All client relationships end at some point. Sometimes, it’s your choice, but most often, it is the customer who is ready to move on. The leaders in any industry accept that engagements ending are a part of business and don’t take it personally.
The end of a business relationship is an opportunity and shouldn’t be squandered by emotional responses or limiting beliefs. At a minimum, an after-action review can lead to changes in processes. Even better is leaving the engagement with a positive online review and referrals based on the strength of your customer service and relationship.
No matter what the reason for the business separation, if the client is unwilling to share a review of your processes, performance or customer service, it’s time for a potentially painful self-audit.
Unless your company has failed in all three areas, there is an opportunity for a good review and likely a recommendation or referral. If your product didn’t deliver the value the customer was hoping for, ask them about your team’s performance and service.
If the service was a pain point, a review may focus more on the product or deliverables. You may lose a customer even if you have a great product and customer service, but the process of getting goods to the customer is painful. Again, this is an opportunity for a testimonial or referral that focuses on the positive.
The most common reason we lose a client at R2R Marketing is when their business has grown so much that it makes sense to have an in-house marketing team. In those cases, the process of working with an outside firm is less efficient, so we ask for a review about the experience working with the R2R team. Since one of our core values is to “delight others,” it’s an easy win.
The next time you lose a customer or client, have a conversation with them with a focus on both learning from the experience and gaining a review or testimonial. It won’t happen every time, but if you don’t ask, it probably won’t happen at all.
