“Not Now” Doesn't Mean “No”: Why Great Salespeople Stay in Touch

Years ago, I was helping a group of SDRs when one of them had a conversation with a prospect.

The prospect told him they weren't going to do anything.

The SDR took them at their word and moved on.

Two months later, he called the company again.

They had bought from a competitor.

True story.

There was an important sales lesson in that experience that I've never forgotten.

The prospect probably wasn't misleading the SDR when they said they weren't going to do anything.

They were describing their situation at that moment.

The mistake was assuming nothing would change.

Things Change Inside Companies

Anyone who has spent enough time in B2B sales knows how quickly circumstances can change.

A problem that wasn't urgent becomes urgent.

A budget that didn't exist gets approved.

A new executive arrives.

A customer complains.

An existing vendor disappoints.

A contract approaches renewal.

A competitor gets someone's attention.

Or an internal initiative that had been sitting on the back burner suddenly becomes a priority.

The salesperson usually doesn't know exactly when one of those things will happen.

That's why staying in touch matters.

I Don't Like the Word “Nurture”

Marketing organizations often talk about putting prospects into “nurture.”

I've never particularly liked the term.

We're dealing with experienced businesspeople. They don't need to be nurtured.

I'd rather call it what it is:

Stay in touch.

If you've identified a company that's genuinely worth winning and you've connected with the right people, don't throw that relationship away simply because the timing isn't right today.

That doesn't mean calling every week asking:

“Just checking in to see if anything has changed.”

That's not staying in touch. That's pestering.

Instead, remain relevant.

Share something useful occasionally.

Comment on something happening in their business or industry.

Congratulate them when something significant happens.

Bring them an idea.

Ask a thoughtful question when you have a legitimate reason to reconnect.

And sometimes simply pick up the phone or send a personal email because enough time has passed.

The Long Game Is Part of Opportunity Creation

We tend to think about sales opportunities as either alive or dead.

They're often neither.

Some of the companies most worth winning simply aren't ready yet.

That's why I think about accounts differently:

TARGETED — Companies worth proactively pursuing.

STAY-IN-TOUCH — Right company. Right people. Wrong time.

ACTIVE — A real sales conversation or opportunity is underway.

HOT — A qualified opportunity approaching a buying decision.

WON — A new customer.

STAY-IN-TOUCH is important because it prevents good accounts from disappearing simply because there isn't an immediate opportunity.

It also keeps your pipeline honest. An account that isn't actively buying shouldn't be sitting in your active pipeline making the numbers look better than they really are.

But it shouldn't be forgotten either.

Be There When Something Changes

The SDR in my story didn't lose that deal because he couldn't make a good presentation.

He never got the chance.

By the time he returned, someone else was there.

That's the danger of interpreting “not now” as “no.”

You don't control when a prospective customer becomes ready to change.

But you can control whether you're still part of the conversation when they do.

The objective of staying in touch isn't to pester someone until they're ready.

It's to still be there when they become ready.

Play the long game.