Revisiting lapsed clients and prospects

When looking for ways to grow our business and our client base, an area we often overlook is that of our lapsed clients and prospects. These are customers and clients who have bought from us in the past and no longer do and potential clients who decided not to buy from us.

Now I am not necessarily suggesting you contact any clients or customers who left because they were unhappy with your service but there may have been some who lapsed for other reasons. Potential clients may not have become clients for a variety of reasons such as they decided not to go ahead with the project, they chose another supplier, your product or service was not quite the right match for them, they did not have the budget or the time was just not right.

By contacting these businesses or individuals you will be surprised at how receptive they are and if they are not in need of your services right now they may be able to introduce you to someone who is.

Here is your four-step action plan:

  1. Write a list of your lapsed clients and prospects from the last 3 – 5 years
  2. Do a little research – your records, their website, look them up on LinkedIn, etc.
  3. Call them (preferably), email them or write to them
  4. Rebuild rapport and find out how their circumstances and needs have changed

Good luck and let me know how you get on. If you need a bit of a helping hand, advice or training please just ask.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *