Chapter 1: The Coffee Chat Insight

Yesterday, I met up with a fellow entrepreneur for a coffee. It was a relaxed Friday afternoon, and the café buzzed with laughter and chatter. As I soaked in the lively atmosphere, I awaited Jerry's arrival.

Ten minutes later, Jerry appeared, waved, and quickly dove into a monologue about his terrible boss and his recent experiences with unresponsive prospects. “I've been striking out lately, Aldric. It feels like I’m just talking to ghosts.”

I chuckled at his choice of words. Jerry wasn't referring to actual specters; he was expressing his frustration with potential clients who had seemingly vanished.

"You articulate your thoughts well, Jerry, and I know you treat your prospects with respect. What's going on?" I asked, but he seemed oblivious to my inquiry. Instead, he continued rambling about his dwindling copywriting income and his struggles to connect with prospects.

In just five minutes, I realized the underlying issue. Self-Focus Deters Prospects from Engaging.

Jerry was overly fixated on himself. I hoped he would share his experiences with prospects, but instead, he took a detour into a thirty-minute lament about his misfortunes. This was revealing.

I pictured Jerry’s conversations with potential clients: an endless stream of “look at me” statements, emphasizing his skills and why they should choose him. It turned into a one-sided dialogue.

Listening to someone drone on about themselves can be exhausting for prospects. They may begin to doubt their decision-making abilities.

“Wow, this guy just keeps talking about himself. Can I really collaborate with him? Will he overwhelm me with his words?”

Then, doubts about their own intentions start surfacing.

“Jerry has yet to mention what I stand to gain. What’s in it for me? How can he assist in boosting my sales?”

I term these as the spiral of silent objections. Unexpressed concerns proliferate quickly. During Jerry’s uninterrupted monologue, I found myself bombarded with a flurry of doubts.

To break his flow, I raised my hand, playfully interrupting. “What’s going on, Aldric? You realize it’s rude to cut in, right?”

I couldn't help but laugh, nearly spilling my coffee. “Jerry, apologies for interrupting, but I had to. It seems like you could go on forever. I think I’ve identified the reason behind your ghosting issue. Want to hear it?”

Wasting a Prospect's Time Equals Wasting Their Money

Prospects can be akin to children or teenagers; they won't stick around if their needs aren't met. My teenage niece behaves similarly.

“Uncle Aldric, I’ve heard your stories before. Can I have my allowance now?”

This interaction highlights the importance of valuing time in business. Economists refer to this as Opportunity Cost. Every hour spent with Jerry could mean one hour less enjoying coffee with another friend.

For instance, if Nicole, a prospect, generates $10,000 in monthly sales, then her daily revenue is around $454.54. This breaks down further to approximately $56.81 per hour.

So, every minute spent talking with Jerry without value costs Nicole money. Over two hours, that adds up to $113.62.

“Jerry, I can’t speak for Nicole, but I wouldn’t want to waste $113.62 on someone who offers me nothing in return. If you have five prospects like Nicole in your pipeline, that’s a total of $568.10 wasted.”

Jerry stared at me, initially shocked, but then he seemed to process my words, contemplating the truth in what I said.

How to Captivate Prospects and Encourage Them to Follow Up

To engage prospects effectively, you must understand their needs.

This is the biggest hurdle during initial meetings. You often don’t know what you don’t know. To gain their interest, you should:

1. Make educated guesses about their intentions.
2. Validate those assumptions within the first ten minutes of the conversation.

Buyer intent encompasses the prospects' needs, and we have the solutions. They may seek my copywriting services for various reasons, such as improving SEO rankings or creating compelling content for their websites.

I leverage my past experiences to build a framework of potential buyer intentions, then validate these during our first interaction.

“I reviewed your website. It could benefit from improved copy on the landing page and About Us section. Is that why we're here?”

Starting the conversation this way allows me to steer the dialogue. If I’m mistaken, prospects will correct me, providing clarity on our discussion's purpose.

I shared this thought process with Jerry, who listened intently and took notes.

“Maybe you’re right, Aldric. I see why my nieces and prospects have been ghosting me.”

Conclusion

It’s easy to become overly engrossed in self-promotion.

Prospects are more interested in understanding how you can assist them rather than your personal stories or pet tales.

Focus your discussions on the buyer's needs during initial meetings, and watch your sales figures soar.

About the Author:

I share insights derived from everyday experiences and business interactions. Our life experiences shape our unique viewpoints. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Chapter 2: Video Insights

In this first video, "Stop Getting Ghosted By Your Sales Prospects | 5 Minute Sales Training," you will learn actionable strategies to prevent prospects from disappearing and keep them engaged.

The second video, "7 Reasons Prospects Ghost You and How to Prevent It," delves into the common pitfalls that lead to lost opportunities and offers solutions to keep prospects interested.