What To Do When you lose a valued customer.
You're driving past the Smiths' house one day when you notice another remodeler's truck in their driveway. "That's weird," you think to yourself. After all, you did three jobs on the Smiths' rambler, and the last one made their new kitchen the talk of the neighborhood. So what gives?
Losing a prospect to price is one thing, but losing a repeat customer is extremely humbling. Bill Lee, a Greenville, S.C.-based training and recruiting consultant who works with builders and remodelers, says customers rarely decide to leave one company for another on impulse. Instead, he says, they usually make the switch after a lot of careful thought.
If your former customers have decided to take their business elsewhere, try Lee's action plan to win them back. First, pick up the phone and ask to meet with them face-to-face. But don't be surprised if your former clients have their guard up.
They dropped your services several weeks--or maybe even months--ago, so they're not likely to knee-jerk and reverse their decision. Besides, they're probably under contract with the new firm. Put them at ease as best you can, and use the meeting as a friendly fact-finding mission. You mostly want to learn where your firm dropped the ball on customer service.
After the meeting, enlist time as an ally. Stay in touch with the former clients unobtrusively by periodically sending them short notes. Offer to do little favors for them, but ask for nothing in return. If possible, ask a trustworthy supplier or sub whether your former customers seem happy with their new remodeler, and try to determine what's behind the chemistry.
When the time is right--perhaps four or six months after the first meeting--request a follow-up visit.
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