Attracting a Former Client from Your Competition

Attracting a Former Client from Your Competition
Too many small business owners pass on the opportunity to
attract their former clients. That's a mistake. It's far
easier to get back together with a client you've lost or
had no contact with than to get a new client. Your goal on
the phone should be limited: to get a meeting with the
former client at which you can pitch to become part of
their life once again. The secret to achieving this is to
leverage, as much as possible, on any personal relationship
or event the two of you shared. Assuming there was a
problem that caused your falling out, the former client may
still be angry. You response should be to absorb their
anger and simply ask for the chance to tell your side of
the story and make amends. To do either of those, you'll
need a phone meeting, then a face-to-face meeting if at all
possible.

Here are the tactics you need to practice prior to your
meeting, in order to attract your former client from your
competition:

* Your attitude must be cordial, humble, and if necessary,
persistant.

* Before the call, gather as much personal data about the
former client and his family as you can. Now is the time to
dig through your notes if you don't remember names and
ages. Search Google for your client's name, and see if any
personal information pops up on a Blog somewhere. Also, be
prepared to call back since your sudden reappearance may
surprise them initially.

*On Tuesday through Friday, try to call either before 9
A.M. or after 5 P.M. Do not try to resurrect them on a
Monday. Also, don't call the former client at home or on
the weekend.You'll get the most civil responses during
normal working hours when they are at the office.

*Prepare your behavior to absorb some anger. If possible,
imply that your request to reconnect with them is a modest
one. You could even offer to bring bagels for the office
during a morning meeting, or offer to take them out to
dinner.

*For your phone icebreaker you could say, "How are you? I
ran into our friend Jane Doe yesterday and it got me
thinking about you. I'm just calling to patch things up and
see how you and your family are doing. I hope I'm not
calling at a bad time?"

The key points to remember are:

If it's a bad time for your former client, then tell them
you will call them back later in the week.

If they are still angry, then absorb the anger and say,
"You know, I understand your anger. I hope one day you'll
be able to sit down with me over a cup of coffee and hear
my side of the story. Sorry for troubling you."

If it's a good time for them to talk, then make amends by
saying, "That's another reason for this call. I'd like to
try to work with you again. I think we could really be of
help to each other. Are you available next Wednesday to
meet for breakfast or dinner"

You can re-use these great tactics to rekindle a dorment
relationship for business networking purposes. Or, you can
tell a former client about a new product or service you are
offering. Either way, you will earn the respect of your
former client.

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Kim Schott, your Global Client Communication Expert, is the
author of the Keys to Client Communication System, the
step-by-step, paint by numbers client attraction program to
attract more clients in less time. To receive your weekly
how-to articles on consistantly attracting more local and
global clients in less time, visit
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com