Don’t Write Off Clients Who Have Left! Those Relationships Are Still Valuable

April 13, 2021
Spotlight Branding

We’ve all had clients ghost us. Without warning, they stop responding to calls and emails. Eventually, you learn the truth: They no longer need your services. It happens. But, in the wake of their departure, what can you do? 

WHY DO CLIENTS LEAVE?

  • Your service isn’t in the budget anymore. They’ve crunched the numbers, and there’s just no room. This reason is pretty common in the first quarter of the year when businesses are evaluating their books.
  • They no longer find your service valuable. Your client has determined they don’t get a good return on investment (ROI) from doing business with you.
  • They’ve moved on. It’s possible they’ve reached a point in their business where they no longer need your service. 
  • Their trust in you has waned. Maybe you made a mistake. Maybe you never created a solid relationship with the client in the first place.
  • Your competition stole them away. If one of your competitors was offering a better deal — better price, better service, or better marketing — then maybe your client jumped ship. 

TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. 

It’s up to you to build trust with your clients, fix mistakes when you make them, and offer competitive prices and customer service to prevent them from going to a competitor. You should always track the reasons for client departures to discover harmful trends that could be driving clients away; that way, you can correct them. 

MAKE A CLIENT DEPARTURE AMICABLE. 

When your product isn’t in your client’s budget anymore, or they’re no longer in need of your product, you can still make the departure amicable. 

  • Don’t burn the bridge. Sometimes, messy departures (such as firing a client) are inevitable. In most cases, however, you should leave the door open and prepare to welcome them back, in case their situation changes.
  • Respect their decision to leave. Don’t make it hard for the client to leave. If they have a contract with you, follow the terms of the contract. A split where mutual respect is involved will make them more willing to return if they need your product or service again. 

A client’s departure is rarely the end of a relationship — in fact, it could just as easily be a new beginning.

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!