5 Sure Ways to Lose Clients and Alienate Prospects

How often have you found yourself thinking it’d be much easier to work if it wasn't for clients? Answering the phone like a robot, or rolling your eyes at a complaint?  It is so easy to fall into the trap of unhelpful routine behaviors that actually limit your prospects.

The reality is that despite any unreasonableness you might be receiving from the people you deal with in business, there are very basic steps that you could take to avoid the majority of it. If you notice yourself doing any of the following, take a step back and try to introduce more positive alternatives.

1. Becoming a Robot

Instead: Be polite but not sterile

It’s important to ensure your conversations and emails can never be misconstrued as rude, but that doesn’t mean you need to be sterile. This is relevant to all aspects in your communications, from salutation to conclusion.

For example, I work with people who sign off their emails with ‘Sincere Regards’. How do you think that makes the recipient feel? While it is a safe bet, it might not be the best signatory. But equally you would not want to appear over familiar. It is worth being conscious of how your communications will be interpreted by the recipient; be them verbal, written or in person.

2. Leaving Assumptions Unvoiced

Instead: Follow up meetings

It’s very simple. After a meeting, send the person you met with an email confirming the points of your discussion and your understanding of the actions to follow. It will now be in writing and no one can reinvent the truth. This simple action also shows you were listening and are interested in the project you are working on together.

3. Being Lazy, Procrastinating or Simply Not Caring

Instead: Be proactive, be interested and stay in touch

How often do you communicate with your active clients? Probably not regularly enough. Organising yourself and your team to make regular calls to check in on clients, even if there isn’t much to say, is a basic way to show you care. People like to feel special. It doesn’t take long to type an email to touch base with your contacts.

4. Forgetting to Stay Informed

Instead: Take pride and become an expert in your field

It’s important to stay on top of the industry that you profess to represent. By reading blogs like this you can very quickly stay informed on trends with design, development, marketing and much more. Knowing the major news and up-to-date developments mean you can not only maintain a reputation of expertise and knowledge but also become naturally able to incorporate interesting facts of the industry in conversation with clients and colleagues.

5. Neglecting to Build a Positive Business Culture

Instead: Introduce ways to show you care and are passionate

Simple actions such as organizing a morning tea, buying champagne for a hardworking colleague or even social networking and writing regular blog entries can help build upon the lively and positive energy within your business. Sharing these actions with the public via your website is an easy way to prove your business is made up of human beings who are passionate about what they do. These actions will naturally translate into every day behaviors, such as positive conversations and meeting tough problems with a sense of humor and can-do attitude.

Introduce these alternatives to your own behaviors when dealing with clients and colleagues. Squash any robotic behaviors and ban procrastination: Learn how to avoid losing clients and alienating your prospects today!

Think. Grow. Live!

Roland N. Gilbert

Perennial Consulting Group has been helping small business and entrepreneurs for years "get it right!" If you are looking to get your business started or looking to expand your current enterprise, let Perennial Consulting Group partner with you today so that you can excel tomorrow!

If you'd like to explore the possibility of starting your own business, contact me today and schedule your free consultation!


Roland N. Gilbert is Vice-President and founder of the Perennial Consulting Group a management consulting, coaching and sales force development firm that focuses on sales force development, sales training, peak performance, profit improvement, team-building and personal development. Contact Roland at 800-974-3692 or rgilbert@perennialgrowth.com to determine if business consulting is right for you.


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