
Following last week’s blog on 7 Steps to Mending Broken Fences (what to do when client relations break down), one of my readers asked if I had any ideas about how to deal with a clients who had gone dead on them.
Not literally (thank goodness… that’s a whole ‘nother post!), but those clients who?hadn’t?been seen or heard from and seemingly vanished off the face of the earth.
To Dianne, and anyone else who has had clients go missing in action, sometimes simply picking up the phone, or even writing a good old fashioned letter to re-establish the connection is the best solution.
Personally I like the idea of a preliminary letter and would use something along the lines of:
Hi [Rupert],
I haven?t heard from you in a while and just wanted to make sure everything was OK. If?I’ve?said or done something to upset you, I?d really like the opportunity to talk about it and see if we can?t find a solution.
Or perhaps you?ve just been busy.
How about I give you a call [Thursday morning] just to catch up.
Best regards,…
A simple letter such as this shows your client you care enough about them to keep in touch and are prepared to work on keeping them happy, should there be a problem.
I?d also suggest a follow up phone call on a day that?s less likely to be busy – and by giving advance notice of when you intend to call, your client can be prepared with any questions or issues they?d like to discuss.
I hope this helps and would love to hear other people?s experiences or suggestions on reconnecting with elusive clients.
Got questions about this post or other business communication matters? Feel free to ask them on my?Facebook page where I’ll answer them for you.
nice one, making contact with customers who you haven’t heard from in a while can be a great opportunity and something that most business neglect
So true. I guess we all get so caught up in what?s going on day-to-day that it?s easy to forget about keeping in touch (both in business and our personal lives).
The beauty is, it really can be as simple as a phone call, or birthday card, or any other small gesture that says ?I?m thinking of you?.