It is okay to step away, having a follow up will help keep the connection in the event the student is not ready. Follow ups need to have an intent and can be done varies ways, days and times. Every student is different with a unique schedule and situation, change it up.  Reassessing for any new obstacles and challenges is important to ensure a student is really ready. Ask for referrals, don't forget you have goals to find new prospective students.

Instead of running from the challenges, it is important to clearly identify them. If you know the challenges, it will allow you to help provide tools to overcome them. Providing support and resources will allow the student to solve their own problems while creating confidence that will prove to be beneficial while in school. 

Gathering information through active listening and open-ended questions helps build rapport and a connection with the prospective student. This is important because understanding a student's key motivations, challenges, objections, and needs is essential to ensure your program is the right fit for them as well as determining if they are the right fit for the program.

Having a framework is necessary, it allows for your department to see what is and isn't working as well as if the admissions process is efficient. In admissions it is important to know how to build rapport and connect with the potential students to know if it is mutually a good fit for the student and program.