10 Steps in Bringing Back Old Clients
At some point or another, all businesses lose a client, and so all businesses need to know how to bring back clients that stopped buying. It may take a little bit of hard work, but winning back an old client will be worth it in the end.
1) Review the project or sale. Find out from your end exactly if anything went wrong—and if it did, take the necessary steps to ensure it won’t happen again.
2) Contact the client with gentleness and respect. Don’t be overly aggressive, or make assumptions about your customer’s feelings or point of view. Try to feel them out to see why they left. The reason could be simple—they could have relocated, cut their budget, or had a genuine problem with your product or service.
3) If there was a problem, find out what went wrong from their perspective. Maybe they have implicitly laid this out for you in the past, but go over it with them again. Understand where they are coming from. Give them your attention for as long as it takes to fully describe the problem. You can’t expect to bring back clients that stopped buying if you don’t know why they left.
4) Get them up to speed. Inform them of the changes you made in step 1 and assure them that any additional changes will also be made promptly. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver though, or you risk ruining the relationship completely. If you have many small customers, public announcements or mailings make work for this step; otherwise make it a face to face meeting.
5) Offer an incentive. Most consumers can’t resist a deal. Give them something to tempt them back into your fold. One of the best ways to bring back clients that stopped buying is to give them an irresistible reason to come back. Think of it as an investment in the future of your business.
6) Open up lines of communication for the duration of the project. Give the client your direct cell number or a few different ways to reach you. That way they will be assured that you are available to handle any further difficulties. Personal service and attention is a great way to bring back clients that stopped buying.
7) Consider milestones or review periods. If it works for your type of business, set up periodic reviews of the project beforehand. This will let the client know that both of you will be keeping tabs on the job all the way through.
8) Resell your business to them. In may seem repetitive, but go over all of the reasons they should buy from you again. Remind them of what you can deliver. Use positive references if possible.
9) Offer them an out. Different than the incentives you can give them, this works more like a guarantee. Make the project as risk free an option as possible for them. If they have little to lose in trying you again, they are more likely to do so.
10) Ensure that your business will deliver with no further issues. Strengthen the backbone of your business. Double check that everything related to the project will happen well and on time. Follow through with all promises you’ve made, and follow up when the project is complete.
Trying to bring back clients that stopped buying can be a difficult proposition for your business. But the process and the end result are beneficial, and a satisfied customer is the best advertising you can get.
Now I’m curious…
What ways have you found work best to bring back old clients?
Share with us in, the comment box below, your tips, experience and ideas of how to bring back clients ?
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