The Ten Follow Up Rule

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:

1. Most salespeople quit the follow-up process far too early to ever see real results.
2. Consistent weekly follow-up is one of the biggest separators between average and exceptional business development professionals.
3. Fear of rejection causes more lost opportunities than lack of skill.
4. Buyers are usually overwhelmed and distracted, not intentionally ignoring you.
5. A CRM is not just a contact database. It is your business development execution engine.
6. If there is no defined next step, there is no real opportunity.
7. Strong follow-up comes from clarity and structure, not confidence alone.
8. Emotional avoidance often disguises itself as “being busy” with lower-value work.
9. Tracking outreach, meetings, opportunities, and new contacts weekly creates accountability and long-term improvement.
10. The professionals who stay in the game through follow-up number ten consistently create more opportunities than the people who stop after one or two attempts.

Sponsor Mentions

A huge thank you to Colin Harms and Jamie Crozier for their steadfast support of The Business Development Podcast.

The Business Development Podcast is proudly supported by Hypervac Technologies, Hyperfab, Thunder Bay Hydraulics Inc., and Atlas Elite Lifts.

Hypervac Technologies

North America’s leader in vacuum truck manufacturing, building high-performance hydrovac and industrial vacuum trucks for the toughest field conditions.

www.hypervac.com

Hyperfab

The custom fabrication division of Hypervac, delivering engineered solutions and specialized builds for demanding industrial applications.

www.hyperfab.ca

Thunder Bay Hydraulics Inc.

A trusted provider of hydraulic cylinder repair and manufacturing, supporting mining, forestry, construction, and industrial operations with reliable, high-quality service.

www.thunderbayhydraulics.com

Atlas Elite Lifts

A premium supplier of automotive lift systems focused on performance, safety, and long-term reliability for shops and garages.

www.atlaselitelifts.com

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Statistics referenced in this episode were sourced from the following article by MarketsandMarkets:

“Why Sales Reps Stop Following Up and How to Fix It”

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/AI-sales/why-sales-reps-stop-following-up-how-to-fix-it

Mentioned in this episode:

Hypervac - Revolution Vacuums