Being tenacious is good. Anyone with any degree of success in our business is tenacious. It's an attribute that garners respect and a trait that I like in the people I do business with. That said, there is a difference between being tenacious and being a stalker.

The biggest stalker activity I see on a regular basis is when a rep calls me or one of the people on my team over 10 times per day without leaving a message. With our phone system, it lets us know when we have a missed call. When we see this many missed calls from one phone number, it's a sign that the rep lacks basic phone etiquette skills. It also keys us in to the fact that whenever we see the number on caller ID, the call immediately goes into voicemail. Once the rep finally does leave a message, it lets us know to avoid that specific rep as well as the company they work for.

The other common stalker activity is being over-the-top aggressive at a conference or trade show. For example, I've had instances where I've met someone for the first time and then been hard pitched to within 30 seconds of introductions. Then, throughout the entire conference, I'm pitched by this person over and over every time he sees me. The result is that I spend the rest of the show looking over my shoulder to avoid this person.

The key takeaway is that when you're at an event, take the time to get to know someone and what their business needs are. Don't go straight into an over-the-top aggressive media pitch trying to close the deal immediately. Ask for the business when it's time-and-place appropriate or you're going to find people literally running away from you.