It is never easy when a customer decides that they no longer wish to work with you. Unfortunately, it is part of business. Your main aim, over the course of time, is to make sure you gain more than you lose!
Some of the reasons why customers make “change decisions” are price, quality, availability of goods and in some circumstances simply due to a clash of personality. Regardless of what you think the reason, don’t get angry. Ask the question, why don’t you want to buy from us anymore?
Take the time to call the customer by phone or personally visit them with the objective of understanding what it was that persuaded them to leave you. There are two factors at play here, 1. What is the customers need? 2. How did they rate you product/service experience?
It may be that the customer’s needs have changed and your product no longer satisfies there need. This decision may be a cause for concern or it may not. If the customer has chosen to pursue a “low cost” strategy yet your products satisfy a “high quality” strategy, it is evident that the two strategies are no longer aligned and you may need to accept that you are unable to meet the customer’s needs. It is important to understand what segment of the market your products satisfy and to ensure that the delivery of those products meet the customer’s needs.
However, if your product strategy and the customer’s strategy are aligned and yet the customer no longer wishes to work with you, you have a problem and you need to understand why. The best place to start is with those customers who have dumped you! And this leads to the second question, how did they rate your product experience? Don’t let your ego get in the way, ask the question, and seek to understand why your business was unable to meet the customer’s needs. Was the quality acceptable? Was the pricing competitive? Where your staff pleasant to deal with? Don’t be afraid to ask questions that have have “painful” answers for you.
Your objective is to understand how you can do your job better.
