Losing a client is tough. It might feel like the end of the world, but there’s no need to panic. There are ways to bounce back and get more clients in the future. We’ve outlined some tips on how you can bounce back after losing a client.
Evaluate the Situation
After the smoke clears and you’re able to take a step back, ask yourself:
- What went wrong? Was it a lack of communication between team members? Do you need to hire additional staff to manage your workload? Or maybe there was something in your process that didn’t work as well as it could have. There are so many factors that can contribute to this situation, but one thing is for sure—it’s never too late to learn from them.
- Who was involved? Sometimes it’s helpful just knowing who else might have been affected by this loss. Was it only the client who lost interest, or did other stakeholders feel let down by your team’s performance as well? If so, try asking them for their feedback on what could be improved upon next time around (and make sure they know their opinions are valued).
- What can be learned from this experience? Perhaps most importantly: how can we avoid letting this happen again in the future? Take some time now so that when something like this happens again (or even worse!), you won’t be caught off guard and unprepared for what comes next.
Remember you’re not alone; everyone loses clients.
It happens to the best of us, and it’s okay to feel upset about losing a client. You may have invested a lot of time and energy into that person or company, and you’re probably wondering how your business will survive without them as a customer. But remember: losing a client is not the end of the world—it’s part of business!
It can be hard to see this when you’re in the middle of losing them, but it’s important to realise that every experience helps us grow in business. We learn valuable lessons from each experience we have with our customers, whether they buy from us or not. And while losing a client might sting at first (or even long after), there are ways we can bounce back quickly and keep moving forward as entrepreneurs who work hard for what they want!
Have a Plan
Take some time to plan out what your next steps will be. This is especially important if you had multiple clients business-wise or otherwise depend on that income source for your livelihood.
Here are some things to consider when planning:
- Make a list of things to do: If there’s something practical you need to do right away (like searching for another client), make sure it gets added to this list.
- Make a list of people who could help you: Maybe there’s someone in your network who could recommend their own client base or maybe there’s an organisation where volunteers can help with outreach efforts for free. Whatever it may be, find ways outside of yourself where support will come from others instead of solely relying on yourself during tough times like these!
Keep going
The most important thing you can do in the wake of a setback is to keep going. You may feel like giving up but don’t. A single failure doesn’t mean that everything you’ve done has been for naught—you just need to rethink your approach and find a new way forward.
Don’t give up on yourself or your dream job just because things didn’t work out with one client—keep working toward making your vision for yourself into reality no matter what happens along the way!
A mindset of resilience is critical to success in any walk of life.
You can’t afford to get discouraged and let the past define you. Don’t let a setback get you down, or let a failure stop you from trying again. You need to keep pushing forward, even when it feels like nothing is working out.
A loss doesn’t have to hold you back, either. If your client has left, find new ones. For every door that closes another one will open. If someone says no, ask why and then make changes accordingly so that next time they’ll say yes!
Speak to the client.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but ssk the client why they left. It can be difficult to get an honest response from a former client if you don’t give them an out—e.g., “I know this is hard for you, but could I ask why we lost your business?”
From here, you can figure out what you can do to improve your service. You may find that there are things about your service that aren’t working for them or for other clients and make adjustments accordingly. You may also need to consider whether or not changing up some aspects of your business will help attract new clients.
Analyse your relationship with the client.
Once you’ve dealt with the initial shock of losing a client, take time to reflect on your relationship with them. Were you able to meet their needs? If not, try to figure out what went wrong: Did they not understand your product or service? Were they unhappy with the results?
If they weren’t happy with the results, did it have anything to do with something on your end—or was there another reason for their dissatisfaction? If you were unable to meet their needs for whatever reason (maybe it’s just not in your wheelhouse), try brainstorming ways in which this project could be reframed or rethought for future projects so that it better meets both parties’ expectations and outcomes.
Evaluate your own work.
In order to effectively bounce back, you must evaluate your own work. What went wrong? What could you have done better? Are there any areas where you need to improve your skills or knowledge?
As well as looking inward, it’s also important to take some time to assess the client’s situation so that you can ask yourself these questions.
Move on from this feeling of failure.
Now that you’ve taken some time to grieve, it’s time to move on. You can’t change the past, but you can make sure that your future is better.
Here are four things you should do when you’re feeling discouraged:
- Focus on what’s next.
- Setbacks are opportunities to learn and improve your business.
- The only way to overcome a setback like losing a client is by moving forward and doing new things in your business—stuff that might not have been possible before because of the constraints created by being associated with someone else or having a steady stream of income from just one client for so long (or both!).
If you lose a client, that’s okay! It happens to everyone and it doesn’t mean you can’t go on to have a successful business. Remember that every setback is an opportunity for growth and learning. You can bounce back if you remember that every setback is an opportunity to learn something new.
