You’re wearing your lucky shirt. The weather is warm and the beer is cold. You’ve got a new club you’re dying to try. You line up with the ball, draw back and whack it good. But as soon as the club makes contact, you stiffen, stopping in mid-swing. You stare in surprise as the ball falls with a thud, nowhere near your intended target. What happened?

You didn’t follow through. A pro knows that what happens after the hit is not an afterthought. It really does matter to the ball. Just like follow-through matters to Ms. Jones.

Do you consider a sale “done” on the day of delivery? Do you close the door on customer care when she closes her front door behind you? You can’t take Ms. Jones’ money without taking on the problems and questions that will come after she gets the goods. Big-ticket sales mean long-term relationships.

The selling experience STARTS for Ms. Jones when you think it has ended. Your follow-through is what will determine her trajectory: Will she come back to your store? What will she tell her friends about you?

PGA Golf Instructor Tom Ward says, “The reason for good extension in the follow-through is to keep the clubface accelerating at impact.” Does your follow-through propel Ms. Jones towards a hole in one, or are you aiming for a double bogie?