I have a great blog post here by Darren Morrison. Please leave a comment. Always interested to see what others have to say….
Why do customers leave you?
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Many of us take the easy way out by shying away from the truth and convincing ourselves that the customer must have left you because of price, or they must have left you because they know somebody at the new vendor company, or some other reason beyond your control. But have you considered that the real reason they left you is more in your control and easier to prevent than you think?
According to a Rockefeller Corporation Study, the
- #1 reason (68%) a customer will leave you is perception of non-caring – the customer felt that you/the company didn’t care.
- #2 reason (14%) is that you didn’t stay in touch.
So 82% of why a customer will leave you is because they felt that you 1. Didn’t care and 2. Didn’t stay in touch.
Looking back over my 12 years of sales and sales management experience, I can certainly see how this rang true in my business.
But what is the best way to show your customers that you care, and stay in touch?
This information above in addition to my daily experiences in sales situations changed the way I perceived the world of business. In fact, I left my (high-paying) sales management position to start my own company based on the principle that if people can just show gratitude to their customers, they will not only stay with you for the long haul, but they will also in fact be your ‘evangelist’ and refer new business to you. So, what is the best way to show customers that you care and stay in touch?
Well I can tell you the way that I do it – I use the personal touch of a personalized greeting card. I found an online tool where you create your personalized card with your message, photos, your handwriting and signature – then the company will create it and mail it to your recipient for about $1.50 including postage. They have a contact manager so you can organize all of your customers, even your family and friends (for the family Christmas cards).
Why REAL greeting cards instead of texts, e-mails, Messenger, Facebook? Because the recipient knows how much time and effort it took to ‘thumb out’ “Happy Birthday”on a Blackberry. Which do you think has more impact – a message post of “Happy Birthday” on your Facebook page, or a real greeting card with personal funny photos, jokes, messages, in the mail (which will be opened 100% of the time and not be deleted like an e-mail).
The system I use is SendOutCards. I like it because I can stand out from the crowd (and my competitors) by showing I care, and by staying in touch – all for about $1.50 and 2 minutes! I can actually send hundreds of personalized cards in minutes. In fact, I liked the system so much; they are the only supplier for my company Canmoe Appreciation Marketing .
I wish you all the best in your business endeavours – stay grateful!
Darren Morrison
Owner Canmoe Appreciation Marketing
http://www.canmoe.ca
403 998-8026
”Growing Your Business Through Gratitude”
Loved this article! If a client leaves, it can also be helpful to ask for their feedback on your services. Then, take their feedback and use it to improve the way you do business. When I’m a client to another vendor’s services, I like to be remembered and like any personal touch they can add, it’s human nature!