Is The Loss Of A Customer Really The End Of The World?

It's a fair comment to say that every business will lose customers at some point. However it is vital that any disappearing customer is still engaged. After all, there was something which made them choose to stop using your product or service.

It can be hard maintaining some form of communication. Don't expect to have this kind of individual relationship with your customers (existing or past) if you sell FMCG (fast moving consumer goods). The customers won't want it and you won't have the resources to carry it out. Some businesses try to communicate through social networking, but it's not the same and the customer just becomes part of the masses.

Having said that, if you are a smaller company, and you employ more of a personal touch, maintaining communication with new customers as well as former customers is so important.

Personally I aim to welcome each new customer individually because I really am happy to see people who are interested and want to buy. It doesn't matter if they are the 1st customer or the 1 000 000th. If they didn't come and spend money at my company then my company would not exist, so I want to say thanks and help them. It's true this does take a serious amount of time, but don't underestimate it. These kinds of relationships are so important even at the start.

The sooner you start creating this relationship the better. We all know that your customers won't tell you when they are not happy. But is that true? Maybe they would if they had an opportunity to give honest feedback - not with a bog-standard form, but with a phone call or a personalized email. When it comes down to it, this direct approach is much better as you can then give an honest direct answer back.

This relationship also goes beyond the moment the customer leaves. Don't forget that they will have left for a reason - and while they may not have told you they were unhappy, they may well tell you what you could do to improve. So ask the question, if you can, and you never know, your product roadmap or customer service strategy may take a huge positive step.

So the message from me? Talk, communicate, but be genuine, be personal and above all else, don't be afraid of the answers you get. They could just make the difference between your business being a huge success, an average performer or even an ex-business.