How to avoid getting ghosted in sales outreach: Top insights from sales experts

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As we gear up for Halloween, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the spookiest mistakes sales folks make—and how to avoid them! 

Whether you’re haunting the inboxes of potential clients or making cold calls, there are proven strategies to ensure your outreach doesn’t turn into a horror show. 

We spoke with several sales experts to gather their best practices for ensuring your messages don’t get ghosted and to identify the scariest blunders SDRs make. Here’s what they had to say.

Remember the holy trilogy: personalization, relevance, and timing

To make sure your emails don’t get ghosted Bryan Mulry emphasizes, “There’s a holy trilogy to sales emails: personalized, relevant, and timely. Our sales messages must combine all three. 

No point in sending messaging that isn’t personalized or comes at a bad time. If we can focus on all three areas, prospects will appreciate what you have to say.”

Capture prospects when they're most engaged

You have to strike when the iron’s hot. Lina Castano takes a refreshing approach to staying engaged with prospects: calling engaged prospects right after they open or click her emails.

But what if they don’t respond? Lina humorously adds, “I’ll follow up with a link to our site, and once Warmly, pings me on Slack that they’re browsing, I try the chatbot. And if they still ignore me? I totally show up at their doorstep... kidding!!! I’ll catch them on LinkedIn instead.”

This light-hearted strategy underscores the importance of striking while the iron is hot by capitalizing on opportunities when prospects show interest. By reaching out during these key moments, you can forge a more meaningful connection and significantly increase your chances of receiving a response.

Personalize the message

However, timing is only part of the equation; the content of your outreach matters just as much. There’s nothing scarier than sending out a generic email that misses the mark. 

As Everett McMahan emphasizes, “If you understand what’s actually affecting their business, you can email them about things they care about instead of 'just checking in.'” 

He warns that true personalization comes from understanding the prospect's context and addressing their specific needs. By digging deeper into what drives your prospects, you can craft messages that are not only relevant but also resonate with their current challenges.

Research your prospects

Neill Murphy further emphasizes a crucial strategy: “Always come with a solid, well-researched POV. Show your prospect you understand their business, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor rather than just another salesperson.” 

He also warns that running too fast with a cookie-cutter approach can lead to a nightmare scenario. If SDRs rush into opportunities without taking the time to research first and rely on generic outreach for every prospect, it can quickly turn into a horror show. Such tactics not only fail to engage potential clients but also risk alienating them altogether.

This highlights the importance of tailoring your approach to each individual, ensuring that your outreach resonates and fosters meaningful connections.

Understand your prospect before you pitch

One of the scariest mistakes in sales is assuming that every enthusiastic lead is a genuine opportunity. Akshaya Ravi recounts her internship experience, which highlights this critical lesson:

“Back when I was an intern in sales, I came across this prospect who seemed really eager to jump on a demo call. I was super excited, thinking I had found a golden opportunity. But then my Account Executive dropped a bombshell: the prospect was already a customer of our competitor. It turned out his excitement wasn’t about checking out a new solution at all; he just wanted to sneak a peek at our product to scoop up some insights to help him stick with the other side”

This experience serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of vetting leads thoroughly before investing your time and resources. 

By taking the extra step to qualify your prospects, you can focus your efforts on those who truly align with your offerings and avoid wasting time on those merely looking to gather competitive intelligence. - can you frame it nicely

Avoid fake flattery and pointless small talk

Furthermore, Elric Legloire, creator of the Outbound Kitchen newsletter sheds light on two of the scariest mistakes SDRs make that can quickly turn outreach into a horror show. 

• Fake Flattery
  One of the biggest red flags is using fake flattery. This approach destroys trust right away. When you resort to disingenuous compliments, it signals to prospects that you are willing to be dishonest just to make a sale. This not only wastes their time but also insults their intelligence. For example, saying, “I’m impressed by your sales background” or “Love your podcast!” followed by an unrelated pitch can come across as insincere.
• Irrelevant Openers
  The second mistake is using irrelevant openers. When your initial message doesn’t relate to the prospect’s business, it shows that you haven’t done your homework. This can feel lazy or even invasive, often leading to a quick rejection or being flagged as spam. A typical example might be, “I saw you live in Mexico. Want a demo?” Such approaches can leave a negative impression, increasing the chances of being ghosted.

Make sure you’re talking to the right person

Eric Farnham points out the importance of knowing your audience before making a pitch. “I’m a phone-forward guy, so I like to get straight to the point,” he explains. “But if SDRs jump right into a pitch without confirming they’re talking to the right person, it can lead to frustration.”

Pitching to the wrong person not only annoys the prospect but also makes cold calls less enjoyable for the rep. He notes, “A lot of phone reluctance stems from the fear of uncomfortable conversations. If you approach calls with the right mindset, it can be smoother for both sides.” 

Eric warns against relying too heavily on automated outreach, like "spammy, 1,000-person email cadences," as these often come across as impersonal and irrelevant to recipients.

Don’t go straight to the pitch

Building on the theme of navigating common missteps, Thomas Lopez advises against the prevalent error of “pitch slapping,” which involves jumping straight into a sales pitch without first establishing any rapport. 

He views this as one of the biggest mistakes SDRs can make. Instead, he recommends starting with phone and email outreach, as this approach helps create a solid foundation for meaningful interactions and significantly boosts your chances of effectively engaging prospects.

Keep the message short and sweet

To further refine your outreach strategy, Desanka Murdzeva brings up the importance of keeping your emails short and sweet. While you can’t guarantee a response, keeping your emails to around three to four sentences can help improve your chances of getting a reply. 

She warns against the “spray and pray” approach, where generic emails are sent out in bulk without considering relevance. Focusing on brevity and being relevant can really make a difference in your outreach efforts.

Do your homework

Today’s buyers are sharper than ever. Szymon Plebaniak highlights the necessity of thorough research: “Today’s buyers can spot generic outreach a mile away. Account planning and research are key to differentiating yourself.” He offers a cold-calling structure to follow that ensures engagement.

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Deliver value with every engagement

Finally, Elliott Garcia, humorously points out, “To avoid being ghosted, deliver value with every email. The real nightmare? Yelling the wrong time zone over the phone—talk about scary!” 

This is a cheeky reminder that while it’s crucial to pack your outreach with value, keeping your logistics in check is just as important. After all, nobody wants to scare off potential clients before they even get a chance to engage!

How to avoid these scary mistakes (and never get ghosted):

This Halloween, let’s embrace these insights and transform them into a winning outreach strategy. Here are some spirited action points to consider as you refine your outreach

• Personalize Your Approach: Using the prospect’s name and including specific details about their company in your communications can create a more personal connection. Personalization goes beyond simply addressing someone by name; it involves referencing recent achievements, challenges, or industry trends relevant to their business. This shows you’ve done your homework and genuinely care about their needs, making your outreach feel less like a cold call and more like a friendly conversation.

• Be Relevant: When reaching out, align your solution with the specific challenges your prospects are facing. Take the time to understand their pain points and how your product or service can help them overcome these obstacles. Providing tailored insights that demonstrate your expertise not only positions you as a valuable resource but also shows that you understand their business landscape, making it easier for them to see the benefits of your offering.

• Timing is Key: Follow up promptly after a prospect engages with your email to maintain their interest. If you notice they’ve opened your message or clicked on a link, that’s your cue to reach out while the topic is still fresh in their mind. Quick follow-ups can help reinforce your message and keep the conversation moving forward, preventing the prospect from losing interest or getting distracted by other priorities.

• Keep It Concise: Ensure your outreach is brief and to the point; long emails are often ignored. Busy professionals appreciate when you respect their time by delivering your message clearly and succinctly. Aim to convey your main points within a few short paragraphs, using bullet points if necessary to highlight key benefits. A well-structured email that’s easy to read can significantly increase the chances of a response.

• Research Diligently: The more you know about your prospects, the more effectively you can connect with them. Spend time researching their industry, recent news, and their specific business challenges. This knowledge allows you to tailor your messaging in a way that resonates with them, demonstrating that you’re not just another salesperson, but a knowledgeable partner who understands their needs. Being well-informed can also help you ask insightful questions and provide solutions that align closely with their objective

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With these tips in your back pocket, you’ll be well on your way to ensuring your emails don’t just vanish into the abyss.

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