November 2007- Revisit Lost Clients to Find New Business

Sooner or later every salesperson discovers what it feels like to lose a client. Despite your best efforts, some clients will take their business elsewhere even if there was no apparent dropping of the ball by you or your company.

That’s life. Now you can either bury it in the “Lost Client” file and forget about the lost business or find a way to turn the situation around. Either way, you aren’t going to be getting any business from these former customers until you develop a new game plan to win them back.

Many sales professionals have a tendency to concentrate almost exclusively on pursuing new customers while overlooking former clients with whom they shared special working relationships. This is a mine where you’ve struck pay dirt before. By changing your approach you can win back these one-time clients and increase your customer base. The results may surprise you.

Here are three rules to remember when contacting former clients:

Rule No. 1 — Don’t Haggle Over Pricing. Even if your former customer claims they left for lower prices, don’t succumb to slashing your current prices to bring them back into the fold. Rather, concentrate on how your company can help them win more customers. This will bear more fruit than handing out 20% off coupons.

Rule No. 2 –- Honesty is Still the Best Policy. Take a shot and ask these prospects for another crack at their business. If mistakes were made in the past, admit them and let lost clients know that your company’s services have improved. The humility you exhibit could be the deciding factor in these ex-clients giving you another chance.

Rule No. 3 – Learn from the Past. Like the old adage, those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Don’t let this happen to you. After you’ve won back old clients you had written off, remain focused on your marketing objectives. Ask these newly won customers, “How’s our service?” Be prepared for honest feedback and to make improvements so you won’t lose them a second time.

By revisiting the “Lost Clients” file as a source of new business, you’ve turned a lost cause into one that will pay dividends for years to come.

What Grow Sales, Inc. Can Do for You
At Grow Sales, Inc., we specialize in finding the right marketing mix for each graphic arts client, and making sure it’s executed. Since 1996, we have provided full-service outbound marketing, public relations, web and graphic design and sales support to our clients. With our help, this could be a banner year for your company.

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