Later this week Chris Psencik, Emily Lindley, and I will host our Virtual Sales Bootcamp 2.0. While we're online, we'll cover sales management, marketing strategies and plans, strategies to close more sales, how to handle objections we're seeing frequently. As we've been preparing, we've been talking with our ACE Peer Group members and also our sales team at Grunder Landscaping Co. 

An issue that both GLC and our ACEs are seeing is that sales aren't closing at the rates they did even last year. This year, ghosting has been quite the hurdle for sales teams to overcome. Even if the client paid a consultation and design fee, they're suddenly unresponsive after we present the proposal. 

It's hard to guess why someone doesn't get back to you, but we can control what we do. So first, make sure you've reached out every way you can: have you called, emailed, and texted them? Have you mailed something to them? Maybe one communication method will get you more success than the others, so it's important to try every one available to you. 

Next, I like to stage a drop in. I'll send an email or leave a voicemail saying "I'm sure you're busy, I know you've got a lot going on, I'll be nearby on [DATE]. I'll ring the doorbell when I'm nearby, I'd love to answer any questions you have about your project."

Notice I don't need any response from them to do this. I just let them know what I'll be doing. 

It only takes a minute to send an email, so even if I haven't heard back from them I'll continue trying to nurture the lead. I may send something like "I know there's a lot that goes into making a decision like this, I attached some pictures of other jobs we've done that are similar to what we proposed for your property." It's a way for me to provide more evidence, and check in without saying "Just checking in!"

At a certain point, I do like to give the prospect permission to tell me no. Once I feel like I've exhausted all my usual tactics, I'll send something like:

"I don't want to be a pest if you aren't ready to move forward. I'd love to do business with you, but if you've decided now isn't the right time for this project let me know and I won't keep bothering you."

It can be difficult to deal with prospects ghosting us because it's hard to know when, if ever, they'll resurface. Whether dealing with a residential or a commercial prospect, I follow these steps to try to get a response so we can either move forward or focus our efforts elsewhere. I hope some of the language I shared here can arm you with tools if you're facing this issue, too. 

On May 8-9, we'll be sharing more on how teams can tackle the challenges they're currently facing that are getting in the way of making sales. We'll share more on how we manage sales meetings, monitor KPIs, and market our services. It's a great follow-up to our Virtual Sales Bootcamp 1.0, plus, if you missed the live 1.0 in March you can purchase the recordings along with your VSB 2.0 ticket at a discount. Will I see you online?

Marty Grunder
Founder & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.