50 Ways to Lose Your Customers (OK, really 5)

There is a lot of discussion on customer retention—this month we will take the opposite approach, five sure fire ways to lose your customers.

1.  Try to sell them something they already buy from you (as if it were something new).  It never fails, each week I get an offer from a company trying to sell me something that I already buy from them.  Wasted marketing dollars.

2.  Be inconsistent in your delivery.  Have you ever gone to a restaurant that was great, only to be disappointed when you went back with family and friends?  I know that I have.  Inconsistency breeds a lack  of confidence in your ability to deliver.

3.  Raising prices has a tendency to drive off some of your customer base—especially those that are price shoppers.  This one has an upside and a downside.  The upside is that if your product or service is fantastic, raising prices will allow you to increase your profit.  The customers that you will drive away are the price shoppers that make up the lions’ share of your headaches.

4.  Respond slowly—a great way to loose customers.  I responded to an add for a marketing company two weeks ago—it took them a week to  call me back.  How could  a company that focuses on marketing be that slow in responding?  Obviously, I will not be using them.

5.  Perceived indifference—the most  important of the five.  You have invested good money in acquiring your customers.  Treat your “A” clients as gold by staying in front of them and reminding them how much they mean to  you.  The key to retaining clients is to make them feel special.