Ah yes—The Proposal Ghost. We’ve all met them.
It’s frustrating, disheartening, and honestly? Kinda rude.
But before you give up on your dream client (or spiral into self-doubt), here’s what we’ve learned from years of pitching, following up, and converting leads:
Why silence doesn’t always mean “no”
You’re a business owner now, not a job applicant. And unlike job ads, there’s no social expectation in business-to-business interactions that every proposal will get a reply—especially not quickly.
Most potential clients come to VA Lead Network when they’re already overwhelmed. They didn’t start looking for a VA early—they started when they were already underwater.
That means:
- Their inbox is a mess
- They’re working reactively, not proactively
- They’re prioritising the loudest, most persistent voices
It’s not personal. In fact, not replying to your proposal may be the clearest sign they need help.
When we get into a new client’s inbox, it is often clear that they don’t operate as we do.
Their inbox is their to-do list, and it is flooded with emails without any system for tackling them – they work on the latest emails received and prioritise work based on what they are most stressed about and who is chasing them the most.
Common reasons leads don’t respond
Here’s what we’ve heard directly from leads we’ve chased up by phone:
- “Oh! I didn’t see your email—it was in my spam folder.” (Remember that many spam folders are emptied automatically after 30 days, and most people don’t regularly check their spam folder, so forwarding your proposal after leaving a voicemail can be super helpful!)
- “I’ve been putting it off. I’m overwhelmed and haven’t looked at any of the proposals yet.” (The longer they are left to procrastinate without being followed up, the more likely they will avoid contacting you altogether out of guilt)
- “You’re the first person to call—I like that.” (I was the first person to call, and they really wanted to work with someone who wasn’t afraid to pick up the phone to get things moving)
- “I ignore numbers I don’t recognise. Straight to voicemail.” (and their unread voicemail inbox would make your eye twitch)
These aren’t rejections—they’re invitations to follow up.
Owning a business is a different playing field
Again, the social pressures that exist to get back to all applicants for employment roles do NOT exist for business-to-business engagements.
And this doesn’t just happen for some of the proposals you will submit to a lead via the Virtual Assistant Lead Network.
Most business owners in most industries experience regular ghosting from potential clients.
Running a small business can mean sending many proposals that you never hear back on.
Some people will never reply. And that’s okay.
Some leads simply ghost. Sometimes they feel embarrassed that they never responded and avoid you altogether. Sometimes they go with someone else but don’t tell you. Sometimes they change their mind entirely.
That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.
Unfortunately, it’s just part of the small business hustle!
Do not give up.
Where contact details (check their website too!) have been provided, we strongly recommend following up on proposals via multiple phone calls and emails.
This is crucial to increasing your chances of converting leads when engaging in sales within your business.
Follow-up is your responsibility now (not theirs)
You’re not nagging. You’re showing up the way a VA should: professionally, patiently, and with initiative.
This is why we recommend following up with regular phone calls, paired with a follow-up email. “I just left you a voicemail message, which you can ignore if you see this first…”
We’ve found great success when we send our proposal, then follow up with a phone call 1-2 days after sending our proposal.
Regardless of whether we hit their voicemail or speak to them directly, we say that we’ll email them again now so that they don’t need to go hunting for our email.
The follow-up email keeps us top of mind, and many leads will see this as an example of how you will make their lives easier and that you understand how busy they are and how crazy their inbox is.
If we leave a voicemail, we mention that we’ll try calling again tomorrow or in # days… AND WE DO IT (!) … then we follow up the next voicemail/call with another email.
They need someone who will whip them into shape and get them organised, so not giving up after the first couple of calls and emails will help you stand out.
Providing reassurance in your emails and voicemails that you understand they are busy and helping them to see that you aren’t taking it personally will help you win them over.
Be the change you want to see!
I don’t care how cheesy that sounds.
If you have ever felt the frustration of being ghosted, the next time you land a new client, recommend that ALL unsuccessful applicants are notified… and offer to take care of this for them.
Let’s look out for each other!
Consider using mail merge to save time (and your client’s money).
Remind them that this is a good exercise to maintain brand reputation; after all, VAs are well connected!
Lost for words? Here’s the template we send businesses who list a role with us.