Avionics News September 2016 - 46

BUSINESS BASICS

Continued from page 45

the customer when you talk to them
personally, according to James. It will
also help you start navigating makegoods.
Request a meeting with the customer,
and ask for a debrief of his relationship
with your shop and why he chose to
move on, according to Dave Mattson
of Sandler Training. Take responsibility
for problems - service issues, quality
problems, personality conflicts, pricing
that's out of line with competitors, or a
lack of engagement from your support
team. Learn more about his unmet
needs. Explore what you'd need to do
to keep him as a customer. It might be
uncomfortable, but this conversation is
a no-lose situation for you; worst case,

46

avionics news

*

september

2016

you learn about a problem that you can
fix, and best case you can impress them
with your desire to win-back and keep
the relationship going. Listen carefully,
and avoid defensiveness. Thank the
customer for input, apologize for
problems, and plan how you'll correct
the problems you've identified.
Of course, we're assuming you want
the customer back; indeed, you might
celebrate some moving on, including
those who were difficult to work with,
who were obsessively price conscious,
or who chronically paid late. And you
should consider the specific reason for
the departure. If the departure indicates
a bigger trend, that will take more
time and effort to fix. You will want
to do that before inviting them back,
according to James. However, if the
customer left because of a one-time

problem, that's relatively cheap and easy
to fix.
Wait a few days, then follow up with
the customer again. If you've identified
something you can fix, explain what
you're doing to make necessary changes,
which opens the door to come back -
especially if it's a remedy to something
that caused a sore point. However, if the
problem is more systemic and it's affected
multiple customers to the point that it's
hurting your brand, take the time to adapt,
then address the issue with a "We Fixed
It" marketing campaign, according to
small-business social-media company
Five Stars. If pricing is the problem,
consider adjusting your offer to assuage
a value-conscious customer, particularly
a big one, where a discount may deflect a
larger revenue loss.
Recognize, however, that you might not
be able to get all of their business back
right away, but you could get some and
incrementally work your foot back into the
door, according to Mattson.
Above all else, stay on your strayed
customers' radars. They may have lapsed
because they lost contact with you, so
let them feel connected with a regular
electronic newsletter or other contact.
Consider calling them every few months
to touch base; their new provider may
disappoint them, or they may have new
leadership, or they may finally have a
budget and unmet needs that will bring
them back. Give lapsed customers a
reason to come back, too, with a special,
personal, time-sensitive retention deal
that's worth their while, delivered via
text or mail. If nothing else, send them
industry information, such as article
reprints and links, to provide education
they might not otherwise receive.
Done strategically, win-back efforts
show lost customers that they're still
valuable, respected contacts that you care
about. With effort, these plans help you
turn the tide on defections and, perhaps,
improve your operations along the way.
Sometimes it takes some rain to help your
shop grow. q
http://www.beckerusa.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News September 2016
