Last week, I was talking with a client who felt stuck. She had sent over ten thoughtful check-in emails to former clients, people with whom she had strong relationships, and mainly received silence in return. A couple of polite replies, but nothing that led to a conversation.

She asked, “Should I stop trying? I don’t want to come across as annoying.”

I told her, “This is actually what business development looks like. You’re practicing professional persistence.”

That phrase has come up a lot lately. The hardest part of BD isn’t the strategy; it’s the follow-through. It’s finding a natural rhythm to stay in touch, showing your contacts that you’re thinking about them and available, without being a nuisance.
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And it works.

The day before our first Little League game, one of my son Lukas’s teammates, Ryden, showed up to practice with his arm in a cast. He was devastated. He had been looking forward to playing baseball all year.

But he didn’t think about going home.

Instead, he asked if he could still be part of the team. I said, “Of course!”

Ryden stayed. He ran drills as best he could. He even took batting practice — one-handed. Lukas couldn’t stop talking about it for days. Neither could some of the other kids.
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And to be honest, I couldn’t stop thinking about it either.