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How to Lose Clients – for Certain!

I write a lot about how your business can stand out, win new clients and create lasting success – all by following the best marketing strategy. But what happens when you don’t live that strategy? When you don’t do what your clients expect? Over the next five blogs I’ll work through my five StandOut Strategies, showing you how NOT to live each one. I’ll share some advice to help you avoid mistakes that can lose you clients, so you delight them instead.

This time – the Certainty strategy and how NOT to live it!

 

How to Lose Clients – for Certain!

I buy toilet roll from a company called Who Gives a Crap. Sorry for the swear word, but it is part of their company name. Recycled paper, delivered to my door, in cardboard boxes, each roll encased in a paper wrapper. Not an ounce of plastic anywhere. The wrappers and the boxes come printed with delightful, funny messages. A proportion of the profits are donated to charities and projects that help people in developing countries to have sanitation. That’s why I buy from them.

Our recent delivery arrived, with the usual courier company. We had a friend’s dog staying with us, who was out in the garden when the courier arrived. The dog likes to bark a welcome to people coming into our garden, which he did, while keeping his distance from the stranger. (Because he’s actually big scaredy cat.) My partner heard the dog barking, went into the garden and made the dog sit down next to him. The courier then subjected my partner to a barrage of abuse – about having a dangerous dog that should be ****ing under control. He even called my partner a very rude word, which I certainly won’t repeat here. He proceeded to hurl our box of loo roll down the steps, to our front door.

You know how sometimes you receive a ‘how did our courier do?’ email?! I reported Damon (yes, his name showed up on the email from the courier company) for his abusive behaviour. It took a week for them to reply and their response was mostly corporate jargon, which didn’t really tell me anything.

At the same time my partner contacted Who Gives a Crap directly. He wanted to tell this company, that we love for all that they do, that they were badly misrepresented that day, by their choice of courier. Within hours he received a reply, saying that “To make up for this less-than-stellar delivery experience” (their exact words) a different company would deliver our loo roll in future, how sorry they were that this had happened and that they would be taking it up with the ‘rude’ couriers.

Will we carry on buying recycled paper products from them? Certainly! Will I ever use that courier company, when I have a choice? Certainly not!

Who Gives a Crap promote their fabulous brand on Certainty – doing what they say they will do, when and how. We know them as a safe pair of hands. If you promote your business in the same way, do make sure that you – and any partners you work with – maintain the Certainty that your clients expect.

Not sure if Certainty is the strategy that makes your business stand out? Take the Test here for a free report.

 

How NOT to do Certainty

If Certainty is the strategy that will make your business stand out – by being a safe, consistent pair of hands, here’s what NOT to say in your marketing and what not to do, to get new clients:

  • Ambiguity – be clear about what your business offers. If the marketing is clear about how your business works with clients, it will be clear to potential clients. Don’t tell prospects that your business can help them with everything. If the business provides several services, don’t list out every single one every time a new prospect is spoken to.
  • Disbelief – don’t make claims that potential clients won’t believe about how much your business can really help them. No bragging needed!
  • Doubt – don’t give your prospects any doubt about the service your business provides. Be clear and confident in all your marketing messages.
  • Hesitation – be confident. “We can help you” versus “We think we might be able to help, but we’re not sure.”
  • Uncertainty – make it really obvious what your business does and how you serve your clients. Be clear on the results you can help them to achieve and how long it will take.

And above all, when something goes wrong, apologise with sincerity. Fix the problem – as quickly as you can – and tell your clients what you’re doing to fix it.

Next time – how NOT to do Connection.

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