Virtually every time I speak to sales organizations, I getasked, "What do I do when I don't hear back from people? I don'twant to be a pain in the you-know-what." Keeping in touch is sodarn hard.

So I ask to see what they're doing now. Usually it looks likethis:

"I'm checking in to see ifanything has changed since we last talked. I suspect you'reprobably busy. If you have time in the upcoming week,I'd love to chat. Let me know!"

Big UGH! Boring, pathetic, deletable.

With today's savvy buyers, we can't do that if we want to beseen as a credible resource . . . someone actually worth talking toabout important business objectives. That's why we need anotherapproach to our sales strategy.

1. Be helpful

It sounds too easy. Not like a salesperson — who's supposedto always be pitching. But honest to goodness, it's what works.

For example, one of my clients sells a product thatsignificantly improves customer service. I suggested that they sendout an email as simple as this:

Notice how you’re not asking for anything — just providing value— which positions you/your company as a credible resource.

2. Pique their curiosity

Another great sales strategy is to send people to a resource onyour own website. I'm not talking about a place that touts yourproduct our services. Doing that is so 1970s.

Instead, I'm talking about something that could help yourprospect achieve their objectives. Like a white paper, case study,article, or interview that's informative — or shares insights. Youcould send an email like this:

Tempting? It should be if you've found the right resource foryour prospect. Again, there's no pathetic "circling back" or"checking in."

Every email (or phone message) you send to your prospect has tostand on its own as VALUABLE. Once you get the hang of it, it'seasy. And honestly, you feel better communicating this way.

Related: How to successfully follow up with anyone