Customer service and maintaining a strong working relationship with your clients should always be a top priority. Sometimes it takes a lot of work and time, but in the end, client retention is King. It’s a competitive workplace out there. Keeping what you have and working hard to do so is much easier than prospecting to win new business. We all need to keep the pipeline full and keep prospecting, but keeping what we have is key as well.
However, it doesn’t always work out that way. There are those instances such as:
- Your client was purchased by someone who works with a different agency.
- Personnel changes and your contact is gone or no longer has a voice in the decision making.
- You screwed up and your lack of customer service sent them packing.
Whatever the case may be of the lost project, it may be time to re-engage and check in on that lost client or missed opportunity. Below are 3 tips to help with client retention.
Make your list. Check it twice. Find out who was naughty or nice.
Or at least identify who you feel is worth re-engaging and would benefit from your company services. Sometimes you have those very hard to please prospects. You may never win, no matter what you do or how you engage. And even if you did win the project, it would be a loss because the time spent pleasing these folks is not worth the financial gain or heartache.
But then there are those projects that simply did not work because the timing did not work on your end and you could not meet their timeline, or perhaps the manager overseeing the project had their own agency but now they are gone. It’s now time to re-engage and begin to build those new relationships. If nothing else, networking is never a waste of time (well it can be but that’s a whole new blog post).
Now that you have identified who to invite to the party, how do you engage?
You have lots of options, but there can only be one at the top of the list. The Phone Call. Outreach via email works if you have a plethora of lost clients or missed opportunities, but those emails will need to be personalized, otherwise you are wasting your time and theirs.
The phone call trumps all outreach options as it allows you to connect, engage and learn more about their plans and how you can hopefully get back into their game plan.
At a loss for words? Keep it simple and be transparent.
The best type of communication is usually the most transparent and to the point.
“Hi, Mary. Thanks for taking my call today! I was thinking about “X Company” and simply wanted to touch base and see how things were coming along for you and the organization? I also wanted to let you know that we have moved our offices and I would like to extend an invite for a grand tour!”. Maybe make her aware of any new services you are now offering that might be of interest to her or the company.
Easy, informal, and engaging. You were thinking about them and the company. Perhaps you have moved your office and wanted to extend an invite. You have a few new services that might help them generate more revenue. All great reasons to pick up the phone and begin the client retention conversation. You can always throw something personal into the conversation if possible and let’s not forget humor as it is also a great way to engage as well, so don’t be afraid to use humor if appropriate.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the lost client or prospect, especially if things did not go well in the past. But a quick phone call could be the beginning of a wonderful partnership that simply was bad timing the first time around.
Want to learn more about our services and how Group 2 can help take your marketing plan to the next level? We are great listeners and enjoy helping our clients think of creative ways to enhance their brand. You can contact us at 412.841.3318 or reach us by email at info@group2.com.