal with people who can buy from you. Mentioning prices up front is useful when you don't want to lower your prices or hear that you are expensive.
Follow-ups are necessary and important when communicating with customers. However, don't sound desperate in your emails or give deep discounts because you're worried about losing sales. It would be great if you developed a solid lead tracking system.
In this system, explain what happens next when someone inquires about your business. Have you set up a phone call? Do you send your rates? Will you clarify how they can work with you? Whatever you're creating will help reduce ghosting or uncover reasons for unresponsiveness.
Deadlines bring accountability, help set expectations, and tell you when to move on when a customer hasn't responded. When using timelines, indicate your next course of action if customers miss it.
It can be a simple statement of what action you will take if you don't hear from them after a particular date or period. Timelines can help you know if a prospect is engaged or lost.
The ghost hurts. Ghosting results in lost business. That's why you have to stop it. The steps above should help any creative entrepreneur stop coming across leads and convert better.
Author bio-
Adela Belin is a content marketer and blogger at Writers per hour . She is passionate about sharing stories in hopes of making a difference in people's lives and contributing to their personal and professional growth. Find it on Twitter and LinkedIn .
