It’s never fun to lose clients, but there’s always something inside sales reps can learn from their client’s decision to leave which they can apply and improve upon when dealing with new clients. When clients end an engagement, it can be for many different reasons: budget, end of a campaign, decision to try a new inside sales team, restructuring within the company, etc. Whatever the reason is, it is sad to watch a client leave, but you can use what you learned from working with one company and apply it to another company when they sign a contract.
In my year at AG Salesworks, I have worked with four different clients for an extended period of time. After working on two projects that simultaneously ended their engagement, I knew I had to look at my new projects with an open mind and see what I could bring from my old clients to my new ones. Here are some lessons I learned:
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Keep an open mind. It is important to keep an open mind when beginning a commitment, because you do not know how everyone likes to work. I have adapted to several kinds of communication with marketing contacts and sales reps, from instant messaging to calling office lines to texting cell phone numbers. It is up to you as a BDR to be open to new forms of contact and communication with your clients. Make sure they know where they can always reach you and you can get in touch with them when you have questions as well.
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Know your clients’ schedules. Sometimes you will work with people who are hard to connect with. While this can be frustrating, it also gives you more time, allowing you to become more organized so that when you do get to speak to them, you have everything ready to run through in case you cannot connect for another few days. Knowing when reps and clients are away from the office is important as well, so being able to keep track of calendars is key. Setting appointments or getting quick pieces of information can make or break some prospects, so you want to be sure your reps are available and able to connect. I have learned to recap the week and set up the next week with my clients and sales reps in case anything has changed that I was previously unaware of, in order to create a smoother transition from prospecting discussion to qualified lead conversation.
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End on a high note. If you know that a client is going to be ending a contract, it is important to end on a strong note, keeping up activity and conversations until the last day. You want to make them know they can come back if they have another campaign or decide to reevaluate the budget for next quarter. Slowing down does not make a client feel as though you are giving them what they are paying for and can make them rethink your work ethic when they are looking for help with their prospecting in the future.
While it can be disheartening when a client ends an engagement, it’s important to remember that you’ve learned important skills from them and are armed to approach your next project. What other lessons have you learned from working with multiple clients?
