Why Patience Is the Most Underrated Skill in Business Development
Sep 30, 2025
When I talk to recruiters about business development, I always remind them:
This stuff is hard to figure out.
You can send 25 highly targeted emails and hear crickets.
You can call, follow up, and build relationships only to have people ghost you.
If you're only measuring success by instant results?
You’re going to burn out.
What I’ve seen over and over again is that patience is the real difference-maker.
Not passive waiting.
Strategic, consistent patience.
It looks like this:
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Normalizing the activity so it becomes part of who you are, not just something you try when things slow down
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Understanding that your best clients may take time to warm up
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Realizing people are busy, and when the timing’s right, they’ll remember the person who kept showing up
I had one recruiting prospect give me active roles three years after I left Aerotek.
I’ve had clients ghost for months, only to circle back ready to sign.
Not because I followed up 10 times.
But because I stayed present and consistent.
The thing about patience?
It feels like waiting.
But it’s actually building.
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