Have you ever just wanted to fire a client?
Perhaps they demanded too many things, were consistently rude, or did not fit well with you, your team or your services.
While you are sometimes able to tweak your own services or set out guidelines that are mutually acceptable to all parties, there are times where you simply need to get rid of certain clients so you can focus on other customers who are more profitable on both a financial and a personal level.
However, many salespeople are hesitant to fire a client because they don’t know how to approach the situation without the fear of burning bridges or causing a massive argument.
These feelings are natural, but if a customer is taking time away dedicated to other areas of your business and causing massive headaches, it may be time to sever your business relationship.
By following a few key steps, you can let go of customers easily without causing too much commotion.
1) Call The Customer
A phone call may come with a certain intimidation factor, but it is necessary to retain your level of professionalism. Firing a client via email is extremely unprofessional, not to mention there is always room for misinterpretation. ← Click To Tweet
2) Be Professional, Not Personal
Don’t spend time outlining all the things that your client is doing wrong or why you need to fire them. Simply state that you believe that they can be serviced more efficiently elsewhere. Keep the conversation objective and don’t focus on their flaws. You want to make your client feel as though you are presenting them with better opportunities as opposed to firing them or cutting them loose.
3) Always Offer Options
Give your client a list of other alternative companies where they can receive similar services from other industry experts. By doing so, you are demonstrating that you do care about their success and do not want to leave them without other options.
By having a direct and clear conversation with your client and focusing on improving their experience with other options, you are drastically reducing the probability of your client lashing out or serving you a sea of nasty comments.
Are you looking for strategies to help you develop your relationship with profitable customers? Check out this free and powerful resource.
What’s one tip you would provide to someone who wants to fire a client?
Interesting read, everything here is good to know for the future.