In sales, it’s not unusual for prospects, or even customers, to ghost weak salespeople. When an opportunity goes cold, the problem is often that the salesperson didn’t appropriately determine the next steps and get a commitment from the prospect. The good news is that controlling the sale is not only possible, but it’s also as easy as following a single rule.

To maintain sales momentum, salespeople must always understand the importance of making the next step before ending an interaction. When cold calling, end the call by agreeing to the next step of when a meeting will happen. When a meeting occurs, conclude the interaction by committing to when a proposal review will occur. 

After reviewing a proposal, finish the conversation with a consensus on how and when the client needs to make a decision. Once a customer makes a decision, agree to the next interaction, whether it’s a chance to debrief why it wasn’t competitive for next time or to onboard the client when accepted.

When salespeople always get their prospects to commit to the next step, ghosting behavior ends. The responsibility to hold buyers accountable to their commitments falls on the salesperson and those who accept it reap the rewards. It starts with always having a next step and ends with increased sales.