Ghosting occurs from poorly intended leads, awkward first conversations, and generic follow-ups, writes Josh Reese. Here are seven ways to reduce ghosting. They start even before you make your first call.
Being ghosted when you call your real estate agent is really the worst. It lowers morale and makes you question what you’re doing. And if you’re paying for those leads, you’ll quickly stop making money.
Every lead that doesn’t make it to the closing table increases your cost per acquisition. In other words, real suffering is not silence. That’s mathematics.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to consult with several leading teams and brokerages on lead generation and conversion. I see a lot of ghosting, but it’s rarely because the agent “needs a better script.” Usually it comes down to a broken process that produces poorly intended leads, awkward first conversations, and generic follow-ups that scream, “You’re now in a robot sequence.”
7 tips to avoid being ghosted
Here are seven ways to reduce ghosting. They start even before you make your first call.
1. Define your target audience more precisely than necessary
Most agents think they have a target audience until they are told out loud. That way I get things like sellers in my market and buyers in my area. That’s not the target audience. It’s a zip code filled with hope.
You can’t talk about specific pain points without defining who you’re actually trying to reach. If you can’t talk about specific pain points, you’ll attract people with unclear intentions, and those leads will disappear the moment the conversation gets serious.
2. Target your campaigns and help your leads understand why they raised their hand.
Ghosting often starts with the campaign itself. Paid campaigns and social media posts are often broad-based, leading to leads clicking for no apparent reason and calling in an attempt to build trust based on messages that could have been written by any agent in town.
If you have a broad conversation, you won’t be able to personalize the first call because there won’t be any sharp angles to make the conversation stick. So the call feels generic, and generic calls create generic follow-ups, leading to ghosting.
3. Stop joining calls with one predetermined “win.”
Many agents treat every call as if it only counts if you make an appointment today. That mindset can quickly create pressure, and the lead can feel it. Goals can be promises, but promises cannot be the only definition of victory.
In some cases, timing can lead to victory. In some cases, it may even identify the real problem. Sometimes you just have built enough trust that the next conversation feels natural.
4. Stop relying on scripts like a life raft
Scripts frame conversations, but real people don’t stay within frames. The moment the leader says something unexpected, those following the script will panic and the call will start to feel more like a performance than a conversation.
Another problem is that the lead has heard the script before. If you sound like other agents, you’ll be more likely to be ignored.
5. Always know why they entered your funnel
If your campaign is built for a seller, the first call should keep the focus on the seller’s issue. Too many agents can quickly draw the conversation into everything else, including where they’re moving, what they’ll buy next, and what their schedules are.
Those questions are important, but only after you earn the right to ask them. Find one pain point early on and prove you understand it. Because that’s why they reach out.
6. Make your first follow-up personal, not automated.
This is where most ghosts occur.
The first call goes well, and the next touch results in a typical automated text or email sequence. People know when they are being raised by a robot, and they also know when the message has nothing to do with what the robot said.
Initial follow-up should be personalized and relevant to their pain points. Simple texts that reference conversations and send helpful content work because they feel human and relevant.
7. Don’t assume you’ve been ghosted just because one email goes unanswered.
The agent receives one non-response, labels it as ghosting, and then exits. In many cases, the lead didn’t ghost you. they got busy.
Most real estate moves are related to stressful life events. Therefore, a single failure to respond cannot be treated as a rejection. Keep moving forward, keep providing value, and keep following up with their problem. Most agents quit too early and call it ghosting to protect their egos.
Profitability lessons hidden in ghosting
Although ghosting feels personal, it is usually structural. If the targeting is vague, the campaign is broad, the calls are scripted, and the follow-up is generic, leads have no reason to stay engaged. Strengthening your front end to stay relevant reduces ghosting and protects your cost per deal.
March is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. As the spring sales season begins, we examine the proven tactics and new innovations that are driving results in today’s market, and celebrate the industry’s top marketing and branding leaders with Inman’s Marketing All-Star Awards.
Josh Ries is a real estate agent and lead generation consultant. You can connect with him on TikTok and Instagram.
