Give up the Ghost: Your 6-Step Guide to Prevent a Disappearing Client 👻

It IS possible to innoculate yourself from being ghosted. The trick is to set yourself from the get-go. More than being at peace with your magical disappearing client, but truly set up to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Here’s my semi-simple, six-stage cure for ghosts.

Discuss the proposal. Don’t drop it like a mic. 🎤

1. Set a meeting to get feedback ahead of time.

2. Tell them how to tell you ‘no’.

3. Never bulldoze a midwesterner.

4. Understand their urgency.

5. Last resort and abandon (nearly) all hope.

Discuss the proposal. Don’t drop it like a mic. 🎤

• Discuss as much about what you’ll put into your proposal as humanly possible while you’re with the client. Think of it as a collaborative endeavor. Talk about the price upfront- or, as close as you can get to an accurate number. Get verbal feedback as you go along. And think of your proposal as a summary of what you and the client discussed, not a vehicle for delivering new information

Set a meeting to get feedback ahead of time.

• Before you leave your client, set expectations about when you’ll send the proposal and schedule time to get feedback. Put it in everyone’s calendars, and high-five your nearest colleague. You’re already 50% better at this than you were yesterday.

Tell them how to tell you ‘no’.

• “If this ends up not working out, I’d still like to be considered for your next project” will create space for your client to let you down gently by opening up an opportunity for the next project and a natural segue to follow up for you. Or set a go/no-go date. “If you decide not to move forward, will you let me know, either way, on Friday?” And put it in their calendar.

Never bulldoze a midwesterner.

• Did you bulldoze them? Compliant personality types will often go along in an in-person meeting by nodding along enthusiastically but feel uncomfortable raising objections. Also see: Minnesota Nice. Midwesterners can be confounding in their politeness, so try this, “From my perspective, we’ll make a great partnership. What’s coming up for you that would prevent us from working together?” or “What needs to happen on your end for us to move forward?” Offering to get contracts started is another great way to suss out that your client isn’t in the same deal phase as you think they are.

Never bulldoze a midwesterner.

• Did you bulldoze them? Compliant personality types will often go along in an in-person meeting by nodding along enthusiastically but feel uncomfortable raising objections. Also see: Minnesota Nice. Midwesterners can be confounding in their politeness, so try this, “From my perspective, we’ll make a great partnership. What’s coming up for you that would prevent us from working together?” or “What needs to happen on your end for us to move forward?” Offering to get contracts started is another great way to suss out that your client isn’t in the same deal phase as you think they are.

Last resort and abandon (nearly) all hope.

• I can’t claim credit for this myself- it actually comes from Chris Voss’s brilliant book, Never Split the Difference, by way of my buddy, Michael LaVista of Caxy. But it’s Magic. If you’ve done everything you can possibly do and still got ghosted, try this as a last resort: send a simple, one-sentence email like, “Hey, is this one dead?” Resist the urge to include a greeting or an explanation. Drop *this* one like a mic.

Email me at ashley@ashleyquintopowell.com and tell me how it’s working for you!

I’m a revenue consultant specializing in service-based businesses with founder-led sales efforts. I help my clients smooth the sales roller coaster, focus on authentic messaging, and get back to doing what they love. Does this sound like you? Let’s work together!