Why the door that’s closed today may be wide open tomorrow.
It’s one of the most deflating phrases in business development.
“We have this covered, thank you. A very good contact — a friend, actually — takes care of this for us.”
The heart sinks, just a little. Not because it’s a rejection exactly, but because there’s no obvious next step. The door isn’t slammed. It’s simply… occupied.
And yet. Over many years of lead generation work, I’ve learned to sit with that moment rather than move on from it too quickly. Because something interesting happens when you stay in touch with the people behind those closed doors.
Recently, a conversation that began exactly that way took an unexpected turn. “A very close contact of our MD looks after this for us,” came the familiar response. And then, almost as an afterthought: “He’s retiring at the end of the year, so we’ll be going out to market.”
I raised my gaze from the valley of despair to the sunlit uplands above.
Nothing stays the same for eternity. People retire. People move on. Circumstances change, priorities shift, relationships that once felt permanent quietly dissolve. The brother-in-law who handled everything moves abroad. The trusted supplier raises their prices. The arrangement that worked perfectly for years stops working.
And when that moment arrives, the business that stayed in touch — that kept showing up with warmth and patience and no particular agenda — is the one that gets the call.
This is why your pipeline is not just a sales tool. It’s a long game investment in being in the right place when the timing finally becomes right.
Stay in touch.
Keep showing up.
“Change is the only constant.” — Heraclitus
Thank you for reading.
PS: I create small, digestible guides on Gumroad for business owners who hate aggressive tactics and prefer relationship-led approaches. New resources are added regularly. For longer reads on lead generation and the human side of sales, follow me on Medium and join the daily conversation on LinkedIn.
Please see the links below:
Gumroad: https://richardbulldomican.gumroad.com/
Medium: https://medium.com/@richard-bulldomican
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbulldomican/
