Ghosting is one of the biggest silent killers of deals in DACH.

You’ve done a great discovery.
You had a strong demo.
You even got verbal buy-in.

And then… 🦗
Nothing.
No reply. No next step. No decision. Just silence. 😖

Today we’re breaking down why buyers really disappear according to cognitive psychology and what you can do about it.

3 Reasons why Ghosting exists

1. Cognitive Overload

When buyers feel overwhelmed by information, choices, or next steps, the brain defaults to avoidance.

A study from The Sales Collective shows that nearly 70% of B2B buyers feel overloaded by organisational complexity, leading directly to stalled decisions and “non-decisions.”

Additional research confirms that high cognitive load increases decision fatigue and reduces the likelihood of making a choice.

Translation for sellers:

If your follow-ups add more complexity, you might lose them.

2. Loss Aversion (They Fear Making the Wrong Choice)

Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky found that humans fear losses about twice as much as they value gains.

In the DACH region, where risk-management and internal justification play major roles, this bias is even stronger.

Translation:
If your deal requires internal explanation, budget approval, or political alignment → the fear of choosing wrong stops them from replying.

3. Fear of Conflict

While exact numbers differ by study, multiple buyer-behavior reports show that many B2B buyers avoid responding when they feel they can’t give a clear answer yet, not because they’re uninterested, but because they want to avoid conflict or disappointing the seller.

Translation:
In Germany especially, silence is often an attempt to be polite, not a rejection.

What To Do Instead:

3 Psychology-Based Tactics That Work in DACH

These are actionable, low-effort, high-impact, and proven across Sales in DACH teams.

1. Use Commitment-Based Follow-Ups

Avoid the “Just checking in” emails.
Instead, tie your follow-up to a micro-commitment they already made.

Example:
“Last time you mentioned reducing your onboarding time by 20%. I pulled a short comparison based on that. Want me to send it over?”

This reduces buyer effort and reminds them why they cared in the first place.

2. Lower the Cognitive Load

Short messages.
One question.
One next step.
No attachments.
No essays.

If your buyer has to think → they postpone.
If they postpone → they ghost.

Try:
“Here are 2 options based on your timeline. Which one feels closer to where you are right now?”

Less friction = more replies.

3. Use Future Pacing to Avoid Ghosting Before It Happens

At the end of every call, anchor the next step into the future.

Example:
“Most teams we work with usually hit X challenge at this point. Let’s book 10 minutes next Wednesday so we can get ahead of it.”

This works because the buyer sees the future with you which basically is the opposite of ghosting.

No Podcast Last Week 😳 

We’re Leveling Up!

We didn’t publish a new podcast episode last week because we’re changing formats.
From December on, you’ll get short, 10–15 minute episodes with tactical, psychology-backed insights you can apply the same day. 😍

This ties directly into our new Quick Win Series ->Fast wins. Built for DACH. launching in January: Short Masterclasses done by sellers & coaches in their day to day. Some of the Quick Win Series include:

• Danny Wörns: The Best Cold Calling Path
• Christiana Kunzner-Brand: How to Convert Inbound Leads Effectively
• Marvin Karis: The Pain Identification System They Use Daily @ Dealfront

Want help implementing this?

If you want to talk through your outbound, your deal strategy, or how to handle ghosting in DACH:

👉 Book a conversation with us via [email protected].
We’ll break down what’s blocking you and build a plan, personalised to your segment, market, and role.

Black Friday Deal:

29% Off Until 30 November

The Sales in DACH Academy is currently 29% off — this week only.

Join now ->

If you ever considered joining, now is the moment!

This is the best price we’ll offer all year. 😍

And that's it from us again!
I hope we could add a lot of value to your day to day Sales Life and are sending lots of motivation for the final week of November 2025!

Your Sales in DACH Team