• Own a Franchise
  • Alumni Center
  • Careers
Login
Shop
Locations
Sandler
Login
Shop
Locations
  • Solutions
      Professional Development and Growth Programs
      Experiential and transformational sales and leadership training for continuous improvement and lifelong learning
      Office setting
    • Sales Training
    • Sales Leadership
    • Prospecting
    • Expanding Accounts
    • Personal and Professional Growth
    • Customer Success
  • Who We Serve
      Sales Tools and Solutions that Scale
      From Enterprise to SMB sized organizations looking to scale, Sandler is the only training provider with the breadth and depth to help you take the next step
    • EnterpriseBy Type:
    • Scaling Companies
    • Individuals
    • TechnologyBy Industry:
    • Medical Devices & Pharma
    • Manufacturing and Logistics
    • Professional and Financial Services
    • Construction & Building Materials
    • Call Centers
    • Selling to Homeowners
    • All Industries
  • Sandler+
      Technology and Delivery Methods that Accelerate Sales Training
      Flexible learning approaches for tackling your organization's unique challenges and technological ecosystem
      Smiling man shaking hands
    • Sandler Online
    • Technology
    • Delivery Methods
    • Online Sales Courses
    • Assessments & Benchmarking
  • About
      Sales Training and Performance Improvement Leader
      Sandler empowers over 50,000 sales professionals and leaders to master the craft of selling
      Smiling woman shaking hands
    • Company
    • News & Press
    • Awards
    • Summit
    • Franchising
    • Sandler Sales Methodology
    • Sandler Selling System
  • Insights
      Elevate, Evolve, and Excel Your Sales Organization
      Tactics, strategies, articles, tools compiled from over 50 years of experience for sales professionals and leaders
      People near board
    • Sandler Advisor
    • Articles
    • Books
    • Case Studies
    • Events
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Sandler Research Center
Let's connect
  • Open a location
  • Alumni Center
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA
Share
Home » Insights » How to Succeed When A Client Leaves
Articles

How to Succeed When A Client Leaves

Karl Graf

How to Succeed When A Client Leaves [PODCAST]

Humans are either open or close minded to any suggestion. Once the mind is closed its nigh impossible to open it back up again until that person wants to re-open their mind.

This “open/close minded” idea pops up when our client says “we’re switching/going in different direction/going with your competitor” or something similar. Our client is now close minded to working with us.

As professionals “no” is the beginning, not the ending of a conversation, but we have two choices as to how we have that conversation after hearing “no.”

1. Beg – The best version of this is asking for another chance, promising to do better, offering a discount and/or extra services for free. The worst version is us getting our emotional needs met by saying something like, “so you’re confident that <chosen competitor> can deliver/meet your needs/not screw up?” (yes, salespeople say that). Either version does nothing more than break rapport with our client and likely ends our chances of ever working with them again.

2. Take away the awkwardness of doing business again – Few people want to go back to a salesperson and say they made a mistake so they’re likely to stay with the devil they do know instead of the angel they don’t. We take the awkwardness away from our client and differentiate ourselves from the salespeople who try to beg, by saying something like, “I totally respect your decision. Say, if things don’t turn out the way you hoped don’t ever feel awkward about picking up the phone and reconnecting with me. No hard feelings.”

One of our clients regained a client who switched to a different technical provider a few months before. When our client asked their client why they came back so quickly they were told that they had made it okay for their client to admit that things weren’t going so well with their new provider so their client was comfortable calling our client and asking to reengage.

Hearing “no” doesn’t mean we’re going to pack up our stuff and go home. We will still ask a few questions to help us understand why our client made the choice they did, but how we approach that conversation determines how likely we are to ever talk to them again.

Until next time… go sell something. Check out my latest podcast here.

Tags: Account management customer experience how to succeed sales clients

Related Insights

The Sandler Coaching Contract
Articles

The Sandler Coaching Contract

Read Full Article
How to Succeed As a Woman in Business With Holly Hunt
Podcasts

How to Succeed As a Woman in Business With Holly Hunt

Read Full Article
Sandler 2023 Virtual Summit
Events, Webinars

2023 Virtual Summit

Read Full Article

Sales Training and Performance Improvement Organization

Get Social With Us
Stay Inspired
Tactics, strategies, articles, tools and more information about our events and solutions for sales professionals and leaders.
Name(Required)
Privacy(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Smiling man holding a laptop
  • Alumni Center
  • Careers
  • Shop
  • Locations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA
  • Your California Privacy Rights
  • Corporate Training
  • Do Not Sell My Information
©2023 Sandler Systems, LLC. All rights reserved. Sandler, SANDLER (stylized) and E (stylized) are registered service marks of Sandler Systems, LLC.