There's a moment in almost every sales process where effort peaks but payoff hasn't happened. We've all been there. 

You've reached out a few times. 

Had one decent conversation. Nothing bad happened but nothing moved forward either.

This is where most people stop.

Not because they were told "no" but because they weren't rewarded quickly enough.

Zajonc's research on familiarity explains why this is a mistake. 

Robert Zajonc was a psychologist who studied how people form preferences. He discovered that we tend to like things more just because we've seen them before. Hmmmm, makes sense, yes? 

Preference grows with exposure. 

Why does Coca-Cola even keep advertising? 

Don't you get it yet? (C'mon we all know Diet Coke is amazingly delicious!) 

People tend to develop interest ("warm up") over time without realizing it, simply because something becomes familiar and therefore safer.

Salespeople rarely benefit from this effect because they leave too soon.

Because you don't want to annoy anyone or worse, look desperate, you give up just as your familiarity might have been kicking in. 

For example, following up doesn’t mean chasing - think of it as staying visible. Not disappearing so fast after a "no" or a "maybe." 

Also, key point: Familiarity grows through consistency. Be okay with a bit of silence. Silence doesn't always = no. 

Hang out and do your part without needing immediate validation. Play the long game if you want to ultimately win.