It’s one thing to get a customer through the door.
It’s another thing entirely to keep them inside – or coming back regularly.
Yes, customer retention really is the name of the game in a lot of ways, with it being more profitable than customer acquisition in the long run.
It ensures your income is stable and predictable, which obviously helps with things like paying bills on time. As a freelancer, this is huge.
What’s the secret, then? Why are you struggling to keep clients on board?
Here are five possible reasons:
Quality issues
You won’t like to admit it, but this is the most likely reason you’re unable to retain clients – especially if you’re someone who already has a roster of regulars.
This is because complacency can start to set in (whether you realise it or not).
It’s important to always remember that your current work’s quality determines whether you’ll get work in the future. For example, even if a particular project is a one-off, the client who commissioned it could end up recommending you to others in the future, provided the work meets a certain standard.
Now, this isn’t to say you have to burn yourself out or take on extra work free of charge, but do your utmost to ensure the service you provide is more than just passable. If you truly go above and beyond, clients will remember you – and will be much more likely to enlist your services again in the future.
Communication
The fact of the matter is that in today’s increasingly digital world, clients expect to be able to get hold of you quickly and easily, and there’s really no excuse if they can’t.
If you’re always unavailable or take an age to respond, it could leave clients feeling uncomfortable as they (understandably) want to know their money is being put to good use.
Make sure to reply to things like emails in a timely manner, as doing so demonstrates reliability and care. It’s also never been easier!
To help with this, though – and to stop you from being caught off guard – you can establish the terms of your working relationship upfront, including regular check-in times. You don’t have to ‘always on’.
Missing deadlines
This is just generally considered bad practice, showing that you’re unreliable and careless.
Don’t forget that clients often have deadlines of their own (even just internal ones), and you don’t want to be responsible for causing delays in their schedule.
If you think a piece of work might be late, the least you can do is contact the client to let them know, and this may ultimately help you save face. Better yet, try and avoid getting into this situation in the first place.
Technology can make your life easier and streamline your business: set deadline reminders and, if you aren’t already, start utilising some form of digital calendar or software like Trello.
It’s always better to under-promise and over deliver, so with this in mind, try to submit work early in order to give yourself a bit of breathing room.
Refusing revisions
Generally speaking, you should be open to making changes if a client isn’t fully satisfied or wants to have some input in the final product. After all, they’re the ones paying for it.
What this doesn’t mean, though, is that you should take on additional work for free. Any revision request should be reasonable and not an excuse to get out of paying.
The thing is, if you flat out refuse to make changes, the client will probably just go and find someone who will – so try and remain somewhat adaptable. It’s worth thinking about including your terms in the contract or work agreement.
Again, you can leverage modern tech to help speed up the process, with AI being a great tool for brainstorming, almost acting as a kind of sounding board for your ideas. You have to be fully transparent about this, though, and the work should ultimately be your own.
No follow up
A big mistake a lot of freelancers make is not being proactive in following up with clients. Waiting for clients to reach out when they need something is by no means guaranteed.
Believe it or not, some clients may not even realise that you’re available to work on a recurring basis – not unless you tell them. If you don’t, they’ll mentally file you away as the go-to for one-off work, which is fine, but – again – it’s more beneficial in the long run for you to have a steady stream of projects.
You could also consider offering some kind of special deal or discount for regular work as a way to entice people.
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