Why prospects ghost you after "great" proposal meetings

September 07, 2025•4 min read

Ever walked out of a proposal meeting thinking "That went really well!" only to never hear from that prospect again?

You follow up the next week like you said you would. You call, you email... and nothing. Radio silence. Deal's dead.

Real talk: If you leave a presentation meeting without a decision OR a confirmed, locked-in next step, you've already started losing the deal.

I was on a coaching call with our closers last week, and this scenario came up for the hundredth time. An MSP had delivered a killer proposal, got good vibes, positive feedback... then got completely ghosted.

Let’s change that.

The Framework That Changes Everything

The top closers in a consultative sales process use a simple framework to make sure they never leave a meeting empty-handed. We call it BAMFAM: Book A Meeting From A Meeting.

(I didn't create the acronym, but I've been preaching it for years because it flat-out works.)

Here's how it works:

When you get to the end of your proposal and your prospect, and despite your best efforts they insist on not making a decision and “following up,” here's exactly what you say:

"Sure, it's a big decision. Totally understand you want to take some time. How much time do you think you need? A couple days? Perfect. Why don't we schedule a quick 30-minute follow-up for Friday… does 2 or 3 work better? That way you'll have time to review everything and I can answer any questions that come up."

Then you lock it in. Right there. On the calendar.

No more empty “I’ll call you next week” follow-ups.

Why This Works

This simple technique does two critical things:

It keeps momentum alive: If they said they need 2-3 days to decide or talk to someone, having that meeting scheduled creates urgency to actually make that decision.
It reveals true intent: Their response tells you everything about where this deal really stands.

Reading the Room

When you ask to schedule that follow-up, you'll typically get one of three responses:

Response #1: "Sure, Friday at 2 works great."

Perfect. You've got a live deal with momentum.

Response #2: "Uh, I'm not sure about my schedule..."

This needs some finesse. Is it a legit scheduling conflict, or a polite blowoff?

To figure that out, try this:

"No worries, I know calendars get crazy. Why don't we pencil something in for Monday or Tuesday? If something comes up, you can always reschedule. At least we'll have something on the books. Sound good?"

If they're still resistant, offer to send three times and let them pick what works.

“I get it. Tell you what, how about when I get to the office, I’ll throw a dart at a few times. You accept the one that works and just decline the other. If I miss the board entirely, tell me what works for you. Sound good?"

It’s not ideal, but it at least create an open loop to follow up on and gets something on calendars.

Response #3: Clear resistance

When they’re really hesitant, you probably have an objection, not a scheduling issue. This is where you need to be candid. I like to say:

"Can I ask you a candid question? Sometimes when people don't want to schedule a follow-up, it's because their calendar's crazy. And sometimes it's because they know they're not moving forward and just feel bad telling me. I assure you, it won't hurt my feelings. For you, is it more the former or the latter?"

This gives them permission to tell you no NOW - while you still have a chance to address their concerns.

The Bottom Line

Never leave a presentation meeting empty-handed. You're either leaving with:

A YES
A NO
A scheduled next step on the calendar

Anything else, and you're setting yourself up to get ghosted.

I ran this exact process on a call with an MSP owner recently. When we got to scheduling the follow-up, he laughed and said, "I've seen your content about this - I would've been disappointed if you didn't ask!"

He became a client.

This works because it forces the real conversation to happen while you're still in the room (or on the call). It keeps deals alive and tells you early if a deal's actually dead.