Why You Hear ‘I'll Think About It' or Get Ghosted After Sales Calls
You get on a call with someone who could be a perfect-fit client. You’d love to work with them, and you know full well you could help them. They seem keen, too (woop, woop).
But then they drop the bomb you heard from another dream prospect last week: “I’ll think about it” (and we all know what that means).
Oooooor they feed you one of the usual excuses: “It’s just not the right time” or “We haven’t got the budget”, even though you then see them invest in a more expensive competitor only a few weeks later.
Or they flat-out ghost you, ignoring all your “Hiiiiiii, just checking in” emails.
And the worst part?
Even though you’ve been running a successful business for years and your past and current clients love you, it still happens regularly—even after long or multiple calls, endless back-and-forths, free advice and value, or lengthy proposals—causing you to waste hours with people who don’t become clients, week after week.
But I bet you’re ready to change that.
You want to repel time-wasters and attract more “When can we start?” leads, right?
Excellent! So, let’s look into why you’re still getting ghosted after so many sales calls, so that you know exactly what to focus on to change it.
Why you’re getting ghosted after sales calls
Technically, there can be a million reasons why you’re getting ghosted after sales calls or hearing the same objections, even more so if we were to look at these potential clients on an individual basis (you never know what someone is going through. Maybe that specific person was hit with a huge struggle in their personal life only the day after your call).
But we’re here to focus on recurring patterns and, most importantly, their root cause.
In fact, I’m writing this article for a specific type of business owner, especially fellow women founders and solopreneurs because… I’ve seen this scenario LOADS of times.
So, if you tick all these boxes, I can pretty much guarantee that the actual problem is the same (if you don’t, the list will still show you what else you must fix first. You’re welcome).
You’re already running a successful business, and you are getting clients, even though it’s more unpredictable and time-consuming than you’d like (= you have a proven business model and the right services for your ideal clients, with a strong product-market fit)
You’re getting referrals and word of mouth (= your past and current clients are satisfied with the actual delivery of your services)
You’re not letting every Tom, Vik & Harry book a free call without any kind of pre-qualification (= you’re already weeding out the most obvious time-wasters and uncommitted prospects)
Some people do become clients after a discovery call or sales call, especially if they’ve come through networking or word of mouth (= you’re not hopeless at running the calls themselves)
If all that applies but you’re still hearing “I’ll think about it” or getting ghosted after sales calls, especially the ones that come directly from your marketing, I bet my 80s blazer that the actual problem is this:
your messaging and positioning—and therefore, your overall marketing—aren’t doing justice to the value of your services.
So, your ideal clients are only seeing your offers as a “non-urgent nice-to-have” and thinking of you as “just another option in your niche” (or worse, a free resource, online friend, or influencer whose content they love but whom they aren’t even thinking of paying) rather THE authority they can feel confident investing in as soon as they’re ready to take action.
How your messaging can act as an initial screening tool
By messaging, I mean the way you talk and write about your business, how you convey your value proposition and positioning, and what you focus on the most and repeat in your marketing to reach, connect with, and activate your ideal clients.
Why is it so important? Because your messaging:
Is what conveys the value of your services to people who haven’t experienced them first-hand just yet – If your ideal clients can’t see and fully understand that value ‘from the outside’? They either won’t take action or come to you with loads of excuses and hesitation
Can either make you stand out or blend in – If everything you share makes your ideal clients think “It’s like she’s in my head”, they’ll think of YOU as soon as they’re ready to invest in your types of services, no questions asked. If it’s too generic, if it confuses them, or if it trains them to think of you as more of a free resource, online friend, or influencer… they’ll pick your competitors or, once again, come to you with the same objections and excuses
Influences your entire marketing – It doesn’t matter if you’re showing up on Instagram, LinkedIn, via email, at networking events, and so on. Your messaging is the foundation. So, if you’re not clear on it or you don’t know how to amplify it in a way that makes it click for your ideal clients (= that you’re THE ONE for them), mastering one tactic won’t fix it. You’ll keep being busy and doing a lot while thinking “My marketing just doesn’t feel worth it”
Acts like a magnet – Magnetic messaging can attract your ideal clients while also repelling wrong-fit prospects and time-wasters on a 1:many basis. Without this, you are going to have to keep doing it on a 1:1 basis during calls and back-and-forths (and tackling objections or getting ghosted)
Basically, while it’s wise to have an additional filter in place (like pre-qualifying your leads with strategic questions before getting on a call with them), your messaging acts as the first screening:
it determines whether you keep attracting so many uncommitted leads or you mostly speak to perfect-fit, high-level ones who, by the time they get in touch, already know they want to work with you. Their main question during a discovery call (if that call is even needed by then)? “When can we start?”
For example, take my client Shannon, founder of High Flying Design:
“Before investing in Giada, I would get ghosted more frequently. I now know that this was happening because my copy didn't pre-qualify people - leading everyone to get in touch. As you can imagine, this has saved me a lot of time as I now no longer have as many people to get back to.
And when people do get in touch, they are more likely to say yes to working with me - therefore the time spent with the prospect was not a waste of time but instead can be seen as time building rapport / in 'discovery'.”
That’s the power of magnetic messaging!
But by now, you’re probably thinking “Ok, Giada. I get that messaging is important, but how can this look like in practice?”
I’ll show you.
Examples of bad and good messaging
I’ll use a nervous system coach as an example.
Bad messaging
“Step into alignment and embody your highest self. My programme is the nervous system regulation you need.
Together, we’ll rewrite your narrative, rewire your limiting beliefs, and activate your flow states so you can take your business to the next level and operate at your highest potential.”
Why it’s bad and more likely to result in calls with “I’ll think about it” prospects and ghosters:
❌ Too vague and generic (who is this even for? Plus, ‘take your business to the next level’ can mean everything and NOTHING at the same time)
❌ Full of buzzwords and jargon (for example, someone who isn’t a nervous system expert probably doesn’t know what ‘activating your flow states’ means. And what does ‘step into alignment’ or ‘embody your highest self’ actually mean?!)
❌ Hard to picture (what will this look like? How will my day-to-day change?)
Magnetic messaging
“From the outside, you’re running a successful business and life but, inside, you always feel like you’re about to break, pushing, and thinking ‘I just need to make it to tomorrow’?
It’s because your nervous system is still holding on to outdated or downright wrong beliefs, acting as if you were in danger.
No wonder all those self-help books and affirmations haven’t worked: the problem is deep inside your body, not just your mind.
So, let’s get to the root cause and fix this once and for all, so you can start feeling calm in your everyday life and running and scaling your business from a place of safety, opportunity, and ease, not survival”
Why it’s magnetic and more likely to bring you enquiries from “When can we start?” prospects:
✅ Hyper-specific, making them think “It’s like she’s describing MY situation”
✅ Simple and clear language, mirroring the way they talk about their problems and goals in their own heads
✅ Includes details and specific situations that create an instant vivid image in her ideal clients’ minds, something they can see themselves in (current problem) and that they crave (desired outcome and goal)
Making your messaging magnetic is a no-brainer, right?
But here’s the thing…
Why it’s tricky to get your messaging right and speak to “When can we start” leads
If you’re already feeling on fire and ready to make your messaging more magnetic and strategic, go for it.
If, on the other hand:
You’re constantly tweaking your website copy and social media bios
You can tell your current messaging isn’t doing justice to the value of your services but can’t figure out how to change it
please know that it’s not just you: it’s really common and, in fact, completely normal.
You’re simply too close to your business to sum it up and convey the value of your services in a way that connects with people who haven’t experienced them. I always say that it’s like trying to read the label from inside the jar.
… and even more so for women
Ever since we were little girls, we’ve been conditioned to shrink, be everything for everyone, and downplay our brilliance.
And showing up as THE authority that a specific ideal client can feel confident investing it? Being that niche and bold with our messaging? It feels like the complete opposite.
So, your brain won’t like that. And this will show up in sneaky ways, like:
Continuing to let every Tom, Vik & Harry book a free call with you, even though you’re tired of hearing “I’ll think about it” or getting ghosted
Being more generic and vanilla with your messaging to try and appeal to everyone
Churning out the kind of marketing that everyone and their dog can engage with (tips, surface-level statements, empowering quotes, what you did during the weekend…) to get engagement and validation from the masses
So, I’m going to be upfront.
YES: even though it’s incredibly beneficial, changing your messaging can feel a little uncomfortable at first. You simply need to choose your kind of ‘hard’:
Sticking to messaging that feels safe while continuing to feel resentful because your ideal clients can’t see the value of your services, taking on low-vibe clients and work that doesn’t excite you, and wasting hours talking to “I’ll think about it” prospects and getting hosted, week after week
Going through that initial discomfort to then get used to owning your brilliance unapologetically, standing out, making your ideal clients think “It’s like she’s always talking about ME”, receiving more enquiries and call bookings from leads who are itching to get started, and signing more and better clients more easily—consistently
If it’s the latter and you’re craving that external perspective to read the label from outside the jar…
How I’ll make your messaging magnetic, so you can sign high-level clients with ease
I’m Giada, the marketing message strategist and mentor for women becoming THE ONE their ideal clients want to hire.
And with Recalibrate, we’ll fix your messaging and get complete clarity during a high-impact 1:1 session and a full week of support, positioning your services as the only option.
So, instead of continuing to hear “I’ll think about it” or get ghosted by people and businesses you’d love to work with, you’ll start creating marketing that does the heavy-lifting for you to hit your income goals, showing the value of your services to perfect-fit leads before they’ve even spoken to you.
Ready to sign more high-level clients with ease?