As a business coach, I’ve spent years teaching the importance of networking and cultivating relationships. It’s easy to become fixated on growth metrics, top-of-the-funnel leads, and revenue goals. However, I’ve found time and again that the true value lies not just in how many leads you generate or contacts you make, but in how well you nurture and maintain those connections over time.

While many of my clients focus heavily on acquiring new leads, they often neglect the vital next step: nurturing those leads. It’s not just about filling the funnel or meeting the next key connection but building genuine relationships that can withstand time, adversity, and change. Recently, a personal experience solidified for me just how crucial nurturing relationships can be—not just in business but in life.

A Personal Story: Unexpected Connections During a Crisis

I’ve never worked in sales. My background has been in corporate, until recently when I started my coaching practice. However,I have always approached building relationships—through giving first, being authentic, and genuinely caring for the people I work with. However, as Hurricane Milton picked up speed along the Florida coast, I found myself living the lesson and reflecting on the importance of nurtured relationships.

Amidst the uncertainty and fear that comes with preparing for a hurricane, I started receiving messages from people I hadn’t spoken to in years. These were old colleagues, friends, and acquaintances—some of whom I hadn’t communicated with in 3, 5, or even 7 years—reaching out to ask, “Are you okay?” They didn’t know if I had the same phone number, and we hadn’t been in touch for a while, but they cared enough to send a message.

And that is because these were not transactional relationships. That is not in my blood. These people weren’t reaching out because they needed something from me. They were genuinely checking in, offering words of comfort, and in some cases, even a place to stay. What struck me was that these connections, which I had nurtured over the years without expecting anything in return, were now providing me with unexpected support. It was a heartwarming and humbling experience.  Especially as I realized how I had dropped the ball in so many of my communications while I was developing my next chapter.

What I realized in that moment was this: the relationships we nurture, both in business and in life, are like seeds we plant. You may not see them grow overnight, but when you care for them, water them, and give them time, they will eventually bear fruit. Sometimes, that fruit comes at the most unexpected times—like in the midst of a hurricane.

The Missed Opportunities of Neglected Leads

This personal experience was front and center as I commenced my first days back to my work with business owners. I have many clients who spend thousands of dollars generating leads—investing in marketing, ads, and building their brand awareness. But when we sit down and talk, I often find that those leads are sitting untouched in their CRM systems. They’re constantly focused on the top of the funnel, or the “hot leads,” believing that success lies in getting more leads, but they aren’t doing the work to nurture those leads through the funnel.

One of those sessions started after I asked how can I help you today with, “lead generation,” When I asked about the leads they already had, they admitted they had thousands of emails sitting in their database, untouched for months. They acknowledged that they do not even know what to do with the people who they have spoken with but were not ready to buy just then, leaving the leads untouched in spite of interest in their services.  They were missing out on countless opportunities.

Here’s what I tell my clients: lead generation/acquisition or a key new contact introduction is just the beginning. The real work starts after the lead comes in. Nurturing a lead or contact is a long-term process. It’s not about quick wins; it’s about building trust, staying consistent, and maintaining a relationship over time. Just like my old contacts who reached out to me during the hurricane, those leads will come back to you if you invest in nurturing them.

And you better believe, when I am fully functioning again with WIFI, I will be looking at their LinkedIn, etc. to see how I can help them – gratis!

Why Nurturing Leads is Crucial

Nurturing leads and relationships is often the missing piece in many businesses’ strategies. The temptation is to focus on getting more, but what good is more if you aren’t taking care of what you already have? Here’s why nurturing relationships is crucial:

• Building Trust: Trust is the foundation of any meaningful relationship. You don’t build trust with a one-time interaction. It takes consistent effort and follow-up to show a lead that you care about their needs, not just the sale.
• Long-Term Success: Nurturing relationships leads to long-term success. A lead that doesn’t convert today might become a client next year. Staying in touch, adding value over time, and keeping the relationship alive ensures that when they’re ready to buy, they’ll come to you.
• Maximizing ROI: If you’ve already spent the time and money to generate a lead, why wouldn’t you nurture it? You’ve done the hard work of getting their attention—now it’s time to follow through and turn that lead into a loyal customer.

The Importance of “Doing the Reps”

One of the key lessons I’ve learned in my coaching career is that success in business—and in life—comes down to consistency. In the same way that you build strength through repetitions in the gym, you build strong relationships through repetitions in communication, follow-up, and value-add interactions.

Nurturing leads isn’t a one-time task. It’s something you do day in and day out. You send the follow-up emails, make the phone calls, and keep the relationship alive even when it feels like nothing is happening. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s essential.

I’ve had clients who, after months of consistent follow-up, finally saw leads convert into long-term customers. What changed? They stayed in the game. They kept showing up, doing the reps, and nurturing the relationship until it bore fruit.

Applying These Lessons to Business Networking

The lessons I’ve learned about nurturing relationships apply just as much to business networking. A professional network isn’t something you can build overnight, nor is it something you can let sit idle once you’ve built it. Relationships, whether they’re with leads, clients, or business contacts, need to be nurtured over time to remain strong.

After the hurricane, many of the people who reached out to me were old business contacts I hadn’t spoken to in a while. But our connection endured because, over the years, I had taken the time to stay in touch, even when we weren’t working together directly. I didn’t let those relationships fade, and now, in a moment of need, they were there for me. And for me personally, I was always authentic.

Here are three key principles for nurturing your network:

• Consistency: Don’t wait until you need something to reach out. Regularly check in with your contacts, even if it’s just to say hello or share a piece of useful information.
• Adding Value: When you nurture a relationship, focus on giving first. Provide value—whether that’s through introductions, advice, or resources—without expecting anything in return. The more you give, the more you’ll get back in the long run.
• Personal Touch: Avoid generic, impersonal communication. Take the time to personalize your interactions. People appreciate when you remember details about their lives, their business, or even past conversations. It shows that you care about them as individuals, not just as contacts.

Nurture for the Long Game

The lesson that was reinforced for me from Hurricane Milton wasn’t just about surviving a storm—it was about the power of nurturing relationships. In business, as in life, relationships don’t grow on their own. They need attention, care, and consistent effort. Whether it’s a lead that you’ve spent months generating or a business contact you’ve known for years, the key to success is in the nurture.

You can generate all the leads in the world, but if you’re not doing the work to nurture them, you’re leaving untapped potential on the table. The same goes for networking. Building a network is easy—keeping that network alive and strong requires dedication.

So, whether you’re nurturing a lead, a client relationship, or your professional network, remember this: put in the reps, stay consistent, and never stop adding value. In time, those relationships will pay off in ways you may not expect, but they will pay off. Nurturing is the long game—and in business, as in life, the long game always wins.