Okay, folks, gather ’round the campfire and let me tell you a spooky tale. A tale of a sales process gone terribly, terribly wrong. It’s the story of the Ghosting Client. 👻
We’d been courting this prospect for months. Emails, calls, demos, proposals – the whole nine yards. They seemed really interested. Asked tons of questions, demanded custom demos, and even had us jump through hoops to meet their (let’s be honest, ridiculous) deadlines. We, being the dedicated sales professionals that we are, bent over backwards, burning the midnight oil to woo this client.
Then… poof. They vanished.
Like a phantom in the night, they disappeared. No response to emails, calls went straight to voicemail. It was like they’d fallen off the face of the earth. We were ghosted. 💔
Now, I understand. Things happen. Priorities change. Budgets get slashed. But a little communication goes a long way, right? A simple “Hey, we’re going in a different direction” would have sufficed.
But no. Radio silence.
So, we did what any rational, slightly petty sales team would do. We sent them a letter. A good old-fashioned snail mail letter. And in this letter, we included a check-the-box note with a pre-stamped return envelope (because we’re classy like that).
The note read:
“Dear [Ghosting Client],
We’re a little concerned about your sudden disappearance. We invested significant time and resources to address your needs and provide a solution tailored to your requirements. To help us understand this situation better (and for our own sanity), would you mind checking the appropriate box below and returning this note to us?
☐ The project has been delayed. ☐ We have canceled the project. ☐ We have decided to go with a competitor. ☐ Go away. Don’t bother me.
We’ve even included a pencil for your convenience! ✏️”
(Yes, we actually included a pencil. Passive-aggressive? Maybe. Hilarious? Absolutely.)
Look, I get it. Sales is a tough game. Rejection is part of the deal. But ghosting? That’s just bad form. It’s disrespectful to the time and effort invested by the sales team.
So, dear clients, if you’re reading this, please, do us all a favor. If you’re not interested, just say so. We can handle it. We’re strong. Just don’t leave us hanging. Don’t be a ghost. 👻
