By Lou Sokolovskiy
A tourist once observed a peculiar scene in the Soviet Union. A worker diligently dug a hole in the sidewalk, only for another to immediately fill it back in. What’s the point? The tourist asked. “Oh, the guy who plants the trees is off today. But we still have to keep working,” the worker replied.
Keynes might have been aware of this joke – meant to capture the absurdity of bureaucracy in the Soviet Union – when he suggested during the Great Depression that paying workers to dig and fill holes could stimulate the economy.
Keynes’s provocation may have had merit in the extraordinary context of a global depression—where any spending could jumpstart consumerism and demand. But for business leaders, purposeless activity—so often disguised as progress even to the person doing it—is nothing short of organizational self-sabotage.
The Illusion of Productivity
Networking is the “hole-digging” of the BD world. And it is booming. Paused during the Covid-19, In-person events are back and thriving: 60% of all events are now face-to-face, according to a recent study, which also found that 80% of attendees say live events are the best way to discover new products and 81% rely on them to meet experts.
They’re not wrong. Networking is vital. 85% of jobs are filled through it. But the act of showing up, shaking hands, and swapping LinkedIn connections can create a powerful illusion: the sense that progress has been made. Too often, the work stops there. The “tree planting” step is missing.
The Missing Middleman
Did you know that only 48% of professionals actually keep in touch with their network? In sales, this so-called “lead leak” is catastrophic. Between 20% and 80% of leads vanish entirely because of poor follow-up.
As a result, you’d suffer staggering financial loss. Consider a business, for example, that generates 500 leads a month, with an average $2,000 deal size. At a 10% close rate, that’s $100,000 in monthly revenue. But if only half those leads get a follow-up? The number drops to $50,000, of course, and that means a $600,000 annual loss.
But here is the thing. The cost isn’t just financial. A lack of follow-up tells prospects you’re disorganized or uninterested, or worse, you’re not trustworthy and as a result your brand could suffer serious reputational damage. “If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will,” sales expert Bob Hooey once noted.
From Stagnation to Strategic Success
The fix isn’t to “try harder.” It’s to systematically fill the missing middleman role. What does this exactly mean? It simply means moving away from seeing BD as disconnected tasks and start treating it as one integrated process. In practise, that means the following:
1. Plant the Tree: Timely, Personalized Follow-Up
Speed is everything: responding to a lead within five minutes makes you 21x more likely to qualify them. Follow-up messages should be sent within 24–48 hours, personalized, and actionable.
2. Water the Roots: Add Value, Not Just an Ask
Great salespeople aren’t just closers—they’re relationship builders. Jeffrey Gitomer put it best: “Great salespeople are relationship builders who provide value and help their customers win.” Seth Godin echoes this: “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.”
3. Nurture Growth: Play the Long Game
Most deals (81%) happen after the fifth contact. That means BD is about discipline and consistency. A structured sales pipeline with clear stages—and automation to prevent dropped leads—is the difference between wasted effort and steady growth.
What do you think—have you seen “hole-digging without tree-planting” in your industry? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.
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Sept. 2025
