You saw the green and red flags for whether a lead will ghost you. Here is the full cheat sheet, plus a dead-simple score so you know who to chase and who to drop.
Green flags (this lead will buy)
- Replies within a few hours.
- Asks about start dates and onboarding.
- Tells you their exact pain before you ask.
- Gives you a real number: calls missed, what a job is worth.
- Loops in the actual decision-maker, or is the owner.
- Answers your questions and asks their own.
Red flags (this lead will ghost you)
- Says "let me talk to my partner" on the very first call.
- Goes quiet the second you mention price.
- Says "send me everything in an email."
- One-word replies, days apart.
- Wants endless free demos but never talks start date.
- Cannot name a single number about their own business.
The one that fools everyone
"Send me everything in an email" feels like progress. It is not. A buying owner asks "how do we start," not "email me a PDF." When you hear it, say: "Happy to. Quick thing first, want to hear the agent answer as your business on a 10-minute call? Then I'll send exactly what fits you." That flips a park into a next step, or exposes a ghost.
The simple score
- +2 for every green flag
- -2 for every red flag
- +3 if they are the actual owner / decision-maker
- +3 if they named a real number about their business
Totals:
- 6 or higher: Chase hard. Book the next call today, push for a start date.
- 1 to 5: Warm but wobbly. One clear next step. If they dodge it, they are cooling.
- 0 or below: Do not chase. One short follow-up, then move on.
The rule under all of it
Green flags move toward a start date. Red flags move toward the inbox. Score the direction they are moving, not how polite they sound. Nice does not pay. Motion pays.
Want the full lead system and a second pair of eyes on the ones you cannot read? The AI Voice Kit is $29 at theaivoicekit.com. You get the scorecards and scripts, plus the Skool community that will tell you straight: chase or drop.