How do you win back customers who have not come back?
Contact past customers who were happy but have gone quiet, with a short, honest message: it has been a while, you are still here, and here is something useful, such as a reminder that a service is due. Ask whether anything changed or fell short, and listen. Offer only what you really offer, with no invented deadlines or discounts. One message and one follow-up is usually enough; then stop.
Who to contact
- Customers whose work would normally be due again, such as seasonal, yearly or maintenance jobs.
- Customers who used you regularly and then stopped.
- One-time customers from the last year or two who seemed pleased with the work.
- Skip anyone who asked not to be contacted, unsubscribed or left on bad terms you have not resolved. Sort the rest by the date of their last job and start with the most recent.
A short, honest message
Keep it to a few lines, written the way you would talk. For example: Hi [name], it has been about a year since we did your [job], and this is usually when it is due again. If you would like us to come out, reply here and we will find a time. And if anything about the last visit fell short, I would like to hear it.
Send it by email, or by call or text only with the person's consent. A message from the owner or the person who did the work usually gets more replies than one from a generic address. An email asking for work is commercial email; the related answer on email marketing summarizes the rules.
Give them something useful
A reminder that something is due, a short seasonal tip or news of a new service gives the message a reason to exist beyond asking for work.
Do not invent a deadline or a discount for the occasion. If you have a real offer that everyone gets, mention it plainly, with its real end date if it has one. Fake urgency tends to cost more trust than it wins back.
Ask what changed
Some people moved, some no longer need the service, some found someone closer or cheaper, and some had a problem they never mentioned. That last group matters most: a fixed problem and a sincere thank-you often turn a lost customer into a loyal one.
Write down every answer. A pattern in the reasons tells you more about your business than any single reply.
When to stop
One message and one follow-up a couple of weeks later is usually enough. If there is still no reply, stop and leave the door open; they know where to find you. Honor any request to stop right away.
When a past customer does reply, track it like any other lead and follow it to an outcome: won, lost or still open.
Related answers
- How should you follow up with a lead that goes quiet?
- How do you work out what a customer is worth to your business?
- Is email marketing worth it for a small service business?
Lead systems and lead tracking
A lead that waits a day goes cold, and a lead with no source teaches you nothing. Ascent Vision fixes both.