Lost Customers

[LawnBoy0311]

With this being a service business, customers will always come and go. The 3 main reasons why a customer quits- 1.Price 2. Quality 3. Service Many of you have had customers since your first year in business. We all know who we have as customers, but does anyone know who they lost as customers? I decided last night to make up a spreadsheet for my lost business. I include the name, address, reason for quitting, price, and any problems I had with them. I figured it would be best to keep this record. This way if/when they call again, I know why they left before AND what I need to do to not let it happen again. Does anyone else keep a list like this?

[dougcaskey]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311 With this being a service business, customers will always come and go. The 3 main reasons why a customer quits- 1.Price 2. Quality 3. Service Many of you have had customers since your first year in business. We all know who we have as customers, but does anyone know who they lost as customers? I decided last night to make up a spreadsheet for my lost business. I include the name, address, reason for quitting, price, and any problems I had with them. I figured it would be best to keep this record. This way if/when they call again, I know why they left before AND what I need to do to not let it happen again. Does anyone else keep a list like this? Interesting ....I think I'll look at that and see what it tells me...I haven't lost many but I would guess it was because of cost...

[bruces]

I rarily lose a customer,so its easy to remember why they left .I have only lost customers because of death or moving though to be honest .

[LawnBoy0311]

most of us don't lose too many. I only lose maybe 1 or 2 a year. but i still like to keep a spreadsheet, this way i know volume in $$ lost, and what to do if that customer who jerked me around 2 years prior wants me to come back.

[CHEESE2009]

If I get fired, it's never my fault.

I drop a lot of clients every year with good reason, those who drop us are suddenly capable of doing the work themselves, moving out of town, death, or can't afford our new prices.

The ones who create the biggest problems still wont fire us, it's kind of silly. It's as if they hate us, but need us - so all they get to do is complain in their corner and wait for the day we decide to drop them.

Most of them wont drop us because our price and quality is great, it's just that we do not cooperate well with clients who stress us out.

Once a client gets on our bad side, we do not focus our attention on them, it's already in our minds that we will be dropping them after the season has ended.

[dougcaskey]

I only lost one this year do to a low baller , I was mowing for this guy and I saw this idiot riding around the nieghborhood with a pushmower in the back of this piece of crap truck , I watched him stop at several places around me...So I get a call a few days later from this customer saying he found someone cheaper..Ok dude whatever...2 weeks later he called me back and ask if I would take him back on..yeh right ! I told him maybe next year I already filled his spot...

[Steve]

This way if/when they call again, I know why they left before AND what I need to do to not let it happen again.

Would it be more helpful if something like this was done in a customer survey? That way you might be able to pickup on issues before they left? Or no?

[LawnBoy0311]

It's not so much losing them, because if I lose one, then I pick another one up. The main advantage to it is to keep track of lost revenue/weekly sales. This way I know what to do to make sure I'm still on point for the year end numbers. Anyone could say I lost 3 customers, I need 3 more to stay even. Not true. Although you may not lose many, which most of us don't, it's always a simple reminder (what to tell them if they call again, and weekly revenue). I feel like for myself, its always good to look back at reports and study whats been going on. I try to keep an advantage over my competitors, and this way helps me. My purpose is to grow, not maintain.

[dougcaskey]

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311

It's not so much losing them, because if I lose one, then I pick another one up. The main advantage to it is to keep track of lost revenue/weekly sales. This way I know what to do to make sure I'm still on point for the year end numbers. Anyone could say I lost 3 customers, I need 3 more to stay even. Not true. Although you may not lose many, which most of us don't, it's always a simple reminder (what to tell them if they call again, and weekly revenue). I feel like for myself, its always good to look back at reports and study whats been going on. I try to keep an advantage over my competitors, and this way helps me. My purpose is to grow, not maintain.

I couldn't agree more...I want my business to be the biggest and best that it can be, having information available for review is key to making changes where they need to be made, Great outlook on your business

[HPI_Savage25]

So far I have only lost 1 customer this year and I just lost him last week. It really sucks because he was one of my best customers. Was a front yard only, every week and was $50. I was in and out in about 30mins by myself. Very simple yard. His wife bought a mower and said that since he could cut the back then he could cut the front also.

Really kinda upset me but I am almost positive he will be back.....just have to wait and see.