Buyer ghosting – if you’re unfamiliar with this term, you probably don’t know a millennial, because I’m pretty sure they coined it. It’s the lack of communication after calls, even when buyers promise interest or indicate willingness for next meetings. According to 2025 research by Sopro (a lead marketing company), one-third of all buyers refuse to respond to emails, voicemails, or texts. Worse, 71% ghost specifically after demos because you failed to uncover their pain. Having spent 18 years buying services for large corporations at Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Frito-Lay, then working the last decade and a half teaching clients how to pitch to corporations, I know exactly what’s happening. My clients tell me what went wrong, we fix it, and they get in. Here are scary statistics I share at executive roundtables: $38,000 is spent on meetings that go nowhere (flights, hotels, cabs, food, personnel costs), and 62% of first meetings never reach second meetings. This ghosting phenomenon costs a billion dollars annually in marketing that doesn’t work. Here are a few steps to never get ghosted by corporate buyers again…

Before the Meeting: Become a Celebrity

First, become a celebrity in your target industry’s eyes. Nobody cancels on Oprah. Achieve visibility by speaking at their events and conferences. For example, my weekly livestream Tuesday Tea Time With Chala builds my celebrity status. How do I know? I meet people at private parties and weddings who know me, though I don’t know how they know me. A lot of them turn into prospects who already know my work.

Research shows that humans can feel as close to subject matter expert influencers as to actual celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence or Brad Pitt. When you have relevant content and when your prospects constantly watch, and when you’re visible in your target buyer’s world discussing their pain and industry solutions, you become a celebrity to them.

Further ways to expand your celebrity is to use publications (podcasts, books, newsletters, magazines), pitch contests (I recently trained pitch contestants through WBENC DMV and New York – two placed in top 10, and one client landed her prime healthcare target worth millions), emails, videos, and TV appearances.

Market your successes through peer reviews, industry reviews, and testimonials. Like me, build a YouTube channel of client testimonial interviews – when someone wants to hire you, I send them that link.  Become an irresistible celebrity even before meeting them.

During the Meeting: Take Control and Co-Create

Meet only with true decision-makers – both the decision authority and budget authority. If these folks are not there, refuse to pitch. Ask whoever sets the meeting: “Who needs to be there? Who makes the final decision?” Unless decision makers attend, don’t waste your time. This is hard with committees of 10+ people buying at large corporations, and knowing three-quarters of the buyer journey happens before they call you. But make your stand: “We don’t typically present until all decision-makers are present because we co-create the scope of work together.” I’ve given this advice over 15 years – some clients are too scared, others take it and see results.

Next, nurture leads until the meeting date with calendar reminders (confirm acceptance), automated reminders (I send different videos each time). Send information pertinent to the upcoming meeting, industry trends and news, new legislation, newsletters full of case stories, social media forwards saying “thought of you.”

Another ideas is to bring food or a celebrity (local or industry celebrity, trends report, something rare) to the meeting. One client sends Uber Eats vouchers for their virtual Christmas party nationwide. Some send pizza for virtual webinars. When you take control and make it memorable, no buyer will think about ghosting you.

The Truth From an 18-Year Corporate Buyer

I’m not saying this is easy. Large corporations have layers protecting buyers. But if you focus on their pain, speak their language, keep only their interests in mind, and stay creative and persistent, no corporate buyer will ignore you. During my 18 years buying services for the world’s largest brands, most vendors phoned it in. Even important executives and company founders were clueless – they only talked about themselves, offered nothing different (86% of buyers can’t tell vendors apart), and wasted our time.

Most ghosting happened because they wasted our time – not just ghosted, but “good riddance” ghosted. Don’t do that. Think ahead, specialize in their industry, know exactly what hurts them and how to help at their size and pain level, speak their language. No buyer will ghost you then.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.