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Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges?

  • idealmike Level X3
    • 9

    Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

    Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges?

    Many sellers get clients which they work for. And then when the work is complete, deliver the order and then that's it. They no longer speak with or talk to that client again. But sometimes it can be worth telling them that you'll "check in" on them from "time to time" to see how they're getting on. From my experience, most clients really like it when you say this to them as it shows that you care about their business. Sometimes I'll go through my old clients list that I used to work for or have done work for and drop them a message to see how they're getting on. And to see if they need my service(s) again. Also if I have updated my service that they purchased before, I can use that as a reason/excuse to message them saying something like "I just thought you might like to know..".

    Not everyone will reply back. They could be doing anything and not have the time. Or perhaps they don't have the money for your service right away. But sometimes, doing this, you'll get a new repeat sale from that client. Sometimes some clients are really happy you have "followed them up" and they purchase again for it too.

    I would say, if you have some free time. And you're not too busy. Go through your old clients lists and send them a message. Just asking how they are, what they're up to. How they're getting on. If they have any more feedback or anything and just to see if they need any help with anything or need your service again.

    You could even give them a time sensitive discount coupon code as well which can motivate them to purchase your service again before it expires.

    But what about you? Do you follow up your clients from time to time?

    Or do you prefer to burn the bridge after the first time?

    Or are you simply too busy to follow up old clients to drum up some sales?

    #Freelance #Freelancing #Clients #Business #Sales Freelance
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    TommyCarey

    TommyCarey

    Well it really depends on the client. If I have a client who is, or was, always grumpy when working with them, I probably won't contact them because they are just stressful and I don't need that lol. Now if the client just couldn't afford me anymore, I will send them a "newsletter" each month with promotions or coupon codes in order to try and convince them to sign back up lol Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges?

    If I have a bad client contact me again and want to sign back up, I'll usually increase the amount per month that they have to pay and I'll make them sign a 1 year contract just so I know they'll pay lol. If they don't pay, they get sent to collections because I'm not dealing with their sh*t.

    If I have a good client and the work we're doing is going well, I will usually keep doing the work after they stop signing up. I won't do the same amount of work because I can't allot that amount of time for free stuff. I do about 1/5 of the work just so their rankings don't plummet into the depths. I don't tell them that I'm still doing the work, I just let them know that I'm always here to come back after they're making some more money Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges? Usually I'll give them a slight discount if they still can't afford my services because I like them. I've actually had clients refer people to me and I then did free work for the original client who was referring people. I did this because they were nice Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges?
    10 years ago

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    idealmike

    idealmike

    Yeah I know what you're saying about grumpy clients! Or hard to please clients. Or clients that don't appreciate your work and don't even thank you for it. Why would you want to them to order from you again!? LOL. Sometimes I've got repeat sales from these types of people though. I find that sometimes the more you know them, the more you get to know them and can use that to your advantage. Sometimes you might know when to crack a joke or say the right thing to get them on your side. But I'll still sometimes follow them up as people can change lol
    10 years ago

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    Lynne

    Lynne

    Haha you two have me remembering a good few clients that I didn't really enjoy working with. There were times I would check my orders and see some from them and instead of being happy and grateful for the income I would be miserable, knowing that I would be dealing with their rubbish again.

    I made it part of my daily tasks to follow up with a few old customers, those annoying ones I would always skip over.

    There are a good few times that doing this rewarded me almost immediately with a good few new orders. So yes I do highly recommend doing this.

    The thing is that if someone ordered from you before and you gave a quality service there should be no reason that customer won't order from you again.

    Plus something that is vital is feedback from your customers, I also found that when I follow up with clients it is a good time to ask if they had a good experience with their last order and if there is anything I could improve on. This can be really valuable information.
    10 years ago

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    EliteWriter

    EliteWriter

    No I do not generally send them a message. However in case I am not that busy I think it makes sense to follow up on previous clients, by using a message whereby you announce something new, or maybe a discount you are offering for a limited period. On Seoclerks this can be done quite easily by posting a status update and ticking the box to email that to the followers, who naturally tend to be past clients. There are going to be those who just ignore it, but thre is a good chance that you get a sale too.
    10 years ago

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    idealmike

    idealmike

    You don't follow your old clients up Elite to see how they are? To see if they need any more work? The status update thing is a good idea but I disagree that many clients will follow you but I could be wrong. Do you ask people to follow you in your orders? I think I might start doing that and offering it as an option to people.

    Cheers!
    10 years ago

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    hitmeasap

    hitmeasap

    I strongly recommend everyone to contact previous clients again. It's a sign of professionalism if you ask me. However, it's important to not sound desperate. Your client shouldn't understand as soon as they read your message that you want them to place another order.. Do something unique instead. Let them know that you've launched another service and tell them that you'll offer them a sample for free for instance. That's an amazing thing to do. And it will often lead to future orders.


    Best Regards,
    hitmeasap
    10 years ago

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    idealmike

    idealmike

    Awesome Andre. I agree. You don't want to sound like you're poaching them for another sale. Although you are. You have to go about it in a different angle. One that isn't just straight up asking them to order again. But make them feel like you're also concerned about them and just seeing how they are like a friend would do. Because you've got to get them on side first. Then you can link them and they'll be more likely to purchase again. Do you follow up with your past clients? Or do you burn your bridges?
    10 years ago

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    Cristian

    Cristian

    I did this in the past and was a very effective method of getting long term clients constantly. I just have to contact them every now and then with a new offer or just saying "hi". It actually worked like a charm and I think it can still work, the only problem is I don't have the time!

    I'm very limited in my weekly freelancing hours and I prefer using them on really loyal clients as well as some new gigs every now and then.
    10 years ago

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    Corzhens

    Corzhens

    In my personal business experience I can say that burning the bridge is taboo because a client remains a client even when it is not buying. I sometimes negotiate with the vendors of electronic items in our office. Some of those vendors became my friend. And even after so many years that our office haven’t purchased from their company, the vendor still come to visit me once in a while.
    7 years ago

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