Follow-Up DOs and DON'Ts for Business Development
Mon Feb 02 2026
Most business development conversations don’t fail in the meeting—they fail in the follow-up.
In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright unpack the DOs and DON’Ts of follow-up and explain why it’s one of the most critical—and most mishandled—parts of business development.
They frame follow-up as a link in the chain that either moves opportunities forward or quietly pulls them backward. Through real examples from sales and marketing, they show how effective follow-up builds clarity, trust, and momentum—and how bad follow-up (or none at all) derails deals.
You’ll learn:
What good follow-up actually does in sales and business developmentCommon follow-up mistakes that break momentumWhy “just checking in” often does more harm than goodHow follow-up supports choreography from conversation to contractThe difference between sales follow-up and marketing follow-upA must-listen for consultants, firm owners, doer-sellers, and anyone responsible for generating and closing professional services work.
Past episodes mentioned:
The Psychology of Familiarity: Building Trust With Mere ExposureChecking In, Ghosting, and the Magic EmailShare your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7
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Most business development conversations don’t fail in the meeting—they fail in the follow-up. In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright unpack the DOs and DON’Ts of follow-up and explain why it’s one of the most critical—and most mishandled—parts of business development. They frame follow-up as a link in the chain that either moves opportunities forward or quietly pulls them backward. Through real examples from sales and marketing, they show how effective follow-up builds clarity, trust, and momentum—and how bad follow-up (or none at all) derails deals. You’ll learn: What good follow-up actually does in sales and business developmentCommon follow-up mistakes that break momentumWhy “just checking in” often does more harm than goodHow follow-up supports choreography from conversation to contractThe difference between sales follow-up and marketing follow-upA must-listen for consultants, firm owners, doer-sellers, and anyone responsible for generating and closing professional services work. Past episodes mentioned: The Psychology of Familiarity: Building Trust With Mere ExposureChecking In, Ghosting, and the Magic EmailShare your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7