What to do when a client ghosts you after a proposal
Sometimes clients are too polite to say no. Others just want a proposal to see what their current supplier is charging, so they can use it as leverage to keep costs down.
Either way, you lose time, revenue and profit when you get ghosted. So how do you actually overcome that frustration instead of just sitting with it?
Reflect on why the client went quiet
Before you chase anyone, it's worth being honest with yourself about what happened on your end.
- Did you do the prep beforehand, or did you go in hoping the conversation would carry itself?
- Did you ask the right questions, the ones that uncover what the client actually needs rather than what you assume they need?
- Did you follow a proper sales process, or wing it?
- Did you talk excessively about your own product instead of listening to theirs?
None of this is about beating yourself up. It's about spotting the pattern before you repeat it with the next prospect.
Improve instead of repeating the same mistake
Most people stay the same, which is the same as failing. If reflection tells you something needs to change, the next step is doing something about it rather than just noting it down.
Spending days, weeks or months searching for answers on Google isn't the solution. Speak to someone who has real expertise in the area you need help with. There's never any shame in asking for help, and it's usually far quicker than working it out alone through trial and error.
Stand out with a video or voice note instead of another email
Nobody needs more emails sitting unread in their inbox. Try this instead: shoot a 30 to 40 second video on your phone.
In it:
- Remind the client what their challenges were
- Remind them what solutions you provide
- Ask if there's anything else you may have missed
That last question matters more than it looks. It shows humility, and humility is rare in selling. Most salespeople are so focused on closing that they forget to check whether they've actually understood the brief.
If you're introverted and the idea of being on camera makes your stomach drop, do this as a LinkedIn voice note or a WhatsApp voice message instead. You'll be surprised how many responses you get. This works far more effectively than following up by email with something like "Hi, I hope you're well, what do you think of my proposal?"
Why this approach works better than a standard follow-up email
A generic follow-up email says almost nothing about you. Your passion, your enthusiasm and your tone come across far better on video or in a voice note than they ever will in text.
Compare the two. A cold "just checking in" email asks the client to do all the work of remembering why they were interested in the first place. A short video does that remembering for them, in your voice, with your energy attached to it. If you want a fuller breakdown of what makes a follow-up land instead of getting ignored, I've written about how to write a follow-up email that actually gets a reply.
I've uploaded long-form videos for the first time, alongside over 130 short clips, with more coming through February and March. Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss the sales and LinkedIn content that won't always show up here.
Get in touch if you want to overcome imposter syndrome, generate more sales or get better results on LinkedIn.
