Looking for authentic, meaningful ways to reduce client churn? Keeping existing clients from walking out the door should be top priority for any company. After all, you’ve worked hard to saw these clients to your vision and you’ve already invested in getting to know them. As long as there’s a fit, continuing to work with and grow existing clients should be a key focus. Unfortunately, clients something leave and managing client churn needs to be part of your overall strategy.
Credibility matters for client churn
Say you’ve got a big contract to fulfill and you can’t deliver on the promised date because something major has come up. If you already have trust and rapport with your client, they’ll be more likely to understand and work with you to solve problems.
That’s because your existing credibility actively works as “social currency”. That currency, combined with other business strategies and tools, can help you grow and sustain your business.
Reduce client churn by becoming the provider of choice
Be authentic from Day One
Deliver what you promise. If you want to build trust and credibility with clients, do what you say, when you say, and deliver what you say. You need to work to the contract terms and beyond and live up to your word. Embellisment, lies and half truths will catch up to you and do more damage than losing the client. A happy client may tell a few friends, but an angry client tells everyone.
Strive for transparency in working with everyone, no matter whether it’s a prospective client or a long-time friend. Be straightforward. Look for opportunities to genuinely help clients and seek to make meaningful connections with them.
Sweat the small stuff
Pay attention to little things that can throw a client relationship off track. Small irritations can grow into big ones as things pile up. Don’t let minor grievances accumulate. Let clients know they’re welcome to talk to you and ask for help, even if it seems like a minor detail to you.
Demonstrate that you work hard to deliver on your promises. While few people have the ability to see every detail, working to consistently improve and make good will count in the long run. As you work to improve all your work, it will eventually become part of the good work you do.
Keep learning
Continue to learn and improve. Take online continuing professional development courses, attend workshops, network with clients, contribute to social media discussions and look for opportunities to engage in your field. Your fluency in your core work will be evident in your interactions with clients, stakeholders and others and help to put their minds at ease, so that they can choose you over and over.
Study the art of business
Instead of simply getting mired in the details of individual tasks, think critically and strategically. Look for opportunities to develop client-focused strategies that help remind clients of your good work and reputation. Avoid bragging or over doing it, while showcasing your success stories and news. Take pride in your company, colleagues and stakeholders. Talk about them and put their achievemenets forward for others to enjoy. By helping others shine, you’ll come to be seen as someone worth knowing. Just be sure to be genuine in your efforts – people will see through braggarts and frauds and overdoing it will hurt your brand.
Strive for resourcefulness
Throughout your entrepreneurial journey, you’ll find new problems – and sometimes run into the same ones over and over. By being resourceful, you can navigate those obstacles. Work on quickly and creatively handling and solving problems.
Build a business that does more than find clients and deliver great proposals. Actively work to retain, engage and grow them. Your business will be more sound and, with any luck, you’ll find your way to more meaningful and validating work relationships too.