Remington BeggBreakups are never fun. Whether there was a big mistake on your end, they were poached by a competitor, or they simply no longer need the service- clients leaving is something that happens to the best of us. Often, it’s not a single performance issue that causes clients to go elsewhere; it’s several issues combining. While a client leaving is unfortunately common, it doesn’t mean you can, or should, ignore it. 
When it happens to you, just remember:
Don’t Take it Personally...
Too often, a CEO or small business owner can take a client leaving as a personal attack. You thought you were friends! That’s simply not a way to run your business. Maybe it was something you had control over, and maybe it wasn’t. Either way, getting too down or angry about it won’t help your company’s future.
...But Don’t Ignore It Either
Dissatisfied clients don’t just disappear. Most tell at least nine other people about their unhappy experience with your brand, and 13% of them tell more than 20 people, according to a study conducted for the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. With the recent rise of social media, the potential damage from negative word-of-mouth is even more staggering. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, a client leaving means there’s a problem. Is a competitor offering the same service at a much lower cost? If the demand for your services lowering? These are things you need to know, so reach out to your now ex-client for an exit interview and find out exactly what happened.
Learn From it
Once your past client has told you the reasons that they left, use it as a learning opportunity. Consider how you can enhance the value of your brand, improve the quality of the experience of working with you, and/or adjust your services while still providing great quality. Over the course of a quarter, or however you do your billing, several clients leave for similar reasons- this needs to be addressed. Once 
client leaving probably won’t end in your business running out of revenue, but not learning from your mistakes just may.
Stay Positive Around the Office
A negative attitude can be cancerous to an office. If your staff or coworkers see you being upset about a client leaving, they will pick up on and begin to panic as well. Have we lost too many clients? Are we going to be able to stay open? Should I begin looking for another job? This is absolutely not the kind of gossip you want going on around your water cooler, so let the positive outlook begin with you. Be open with everyone that a client left, and as honest as possible about why. Beyond that, reassure them that while it is a temporary loss, it doesn’t spell the end for your small business.
Say Thanks
Anger, resentment, frustration. These are the emotions that will fuel a negative outlook and need to be released. In order to regain your positive attitude and move on, you need to be thankful for the experience and the opportunity to learn. Despite the emotional and financial upheaval of losing a client, it gave you a chance to grow as a company and something to be happy about!
Even after a client leaves, try to stay in touch as much as you can. You never know when you can rekindle that relationship and bring them back into the fold. And if not, it may at least keep them from bashing your name at industry networking events.
While you focus on the daily running of your small business to keep your clients happy, Let Impulse Creative handle attracting and converting new customers. To find out exactly what a professional inbound marketing agency can do for you and your profits, download our free ebook The Beginner’s Guide to Inbound Marketing today.
