Dennis Rodman wasn't the best shooter. That wasn't the point. He was one of the best rebounders because he knew where the ball was likely to come off the rim. He knew where to be.

Sales works that way more often than people realize.

A prospect may not be ready today. The timing may be wrong. The buyer may be busy. The budget may not be there. The internal champion may not have enough support yet. But that doesn't always mean the opportunity is dead.

Sometimes the job is to stay around the rim.

Not Now Is Not Always No

A lot of people hear "not now" and treat it like "never." They get discouraged. They disappear. Or they go the other way and follow up so aggressively that the buyer wants to hide from them.

Neither one works very well.

The better approach is to stay close in a useful way. Not annoying. Not needy. Useful.

You don't need to invent urgency the buyer doesn't feel. You don't need to send the same email twelve times. But you do need to stay close enough that when something changes, you're still in the game.

Follow Up Like A Human Being

Most follow-up is bad because it doesn't add anything. "Just checking in" is easy to ignore. So is "bumping this to the top of your inbox."

If you're going to follow up, bring something with you. A relevant thought. A quick question. A small observation. Something you heard in the market. A reminder of the problem they told you they cared about.

Sometimes the most useful note is simple: "In case this got buried in your inbox." Busy people miss things. Their inbox is a black hole. They may not be ignoring you. They may not have seen it.

That line works because it's human. It gives them an easy way back into the conversation without making them feel like they've done something wrong.

Stay Close To The Champion

If you have someone inside the organization who understands the value, stay close to that person. Keep them posted. Ask what they're seeing. Ask what would need to happen for the conversation to move.

An internal champion can tell you whether the timing is real, whether the budget exists, who else needs to be involved and what the organization is worried about.

That information matters. Without it, you're guessing. With it, you can decide whether to keep investing, change the approach or step back.

Timing Is Part Of Sales

People like to think sales is only about persuasion. Timing matters just as much.

A buyer may not be ready today because another priority is ahead of yours. Then a quarter passes. Something breaks. A board member asks a question. A customer complains. A competitor moves. Suddenly the same problem feels different.

If you've stayed around the rim, you're there when the ball comes off.

I think about the years I spent calling on UnitedHealthcare in Minneapolis. I’d visit my cousin, who was sick, spend the weekend with him and his wife, then on Monday I’d go call on another person inside that giant organization. Most had no interest. That was okay. I kept staying around the rim until I found the person who had the problem we could solve, and that became a multimillion-dollar customer.

That's not passive. It's disciplined. You're not sitting around hoping. You're staying visible, staying useful and watching for the moment when the buyer has a reason to re-engage.

Don't Chase It Into The Ground

There is a line between persistence and pestering. You need to know the difference.

Persistence is about creating value over time. Pestering is about trying to force attention because you want an answer.

If you keep following up and nothing changes, ask yourself whether you're adding value or just adding pressure. Ask whether you're still around the rim or standing under the basket yelling at the ball.

Sometimes the right move is to pause and reconnect later. Sometimes it's to find another person in the organization. Sometimes it's to ask directly whether this is still worth discussing. Judgment matters.

Stay Close Enough

The point of around the rim is simple. Sales opportunities don't always move in a straight line. The buyer's first answer may not be the final answer. The timing may need to shift. The problem may need to get louder.

Your job is to stay close enough that when the moment changes, you're still remembered as someone who understands the problem and can help.

Bottom line: don't disappear after the first no and don't chase people into the ground. Stay useful. Stay close. Watch the timing. Be where the rebound is likely to go.

At The Advisory Bench, we help CEOs bring experienced judgment into the growth conversations that matter, including when to push, when to pause and when to stay close to an opportunity that's not ready yet.

Consider

Where have you disappeared too soon, when the better move may have been staying around the rim? Let's Start a Conversation.