Is This The End?

Through dedication, service, integrity, and enthusiasm, you’ve brought that person who handed you money down the path to become your devoted, grateful customer for life.

In fact, they’re so thrilled you have them sending you awesome prospects through strong (not weak-ass) referrals.

What is the next level of working with you?

Remember, a customer you already have is easier to convert than a prospect who hasn’t given you money yet.

How are you making a long-term relationship inevitable in the eyes of this customer?

Or, the better question:

How Do You Know What “Next Steps” Your Customer Will Take With You?

This requires you, most of all, to be alert and answer a few unbelievably simple questions:

• What went wrong? Did the customer complain that certain expectations didn’t get met?  Challenge question: are they more upset that you didn’t provide it, or more generally that they don’t have it?  Even if they say the former, the actual emotion may be the latter. Either way, it’s an opportunity for you to do more for them.
• What went right? What part of the product or service do your customers seem to rave about, latch onto, and tell their friends about?  Here’s your clue as to what they’ll gladly buy more of (and others will gladly invest in).
• What new problems does the solution create? An accountant hustling for clients has one set of problems (uh…paying the rent?); once they get their practice booked solid, they have another set of problems (How will I get this done? Who’s going to help out at home when I need to work longer hours during tax season? How can I get associates hired and trained fast to help me?)
• What happens when they put the book down? Incredibly, I read way too many business books that share brilliant insights, and then say “The End.”  Really?  Why did you write the book – for entertainment purposes?

I highly doubt, as much as you love being a business creator and serving the world from your intersection of your brilliance and passion, you’re doing any of this for pure entertainment value.

Gordon Gekko had some thoughts on this.

Seems Real Simple, Eh?  Like “Why Did You Make Me Read That?”

Take a half hour.

Be brutally honest with yourself about your business.

Look at EVERY point of contact with a customer and ask “is this the end?”

If it feels like the end, you may find yourself wanting to go BEYOND the beginning.