Woo Back Your Missing Clients
(From the October 2006 issue of Recruitment Matters Newsletter)
For clients who have only used your company once or twice, and clients who have gone quiet that were once regulars, simply call them up and ask them why you have not heard from them recently; it’s as simple as that. Act upon the answer as quickly and flexibly as your time and budget allow. You and your company spent an absolute fortune winning that sale in the first place, so bust a gut to get that client back.
Ex-clients who are approached to find out if there is an issue feel respected and valued that you took the time to find out what was wrong. By far, the majority of them will give you a second chance if you offer to put it right, and, what is more, they are then highly likely to stay loyal to you in the future. You will be surprised by just how little it takes to win them back. If they only came to you originally with a one-off assignment and you find that they have no further requirements for the foreseeable future, what have you lost? On the other hand, you may just have secured a walking advertisement for your company for the next ten people they talk to.
When questioning inactive clients who tell you that there is no particular reason why they have not been back to use your services again, it is vital that you gain some information that will give you a reason to re-contact them or perhaps even convert them there and then. You must open them up with good questioning, and here is how I do it: I use our old friend NEADS . I find out who they use N ow; what they E njoy about the supplier; given the chance, what would they A lter; are they in a position to or are they the person who can D ecide; and then I sell them the S olution based on the answers they give me.
Finally, do not forget the ex-clients who did not work out too well for you in the past. A quick look at our own industry sees a lot of movement of personnel between companies. The person whom you previously dealt with may have moved on or their boss may have moved and therefore their attitude may have changed.
Go on, write a list of every company you have conducted an assignment for over the past three years and contact them all. You are bound to gain at least one fresh piece of business, which will represent good incremental profit for you and your company.
For more handy tips and information on recruitment matters visit www.recruitmentmatters.com .
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