The Ten Follow Up Rule

The Ten Follow Up Rule

From The Business Development Podcast by Kelly Kennedy

May 6, 2026 · 20 min · Season 1 · Episode 339

About this episode

Kelly Kennedy discusses The Ten Follow Up Rule and its importance in business development.

Episode 339 of The Business Development Podcast breaks down The Ten Follow Up Rule, Kelly Kennedy’s personal standard for building real pipeline through consistent, disciplined business development. Kelly shares why most sales and BD professionals stop far too early, how fear of rejection and lack of structure kill opportunities, and why every qualified prospect deserves at least ten follow-ups before being disqualified. Through real stories, including the time it took thirty follow-ups to book a major mining meeting, Kelly shows that success in business development is rarely about talent alone. It comes from weekly execution, CRM discipline, clear next steps, performance tracking, and the willingness to keep showing up long after most people quit. Key Takeaways: Most salespeople quit the follow-up process far too early to ever see real results. Consistent weekly follow-up is one of the biggest separators between average and exceptional business development professionals. Fear of rejection causes more lost opportunities than lack of skill. Buyers are usually overwhelmed and distracted, not intentionally ignoring you. A CRM is not just a contact database. It is your business…

People in this episode

Host: Kelly Kennedy

Topics covered

  • business development
  • sales follow-up
  • CRM discipline
  • pipeline building
  • fear of rejection

Keywords

  • follow-up
  • business development
  • sales
  • CRM
  • pipeline

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