The Art and Science of Respectful Persistence™

Truly successful practitioners of business development, especially in the world of high-value, relationship-oriented business almost always use a concept that we call respectful persistence™. This subtle skill strikes a delicate balance between diligently pursing a prospect and always maintaining a high level of respect for the boundaries and wishes of the prospect.

A significant part of the training that is integral to our agents’ preparation focuses on respectful persistence™. We teach our agents how to use each contact with the prospect as a way to underscore how important, satisfying and appropriate a relationship between our client and the prospect would be. At the same time, we measure and allow for the wishes of the prospect for time and space between contacts or interactions. This process requires that our agents have a high degree of listening skills, sensitivity and judgment while still being able to be assertive in pursuing an appointment with the prospect. The real key to achieving this state of balance is to be able to quickly engage the prospect on an emotional level and build rapport and trust. When this happens, the prospect is much more likely to let down his or her guard and truly connect with and “get the message” from our agent.

Equally important is the follow-up process. Having the tools to track and manage the follow-up actions is critically important as is the discipline to crisply execute the plan for follow-up.

This same philosophical commitment to respectful persistence is at the very heart of the Advanced Business Development Skills Training that we provide to many of our clients. Whether our agents are calling the prospect or our client’s business development team is calling or visiting with the prospect, this same skill set will make the difference between mediocrity and the kind of “best of breed” business development techniques that our clients have come to associate with Expert Business Development, LLC.