Getting Ghosted is a Me Problem (How I Intend to Fix it)

GHOSTED, for the first few times of many to come, I’m sure.

I built them exactly what we talked about. One even specifically ask for it.

Sent the automation with a detailed explanation. Included a walkthrough video. Even offered to get on a call to set it up.

Complete silence.

Not even a "thanks, but I’m good." Just nothing.

And these were warm leads, people I know. Business owners who literally told me "Yes, this is a huge pain point" during our conversations.

I look at this as a welcome to modern sales, where being ghosted is the new "no."

Funny enough, one of these people literally told me how they had ghosted a friend asking about their business before, they were supposed to get back to them and just, didn't. So maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.

It reminded me of when I hired an employee a couple years ago. During her first shift, she was bragging about ghosting some guy she'd been dating. Immediate red flag. I thought, "Yeah, she's probably going to ghost our business too." Sure enough, two weeks later, we couldn't reach her.

Ghosted haha my first lesson with the term I’d heard so much about from my mom about hiring at the Y.

I’m an “I respond” guy

I have this bias. I’m a guy who always responds to questions directed directly toward me alone. I give other people the time. I believe it helps in the long run.

But, I understand that’s not everyone and I can’t change that. So, I must adapt. I can’t just blame it on the person who was doing me a favor in the first place lending me their ear.

I must abide by the most important lesson in sales…

The customer is always right (but you have to find the right customer)

Here's what I'm learning: It doesn't matter how good your solution is if people weren't actively looking for one.

I do believe the customer is always right, so my sales tactics have to change. If I'm not getting a response, it's on me, not them. That's the way I have to think, if not, I will lose.

I approached these conversations with "Hey, this is my new business. Got any problems I can solve?" They said yes because they're friendly, but they weren't bleeding (enough).

They weren't actively seeking relief.

There's a massive difference between having a problem and shopping for a solution.

The homework problem

I gave them what they needed, not what they wanted.

What they wanted was for the problem to disappear without any effort on their part.

The last thing they want is another project to manage, even if it's the project that saves them 10 hours a week.

I believe they can't see past the initial investment of attention. The set up seems too overwhelming for someone who is not actively, and I mean actively, seeking solutions.

These solutions were built based on comments like “yeah this would be great if you could ___”. Then I built it. When they spoke they probably didn’t think the solution was coming their way. They were actively seeking it so they didn’t really care.

But here's the deeper issue: I wasn't making an irresistible offer. I was making a reasonable one.

"Here's your automation, let me know if you want to set it up."

That's not compelling. That's homework.

Everyone is thinking about themselves. We're all self-interested, and I need to play toward that.

Thinking about new approaches

Lead with immediate value.

Instead of building what they asked for and hoping they'll implement it, I'm going to show them what their business looks like with the automation already running

Because in 2025, attention is more scarce than money.

People have endless options but zero patience. You don't get points for building something good. You only get paid for making their life measurably better, immediately.

Even better (I thought about this while thinking out this post and this now obsoletes the strategy i laid out in the couple sentences above, yet I’m keeping it in here because it shows real time thought progression)

Instead of asking "What problems do you have?" I'm looking for people who are already saying "I need help with X."

LinkedIn is likely a good place to start. Not for prospects, but for problem-havers who are publicly frustrated. People posting about manual processes driving them crazy. Business owners asking their network for recommendations.

At least that’s my assumption.

These people are different. They're not just acknowledging problems, they're seeking solutions.

The path is either convincing people to see what I see or finding the people who see it but don't know how to take advantage of it. I'm choosing the latter.

Volume solves everything (almost)

Originally I titled this piece "Sales is Hard and I'm Just Starting." Then I realized it's only going to get harder because I'll have to do more. So I need to counteract that difficulty with better processes and more output. (built an automation for this linked below)

What do I need for that? More contacts to contact. More contacts in general. Then I need multiple ways to reach them and generate attention. Following on multiple platforms increases touch points.

More shots on goal.

There are people who will answer, see the value, and want it. Then there are people who are either too busy to answer or don't care enough.

But make no mistake: Everyone is just thinking about themselves. And there are people out there who I will eventually hit, that will think “Yes, this helps me”.

They will see the value like I see the value. Finding them will just take time and strategy.

What the ghosts taught me

The warm outreach taught me something valuable: Even precise execution can't overcome poor targeting.

This sales lesson isn't about better follow-up or stronger closing techniques.

It's about finding people who are already shopping for solutions, then removing every possible barrier between them and the result they want.

I believe volume will solve some of this. Automation will help me reach more prospects. But what I really need to do is target people who are actively seeking solutions instead of trying to convince people they have problems worth solving.

The ghosts taught me more than polite responses would have.

Thanks for reading,

James