We hear it over and over again in our business, “I am looking for a new vendor because I am just unhappy with the (service, turn around time, customer service, etc) my current vendor provides. Chances are that that current vendor also has no idea that there is a problem with their client because they haven’t been notified.

While this type of call comes to us daily, and we certainly are more than happy to discuss with any potential client our services and how we differ, it makes me wonder how many of our clients are “disappearing” clients and potentially seeking another vendor. You know the ones I mean. These are the clients that, in 2007, did X amount of business, in 2008 they are less than half and you haven’t heard from them in 3 months. Every week these clients are probably fielding 2 or 3 calls from a company that offers the same type of product or service that they currently purchase from you. There is a lot of competition out there and many hungry companies willing to do what it takes to land that new account. The “grass is always greener” theory seems to follow along with those phone calls as well.

We have a program where we contact our current clients every 3-6 months to say hello and see how they are doing. This gives us a chance to communicate with our contacts to find out if they have any problems, concerns, or feel that their issues have not been addressed. So, do we still have clients looking for other vendors? They certainly are. However, they are going in with the bar set quite a bit higher because of the service they currently get. Many times, they either don’t change, or they come back to us after a short period of time because they realize that they don’t get the same service elsewhere.

Keeping the lines of communication open between your company and your clients is extremely important. I don’t mean that you deal with just their problems when they call in with an issue – this means picking up the phone and calling them a couple of times a year and finding out what their issues are, or if they have any. Not only does this make for excellent customer service, but it also will benefit your company in the long run. They may be in networking groups and will recommend you to their peers, or they may be willing to act as business references for your company should you need it. Give them something positive to talk about and your customers and clients will keep coming back.