Page 94 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Quick Ideas 69 to 70

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Go After Lost Customers

Sometimes the best customer to get is the one you had in
the past, the one who defected and went to the competition.
They may find that they aren’t as happy as they thought they’d
be. Your continued efforts to win them back could result in
regaining a good customer, perhaps an even better customer,
than you had before. Oftentimes lost customers are simply
waiting for you to invite them back.

The owner of a dental laboratory lost one of their big cus-

tomers who represented more than 40 percent of their regular

business. Although he tried, the customer failed to return the

owner’s phone calls. After much debate, he decided to try some-

thing a little different. He bought a sympathy card and wrote a

personal note to the business owner. He explained he wasn’t

sure what had happened and

why they were unhappy, but Assignment
it was a shame that they

weren’t doing business to- Keep a lost customer list,

gether anymore, because he and keep track of your efforts

believed they were good for to win them back.

each other. He was offer-

ing his sympathy that they

would have to do business somewhere else. He sent the card

to the business owner, and soon got a phone call. The customer

wanted to sit down and talk, and soon returned as a loyal cus-

tomer. Don’t give up on lost customers.

Epilogue
You know what a lost customer can be, and how your
relationship can improve if you make the effort.

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