You've probably heard that old saying before: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”.

Or as Hugh Rhodes originally wrote in The Boke of Nurture or Schoole of Good Maners in 1530, “A byrd in hand – is worth ten flye at large.”

And while it's true in most cases that it's better to focus on something you have with certainty rather than chasing things that might not come off, there are some important cases in marketing where the rule absolutely doesn't apply.

One of the questions I get asked most often by clients and subscribers is how I follow up on prospects that have gone quiet.

My answer usually surprises them: I don't. Not really.

I'll send one thing of value related to our discussion. Then one “seems like priorities have changed, call me if you want to progress” message.

And, of course, if they're email subscribers they'll get regular emails from me.

But I won't chase.

Over the years I've found chasing to be a huge pain with very little payoff. Sometimes it works. But overall you're much better devoting your energies to finding more prospects who are motivated to get going. Who get back to you on time.

So in this case, a bird in the hand definitely isn't better than two in the bush. Especially if the bird in your hand is dead. (Or to pre-empt the Monty Python references, if it's stunned or pining for the fjords).

“Now that's all well and good Ian” you might be thinking. “But that only works if you've got plenty of other prospects to work with”.

And that's absolutely true. If that prospect who didn't get back to you is the only one you've spoken to for months then you're kinda stuck. You have no option other than to desperately chase.

That's one of the reasons why being able to generate a steady flow of leads for your business is so vital.

It eliminates the peaks and troughs from your business. Allows you to select the very best prospects to work with. And means you never have to chase.