Separate interest from a decision
An encouraging conversation can end without anyone accepting responsibility for the next step. Before following up, write down the proposed customer outcome, the person who can approve the work and the obligation each organisation would take on. If any of those are missing, another presentation may leave the same problem unresolved.
Ask what prevents a yes
Ask the contact what would need to be true for a small test to proceed. They may need a clear member benefit, less administrative work, a different approver or evidence that the offer is useful. Treat those as questions to investigate. Do not assume a lack of commitment means the relationship is weak or the answer is more leads.
Design a pilot someone can own
For example, propose one named champion, introductions to five suitable merchants and a 14-day test. Those numbers are an illustrative starting point, not a proven formula. Define what your team prepares, what the partner must do, the customer experience and the date on which both parties will review the outcome. Avoid engineering commitments before the scope has an owner.
Measure beyond participation
Merchant introductions and registrations are intermediate events. Decide how they connect to customer activation, a useful offer, a paying account or a retained relationship. Record the staff time required. A pilot that creates activity but no credible route to customer value may need a different offer, a different channel or a pause.
Make the next step legible
A practical follow-up can be one page: the decision requested, the benefit, what each side will do, unresolved questions, named owners and dates. A staff member can prepare the pack and track responses; the relationship owner remains responsible for the commercial conversation. If repeated specific asks produce no decision, compare a direct route to the same customer problem.