You do everything you can to keep your customers and clients around. Why wouldn’t you? Anything else seems ridiculous – how else do you pay your bills? As a result, you probably end up doing some ridiculous things way beyond when it’s time to let certain people go.
That’s right, let them go. Though it may seem nuts, there are some times when neither you nor your customer/client benefits from your relationship. In fact, it could be holding both of you back!
But how do you tell when it’s time to let someone who’s giving you money slip away? Here are some tell-tale signs.
Model Changes
One reason your customer or client may need to be let go is your model has changed. When you started out your company, you had a certain vision. Sometimes, that vision changes throughout the years. It doesn’t mean you’ve compromised on anything – you’ve just realized the way you wanted to do business has switched gears.
Some of those clients and customers you picked up in the early years may not quite fit in the “new you.” Instead, they’ve merely stuck around because they like the business so much. Not because they get anything from buying from you, but because you did such a good job developing relationships with your customers.
But it’s time to let that go. You’re spending precious time on a customer who is getting nothing out of it. Instead of them buying directly from you anymore, they should let others know how great your service is. They’ll save money, and you could potentially make more with their recommendation.
Leech
We’ve all experienced them: the leech. This particular type of customer or client didn’t start out as a parasite, but either knowingly or unknowingly they took more and more of your time and energy and gave nothing in return.
Soon, it seems they’re all you have time for anymore. So much so that some of your other clients have become jealous and taken off or cut back on using your services. Usually, with customers like these, when you bring up money they change the subject or promise to look at it “in the future.”
Look, going the extra mile for your client is part of business. It’s what separates the successful from the rest – doing a little more than the competitors. However, when that extra mile is EXPECTED from you, then it becomes a problem.
You may need every single penny from this client for your business. Trust me, I understand. However, might there be more money elsewhere if you drop the leech and look for some customers who appreciate your expertise? Don’t think if this one client disappears you’ll fail – if you’ve set up your business to succeed, it will.
What are some other warning signs you should drop a client or customer?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab three ebooks, including My Facebook Formula, a free report on Facebook and why you should be using the largest social network for your business, here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/