They shouldn’t become obsessive creeps like Jim Carrey’s character Chip Douglas in The Cable Guy, who stalks Steven (played by Matthew Broderick) in a desperate attempt to win his friendship.

 

In one scene, Steven gets home and finds his voicemail filled with a bunch of messages from Chip:

 

– “Just checking in, give me a ring …”
– “What’s up, I’m at a payphone. Pick up, pick up, pick up ….”
– “Ok, I’m home. Give me a buzz when you get in …”
– “Hey it’s me again. I was just taking a whiz, thought you might have called …”
– “We’re having ourselves quite the game of phone tag here!”
– “I was just blow drying my hair, thought I head the phone ring … call me”
– “Steven, I think your machine is broken ….”

 

You get the picture – It’s not pretty.

 

I know a coach who advises that you follow up with prospects every single day to stay “top of mind”. This coach practices what he preaches, and is doing just as much chasing with his prospects (I’ve been on the receiving end, and felt like I needed a shower after every contact).

 

I get that follow up is important, but there’s a difference between doing that and harassing someone who isn’t ready to take the journey with you.

 

Even if you do harass the person until you sell them, what kind of working relationship is it going to be since you had to twist their arm like that?

 

I’m guessing the results wouldn’t be good.

 

The need to chase happens with you have just one, or a few, prospects in your pipeline.

 

I don’t chase because I make sure to keep my funnel full. If someone isn’t ready, I move onto the next one and I don’t stress out about it.

 

If you’re a coach looking to fill your pipeline, check out the training that Karl Bryan and I are doing next Wednesday at 1 pm EST. You can register for it here: 

 

 

Marc Mawhinney