Why lost customers are worth a second look
A lost customer is someone who used to buy from you and stopped: they cancelled, didn't renew, or simply haven't been back. Most businesses let them go without a word, then spend money finding new customers who know nothing about them.
A past customer already knows what you do, has your number and has paid you before. You don't need to explain who you are. If what made them leave can be fixed, the conversation is shorter than any first sale.
Not everyone should be chased, though, and the order matters. This post covers who to pick, how to find out why they left, the message, the offer, and how to stop the same thing happening again.
Who's worth winning back
Sort your lost customers into three groups before you send anything.
| Group | Who they are | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Worth it | Were a good fit, paid on time, left for a reason you can fix or that's changed | Contact personally, first |
| Maybe | Left quietly, reason unknown | Ask why, then decide |
| Let go | Never a good fit, always unhappy, left over something you won't change, or asked not to be contacted | Leave them be |
Some signs someone is in the first group:
- They bought more than once, or stayed a long time.
- They left for a reason that has changed: price, a missing feature, a bad month for service, a staff member who's gone.
- They left for a competitor, and it's been long enough to know whether the grass was greener.
- Their situation has changed in a way that fits you again: new budget, new site, new manager.
Start with the 10 or 20 most valuable people in that group. A personal message to 15 people beats a mass email to 500.
Find out why they left
You can't write the right message until you know the reason. Many businesses guess ("it was probably price") and guess wrong.
Ask. A short, honest question gets more answers than a survey:
Hi [name], it's [you] from [business]. I noticed you haven't [ordered / renewed / been in] since [month], and I wanted to ask, with no sales pitch: was there something we got wrong? Even a one-line answer would really help us.
The answers usually fall into a handful of reasons:
- Price: they found it cheaper, or money got tight.
- Service: something went wrong and wasn't fixed, or nobody followed up.
- Fit: what they needed changed, or you never quite did what they wanted.
- Drift: nothing went wrong, they just stopped, often because nobody stayed in touch.
- A competitor: someone else asked for the business and you didn't.
You'll probably hear drift more often than you expect. It's also the easiest to fix. Write down every reason you hear, because it's also your list of what to change.
If complaints are a common reason, a clear complaint escalation process stops the next customer leaving over one.
The win-back message
Once you know the reason, or have a good idea, the message should do three things: say you noticed, say what's changed, and make coming back easy.
When something went wrong
Hi [name], I'm sorry about [what went wrong] last [month/year]. You were right to be frustrated. Since then we've [what you changed]. I'd like the chance to show you. Could I [offer: a call, a visit, the next order handled by me personally]?
When they drifted away
Hi [name], it's been a while since [their last order / project]. We've [one thing that's new and relevant to them] since then. Would it be useful if I [small, specific next step]?
When they left for a competitor
Hi [name], I hope [the other supplier] is working out well. If anything's not quite right, I'd be glad to talk. We've [change that matters for them] since you left. No pressure either way.
When their situation has changed
Hi [name], congratulations on [the news: new site, new role, expansion]. When you were with us, you mentioned [what they wanted]. If that's on the list again, I'd be happy to help. Shall we find 15 minutes?
Keep it short, personal and from a named person. Send it where they'll read it: email if that's how you always talked, WhatsApp if that's where the relationship lived. Only message people who gave you their number to hear from you, and if someone asked you to stop, respect that.
For a larger drift group on WhatsApp, a broadcast that puts each client's name in and sends one message at a time keeps it personal without typing each one.
Follow up once, a week or two later, with something new. If there's still no reply, leave it for a few months.
If your past customers are on WhatsApp, ActivityTracker sends a broadcast from your own number with each client's name in it, one message at a time in the hours you choose, and shows you who wrote back.
The offer
A discount is the reflex. It's often the wrong one. If they left over service, a discount says "we'll be cheaper" when the problem was "we'll be better". If they left over drift, they don't need money off; they need a reason to talk.
Match the offer to the reason:
| Why they left | Offer |
|---|---|
| Something went wrong | A named person handles their next order, or a free fix of the thing that failed |
| Price | A smaller or different option that fits the budget, rather than a cut to your standard price |
| Drift | A useful check-in, a review of what they have, or news they'd care about |
| A competitor | A trial or a first job at your normal price, with your best person on it |
| Their needs changed | The product or service that fits the new situation |
If you do offer money off, make it one-off and time-limited, and make sure you'd be happy if they stayed at the full price afterwards. Otherwise you've bought a customer who leaves again when it ends.
Made-up example: a commercial cleaning company with about 40 office clients lost 12 over the past year.
Week 1: the owner sorts the 12. Four were a poor fit (tiny offices that always haggled), so she lets them go. Five are "maybe". Three are clearly worth it: good clients who left after a run of missed cleans when a supervisor quit.
Week 2: she messages all eight with the "was there something we got wrong?" question. Six reply. Three say missed cleans, one says price, two say nothing went wrong, they just changed office and nobody called.
Week 3: to the three who left over missed cleans, she writes that the supervisor has been replaced and offers a free first week with the new supervisor's number, and two of them come back. The two who moved get a congratulations and a question about whether the new office needs a quote, and one books a visit.
Week 5: three clients are back. She adds a monthly check-in call to every client, because two of the lost ones had simply never heard from anyone.
Keep them this time
Winning a customer back is wasted if they leave again for the same reason. For the ones who come back:
- Fix the cause for everyone, not just for them.
- Put a named person on their account for the first few months.
- Check in after the first order or month back, and ask how it went.
- Put a date in your diary for the next check-in, and keep going.
Then turn the lessons into habits that reduce churn for everyone: regular check-ins, a fast response to problems, and a record of what each client needs. Count it too. Client retention rate shows how to work out the share of clients you keep, and customer acquisition cost shows what a new one costs you instead.
What to do first
- List everyone who stopped buying in the last 12 to 18 months.
- Sort them into worth it, maybe and let go.
- Ask the first 10 to 20 why they left, with a short, honest message.
- Send each one a win-back message that fits their reason.
- Fix the most common reason for everyone, and book check-ins for the ones who return.