I came across a story that I want to start with today. It will give you a humorous way of thinking about the biggest problem you have when it comes to trying to re-engage inactive customers.
Then I will reveal 6 different things you can do to begin wooing your customers back.
A Well-Known Broadway Producer’s Problem
The well-known Broadway producer Jed Harris once became so convinced and worried that he was losing his hearing that he finally went to see a specialist.
The specialist began testing Harris’ hearing.
But he did it in a very unconventional way.
He pulled out a gold watch and asked Harris, “Can you hear this ticking?”
“Of course,” Harris replied.
The specialist then walked to the door and asked the same question again.
Harris concentrated for a second and then answered, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.”
Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time.
Surprisingly, Harris said he could hear the ticking.
“Mr. Harris,” the doctor concluded, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.“
The Biggest Problem You Face
I tell you that story because the biggest problem that you’re going to face in trying to re-engage your former customer is getting them to listen to you again.
Because the odds are pretty good that if they stopped purchasing from you, they probably also have stopped listening to your regular communication through email and/or direct mail.
That means that if you want to win them back, you’re going to have to do something different to get their attention.
To help you with that, I’m going to reveal six things below that you can do to capture their attention, get them listening, and encourage them to become an active customer again.
6 Powerful Ways to Win Back Former Customers
IMPORTANT: Please pay close attention to the specific order that I’m presetting these to you.
Why? I’ve listed them in this order to show you the sequential order you should take in applying these things. In other words, you should try 1-3 before trying 5-6.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at them:
1 Share testimonials from other successful customers or clients – One of the reasons that customers stop purchasing from you is because they stop believing that you or your product/service can actually help them.
Sharing detailed testimonials from satisfied customers explaining how you/your product helped them can help overcome their doubts.
2. Share case studies of how your product or service helped a customer to succeed – This is another way to help them overcome their doubt that you or your product/service can help them.
But by sharing case studies, you’re doing something more. You are giving them a more in-depth view of the success that other customers have experienced.
Not only that, case studies usually provide some lessons that your inactive customer can relate to and also learn from.
That’s what makes case studies an even more powerful way to attract these former customers.
3. Make them a special discounted or bonus offer if they come back – A very effective way to re-engage previous customers is by making them a special offer.
It could be a special discount that you normally don’t offer, or it could be a special bonus that they get if they purchase from you again. (Important: Make sure that either of these offers has a time limit so that you create urgency.)
Don’t worry about the money you’ll lose by offering them a discount or the money it’ll cost you to provide the bonus.
Instead, focus on the amount of money it would cost you to gain a new customer and/or the amount of profit you will gain from this customer if they become a regular customer again.
4. Offer them special customer service or training to help them succeed – Another reason your customer might have stopped purchasing from you is because they didn’t know how to use your product effectively in order to produce the result(s) they wanted.
In case that’s the reason they didn’t take your special offer (mentioned above), you should try offering them some kind of extra help or training that will help them to achieve their goals.
A simple offer like this could be all it takes to convert a former customer into a committed customer.
5. Make them a downsell offer – After you’ve tried all of the above ways to attract your former customer back to you, and haven’t had success, you should try offering them a downsell offer.
If they haven’t shown interest in the product/service you’ve been offering them, it could mean that they stopped purchasing from you due to a lack of finances. They might just not have the funds right now or anymore.
That’s why offering them a lesser product/service (that, therefore, costs less) might be just the thing that’s needed to get them to purchase from you again.
6. Offer them a completely new or different product or service -If they haven’t responded to any of the above ways to re-engage them, then the final reason that they might not be responding might be that they aren’t interested in that particular product/service (or the end result it provides) anymore.
That means the last option is for you to offer them a completely different product or service – something that solves a completely different problem or pain point or helps them achieve a totally different goal.
There you go. You now have 6 different ways to begin reactivating your inactive customers.
But there’s one last thing you can do to powerfully implement these 6 things.
Combine Them for Maximum Impact
Instead of just using these six things occasionally or randomly, you should consider using them as a part of a coordinated winback campaign designed to strategically reactivate former customers.
To do that, you need to take the 6 ways listed above and use them to create an automated email campaign that you can use to plug your inactive customers into.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Have the first email that’s programmed to go out be an email focused on recent testimonials you’ve received from successful and happy customers.
- Have the next email that’s sent out 2-3 days later share an in-depth case study with lessons that your inactive customer can relate to and learn from.
- A few days later, you can send out an email that has a special offer or special bonus that they’ll receive if they respond within 7-10 days. (NOTE: If they respond to your offer, have your automated email system unsubscribe them from the winback campaign.)
- If they don’t respond to your special offer or bonus, then schedule an automated email to send out a few days later with your special training offer.
- If that doesn’t encourage a response, have the next email in the queue set to send them a downsell offer.
- Lastly, program your final email focused on offering them a totally different product or service.
What if they don’t respond to ANY of these emails?
If they don’t respond to and of your emails, then it’s time to take drastic action.
I’d suggest that you purge them from your lists and add them to a list that you only send occasional updates or offers to.
Why? If you leave them on your regular lists, they could negatively impact your open rates or click-through rates, which could impact your email deliverability.
The Importance of the 11th Marketing Fundamental
Many businesses totally drop the ball when it comes to customers that leave their business.
- Some don’t even notice when a customer stops purchasing or becomes inactive.
- Others don’t do anything to try to win customers that they know have stopped purchasing.
- Finally others, only make a half-hearted effort to winback former customers.
Don’t be like these businesses.
Former or inactive customers are a source of revenue that could really make the difference in your company succeeding or failing. They deserve your full attention and effort.
Read back over the five articles focused on the 11th marketing fundamental.
But do yourself a favor. Don’t just read them. Apply them.
That’s the only way you’ll see results.
The 12th and Final Marketing Fundamental
It’s hard to believe it, but we’re nearing the end of this series on The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed.
My next article will begin my final series of articles focused on the 12th marketing fundamental.
Stay tuned. You don’t want to miss them!
Get Emailed Whenever a New Article Goes Live
Did you enjoy this article? Then don’t miss when the next one goes live.
Sign-up below and you will be emailed whenever a new article is posted.
(That means that you will usually be emailed multiple times a week.)
