How To Lose Clients

Most business comes from word of mouth. It’s the most important form of advertising you can get. If your business practices are less than stellar imagine the word of mouth you’ll be getting or worse, the kind you’re NOT getting.

For your convenience I have listed 7 ways a business can lose a client/customer without even trying. This is not an exhaustive list but it’s enough to get you going down the path to lost business.

1. Provide less than quality services or products. Go for that under par software, raw material or pre-made item. Save a few bucks because no one will ever know - especially your clients. So what if the software doesn’t do what your client requested or loses all of your customer data. If the item falls apart moments after they get it home, who cares, what really counts is your bottom line right? Just fall short of the srvice you promissed no one will notice.

2. Ignore your client and potential clients. When you receive your signed contract simply disappear. When your client calls or emails you go ahead and wait a few days to respond. You already have their money so they can wait while you spend it. You can also ignore those that email or call with a request for information on your product or service. You are the only game in town so they will wait - forever!!

3. Leave your potential clients with more questins than answers when they visit your website. Keep them guessing about your services, price, return policy, guarantee, how to contact you with questions, broken links etc.. This is a game they truly love to play.

4. Become a one-person show. As your business grows by all means continue to do it all yourself. Spread yourself so thin you can hardly concentrate on your business. So what if you forget to return a few calls or emails, pay bills to vendors, schedule a meeting, compile your information, confuse clients and provide the wrong service etc.. Your customers are the only ones who will suffer and they will take it on the chin for you because as you know, it’s all about you anyway.

5. Show a lack of confidence in your abilities, services or products. People actually like to spend their time and money to invest in you just to boost your confidence. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt so bad for a sales person because they avoided eye contact or shrugged their shoulders as they explained their services and products to me that I was COMPELLED to spend my money at their place of business.

6. Go for the greed. Give nothing away for free. Not one iota of information, discount or extra product. Don’t do it, not even for your repeat customers. People love to pay for everything. No one likes to receive a special something for being a valued customer - ever! Don’t even think of sending out holiday cards or thank you notes - it will just go to their heads.

7. By all means neve accept responlibility for anything that goes wrong. Blame your inability to return calls, deliver product, miss a meeting and so forth on anything but yourself. Hey, why not blame it on the cutomer, they love to take the fall for your mistakes. It build their character and who are you to deny them that growth.


Ok, Now that I have had some fun with you about how to lose a client, I would like to leave you with some words to run your business by. Customers are the reason for your business they are not an interruption to it. Follow good business practices and keep the lines of communication open with all of your clients, both current and those you have not yet met. What you give has a way of coming back to you ten-fold so always do your best, give of yourself and you will grow in both your business and personal endeavors.