Also, it turns out people in $industry who don't need $thing might know people who do. If you leave a good impression, there's every chance they'll recommend y

Also, it turns out people in $industry who don't need $thing might know people who do. If you leave a good impression, there's every chance they'll recommend you to someone who does need $thing, doing much of your selling for you -- you just have to leave them thinking "well, $thing wasn't right for me, but I'd do business with $person and $company".