If there's one thing I think most people do wrong with their marketing it's spending way too much time chasing “hot leads” and not nearly enough trying to build and nurture relationships with people they already know. 

I'm sure you know the numbers. The vast majority of potential clients you come into contact with just aren't ready to buy initially.

Maybe it's 80%. More likely 90%+. Either way it's a lot.

It's not that they won't ever buy. It's just that the time's not right, it's not a priority for them right now, or you haven't built up enough credibility or trust yet.

What most of us do when we realise someone isn't ready to buy (and I'm as guilty as anyone here) is we lose interest, we label them as tyre kickers and we move on to try to find someone who *is* ready to buy.

The problem is that focusing all your energy on trying to find people who are ready to buy is like a guy who wants to get married trying to find brides on the eve of their wedding and asking them to marry him.

After all, they're ready to get married…

Just not to him.

And unless you're George Clooney, it's very, very unlikely they'll suddenly decide that you're the one for them after all.

Meanwhile, as you flip from hot lead to hot lead, those “tyre kickers” you ignored have been getting more and more ready to buy.

And when they're ready, who are they going to call? The person who's ignored them for the last 6 months? Or the one who's kept in touch, kept helping them, kept top of mind?

Unless you're George Clooney it pays to keep in touch and to nurture your leads.