224: Interested to Invested: 3 Reasons Leads Go Quiet After Showing Interest

Welcome to the She Thinks Big! Podcast. Get ready to level up your thinking and expand your horizons. I’m your host, Andrea Liebross, your guide on this journey of big ideas and bold moves. I am the best-selling author of She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary.

I support women like you with the insights and mindset you need to think bigger and the strategies and systems you need to turn that thinking into action and make it all a reality. Are you ready to stop thinking small and start thinking big? Let’s dive in.

Hello there, my friends, and welcome back to the She Thinks Big podcast. Where are you today? What are you doing? Driving, walking, emptying the dishwasher, listening to this while you're working?

What's happening? What are you doing? I always want to know. It always helps me think about you and talk directly to you.

Today, I am going to talk directly to you about something I am calling Turning Clients from Interested into Invested. So this is going to be the first episode of a three-part special series here on She Thinks Big that's going to be called Interested to Invested: The No-Ghosting Follow-Up System.

I am so glad you're tuning in because I designed this series to really help you turn more maybes into yeses just by mastering your follow-up system, without feeling pushy, spammy, or salesy. I know you're not. You don't want to be salesy, because let's be honest, we've all been on the receiving end of those follow-ups, and that is not what we're going to do here.

Think about it: in life, just in general, we don't really love maybes. You know, when you ask a friend, "Hey, do you want to go out to dinner Friday?" Maybe. "I'm going to check with so-and-so." "Hey, do you want to meet me at two o’clock for a walk?" Maybe. No one loves that.

Here's how I'm going to break this down in this three-part series. Today, in the first of the three parts, we're going to get to the root of ghosting. So, that's when you don't even get an answer. We're going to get to the root of ghosting, why it happens, what it actually means, and how to prevent it before it even starts, using what I call the "bookend approach."

Then, in the next episode, I’ll give you the exact follow-up scripts to use when a prospect goes quiet. You're going to walk away with, I'm going to call it, “ready-to-send messaging” for two or three days after, a week after, two weeks after, and beyond.

So there's no more staring at a blank screen or wondering what to say, or staying up at night deciding whether or not you should follow up the next morning.

And then in the third episode of this series, we will talk automation. How to set up a follow-up system that runs without you having to remember every single step, because I know your time is valuable. It is one of your most valuable resources, and manually tracking every lead is not the best use of your time.

These episodes are meant to be listened to in order so that you can build your system step by step. So if you're really ready to, what I call, reduce follow-up fatigue—do you ever experience follow-up fatigue?—and close more of the right clients, the clients you love, then you are in exactly the right place. So keep the AirPods on, keep the headphones on, keep the volume up.

Now, before I dive in, I want to tell you what inspired this series. I literally just wrapped up a live three-day workshop called Interested to Invested. Let me tell you, it was hot. It was hot.

The breakthroughs, the questions, the aha moments, it was too good to leave behind. So I decided to bring the best parts of that workshop straight to you here on the podcast.

Hey, if you're thinking, "Wait, Andrea, I had no idea you were doing a live workshop via Zoom," then friend, we need to fix that. We need to fix it. You've got to get on my email list so you're never going to miss this kind of gold again, because I send out tips and updates and invites and the kind of content that really actually moves your business forward.

I have a part in every weekly newsletter I call Coaching Corner. So it's like you're being coached by me. You need to get this. You need to be on the newsletter list. Go sign up right now at andrealiebross.com/newsletter. We'll also have that link in the show notes.

All right, are you ready? Are you ready to eliminate ghosting for good? Let's go. Here we go. Let's dive in.

Let me ask you something. Have you ever left a discovery call feeling hopeful, only to follow up and hear nothing back? Or has someone ever walked into your place of business—if you've got a storefront—and browsed around and said, "I'm going to be back, I'm going to bring my sister back," and never come back?

Have you wondered if you're being annoying? Were you annoying in that initial interaction? Are you annoying if you follow up? Or were they never that interested to begin with? And they're walking into the store, it was just a waste of time. Or setting up a call with you was really just a fish for information?

I've been there. I've been there too. But here's the truth: ghosting after an initial interaction isn't rejection. It's actually a clue. Once you understand what that clue means, you can really guide these potential clients or customers from maybe to absolutely with way more ease.

This does not have to be hard. If you've been listening to me for a while, you know that I am a big proponent of, "How can we make this simple, doable, and fun?" This follow-up system—this follow-up thing that we need to do—can fall into that simple, doable, and fun.

But here is what's actually happening. You have to get to the root of the problem. I actually have a whole download about getting to the root of the problem, which I will also link in the show notes, okay?

But here's what's actually happening. When they ghost you, they're scared. Fear is really the most powerful emotion in a buying decision. They're afraid of making the wrong choice. They're afraid of wasting money. Afraid they'll say yes and still not get the results they want.

So let me ask you: have you ever been afraid of making the wrong choice? Have you ever been afraid to make an investment in your business, even though deep down, you knew it could help?

I know I have. I know I have. I mean, just last year I was considering investing in a big-time marketing agency, and the price tag made my stomach flip, even though I knew that probably the connections alone would be worth it.

So what helped you move past the fear? And chances are, it was not a sales pitch. It was a person, a human, who helped you feel confident, clear, and safe to decide yes or no.

You get to be that person for your prospects, for your potential customers. You can be that human who helps them feel confident and clear and safe to decide.

So let's go to the next step here. Let's go a little deeper and figure out the three real reasons that your dream customers and clients go quiet. All right, you ready?

This might be where you want to get out your pencil. When I'm in a coaching call with my clients, I always say, "Okay, this is something you're going to want to write down." Okay, so this is you podcast listeners out there—you person driving to Target—do not take out your pencil. But if you are folding laundry, you can take out a pencil, okay?

So here's the first real reason that people go quiet. Number one: I think they are uncertain about results. They're uncertain about results. They don't fully believe that what you offer will solve their problem. Or—and I think this is more the case, more often than not—they don't fully believe that they are going to step it up to create the results they want with your help.

So is it that they don't believe in you? Probably not. More often than not, the case is they don't believe in themselves. They know that this is going to take work on their part, or they know that they're going to have to do something, and they're not sure that they can follow through.

So for example, one of my clients—she's a web designer—her leads kept ghosting. I think the reason they kept ghosting is because they weren't really sure the new site would actually get them more business.

Now, I think what's interesting about this example is this new site alone is not going to get her more business. But the new site plus her own efforts in getting people to the site, or letting people know there even is a site, will get her there. So, does this sound familiar?

Your job, when you're the person they are wanting to work with—or they're the person who wants to purchase from you—your job in follow-up is to paint a picture of the specific results they'll get.

So not just, "And now you'll have a beautiful website," but a website that converts visitors into leads at three times your current rate. A website that you are going to be proud to send people to. A website that you can now direct traffic to.

So the first reason that people usually ghost is that they're uncertain about results. They don't truly believe your offer will solve their problem. Or they don't truly believe that they're going to help you help them solve their problem. Like they're not going to show up for themselves.

Alright, here's number two. They can't justify the value yet. Yet. So even if the money is there, the mental math isn't adding up.

So one client had leads that were ghosting her on a $1,500 offer. Over and over again. Not because they couldn't afford it, but because they didn't yet see how it would pay off. They needed to connect the dots between the investment and the return.

So what my client needed to do is start to show these prospects how spending $1,500 now leads to $15,000. So if you spend $1,500 now, it's going to lead to $15,000 later.

I see this in coaching all the time because coaching isn't really a tangible thing per se, and you are spending money for it. So part of my job, a lot of times, is to show someone how the dollars that they're spending towards coaching are going to lead to more dollars in the long run for them in their business.

It's also going to lead to less headaches. They're also going to feel different. Again, some of these things are tangible and some of them are intangible, but you have to help connect the dots. So the second reason they ghost is they can't justify the value yet.

Alright, here's the third thing. They don't know what happens next. They are unclear about the process and the timeline. Think about it. Would you say yes to something that feels vague or overwhelming?

I mean, one of my clients, a photographer, started clearly explaining her entire process step by step. And her bookings went up 40%. Not because her work improved, but because the uncertainty in how she worked disappeared.

So you've got to really get good at explaining what happens next. What can they expect when they purchase something from you or when they start to work with you?

Those are the three real reasons that people start to ghost you. Now next thing here is we've got to flip the script. Here is the mindset shift that really changes everything.

Ghosting is not a no. It's a need. A need for clarity. A need for leadership. A need for you to step in and guide them to the next move. What if following up wasn't annoying, but exactly what they were waiting for?

I used to think that if someone really wanted to work with me, they'd reach out. But then one woman told me, "I was waiting to hear from you. I didn't know if you wanted to work with me." Ugh.

That kind of changed everything for me. I realized that I was doing a disservice by not following up. I wasn't representing the person that originally reached out or that walked in the door.

I have to rep them. I'm representing the person who wants help or wants a service or wants a product. So you're doing a disservice if you don't follow up. Now let's enter—entering from stage right is what I'm going to call the bookend approach.

Here's something important to know before we can even get to the follow-up. If in your initial conversation, you already know someone is a closed no, not a good fit, guess what, you're done. No need to follow up. That's kind of a gift. It's because clear is kind.

So remember, if you think in that initial conversation they're not a good fit, then we're done. But if you walk away with a glimmer of possibility, an inkling that they might be a client or customer either now or in the future, then yes, you need to move to the follow-up. Because you're not a no to them, and they're not a no to you. They might just be a not yet. Not today. Might be tomorrow. Or not this week. Might be in a week. They just need your guidance to get clear.

So if you want to eliminate ghosting before it even happens, this is your new best friend. Like if I had some drums, I would play them. Your new best friend is this thing called the bookend approach. It's really a simple structure for how you start and end every conversation.

At the start of the call or the minute they walk through the door, you want to set your timeline, “We’ve got 30 minutes together on this Zoom call. I have 30—do you still have 30?” Yes. Or they walk in the store, “Hey, how much time do you have until your next appointment or until you need to pick up your child?”

So number one is time, set how much time you have. You don’t want to get caught at the end not being able to finish the call, the transaction, or the conversation properly.

Next piece of this approach, outline the agenda. So we're going to cover in our 30 minutes here where you're at, what's getting in the way and how I might be able to help you, okay? Or let's, in our 15 minutes that we have together in the store, let's zoom in and look at specifically furniture, couches for the great room.

Before you leave, I want you to have a good idea of the two couches you like the best and what fabric colorway you're going towards. So we've set the time, now we've set our agenda. What we're going to cover, we're going to cover this, this, and this, and then we're going to determine at the end how I might be able to help.

I'm going to share with you how I'm going to be able to help. Then the last thing is to define the outcome. You'll leave knowing exactly what working together could look like and what your next step is.

You'll leave knowing exactly which two couches we need to now go measure for and what colors we need to look for in terms of fabric selection. So the bookend approach is three parts.

Time, do you have still 30 minutes? Agenda, I want to hear what's going on with you. I'm going to tell you a little bit what I think I was getting in the way and how I might be able to help. That's the agenda. Then outcome, you're going to leave knowing exactly what working together could look like, or you're going to leave knowing what your next step is, or you're going to leave knowing whether or not we're a good fit. So clear expectations really create confidence.

Clear expectations set out at the beginning create confidence. Then we get to the end of a call or an end of a meeting. Set a specific next step. Not “Let me know what you decide.” Not “Why don't you get back to me when you're ready?” Instead, “How about, let's hold time on Thursday to check in after you've received the proposal. I have 15 minutes at 10:00 AM or 3:00 PM open, which works better?” You are the leader. They came to you for guidance.

So you guide the path. You guide the path, not them. They want to be guided. Remember, they want to be guided. You're doing a disservice if you're not guiding. So definitely leave that first interaction knowing when the next interaction is going to happen.

Now, here's a bonus tip. The pre-close, I'll call it. Before you wrap this call up or before you wrap this interaction up, try this: Is there anything else you'd need to know to feel confident moving forward? Is there anything else that we haven't addressed that you need to know to feel confident moving forward?

You'll surface kind of the real questions before they go silent. You'll know exactly what to say in your follow-up because they told you what might be getting in their way. I used this just last week with a potential client and was hesitating. She immediately said, “Actually, I’m really worried about the time commitment.” Boom. I know exactly what to address right now and I know exactly what to address if we need to go into a follow-up call. I addressed it right then. Guess what? She signed the next day.

Okay. All right. So today, we have covered the three reasons people ghost you. We've covered why they disappear, if that's actually happening. We've covered how we can flip the script so that ghosting is not really a no, it's just signaling that they need something. We talked about the bookend approach, time agenda outcome.

Then we talked about setting the next time to chat before you get off that initial call or initial meeting. Then we talked about, “Hey, is there anything that we haven't covered that would be helpful in thinking about how to move forward? Or is there anything else you need to know to feel confident moving forward?” Good stuff. All right, there is more to come.

So in the second episode of this three-part series, which will be released next week, or if you're not listening to this in real time, it's going to be the next episode on your podcast player, I'm going to give you some exact scripts for follow-up.

What to say in that initial follow-up, what to say a week later, two weeks later, etc. Yes, the actual words, no guessing, no wondering, no just circling back necessary.

Then in that third episode, so two episodes from now in this three-part series, we're going to talk about automating all of this. So your follow-up happens without you having to remember or without you having to stress.

But before you listen to this next episode, here is your simple action step. Here's your homework. I want you to think of two or three leads that have gone quiet or never showed back up again.

I want you to jot down what was the last thing you said to them and I want you to bring that info with you to the next episode, because we're going to re-engage them together. Two or three leads that have gone quiet. What was the last thing you said to them? Write it down.

If you're already loving all of this and you want all the templates and lifetime access to the workshop content and even the recording of a full Q&A session I did on this exact topic, you can get it. I don't want to say you can't get it.

Even if you weren't at the workshop, you can go over to andrealiebross.com/noghostbundle, and you will get everything that you need to confidently lead your prospects from this interested, because they did walk in the door or they did reach out, to invested.

Okay, friends, I hope your basket of laundry is folded. I hope you've taken some great notes. I hope this was helpful. Give me some feedback. Message me. I always want to know.

This is the kind of thing we go deep with in coaching, kind of giving you a dose of coaching right here on the podcast. But you're just listening. This is passive action. If you want to take massive action and you want to dive deeper into this, get the No Ghost Bundle and reach out and set up a call with me. We'll figure out if we're a good fit, okay?

So, you are doing big things. Keep leading, keep showing up. I will meet you back here next week for the second episode in this three-part series. Let's stop ghosting. Let's start guiding. Talk soon.

Thanks for tuning into the She Thinks Big! Podcast. If you're ready to learn the secret to unleashing your full potential, don't forget to grab a copy of my book, She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary. It's available on Amazon and at your favorite bookstore.

And while you're there, grab a copy for a friend. Inside, you'll both find actionable strategies and empowering insights to help you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship and life, and step confidently into your extraordinary future.

If you found value in today's episode, please consider leaving us a review on your favorite podcast platform. And if you're ready to take this learning a step further and apply it to your own business and life, head to andreaslinks.com and click the button to schedule a discovery call. Until next time, keep thinking big.