If There’s No Next Step, There’s No Sale

Here’s one of the most common reasons sales stall in print shops:

A quote goes out… and then nothing happens.

No meeting scheduled.
No agenda agreed upon.
No clear owner of the next action.

It sits in the CRM, or worse, someone’s inbox, the deal could die. 

We get “ghosted” often in this industry and I think that’s on us, for not defining next steps after every step/stage in the sales process. 

If your sales process doesn’t require a defined next step for every opportunity, you’re leaving deals to chance.

Make Next Steps Non-Negotiable

High-performing shops never end a call or send a quote without putting a next step on the calendar. That next step should be:

• On the calendar

• Mutually agreed upon

• Tied to a specific purpose or decision

If it’s not scheduled, it’s not real.

Why Deals Go Cold

Without structure, follow-up competes with everything else going on in the shop—and it usually loses. And when someone finally follows up, the message is vague:
“Just checking in…”
“Wanted to see if you had any questions…”

It feels weak because it is. There's no plan. No clarity. No reason for the customer to re-engage.

Structure Beats Hope

Fix this by making follow-up part of your process, not something you remember to do later.

Here’s how to tighten it up:

• No quote without a scheduled review

• Every meeting ends with the next one booked

• Always define what the next step is and why it matters

• Assign ownership: who is driving the next action?

Clean Your Pipeline

Look at your open deals. If there’s no meeting scheduled or buyer action pending, they’re stalled.

Ask yourself:

• Do we have a next step on the calendar?

• Is there a clear reason for the next conversation?

• Has the buyer made a commitment, big or small?

If not, take action. Re-engage with purpose or clear it out.

Clarity Closes Deals

The best sales teams don’t chase they guide.

And the easiest way to guide a sale? Define what happens next, every single time.