Sometimes the simplest question is the one that causes the most scowls. Or at least, the most hand-wringing.

I’m talking about what later seems like an incredibly insightful question that forces you to think hard about your business, despite the fact that it was annoyingly simple. You don’t get off the hook with a “I dunno” and a shrug to one of those questions.

One such example is… “What’s next?”

It’s not a specific question and might mean different things to different people.

To some, it might mean “What are you doing next for your clients?”, to others “What are you doing next to raise the bar?”, “What else are you going to do to get more clients” or “What are you start doing to keep your clients even more loyal?”

People don’t think about this sort of thing often enough. Many just think about getting the client. Once they have them, THEN what do they do with them after that first sale?

In many cases, nothing. Or at least, nothing special.

People are conditioned to follow a sequence of steps. If they see a ladder, they know they’re supposed to climb it. Are you placing one in front of them?

If there isn’t a next thing in your sales process, how do they know what to buy/do/invest in/service?

Or do they go somewhere else?

What’s next?