Losing Clients (and How to Overcome It)

I’m not the type of person that only shares my wins and glamorizes my lifestyle.

 

The truth is that sometimes things don’t work out according to plans.

 

So today I am sharing my experiences with losing clients. 

 

I felt so strongly about sharing this that I even did a podcast episode on it because it is important to me that I share my wins and my losses!

 

I have a social media management company and as of now I have five 4 amazing clients!

 

It’s time for me to re-sign contracts and one of my clients decided not to resign. 😫

 

It was a bit of a blow because I loved working with them but they were ready to transition.

 

I completely respect their decision and I am SO EXCITED about remaining friends and collaborating on things in the future! (Which we have talked about.)

 

The truth is that there are seasons and cycles in business. It would be unrealistic for me to believe that someone would remain my client for the next 20 years. Businesses change and evolve. Relationships change and evolve.

 

One thing I was reminded of when this happened is my experience in network marketing and how it prepared me to deal with this.

 

I would lose customers every week but I would always gain a customer the next week.

 

If you focus on the losses you can never appreciate the gains when they show up.

 

I was a little bummed the rest of the day after reading the email that my client was not resigning with me but I was also excited because I now have a little more time to put into my other clients and to focus on growing my other brands.

 

Here are a few ways I have learned to deal with losing clients/customers:

 

Vent

First, you have to choose the right person to vent to and be reasonable. I vent to my husband and honestly he challenges me to examine all sides.

 

Why did the client leave? Could I have prevented it? Is the client ready for a change? Am I underperforming?

Sometimes if I’m completely honest with myself (thanks to my venting session) I realize that I was underperforming or the client/customer needed something else that I couldn’t (or won’t) provide.

 

Venting is important to moving on after losing customers.

 

Ask Questions

 

I love asking people “Why”

 

It may be hard to hear but you NEED the feedback in order to improve in your business.

 

One thing I say is, “Thank you so much for getting back to me, I’d love to know for the future and so I can improve in my business, why have you decided to discontinue working with me at this time (or insert their choice of words).”

 

I usually have this conversation over the phone but for some I know it may seem confrontational (which is never my intention) so I’ll also send it via email to give them the option to respond honestly.

 

I always validate their feelings and make sure my clients realize how much I value their answer to this question, then I make sure I address their feedback in the future.

 

Take a Mental Break

 

I’ve never “lost” a major client without a backup plan but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t sting when I lose someone.

 

I usually take some time to gather my thoughts through a Netflix binge session.

 

Giving yourself a mental break will keep you from obsessing over something you have no control over.

 

Evaluating and Making Adjustments

 

One thing I always do after losing a customer is evaluate how I can improve from the experience.

 

I usually write a list of “glows” and “areas of improvement.”

 

Sometimes “losing” a client is not a bad thing.

 

The client I recently lost was not a bad thing; however, there were a lot of things that I learned from our time together and there are also areas I know I need to improve on.

 

Because of this, I have made some changes in how I run things now and I am excited to get feedback on these changes from my current and future clients.

 

Evaluating your partnership with your customer or client and knowing what you did well and what you can improve on allows you to be objective and move on from whatever feelings you attach to “losing” your customer.

 

I hope this helps you if you have ever struggled or are currently struggling with losing a client.

 

Although it’s no fun to lose a client, this is a great way to grow in your business.

 

Can you relate to any of these feelings or do you find any of my tips useful? If so, leave a comment and let me know!

 

xoxox Kay