The Ghost Champion
VP Engineering who was your enthusiastic internal champion but has gone completely silent as the deal nears close.
15 min
Duration
About this persona
Michael Drew was the person who invited you in, introduced you to his team, and said this is exactly what we need in front of three colleagues. Now he does not respond to emails, misses calls, and the deal is dying in silence. Something changed internally. Getting back in front of Michael requires understanding what changed, without making him feel cornered, and re-earning enough trust to find out whether the deal is salvageable or truly dead.
Scenario
You are the sales rep who has been working this deal. Michael was your internal champion — three weeks ago he stopped responding. You have sent two follow-up emails and left one voicemail. You have finally reached him on a call. He sounds polite but distant. Your goal is to understand what changed and find out whether the deal is salvageable.
Skills tested
- re-engagement after silence
- reading disengagement signals
- asking difficult questions without pressure
- deciding when to escalate versus persist
- deal rescue
What you'll practice
- How to re-engage a contact who has gone cold without applying pressure
- How to ask directly about what changed without making it an accusation
- When to keep working a contact versus going around them
- How to create enough safety for someone to tell you the real news
Personality traits
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