Ghosting comes from low-intent leads, awkward first conversations and generic follow-up, Josh Ries writes. Here are seven ways to reduce ghosting, and they start before you ever make the first call.
Getting ghosted when you call real estate leads absolutely sucks. It is demoralizing, it makes you question what you are doing, and if you are paying for those leads, it also makes you unprofitable fast.
Every lead that never makes it to the closing table increases your cost per acquisition, which means the real pain is not the silence; it is the math.
Over the past couple of years, I have had the chance to consult with some big teams and brokerages on lead generation and conversion. When I see a lot of ghosting, it is rarely because the agents “need better scripts.” It usually comes down to a broken process that creates low-intent leads, awkward first conversations and generic follow-up that screams, “You are now in a robot sequence.”
7 tips to prevent getting ghosted
Here are seven ways to reduce ghosting, and they start before you ever make the first call.
1. Define your target audience more tightly than you think you need to
Most agents think they have a target audience until you ask them to say it out loud. Then you get something like sellers in my market or buyers in my area. That is not a target audience; that is a ZIP code with a hope attached to it.
If you do not define who you are actually trying to reach, you cannot speak to a specific pain point. If you cannot speak to a specific pain point, you attract people with unclear intent, and unclear intent leads are the ones who disappear the moment the conversation gets real.
2. Narrow your campaign so the lead knows why they raised their hand
Ghosting often starts in the campaign itself. A lot of paid campaigns or social media posts are so broad that the lead clicks without a clear reason, and you end up on the phone trying to build rapport off a message that could have been written by any agent in town.
When you run broad, you lose the ability to personalize the first call because you have no sharp angle to anchor the conversation. That is why the call feels generic, and generic calls create generic follow-up, which creates ghosting.
3. Stop going into the call with one predetermined ‘win’
A lot of agents treat every call as if it only counts if they book an appointment today. That mindset creates pressure fast, and leads can feel it. Your goal can be an appointment, but your only definition of a win cannot be an appointment.
Sometimes the win is identifying timing. Sometimes it is identifying the real problem. Sometimes it is simply building enough trust that the next conversation feels natural.
4. Stop relying on scripts like they are a life raft
Scripts put the conversation in a box, and real people do not stay in boxes. The moment the lead says something unexpected, the script follower panics, and the call starts to feel like a performance instead of a conversation.
The other problem is the lead has heard the script before. If you sound like every other agent, you become easy to ignore.
5. Stay relevant to the reason they entered your funnel
If your campaign is built for sellers, the first call should stay focused on that seller’s problem. Too many agents pull the conversation into everything else too fast: Where are you moving, are you buying next, what is your timeline.
Those questions matter, but they matter after you earn the right to ask them. Early on, find one pain point, and prove you understand it, because that is why they reached out.
6. Make the first follow-ups personal, not automated
This is where most ghosting happens.
The initial call goes well, then the next touch is a generic automated text or email sequence. People know when they are being nurtured by a robot, and they know when the message has nothing to do with what they told you.
Your first follow-ups should be personalized and tied to their pain point. A simple text that references your conversation and sends something useful works because it feels human and relevant.
7. Stop assuming one unanswered text means you got ghosted
Agents get one non-response and label it ghosting, then they pull back. A lot of times the lead did not ghost you; they got busy.
Most real estate moves are tied to stressful life events. That is why you cannot treat one missed reply like rejection. Keep going, keep providing value and keep your follow-up tied to their problem. Most agents quit way too early and call it ghosting to protect their ego.
The profitability lesson hiding inside ghosting
Ghosting feels personal, but it is usually structural. When your targeting is vague, your campaigns are broad, your calls are scripted, and your follow-up is generic, the lead has no reason to stay engaged. When you tighten the front end and stay relevant, you reduce ghosting, and you protect your cost per closing.
March is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. As the spring selling season kicks in, we’ll examine the proven tactics and new innovations 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 broker and a lead generation consultant. You can connect with him on TikTok and Instagram.