You did the hard part. You went to the conference, perfected your pitch, sent personalized notes, and followed up. People seemed interested. Now you're waiting, and your energy is starting to flag.
This stretch is one of the hardest parts of any business development effort, and it's where most people quietly give up. Here's how to keep going, and why patience combined with a system works better than persistence alone.
Closing Takes Far More Touches Than You Think
The first thing to accept is that big deals take many points of contact. Liz Whitehead of 12PointFive, who advises business owners on winning enterprise and supplier-diversity contracts, tells her clients it can take dozens of touches (by her count, around 30) to close a deal with a large company.
That number can knock the wind out of you, but it's freeing once you accept it. Enterprise sales cycles are long, and procurement processes are complicated. You're building a long-term business development strategy, and each touch moves a relationship forward, even when a sale isn't imminent.
Keep Revenue Flowing in the Meantime
If a long sales cycle is just getting started, 30 touches can feel impossibly far away. In the meantime, keep revenue flowing through the relationships you already have: happy customers and referral partners who know and trust you. New channels take time to mature, and existing relationships pay now. Our guide to referrals and alliances shows you how to ask for referrals systematically.
You Need Reasons to Keep in Touch
This is where strategy beats willpower. You can't pre-write 30 follow-up emails, and "Just popping this to the top of your inbox" gets old fast. What you need are real, relevant reasons to reach out at the right moment. Each one is a natural, welcome excuse to make contact and a chance to add value to the relationship.
8 Good Reasons to Reach Out
- Their company is in the news: a funding round, a product launch, an expansion, or a major hire.
- Your contact won an award, got promoted, or changed roles.
- You launched a new product or service that's relevant to their business.
- You won a client in their industry, and you can share what you learned.
- You found an article, report, or resource they'd genuinely find useful.
- You can make an introduction to someone who could help them.
- You're attending the same event, and you can suggest meeting up.
- A season or milestone gives you a natural reason, such as the start of a new quarter or their company anniversary.
Build a Simple Follow-Up System
If tracking all of this sounds draining, that's exactly why you need a system. Our Follow-Up Sequence Template gives you a ready-made starting point. Then:
- Decide which triggers to watch. Set up news alerts for your key prospects, and follow your contacts on LinkedIn.
- Keep a simple log of each contact, the date of your last touch, and what you discussed.
- Schedule a weekly review to see who's due for a touch and which trigger gives you a reason to reach out.
With a system in place, follow-up stops feeling like nagging and starts feeling like a relationship. For more ways to build those relationships, see our networking curriculum.
Patience and Persistence Win
Some of your outreach will land on out-of-office replies and slow weeks, and that's fine. Your strategy is long term. With consistent effort and patient persistence, the touches add up, and the deals come.
This piece draws on insight from Liz Whitehead, CEO of 12PointFive and Diversity Masterminds®, who helps business owners turn diverse-business certifications into meaningful relationships and new business. Learn more at.
Want help building a sales engine that follows up consistently without burning you out? A fractional sales leader can build the process for you. Talk to our Team.