If you keep up with Internet slang, you’ve probably heard of the term “ghosting.” Ghosting is when someone suddenly ceases all communication with you as a way of ending your relationship.
People most commonly ghost each other in casual dating relationships, but it can happen in professional relationships too.
When a customer who seemed interested in making a deal stops responding to your calls and emails, they may be ghosting you.
How to tell if you’ve been ghosted
Despite how straightforward ghosting seems, it’s very hard to figure out when you’re being ghosted, especially in professional situations.
When a customer ignores your emails, you’re left wondering if they’re busy, sick, or just not interested in your services anymore. And unfortunately, when you check in with them and ask if they’re still interested in cutting a deal, they usually don’t respond.
If it’s only been a few days since your last email communication, don’t freak out. Your customer is probably just busy. But if weeks have passed by without a response and you’ve sent multiple follow-up emails, it’s safe to say that you’re being ghosted.
Why ghosting happens
According to Inc, ghosting is a pretty common behavior.
Ghosting “often occurs due to events that have nothing to do with you, as when the other person forgot to call and is now embarrassed to admit it.”
With how busy we all are, it’s no wonder why ghosting occurs so often. But that doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating when it happens to you.
If you’ve been ghosted recently and you don’t know what to do about it, here are some tips.
What to do about ghosting
When you’re being ghosted, you have two options. You can let days and weeks pass by without a response, or you can take a risk and send your customer a direct email to try and salvage the relationship.
These two email strategies that we’re about to share with you are still friendly and professional, but much more forward than your regular email communications, which is why they just might get a response.
Ask if they’re OK
A great way to reactivate a conversation with a customer is to send an email asking if they’re ok, which you’re probably already wondering.
In your email, express that you’re concerned about them because you haven’t heard from them in a while. Ask them if they could send a quick email letting you know that they’re ok so that you can stop worrying.
Usually this type of email will get a response, but if it doesn’t, you may want to try out this second email strategy.
Ask if you can reach out to someone else
Send an email to your contact at the company and ask them if the matter you’re contacting them about is still something they handle. If not, ask if there’s someone else you can reach out to at the company who can address your query.
This email may not get a response. If it doesn’t, try and reach out to someone else at the company and see if they’re more responsive.
Hopefully the next person you talk to will be able to close the deal and your struggles with ghosting will be over.