Latest / Sales Leadership with Fexingo: Quota Carriers, Sales Managers, and Revenue Teams / How to Use the Zeigarnik Effect to Keep Prospects Engaged
Transcript
- Lucas: Let me start with a number that's been sitting in my head: about sixty percent of sales deals that enter a pipeline never close. And the single biggest reason isn't price, it isn't competitors — it's the prospect simply going dark. Luna: Yeah, the 'ghosting' problem. We've talked about how to handle it when it happens. But I think today's angle is more interesting — how to prevent it from happening in the first place. Lucas: Exactly. And that prevention strategy can be boiled down to something called the Zeigarnik Effect. Named after Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who noticed something in the 1920s that has huge implications for sales. Luna: I know the basic idea — our brains remember incomplete tasks better than completed ones. But how does that translate into keeping a prospect from ghosting? Lucas: Right. So Zeigarnik observed that waiters in a busy restaurant could remember complex orders for tables that hadn't paid yet, but once the bill was settled, they'd forget the details almost immediately. The open 'loop' kept the information active in their minds. Luna: So the key is to leave something intentionally unfinished in every interaction with a prospect. Not as a trick, but as a way to keep the deal cognitively present for them between calls. Lucas: That's exactly it. And there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way is to leave a prospect hanging with an unanswered question — that creates frustration, not engagement. The right way is to end each call with a specific, low-stakes task that the prospect agrees to do before the next touchpoint. Luna: Give me an example. What does that sound like in an actual sales conversation? Lucas: Let's say you're selling a project management tool to a mid-size construction firm. At the end of the discovery call, instead of saying 'I'll send you some info,' you say: 'Based on what we discussed, I think there are three features that would be most relevant for your team. Could you do me a favor — pick the one that matters most to your operations team, and I'll build a short demo around that specific use case?' Luna: So now the prospect has a small assignment. They need to think about it, maybe talk to their team, and they have to come back to you with an answer. That's an open loop. Lucas: Exactly. And because it's a small commitment — picking one feature — the Zeigarnik Effect means their brain will keep nudging them to complete it. They're more likely to remember you, and more likely to show up to the next call prepared. Luna: But what if they don't do the task? Doesn't that just create a negative experience? Lucas: Great question. If they don't do it, that's actually useful information. It tells you their engagement level is low, and you might need to adjust your approach or even disqualify the lead. But the key is making the task feel valuable to them, not like busy work. The task should help them move their own evaluation forward. Luna: So it's not just about memory — it's about creating a sense of forward momentum. Each open loop pulls them into the next step naturally. Lucas: Exactly. And here's where the research gets even more interesting. Zeigarnik found that interrupted tasks are remembered about ninety percent better than completed ones. That's a massive gap. So the interruption itself — when done deliberately — can be a tool. Luna: Wait — so you're saying you should intentionally end a call in the middle of something? Lucas: Not in the middle of a sentence. But you can end right after you've presented something intriguing, before you resolve it. For example, you might share a surprising statistic about their industry, then say 'I've got some ideas on how to address that — but I want to be respectful of your time. Could we pick that up in our next call?' Luna: That's clever. You're leaving them with a cliffhanger. Their brain wants closure, so they're more likely to agree to the next meeting. Lucas: Precisely. And you can do the same thing in email. Instead of sending a full follow-up with all the answers, send a note that says 'I found one more data point that I think changes the picture — I'll share it on our call Thursday.' That's an open loop that keeps you top of mind. Luna: I've also seen reps use this in negotiation — they'll say 'Let me think about that and get back to you with a creative option.' That leaves the prospect wondering what you'll come back with. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not manipulative because you actually do need to think about it. The Zeigarnik Effect is a feature of how our brains work, not a trick. The ethical use is about structuring your communication to align with human nature. Luna: There is a flip side though — if you overuse it, you can come across as evasive or like you're playing games. How do you keep it authentic? Lucas: That's the critical point. The open loop has to be genuinely useful to the prospect. If it's a gimmick, they'll feel it. The best reps I've seen use Zeigarnik naturally — they're genuinely curious, they leave threads hanging because they're thinking about the problem, not because they're trying to manipulate. Luna: So the frame is: I'm so focused on solving your problem that I have more to share, and I want to give it the attention it deserves. Lucas: Perfect frame. And that's actually where the Zeigarnik Effect works best — when the prospect perceives that you're the one with an open loop, not them. If you say 'I'm going to look into this further and come back with a specific recommendation,' they're curious about what you'll find. That's a powerful relationship dynamic. Luna: Yeah, that shifts the dynamic from push to pull. They're waiting to hear from you because they want the resolution. Lucas: Let me give you a concrete example from a SaaS company I spoke with recently. Their top rep had a ritual: at the end of every discovery call, she'd say 'There's one thing that's been bugging me about your situation — I need to talk to our product team to confirm something. I'll have an answer for you by Thursday.' Luna: And that kept the prospect engaged because they wanted to hear what the 'bugging' thing was. They were curious. Lucas: Exactly. And she always followed through. That's non-negotiable. If you leave an open loop and don't close it, you break trust. Zeigarnik only works if the resolution eventually comes. Luna: So you have to be disciplined about tracking what you've left open. Otherwise you become the person who says 'I'll send that over' and never does. Lucas: Right. That's the fastest way to kill the effect. So a practical tip: keep a running list in your CRM of every open loop you've created with each prospect. Before your next call, review it and close the ones you promised. Luna: I like that. It's a simple system, but it prevents the Zeigarnik Effect from working against you — because if you leave too many loops open on your end, you'll feel overwhelmed. The prospect might not feel the itch, but you will. Lucas: That's actually a great point. The Zeigarnik Effect doesn't just apply to prospects — it applies to us as salespeople. If you have too many open loops in your own pipeline, it creates cognitive load. So use it intentionally, not accidentally. Luna: Let's talk about re-engagement. Can you use Zeigarnik to restart a stale deal? Lucas: Absolutely. The classic approach is to send an email that references something from your last conversation that was left unresolved. For example: 'When we spoke last month, you mentioned you were concerned about implementation time. I just came across a case study that directly addresses that. Would you like me to share it?' Luna: So you're reopening an old loop, not starting a new one. That's more effective because the prospect's brain still has the incomplete memory. Lucas: Exactly. And the key is specificity. The more specific you are about the unresolved point, the stronger the Zeigarnik pull. 'You mentioned you were worried about the integration timeline' is better than 'I wanted to follow up.' Luna: That makes sense. It's like the brain has a file folder for that topic, and you're pulling it back open. Lucas: Yeah. And here's one more angle: you can use the Zeigarnik Effect in your proposals and presentations. Instead of giving them the entire answer upfront, structure your proposal so that each section ends with a question that leads to the next section. It creates a narrative momentum. Luna: So it's almost like a choose your own adventure, but with a guided path. The prospect feels compelled to keep reading to get the full picture. Lucas: Exactly. And when you present live, you can do the same thing. Leave the most compelling piece of evidence for the end, but hint at it earlier. 'I'll show you the data on that in a moment — but first, let me set the context.' That's a verbal open loop. Luna: And if you do it right, they're leaning forward in their seat waiting for the payoff. That's the ideal state for a sales conversation. Lucas: Right. And it's not about being a showman — it's about respecting how attention works. The Zeigarnik Effect is one of the most well-documented psychological principles, and yet so few sales teams train on it. Most training is about frameworks and scripts, not about the cognitive state of the prospect.