Ghosting is when someone stops responding to your communications without explaining why. And while it’s usually used within the context of dating, it’s also becoming a tried-and-true tactic in sales and lead conversion settings.
While it’s true that your leads don’t really owe you anything, it’s always frustrating to lose contact with someone you thought was prepping to work with you. Below are three ways to engage a too-quiet lead when you think they may be ghosting on you.
1. Give them one thing to do
First, keep in mind that according to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, our average attention span is less than nine seconds. That means you only have around eight seconds to convince a lead to read a text or email, and then respond to it. If you’re sending multiple paragraphs to someone who hasn’t been responding to you, you’re doing it all wrong.
Instead, be sure that every communication you send has a specific call to action your lead can follow. Whether it’s asking them an open-ended question (like in the 9-word email) or offering a URL you’d like them to visit and consider, your lead should clearly understand what direction you'd like them to take once they reach the end of the communication.
Remember, don’t EVER give a lead more than one thing to do. Even if you have three questions you’d like answered, be sure to start with the most important query (and the one that would be most interesting to them). Once you have them further into the process, you’ll be in a better position to communicate with them to get the answers you need about the other topics.
2. Try a personalized video message
If a plain text email isn't working, don't be afraid to send a quick video message — still keeping it under 9 seconds. Provided your contact opens up the video message email, they’ll be much more likely to watch the full video than they would be to read even the shortest email.
If you’re hesitant about video, please give it a try! You don’t need fancy equipment or a script to make an impact. BombBomb, the leader in video marketing for real estate, says that fast-produced, 1-to-1 videos provide a 119% lift in email open rates and a 199% lift in video play rate!
Try sending a video from your phone. Think of it as leaving a voicemail, but now the camera is on you. You’d say essentially the same thing. Or try a free tool like ViewedIt.com that allows you to easily make video messages with your webcam and share. Or, see if BombBomb can give you a free trial offer and enjoy their customer support.
3. Switch to text messages
Some leads will only provide you an email address or a landline phone number. But that doesn’t mean you can’t attempt to get into their text messages, which they are much more likely to read.
To send a text to an email address, simply enter your contact’s email address where you’d normally put their phone number. Type your text in the content field below, then send.
Note: This is a trick that only works for Apple iPhone users, as the recipient’s email address is attached to their phone’s messaging via Apple ID. You’ll know if you have the right email address if the “To” field turns blue after you’ve typed it in:
Eventually, you can get to the point where you can ask them to give you their phone number but texting their email is a great way to get to the home screen of their phone without having their full contact record.
Let’s talk crazy! Try texting them at their email address with a personal video. Texting and video make a powerful combination in lead follow up.
How do you stop potential clients from ghosting on you?
How do you keep your leads alert and engaged… and ready to respond when you reach out? Tell us in the comments or drop us a line on our Facebook page, where we keep in touch with more than 35,000 top agents from across the country!
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