As we near the end of “Spooky Season,” it’s always key to remember that ghosting is a year round phenomenon in the B2B sales world. After extensive research (three cups of coffee), we identified three types of ghosts that are common in B2B sales. Read on to learn more and… watch out! You never know where one may be lurking, just waiting to inflate your pipeline.
The Classic Ghost
You’ve spent hours prepping for calls. Your marketing team is sick of your requests for more visual examples. You’ve “just checked in” on repeat, providing additional resources, of course. You’ve gotten to know this ghost, their business, and their pain points intimately. Almost as if they’re your own. But The Classic Ghost is busy. They’ve gone away in the night without telling you why. Without so much as a “closed lost” reason to complete in your CRM. Without knowing that your Sales Manager will ask about them in the way that your family asks about that one ex every Thanksgiving.
They’ve moved on and it’s time that you do as well.
The Lurking Ghost
It’s interesting that we use the term, “ghosting” for someone who disappears when in every episode of, “Ghost Hunters,” the ‘lil buggers are lurking in the shadows. The lurking ghost is one that avoids indirect responses at all costs, but may sign up for that webinar or download the latest eBook you’ve promoted on LinkedIn. They’ve made their presence known, but only under the cover of the shadows.
The Mutual Ghost
Did you owe them a follow up? Did they owe you one? Were there truly any meaningful next steps? In sales, it’s arguably just as important to quickly identify when someone ISN’T a good fit for your product or service as it is to qualify them. Sometimes you end a call and “run” to your next four hours of back-to-back Zoom meetings, get distracted by the dog, and miss a follow up. It’s okay. It just wasn’t meant to be.
Did you hear something?
You may want to keep the (ring) lights on after this super, spooky read. If you’ve encountered types of ghosts or have solutions for living peacefully with them, be sure to let us know. Happy selling!
