A certain amount of attrition in your customer file is normal. But do you know why your customers leave? Unless you do, how can you hope to win them back?
Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do. People move and don’t have space for a vegetable patch. They die, or are no longer physically able to garden. It doesn’t matter how attractive an offer you make, they’re not coming back.
There are plenty of other reasons why people stop buying that you can influence. Were they disappointed with your product or your service? Did they get better prices elsewhere? Are they doing all their shopping someplace else with a bigger selection? Are they buying less because they’re tightening their budget? Are they one-time buyers who bought because they were looking for the best deal online for a particular item? Have you just been out of sight, out of mind?
A survey of inactive customers can give you tremendous insight into why you’re losing them and what, if anything, you can do to gain them back. Another possibility is to profile them to see what attributes they have in common.
The more you know about why your customers leave, the better job you can do of eliminating unproductive names, recapturing viable ones, and developing prospecting plans that maximize the long-term value of your customers.
