+1 for the great tips. Especially for #2. I would also add that it's important to follow up personally, at least for major accounts. (And if you do hire virtua

+1 for the great tips. Especially for #2. I would also add that it's important to follow up personally, at least for major accounts. (And if you do hire virtual assistant, train them to be able to follow up as if you were doing so somehow...) I also sometimes try to add some value to my follow up. If I see a bit of news about the person's company or industry, I'll contact them and mention it, then tack on my gentle follow-up afterwards.