Enthusiasm has a half-life.

You know that excitement you feel when you first meet someone who seems interested in you? I love that feeling.

I learned from my sales coach that following up is critical. “The sale is in the follow-up!” he would say. Customers, employers, other people you want to spend more time with — all will return to being busy and distracted. So when you sense interest on their part, notice it, and make a note to follow up.

After an initial connection, it’s a good practice to touch base again within 48 hours. (I learned that from yet another of my coaches.) People might forget the moment they connected with you, and the follow-up serves as a prompt, and a chance to re-engage. Bring up something you learned about your connection when you first met, or that you discovered since then from what they share publicly.

Following up let’s you recapture the initial excitement of connecting, and gives it momentum. Enthusiasm ignited by meeting someone can and will fade with time. It has a half-life. That’s why it’s critical to follow up in a timely manner.

There’s also a limit to following-up; Enthusiasm has likely fully waned if nothing comes of connecting after three tries. My sales coach called this his “three strikes and you’re out” rule. After three attempts, it’s time to move on, and look for new connections.

Others have written about the half-life of enthusiasm in other domains, such as goal planning. Here’s one article I enjoyed.