How many times have you left a meeting feeling good about your presentation, only to realize you don't really have a plan with your prospect of what's coming next? Having a clearly defined idea of the next step is a very important part of the sales process. In a recent blog post, Brooke Green of Caskey Training discussed this situation, and what you can do to get on the same page as your prospect.

I was recently working with a client on knowing "What's next?" with their prospects and clients. It's a huge part of controlling the sales process. What we discovered is that my client is clear about what they think is going to happen, but they haven't shared it with their customer!

How do you know if you're all on the same page? Your customer may have an entirely different plan.

Here are six things to do every time you leave a meeting so that you are in control of the process, and your client is never surprised:

1. If your gut is nagging you, something has been left unsaid; never leave with a nagging feeling.

2. Always recap what you've heard in the meeting and make a suggestion for what you think the next step should be; remember your prospect is looking for you to lead them.

3. If there is no next step, don't try to make something up! Be okay with saying, "Goodbye, we're not a good fit."

4. If you know there is something there, but you're not sure "What's next?" it's okay to say so. Say something like, "I would like to digest what we discussed today. I think there is a reason for us to meet again, but I'm not sure what should happen next. I'll be in touch in the next day or so with some ideas on how to move forward." It's still a "clear future". No one is left wondering "What's going to happen after you leave?"

5. Your "clear future" should be how you open the next meeting. "Mr. Smith, we agreed in our last meeting that today we would talk about signing a contract..."

6. Your meetings should be followed up with a recap, either by letter or e-mail. The recap should state what you heard, what you decided to do and when you will do it.

"In our training, we work with our clients on always having a 'clear future,'" says Green. "How many of you have left a meeting thinking it was a good meeting but also saying to yourself, 'I wonder if I should call them? Should I send an email? Maybe I should wait for them to call me?' A "clear future" is a great tool for keeping the right deals in your funnel and to keep those deals moving forward."

Brooke Green is a speaker and consultant with Caskey, a firm specializing in training and developing B2B sales teams through face to face training, teleconferencing, written material, custom podcasts and one on one coaching. Learn more at www.caskeyone.com