A sales maxim:

The best response is “yes.”

The second best response is “no.”

The worst response is “maybe later.”

In our industry, the best response, of course, is still “yes.” We push or at least nudge our prospects towards the close at all times. Alec Baldwin’s “always be closing” still echoes 30 years later after Glengarry Glen Ross was released in 1992.

I think “no” and “not now” are conflated for B2B publishers, however.

Unlike many other industries, we can stay top of mind with our prospects over time. Reminders of our high value services can arrive in the Inboxes of our prospects every day.

This places more responsibility on salespeople in the B2B publishing industry. Over time, we can use our content to understand the interests of our prospects efficiently, even as the sales cycle extends.

Our feet stay in the door with content behind us.

“No” and “maybe later” can become “yes” in turn.