First I want to tell you one immutable truth that will need to take once and forever - customers go. Everyone leaves, even among giant companies and real market legends. And this is normal! If you are just starting swimming in the sea of \u200b\u200bbusiness, the loss of any customer may seem like a real catastrophe, but do not panic ahead of time - wait, consider and only after careful analysis, take any steps.

If we are talking about 5-10% of existing customers per year, then you have nothing to worry about. But if in a year you start to lose from 20% and higher - this is really a reason to think and try to influence the situation.

There are many ways to return customers and an accurate strategy is built individually, taking into account your activities, the situation in the market and many other factors. I suggest to consider the main algorithm of actions, from which you can already go on.

Analyze

First you need to analyze the situation and understand the main cause of customer care. I will not climb your marketers and designate only two main points:

  1. Analysis of the company's history. See what changes preceded an increase in the percentage of leaving customers. Maybe you raised prices? Refused certain goods? Changed suppliers?
  2. Survey of departed customers. You can interview customers through phone calls or letters. Learn the reason for the cooling to your company, ask what changes would like to see your former customers.

Never start active action without preliminary information collection! You can not only spend in vain to spend a decent amount of money, but also lose existing customers instead of returning old.

Weigh the problem

So, you have figures on your hands and you can define the main causes of care. Do not hurry to return everything as it was if the statistics turn out to be disappointing.

It would seem that with a loss of more than 50% of regular customers to argue about financial benefits will be at least strange. However, this is not quite true.

If you changed the direction and now orient to another target audience (for example, they switched from retail to wholesalers or vice versa), you do not need to return anyone at all. All the forces should be thrown to attract new customers. If, just your target audience began to go to competitors, think about the possibility of mitigating changes. About the way we talk a little later.

If you briefly, consider the problem from the following sides:

  • How did the changes affect your target audience?
  • Are there alternative action options?
  • Have you appeared new benefits for customers who are possible yet realize?
  • What kind of competitors go clients?

Answers to these questions will help you understand the main thing - is the problem really a problem? If you have improved product quality, raised the level of services or introduced additional advantages, most likely you need to work with objections, and not roll back everything back. But when complaints about poor quality, the increased delivery time and the like. Think about - did you go right?

We work with objections

Now we will throw out the wrong path and focus on the fact that all your decisions were calculated and weighed. If you have conducted a survey of customers and know for what reasons they stopped working together with your company, it is necessary to work out objections.

I reviewed several of the most common claims and brought examples of answers to them:

  • High price. You do not need to argue with the client and to prove that today this price is not high at all! Explain to man what advantages he gets for this money. Improving the quality, reduction of delivery time, attracting higher-level specialists to provide services, etc. etc.
  • Disappeared goods. Tell customer that now it has the ability to purchase higher quality products / more budget options / products with wider functionality. Tell us about new suppliers, voiced their main advantages.
  • Several times in a row came across poor service or poor-quality goods. The first and most important thing - admit your guilt! Tell me what reforms we spent in the company, with what providers are now working, what errors corrected.

Bribery

In order to return the past client, not enough beautiful words and promises enough. You must offer him a bonus that motivates to try again to contact your company.

Discounts.The easiest and most common option. Offer the client a good discount on the next purchase. This will simultaneously help to reconcile with new prices and will provide an opportunity to evaluate a new product by purchasing it at a special price.

Present. A gift for the next order. Do not forget to voice the fact that a person receives an offer as your permanent customer you would like to see again in the ranks of customers. Each nice to feel elected and get an individual offer.

Work on errors.We are talking about those cases when the client has encountered poor service or poor-quality goods. The most convincing confirmation of changes for the better will be paid only after receiving (we will refund your money if something is wrong), free shipping (we have worked on logistics and are ready to deliver you the next order for free to make you be able to make sure compliance with deadlines) and the like.

Fasten

Remember that twice the gone client is a client, lost forever! If you declare that I fixed the situation, you must confirm the words. Trace an order at all stages, make sure everything is in order, find out the customer's opinion. And most importantly - do not let in vain promises! It is better to promise less, but it is guaranteed to perform than to make a person fully disappointed in you.

  • In what cases "Company Clean Water" invites B2B clients on excursions to production
  • As the company Werbary shows the departed customers, which is better to return
  • Why former packaging manufacturer customers smile when managers offer them to return

Chance return B2B client Each company has. You can go creative and send thematic books with a signature: "Give us another chance," as PR PRARTNER makes. Or use more traditional methods, such as a letter with a detailed story about how your product has enhanced.

Work with B2B clients - work with people, not with the company. You summed up a specific person: made poor-quality delivery, detained timing. In general, did not justify confidence. Perhaps the employee was deprived of the award or he shone before the head or even before the whole team on the planenca due to the fact that your company "Nakosyachila". I will tell you on the example of our customers, how they return the departed customers.

"Sale of emotions." The company produces and sells packaging. In case she has to apologize to the client, she developed postcards. I downloaded photos of funny animals from the Internet and supplemented them with a funny inscription inscription. If the manufacturer has led the client and he does not want to cooperate, the employee goes to settle the situation. However, before starting communication, presents a postcard to the client. Usually such a picture causes positive emotions even in the most serious person.

"As it is". The packaging manufacturer violated an agreement with a large B2B client. He refused to work with him, but formally suggested. The manager was politely asked to send sentences to mail, but they were not considered.

Then the manager achieved a personal meeting with a man who took these decisions. The head met her, again asked to leave the proposal, saying that he would "look later." It was clear that this is a form of polite. The manager took a sheet with a proposal and ruined. The head did not expect and asked: "What are you doing?" The manager replied: "Tell me, you will not even consider my offer? So? And the point here is not in the money, but in our "Kosyaka". I came to you not to sell. I came, because I know that we are "okay", and because I'm ashamed of our employees. I understand that you got a lot of problems because of us. "

Only after that the manager went to the dialogue, and the situation was settled.

Excursion to production helps to resume cooperation with the B2B client

Yuri Menuhov, Director of "Companies Pure Water", Novosibirsk

We determined that the maximum period for which the client should do at least one order is 45 days. When the term passes, the operator calls the client with the question why he does not order. If necessary, send a letter by email with and confirmation of agreements. On our experience, the call is more effective writing.

Sometimes the client himself reports on the phone about the desire to terminate the contract. Then we talk, find out the reasons: problems with delivery, with the taste of water, with the quality of equipment, with politeness of employees. The decision to offer the client, we accept based on the reasons for refusal. In our arsenal:

  • special promotions;
  • other products from the company's range;
  • bonuses;
  • free water on the sample.

I will give examples how we return the left B2B clients.

Show production. It happens that the client hears the criticism of the product on TV or sees on the Internet and refuses to cooperate with us. To return the customer, we provide him with quality certificates and offer a personalized excursion to production. Here the client sees the process completely: from the intake of water from the well to the loading of the bottles. Excursions spend at any time when the workshop works. After that, 100% of customers are returned. In just a year, about 3 thousand people are visited. Half of them - existing clients.

The chain of clothing stores, which works throughout Russia, chose a water supplier to Novosibirsk shops. However, they had doubts. Then we invited the management of the company from the Moscow Office to visit the production of water in Novosibirsk. As a result, we began to supply water in 49 stores throughout the country.

Close the needs of the client that he did not realize. It is important to be able to understand what to offer him. To prevent irritation and negative, ask questions that the client does not expect to hear, but to which the answers know.

Our B2B client refused water supplies on objective reasons. Since we work not only with legal, but also with individuals, the manager asked the client, whether he has a cottage. During the conversation, it turned out that water quality is doubtful there. Yes, and constantly carry water outside the city is inconvenient. As a result, the client ordered water to the cottage.

Another example. The company transferred the office to another region and therefore ceased cooperation. The manager clarified where the office moved. It turned out that we are represented in this city. Then our seller voiced the terms of cooperation. The client stayed with the company.

Go for concessions in debt repayment. It happens that after termination of the contract, the partners remain debts, for example: lost equipment for renting or return packaging. We act like this. We do not demand the entire amount of the return, and we propose to write off part of the debt at the expense of the company: from 10 to 50% depending on the characteristics of the client. There are no clear criteria. We look at the length of the client, the volume of purchases, the presence of delays in payments ,.

Such a gesture allows the partner to feel attention and positive attitude towards himself. In addition, we can, when repaying the debt client, consider part of the amount as a prepayment for subsequent orders. But this is a single case. Work we build in such a way as to avoid debt.

  • How to identify the real needs of customers with the help of indirect questions and deep interviews
    • L & G T;

    The letter from the hands of the Director-General returned a third of B2B clients

    Ivan Trufanov, General Director of Werbary, Moscow

    We have few customers, but a high check and the duration of working with each customer. We know them all in the face. The developer's change process does not occur so that the client suddenly took and went to another company. He needs source codes and materials, so the moment of client's departure in sight. Previously, they reacted like this: "I decided to leave - let him go." But they realized that it was ineffective. Analyzed the situation and divided the departed customers into two:

    • those who found the service are cheaper;
    • those who have ceased cooperation because of our mistake.

    To return the B2B clients, you need to apply two ways.

    I am free to evaluate the quality of the product made by the competitor. Customers who left due to the cost of the work, we suggested free to evaluate their application after passing by another contractor. This includes:

    • check user experience;
    • analysis of reviews in app stores;
    • analysis of the quality of the software code product code.

    During inspections found problems. The client returned to us, realizing that cheaper - does not mean better. Thus returned 10 customers from 12. There were those who agreed to return not immediately. They have lived the argument that it should not be anything and does not oblige anything.

    The customer, receiving our report with a list of flaws, turned to the Contractor to eliminate them for free. However, not everyone agreed to refine the delivered product. And at this stage, customers. By the way, besides the fact that we returned customers, we got insides about competitors.

    We write a letter by hand. The client we offended, I wrote a letter handle. Apologized for the situation. Explained what actions were taken so that such no longer happened.

    "Hello, Ivan Ivanovich! I understand that cooperation was discontinued because of our mistake. We realized that the behavior of Peter Petrovich was not arranged. We held a job with him (fired). They made edits into the internal regulations so that there is no such problems in such problems. I apologize to you, I will be glad if you are ready to continue with us cooperation. "

    The letter was sent in an ordinary white envelope with a courier. On the envelope they wrote from hand: "We are to blame, but corrected."

    The idea is that a person will be interested to know who guessed. We had three such customers. One returned, two were surprised by writing and promised to consider the possibility of cooperation in the future.

    • 8 most typical "excuses" of customers who have answers

    Tips how to write letters to the departed customers

    1. You must write what they realized that the guilty did not demolish the heads, etc., should show that you really realized and understand how it was not right and what exactly.

    2. Find a real reason, because of which the client left, and tell us about how we regret that there is such a situation.

    3. Before talking to the client, what was corrected, make sure that the processes are really worked out and improved. Otherwise, the risk of coming on the same rake and losing the client is irretrievably.

    4. Offer something as an apology to the client. Show benefits. You must put it with a big candy.

    5. Include in its message "Offer" and "Dedilan". But remember: the benefit cannot be limited by a short time. It will look disrespectful to the client.

    According to the materials of the book of Timur Aslanova "Copywriting. Simple recipes for selling texts "

    Says the General Director

    Arthur Salaakaev, Director of Jewelny Almanac, Moscow

    Even if you stop working with a client, regularly remind him of yourself. That's what ways will work.

    1. Personal gifts to customers. The time of the diary, quarterly calendar and plastic handle passed. For example, we mark in CRM that you prefer customers and what are their hobbies. We collect information on the grains: with personal communication at the conference, when watching the desktop. Yes, and the usual call to the office, the secretary gives a lot of information. We know that for Igor from Yekaterinburg is the best gift - rum, for Tatiana from Saratov - a bouquet of yellow roses. All this can be ordered with delivery in the same city, attaching a personal note.
    2. Case history of your successful project. If you lost the client, then send him a case from the industry where it works. So you will demonstrate your company. In contrast to the commercial offer, you do not promise anything, but show the facts. However, send not just a description description, but photos and screenshots of mechanics implementation, with all the details and numbers. The main thing is to announce the results of the project.
    3. Client events. They do not swear the company, people sweep inside. Therefore, return the trust of B2B clients is better at the level of personal relationships. Organize a business breakfast, a special premium or a useful seminar for permanent, potential and lost customers. Just not at such an event to get up on one knee. This is a positive point of contact with your company, not negotiations on the return.

    Copying material without negotiation is permissible if there is a DOFOLLOW link to this page

Numerous marketing studies show that much easier and cheaper to sell goods and services to existing customers than to attract and conquer the trust of new ones.

Although many entrepreneurs are not aware of this, but additional financial costs are required to attract new customers. The client first needs to be convinced to buy one or another product or service.

These costs are much more substantial than those required to hold the current client. Moreover, every lost client, in fact, means the loss of more potential customers who could give preference to your product thanks to personal recommendations.

The client's departure must be a signal to revise not only the proposed product or service, but also a reason for analyzing the position of the company in the market. The client who at the moment decided to give preference in favor of your competitor, is not necessarily lost once and for all. Its confidence can be returned if you quickly take corrective actions in the strategy and trade policy of the company and, thus, to effectively meet the needs of the client.

How to return the client

This article presents five main items that need to follow in the shortest possible time to return the lost client!

1. Find out and analyze the prehistory.

Before you begin to act, you should understand why the client refused the services of your company (in case you have not previously had direct contact with the client). Talk and ask workers who served the client.

The greater information you will have, the better. Do not rush to draw conclusions. Analyze every little thing in such a way that absolutely accurately could be determined by the causal relationship of client loss. The information obtained will help to actualize the proposal of your company in the market so that in the future such situations have not been repeated.

2. Each client matters.

After the information was collected, verified and analyzed from the inside, it is necessary to directly refer to the client. Before you there is a choice or contact him by phone, or meet personally, face to face. Even if the client refused the services of your company exclusively in your fault, do not start a conversation with apologies and justification. Preferably to ask him two consecutive questions:

  • Why did he refuse your product or service?
  • What do you need to do so that he revise his decision?

You won't lose anything by setting these questions to the client. On the contrary, most customers will appreciate that you are interested in their opinions and is ready to make changes to the company's activities to keep them.

In independence from the response received, it is important to listen to the client carefully, and not interrupting. Try not to take a defensive position and not perceive everything that has been said personally, otherwise it can later play not in your favor. Your main task at this stage is what is the real setting.

In addition to the foregoing, if you are not very clear what the client says, do not hesitate to clarify it that he means. After completing the dialogue, thank the client for the time spent and the information provided to you and explanation. Now you can apologize to the client for the inconveniences brought to him. The client convulsion that all the necessary measures will be taken to successfully solve the problem.

3. Determine the type of problem.

When you have sufficient information and opinions both from the inside (from employees) and from outside (from the client), you can understand what kind of problems your company collided. The most common problems are related to the quality of service or price. The solution of these problems may require cardinal changes in the organization as a whole.

4. Accept the final decision on whether you want to return the client.

Well think about whether your effort is the return of this or that client? Of course, each client is important for the company, however, there are situations where the costs of this exceed the profit he can bring. If your company is known in the market by the lowest prices for goods or services, most likely the price is the main reason that people give their preference to it, and not competing organizations. In other words, it is necessary to determine whether efforts should be spent in order to satisfy the requirements of one or more customers without losing others. We recommend to look at the client as another investment that may be cost-effective or not.

5. Answer questions.

Below are a few questions, the answers to which will help make the right decision:

  • What needs to be done to return the client?
  • What is the likelihood that after making the necessary adjustments, the client will come back?
  • What is the cost of the changes required by the client?
  • What reaction to change to expect from other customers?

Igor Mann, Anna Tourusin Chapter from the book "Returns. Return Marketing: How to Return Lost Customers "
Publishing House "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"

Unfortunately, customer losses are inevitable. Igor Kachalov in the book "Sales planning with an accuracy of 90% and higher" writes: "Even the best companies with the best product and the best service lose about 10% of their customers annually."

These are the best companies!

I do not know if you are the best company, but I would suggest focusing on loss of customers within 10-25%. There is also a category of "sleeping" customers: those who have done you have a purchase and disappeared. They differ from those who left you, stopping shopping at all, breaking the relationship, switching completely to your competitors. "Sleeping" customers can be "wake up" by call, letter, SMS, or, for example, a flyer in the mailbox. The line between "sleeping" by customers and those who left you, thin. However, there are differences.

But this is the topic for another book. Agree, awareness that you lose 10-25% of your client base, immediately makes the issue of customer returns very interesting from an economic point of view.

Some calculations. How many clients in your database?

200? 1000? 10 000?

25% of losses - respectively, minus 50 customers (it was 200, it became 150), minus 250 (it was 1000, was 750) and minus 2,500 clients (10,000 were 7,500). Multipate the client's price for the whole life and run for sedative!

How to calculate the cost of the client? I will show on the example of the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber". Let's say we will sell paper books for another five years. During this time, you buy from our range for the year, let's say ten books (the probability of this is high - we release more than 150 books per year, and they are very good). The cost of the book is an average of 500 rubles.

So, in five years we will earn 25,000 rubles on you (5 years x 10 books x 500 rubles). And if we suddenly lost you, I would personally tried to return you, and with you and 25,000 rubles of income. Of course, in your business, the calculation may be more difficult. So, the bank has a line of services for individuals and legal entities, there are customers who take loans, and there are those who accommodate contributions ...

But no matter how difficult it is for your business to calculate the cost of the client for life, to estimate at least the weighted average cost is necessary.

Multiple to a lot!

Commemorate with inevitable losses. Time accepts. And begin to fight - first of all with those that can be prevented, and then with inevitable. After all, even inevitable losses, if you understand their causes, you can cut.

Rule 2. Return customers psychologically difficult

We hate those who offended.
Seneca

In one of the books (unfortunately, I do not remember the name) I read about the reasons why companies are not trying to figure out the subject of customer returns, do not communicate with customers who left or go. As such reasons (I bring in memory and develop) the following were called:

  • unpleasant communication process with those who stopped buying in the company (this is understandable);
  • the benefits of customer return are not felt at the subconscious level, and the return costs seem high;
  • when customers leave, employees / management believes that they were not so good.

It turns out that it is difficult to return customers not technologically (we have already figured out how to do it), and psychologically. Solution Simple: You need a person with strong nerves and strong motivation - psychological and material. Find this person, pay him a significant percentage of newly received transactions - and this reason will cease to be serious.

The owner of the real estate agency in Tyumen told me an interesting story. At the request of his spouse, he took her a long-fledged relative. She had three children (her husband was not) and the sharp need to earn a lot. She was quickly trained - and in battle. By the end of the year she had crazy sales results. How? She could not count on new customers: they are distributed over all employees in turn, and the cycle of work with customers is unprecedented. Therefore, she focused on the refusal - those who were already in the agency, but for some circumstances stopped working with him further - the truth, as it turned out, this agency (more precisely agents) stopped working with them. In essence, it was warm Lida.

A small reminder of the agency, diagnosis of urgent needs, careful accompaniment for sales funnel (remember, three children?) - And our Cinderella has become a princess sales.

Rule 3. Do not return all

This is a simple rule, but important. You can't attract all customers. You can not hold all customers. And you will not be able to return all customers. Why?

Some customers never forgive you - and perhaps you will not recognize the true causes of their care. There are still secrets in the universe (I tried to receive with flowers in another situation - the flowers were taken, apologies were listened, but we did not forgive us and did not return to us).

Council for those who are not used to surrender. Ask someone to calculate the cost of final clients (the number of clients multiply the client's cost for life).

For example, our publisher has lost 100 customers based on the results of the year. This (see Rule 1) 25,000 rubles, multiplied by 100 customers, is 2,500,000 rubles. Visualize this amount (ask for money packs in accounting or make a "doll"). Demonstrate it to employees, so that everyone is clear how much money the company has lost (you can translate it in months of rent or the number of salaries). Must make an impression. (I would have made a photo, and I would have a reason to write again to the client: "I can't give up such a thing!") Some of your who had to have left customers have made such a proposal for the price or working conditions that it is more expensive.

Someone from competitors created a powerful program of closure or loyalty, and the client is tied to it so that not to relocate. Somewhere intervened by an administrative resource, somewhere related links or personal acquaintance, and somewhere rollback, while you are fundamentally not given a kickbacks or simply do not know how. And some customers broke out at all and do not work anymore (weak consolation, of course).

Why is the rule important? Do not put yourself a goal to return all customers - focus on those who need you.

Rule 4 Return need not everyone

The most difficult thing in business? How to do so as not to establish contacts with unprofitable customers.
Dirah about "Railil, Julian Gibas,
Authors of the book "Business relationships with buyers"

You need to attract not every customer. Hold too much. So with the return: you need not everyone. Determine the criteria by which customers that need to be returned will be expressed. Category A, perhaps, clients will fall:

  • with a big margin in orders;
  • significantly increasing your turnover;
  • promising;
  • "Politically" important customers - "Business Cards";
  • customers, returning which you will weigh your competitor.
  • with very low, zero or negative margin on transactions;
  • which pay very badly (they require a greater delay of payment, delay payments, customers with a receipt);
  • buy rarely and little;
  • at the same time, too demanding (buying for a penny, and service and additional services require on the ruble);
  • hamyat (run forward, I will give an interesting fact that I myself realized recently: today customers are less important than employees);
  • with minimal loyalty, rushing between brands or suppliers in search of a penny benefit.

If such clients are gone, you are just lucky. Schedule.

Rule 5. Return from the first attempt - a miracle (or system and responsible)

A drop stone sharpens.
Folk wisdom

A small, but important rule that should encourage you to engage in system work on the return of customers.

History of rapid victories (Quick WINS) in the return of customers, unfortunately, is rather an exception than the rule. Customer Return is a systemic, systematic, pre-thought-out and carefully prepared work. Yes, there is a creative place in it and impromptu, but it is better to act according to plan, stock patience - and have the responsible. Do you have a responsible for attracting customers? I hope you have and responsible for holding customers. Work on the return of customers will not be done by itself - and you need an employee / team that will be engaged. You need a driver.

Who can be a return driver?

Commercial Director. His deputy. Head of Development Department (let your calculations look at the beginning of the book and try to argue that the return of customers is not a development!). Marketeter (from the manager to the head of the marketing department). Director General himself. And even a shareholder who realizes the importance of this issue (more precisely, the price of the issue). And perhaps consultants you will attract to perform this work.

Rule 6. The less time has passed since the jacket, the easier the return

Rule life. As parents were taught, I was wrong - immediately apologize, come true. So in business.

Mistaken? Caught? Delivered? Lost customer - Understand why. Sorry right. Offer compensation. Read the books "Complaint as a gift" and "Loyal client". It will be useful not only to return customers.

Did not help and the client still gone? Give it cool - but do not wait when it completely switches to another supplier, for competitors, try to return it as soon as possible. A good idea will be celebrated in the database of lost customers the loss time.

Based on this criterion, you can take into account the rule in question in working with lost customers. It is important.

The client is still "boils", but at the same time you have a chance to fix it and return Status Quo: the client has not yet blocked (remember how in personal or family quarrels we have increasingly screw themselves?) And did not switch completely to another ( Therefore, the reverse transition will not be severe or even impossible). Our reviewer Marina Vishnyakova disagrees with this rule: "The statement that the less time has passed since the emotional outbreak, the easier it is to pay off (with an example of a family quarrel), incorrectly.

Hours herself, hersic the one who was no longer the right (as in the saying: "Jupiter, you are angry, it means that you are not right!"). Often, the pause in the constituent relationship works wonders. The same way is used in tough negotiations when emotions boil (and head, respectively, resting, because a person is so arranged that he cannot at the same time about the same event and experiencing emotions, and be rational). Either one or another. The techniques of soothing are based on this: pick up to ten, before saying something if the situation turns out - rationalization weakens emotion. In tough negotiations, they are advised to take a pause, at least a brief, for example, to go to the toilet.

By the way, the pause helps and in a home conflict: it needs to start relating to each other again and start listening to each other again, and not to defend or put pressure on counterproachs.

After the explosion in relations with the client it would be nice to take a pause. Sometimes for years ... during this time there and the "general" will change :-). " A separate task is to establish the company's work so that you can quickly understand when, why and how the client decided to abandon its services. This will help the CRM, as well as the correct organization of receiving feedback.

Well, if the company has a practitioner's practice interview with clients. This is the practice of many personnel departments. The outgoing employee is asked why he leaves the company that he did not like that a company could do to keep him. Useful practice, excellent questions that can be asked to customers from you. If you use this method, therefore, you know a lot and can act very quickly (although the fact of this interview itself can force the outgoing client to change their mind).

Where contacts with customers are not recorded and where the history of purchases is not tracked, may not notice the client's loss in general or very long time.

For sure, Eric von Forect (Direct Marketing Know-How Institute): "Suppose your company lost 10% of goods last month. You would immediately panic: collected all your staff, locked the doors and began to understand where this product was used. However, your company may lose 10% of its buyers and not even notice this. "

Rule 7. The smaller the problem from the point of view of the client, the easier it is to return

It would seem, the obvious rule ... But it is better to delve into the details. Very important skill - learn to look at the problems that arise in relations between the company and customers, from the point of view of the client.

It is not enough to evaluate the happening problem, because of which the client left you, from your point of view. It is necessary to evaluate the scale of disaster from its part. Here will help intuition - or a survey. Intuition and good memory (or records in CRM) allow you to evaluate the problem (cause of care) quickly, inexpensively and - cross your fingers - right. The survey will be in a penny and a minute (will require budget and time), but you can kill two hares.

FirstlyYou melt the ice in a relationship with the left client. You look, he is touched: "You look, try to establish relationships, corrected ... Maybe give the guys a second chance?" Psychologists argue that the very fact of the survey makes the client more satisfied and more loyal. Of course, this applies to existing customers. But the survey of the departed customers will definitely have a therapeutic effect.

Secondly, not guessing, you will learn about the true reasons for termination of relationships with you. The creation of a client rejection scale from the company can become an exciting occupation.

  1. - trifle, trifle;
  2. - problem;
  3. - problem;
  4. - catastrophe;
  5. - end of the world.

Delivered the delivery time for a non-critical order, got under a hot hand? This is 1.

The guard did not recognize the key client, spoke unwriting with him, and the company now ignores now? This is 2.

Noncomplex delivery ripped up the project time? This is 3.

Did you summarize the client so that the cross was put on his career? This is 4.

Real story.

I worked in a company that seven years could not sell anything to one potential customer. A potential client with all suppliers worked, and I ignored us. Only when the Director General of this company is a potential client moved to another organization (even the industry), we were able to get the first order. It turned out that many years ago, when he collaborated with our company, we were strongly failed. He was not yet the general director, but then he climbed on the service staircase, and the sediment, as they say, remained.

Morality:do not hurt people. It can become a disaster.

The business world is very crazy. The hand does not rise to describe what is falling under the category "This is 5," - suddenly stick? (Ugh-pah-pah, Tuk-Tuk-Tuk.)

It would be nice to agree with such a scale with clients - not for the future (it may not be when it may not be), but to work with current customers: "Send us a" black tag "if we are wrong somewhere, let's bring you ... and immediately Three, if from your point of view this error becomes a serious problem for you. " Understanding the level of the client's problem will help when you try to return it: "We ourselves appreciate what happened as a catastrophe. But it was not the end of the world, right? "

Or: "We have printed you for three years in the day, with the highest quality. And then a day later printed ... But we had time to deliver them to the exhibition! On the scale of our work - 1000 days together - this is a trifle! Give us the 1001th night, and we will no longer let you down! "

Rule 8. Errors associated with the human factor, it is harder to correct than those who are not related to it

The client can leave because of the computer program failure or breakage of the car in which its cargo transported. But in these cases, it will be easier to return it than if the cause of the care was the rudeness of the manager or non-compliance with the agreements reached at the meeting.

Why? Remember your experience.

Both in life and in business: other people's mistakes due to dishonesty, incorrectness, incompetence, meanness, ignoring give birth to a great insult. We are ready to forgive computers, technique, nature ... But we are not ready to forgive human mistakes. Therefore, they are better not to make.

Rule 9. The problem called by the client as a cause of care may not be

When you find out why the client left you, look for real reasons. Copy!

When a survey, the client can call a convenient reason for it (motivation may be, for example, such: "Thank you for coming, but I don't want to turn the past, so the reason that you are asking behind"). Once we offered our customer to interview with his major client, stopped working with him. We ask the client: "Why did you stop working with the company ah?"

The client responds: "I received the best conditions from a competitor." At the same time, his hands are crossed (called the most convenient reason - it is difficult to check out, it's easy to cut).

We ask: "This was the reason for your care?" The client responds: "for sure." Hands are still crossed. From us again hide, but fortunately, there is a language of gestures. He gives the client who thinks at that moment: "I will not say why you really left!" But we got to the present reason.

Sales Manager, which you or the Consultant will ask about the causes of the client's departure, how to drink to give will call the safest reason for it (for example, falls off everything for competitors). So try the Japanese approach 5W: five times during your conversation, ask the question "Why?" (Why?). Do not belong to the survey as formalities. Or hire professionals who, in addition to words, can read the language of gestures and know how to talk a difficult client.

Rule 10. Returning a lost client should not be an employee who lost it

At first glance, this rule seems illogical. In fact, to whom, as an employee who did not lose the client, who knows why it left, to engage in his return? Yes, illogical.

But in this case it is better to be illogical. We have already spoken (see Rule 8) that mistakes associated with the human factor are perceived much more painful than others. Therefore, to refer to the task to return customers better to send a new employee of the commercial department, mix the staff of the department ("You will return his client, he will try to return yours") or attract employee marketing department. It will be easier.

It is easier to repent and sprinkle the head ashes. It's easier to promise. It's easier to keep the word.

Here is the history of the book "Marketing by 100%".

In one football team, playing the season was very unsuccessful, the club management decided to replace the head coach. The former coach, passing things, warned his successor that he leaves three envelopes in the safe - No. 1, 2 and 3, and advised: "If you have problems, open them in turn."

The new coach has begun work. The first season ended, and the team showed bad results. The coach was called on the carpet. Remembering the Council of its predecessor, he opened the safe, revealed the envelope No. 1 - it was written there: "Vali all at me." I did it.

The club management provided him with a chance to correct the situation. The next season passes - the team plays even worse! The coach is again called to the manual. He - to the safe, reveals envelope No. 2, reads: "take all the blame for yourself." The coach is doing this: "Yes, it's guilty, I could not manage, made mistakes, I looked around somewhere, somewhere ..." And the club's management again allows him to fix everything.

The third season - and the team flies out of the league in which he played. The angry manual causes a coach. That hurries to the safe and opens the last envelope. And there it is written: "Prepare three envelopes."

A good story from which you can come to the lost client. And by the way, you can bring three envelopes. Of course, from this rule (as from any other) there are exceptions. Sometimes one employee who has lost the client is engaged in his return. If he was forced by the head. Or if there is no one more. However, the probability that the client will return, in this case, is much lower (again, see Rule 8).

There is another option, but maybe she will not like the company managers. What about what exactly they should be engaged in the return of customers? So they will find out the truth about how in fact their company work with customers ... You look, something will start to make it faster so that customers do not leave ... and the authority for the adoption of the necessary decisions in meetings with departed customers from leaders are much more than their subordinates.

Rule 11. The client is considered to be returned if he posted a new order (I made a purchase again)

In returning the client, we are not important to us, but the result. The client can be rendered returned when he posted a new, albeit a trial, for a minor amount, order or again made a purchase (any).

On the contrary, there will be no confidence of the manager who visited the client that "Everything is fine, we forgive us, the order will soon be", Joyful statistics - "We sent 130 apologious letters with a proposal to return to us with procurement" or even a customer's response letter: " ... well guys, I will try to give you a second chance. " As in the case of sales, returning customers, you need to live in those with whom you work with.

There is a new purchase or a new order - there is a chance to start everything first. No purchase or order - Status Quo does not change. "Show money" - this principle of sales is applicable and when customer returns. Money is great. But the good idea will be gaining arrogance and ask the returned client to give a good feedback like: "Gave the guys a second chance - they coped. I am satisfied that I restored relationships with them. "

With such a review, it will be much easier (and more efficient) to hold meetings for resuscitation of relations.

P. S. About ROI Returns

More and more Russian companies are starting to calculate ROMI (return on investment in marketing). If the company calculates Romi to attract and hold customers, most likely, she wants to calculate Romi to return customers. This is easy, and the calculation can be carried out by the formula:

KPI (key indicators of success) of the project, if necessary, can be the following indicators:

  • the sum of the trial contract / re-purchase of the returned client;
  • fixation of the fact of the renewal of the previous conditions of cooperation (procurement volumes before the client's departure);
  • work with the client who returned during the year and the lack of comments on his side throughout this period.

Material factors are important. But when the client returns to you, it will be your big moral victory. You could do it and now have to become much better. And your competitor has lost the client with his orders, as well as the right to speak to other customers: "See, customers run away from them to work with me." It costs a lot.

Rule 12. The returned client is much more sensitive to emerging problems than the usual

Congratulations! You returned the past client! You are well done!

I read somewhere (I do not remember where) and retained the results of an interesting study. If he believes, then the average probability of re-purchase among satisfied consumers is 91%. Among those who complained, but remained dissatisfied with the reaction of the firm, the probability of re-purchase drops to 54%. And from unsatisfied consumers who complained to the company and received due response, the probability of re-purchases is 96%. There is something to think about.

You returned the past client! Our condolences ... Now, together with him, you got a litmus paper for our business processes and the work of the whole team. The fact is that the client you returned, sensitivity to problems, difficulties, mistakes and shortcomings is exacerbated to extremes. And let it be better for you will not have a reason for a little bit to upset your new old client. Once we managed to return one of the most major former clients with a client with a client. But our joy was short. Already in the second week of new relations of the company's accounting, all reduces no ...

Oh, this human factor!

It is important to inspire all employees of the company that the sensitivity of the returned client is exacerbated to the limit. To do this, you can make a common newsletter, hang a poster, enter a special status in the database for such clients. Something else?

Rule 13. Client, lost twice, not subject to return

Sappers are mistaken only once. So in the case of the return of customers: you will not have two attempts. Return the client (if you need it) and do not let me go to him. And if he suddenly leaves again - forget it. Do not try to return it. Do not engage in masochism and do not hurt even more than this unfortunate client.

Samuel Johnson, the poet and literary critic of the XVIII century, called the re-marriage of victory of hope over experience. I do not know how enough your hopes ...

Write, not postponing for a long time, the repentant letter ("Sorry, we did not meet the obligations taken again ...") And rely on fate. If she is favorable to you, you will also work with a client ... if not, it means that it is not destiny.

Minsk: Popourry, 2008.

Spb. : Peter, 2008.

M.: Amalfay, 1998.

Barlow J., Meller CL. M.: Olympus Business, 2012.

Schel J. M.: Alpina Publisher, 2008.

Competent trigger letters allow companies to earn 4 times more than they spend on this process. In addition, the correct distribution of letters to customers allows you to return 12% of the departed customers. About how to write letters that solve problems of abandoned baskets and lost customers - in our article.

Christina Pototskaya,

tRIGGMINE Marketing Director

In this article you will read:

    How to write trigger letters

Mailing letters to customers It is widely used today in the practice of Russian companies. However, whether all trigger letters are equally good in the struggle for the return of lost customers? Not. Tell me how the letter is written, returning customers.

Each online store faces the situation when the client acquires the goods once and no longer comes for purchases or adds the goods to the basket and, without placing an order, leaves the site. Many are not trying to return such buyers, and in vain. Windsor Circle has calculated that attracting a new client costs 4.8 times more expensive than holding the old one. I will tell you how to return buyers from both groups.

How to return the "one order" customers

Action 1. Classify the departed buyers. It is usually recommended to distribute customers into three groups depending on the time that has passed since their last purchase. As a rule, it is periods of 90, 180 and 360 days. They are pretty conditional and depend on the scope of business; Marketers allocate these intervals, as they correspond to the stages of customer life cycle in the company. One of our customers is a dating site - we advise you to start to fight for the departed visitors, if they have not paid the services even within a month. That is, for example, after 90 days, the "missing" client will be almost completely lost for this company. When planning sending letters to customers, must be discussed.

Action 2. Create trigger letters for eachc customer group. I believe that emails are one of the most efficient ways to reach buyers, especially if you need to return them to the company. According to statistics, such letters open from 47% of customers, from which at least 12% are returned to the store and buy again. According to the SEEWHY marketing cloud solutions provider, most often customers return shopping, receiving from E-mail with reminder (58% of respondents). For a direct link, 18% come back, after the search query - 10%, after search marketing - 5%, after clicks on the links - 4%. Posts in social networks return 3% of customers, and banners - 2%.

Pay attention when sending letters to customers: If you want to return the customer with a letter, then they must be attractive and meaningful, and their structure is as simple as possible. The title must attach the attention of the client and force it to open a letter - for example: "We miss", "Give us the last chance," "Is it really an end?!".

Before such a heading, you can put a pretty image that will configure the addressee in advance (Figure 1). But in the very text of the trigger letters, tell us the client, why do you write him: "We have not seen you so long ago in our store and wanted to know whether everything is in order. I miss and hope to see you again. " Appeal is better to personalize, but a letter to saturate various details - for example, about the date and time of purchase, about which goods closed the client, and so on.

At the same time, we recommend making a client a discount, the size of which should be increased depending on how long the last purchase was performed. This bonus should motivate the buyer to return to the site and start buying from you again. For example, customers who last visited your site 90 days ago, you can give a 10 percent discount, 180 days ago - 15 percent discount, 360 days ago - 20 percent (Figures 2, 3).

Do not forget about other important components of the letter: Button of article 1; buttons sending to social networks; contact block; Information on how to unsubscribe.

Which letter will return the client to abandoned baskets

In addition to the departments of buyers, there is a separate class of customers who postpone the goods in the basket, but then leave the site, without placing an order, or remove the selected goods from the basket and also leave the online store. According to SalecyCle, in the E-Commerce area, 73% of buyers do not complete their order. Most of the "refusal" in store delivery stores - 75.7%, household appliances - 74.1%, clothes and accessories - 71.9%, household goods and sports goods - 69%, medical goods and cosmetics - 65, 7%.

  • How to attract customers to the site: conditions without which nothing will come

Marketers indicate different reasons why customers throw goods in a basket (Figure 4), but converge in the opinion that most often buyers scare the shortcomings of the site. To reduce the number of visitors who leave the online store without buying, you must first of all remove unnecessary elements and buttons, simplify navigation and registration procedure, offer the client favorable delivery conditions. But even if the potential buyer did not complete the order, it is possible and you need to try to return it.

Mailing letters to customers in 3 actions

Action 1. Get Contacts. To return buyers who did not have time to order, you must first get their email addresses. If the client has already made an order on the site, then you have it. If you have a person for the first time, you can act differently. Some companies are trying to return failed customers using retargeting (ads in Yandex or Google). This allows you to return 15-20% of buyers. Someone collects contacts before the client starts filling the basket. To do this, you need a plugin on the site that captures the email address while filling the contact data, even if the order is not completed. Our company, working with online stores, is on the second way.

Action 2. Send a reminder. For letters designed to return the client to the abandoned basket, as well as for the trigger letters described above, the rule applies: the text must be as configured as possible. The topic may contain individual appeal to the client, for example: "Irina, get favorable conditions for the delivery of the goods chosen." By the way, SalecyCle claims that 38% of customers open a letter when they see their name in the subject.

  • Dealer Agreement: Typical errors, sample with explanations

The text of the letter must be very short. Its main task is to remind you of an incomplete purchase, motivate the client to return and buy pending goods. Therefore, specify which goods attracted the attention of the client, tell us about the benefits of buying in your store. Stress that they are ready to provide any help and answer questions. The buyer will be more difficult to refuse you if it feels care and sincere desire to help the manager. And do not forget to leave your contact details. It should be remembered about the design of the letter: it should contain a corporate logo store, high-quality photos of goods and a hundred button.

Action 3. Send a few letters. We recommend sending reminders three times: immediately after the visitor left the site without completing the order, the next day and in 5-7 days.

Examples. Kazakhstan online store Starshop, specializing in the sale of goods for home, during the first three months of this year sent trigger letters to customers who have not completed the order or deleted all products from the basket. Monthly, the company had 300-500 abandoned baskets. Having spent on a three-month newsletter $ 285 (fee for the services of our company, which was engaged in this newsletter), the online store returned an average of 12% of customers who bought goods worth $ 8325. In this case, the clicheliness of the letters was 20%, and the openness is 44% (base - 2737 letters).

Approximately the as many abandoned baskets was with another customer - the online store "Isolna", which sells the appropriate fabrics and clothing from them. From January to March 2015, this company sent trigger letters to its potential customers who did not make a purchase to the end. Having spent exactly the same amount as Kazakh businessmen ($ 285), she returned 10% of buyers and earned $ 3840. At the same time, the opening of the letters was 60%, and clickable - 23% (base - 1074 letters).

1 hundred - English. Call to Action calling to action.

Kristina Pototskaya He graduated from the classic private university (Zaporizhia, Ukraine) in 2011. From 2011 to 2012 - a customer service manager in Privatbank (Ukraine), from 2013 to 2014 - a specialist of the outsourcing sector and insurance business services in UkrSibbank. In February 2014, came to Triggmine.

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