On several occasions throughout
my career, I have had business owners come to me with this 'scream', totally
beside themselves with anger. Others were off the charts bat crazy over this
happening. It was as though losing that one client was the make or break in
their business. If that were the case, then their business strategy of having
all their eggs in one basket was not a good one.
My question to this is, really?
If a client can be stollen, you haven’t lost anything. You only want clients where
trust and loyalty are reciprocated between the two of you.
No one can be stollen, and if you really examine this type of situation, you can see it differently. And, by the way,
they were not 'stollen' if they left because they were dissatisfied with you
or your services. They left.
People have all kinds of reasons
for choosing change, and it is not always for bad reasons. Sometimes things
have shifted in their lives, their livelihood, and sometimes it’s just because
they need a change.
My first business was a client-based
business, and I worked hard to acquire all 300+ accounts. Because the success
of the business was based upon retaining those accounts, I made sure all my
employees were trained very well so that the quality of service was never
compromised. I also made my employees sign non-compete contracts.
As it would be, one of my
employees decided to try to ‘steal’ my clients to start her own business. As she was approaching my clients with her
proposals, my very loyal clients were calling me to let me know what was going
on. I found it quite amusing that she thought she would get away with it. I
fired her immediately.
She did, however, manage to get
one of my ‘loyal’ clients, and good friend, to go with her services. I knew that
it had happened, it could have infuriated me that a friend would leave to use someone
she barely knew. I wasn’t mad, disappointed maybe, but not mad. I also had a very
bad feeling that the decision my friend made would end up being a regrettable
moment for her.
I went on about my business, not
giving it another thought. Although she was one of my top paying clients, this
incident didn’t wreck the train; the business didn’t run off the tracks. Her account was quickly replaced by someone who was on the waiting list.
Several months went by and I
received a phone call from the friend who had left my services. She asked if I
would take her back as a client and explained to me what had happened. She went
with my ex-employee because she was offering a lower rate for the same service.
Unfortunately, my ex-employee also stole from her, and stole a lot. The ‘bargain’ my friend thought she was
getting, was not a bargain at all. My friend asked for my forgiveness, and I
took her back as a client. The ex-employee, well, the police were involved. My
thoughts and something for all to be aware of, people who steal business, will steal anything.
Being in business, especially
client-based businesses, is highly competitive. Sometimes business owners lose sight
of the fact that there are more fish in the sea than they will ever be able to catch.
Some of those fish will make even bigger and better clients!
Yes, you’ve worked hard for the
clients you have, and you will always have to work hard to keep your clients and
gain new ones. It’s a numbers game! If you want to sit back and live off the
clients you have, you can do that, but what happens when they start dying off,
moving on, and have life changes? There is no easy route with this, you still need
to work hard and get new fish, always!
Be prepared with real
numbers and build into your business plan the percentage of lost clients you expect
to have. This is a real thing, it's called attrition. Look over your past records and
start a spread sheet with names, why they left, and categorize them. Figure
your percentage of dollar loss and the number of clients you lost during those years.
Your average will tell you how many new clients/dollars you need to recruit
each year to maintain your minimum base. Any client you gain over the base is growth.
Retain! Keep your clients informed and engaged so they
don't leave!
- · Check in with them regularly to see how they are doing. Phone calls, emails, texts.
- · Ask them what you can do to serve them better.
- · Remember their birthdays and the special occasions in their lives.
- · Offer special incentives/gifts/rewards for their loyalty.
- · Invite them to informational open house/parties for your industry.
- · Keep them up to date and in the know!
- · Personalize notes/emails.
As you grow your client base, it becomes
harder to do all the things above. It’s okay to solicit some help so that you
don’t lose the personalized service they have grown accustomed to. There are
many menial tasks that your children/family can help you with, like putting
stamps on postcards.
If you have used this approach successfully, if/when they
need to leave, they will let you know why. And regardless of why, or even if they tell you why, it is always up
to you to graciously let them leave without harboring bad feelings.
Debra Lee | Author |Keynote Speaker | Blogger | Life
Coach | Biz Coach
“It Is What It Is…But It Wasn’t A Tragedy” | “Making Wise
Choices…the most important life skill to master”
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