Your success as a businessperson is built on relationships. If you have negative relationships, that will be apparent in your results. But the more positive relationships you have—be they with existing customers or with potential customers—and you’ll notice it in your results, but with positivity.

That’s where lead nurturing come in. Although it’s just one element of the sales relationship, it’s an important one. It’s the first part of the customer journey and it’s where you have a chance to make that first impression that could lead people to a lasting connection with you, or could lead them away from you, permanently.

But lead nurturing isn’t just about making more sales. Of course, you’re converting people. But you’re also learning how to better qualify your leads. And you’re gathering more data, which in the end helps make you a better company for someone to establish a relationship with. This graphic explains more.