As long as you are actively searching for clients to boost your business, you will always encounter those who will just suddenly disappear. There are a lot of reasons why clients just disappeared. There were those who have encountered financial constraints so they have to hold the transaction for a while. Some others have found better options and they have chosen those options over you. Some others have left the company they’ve represented in dealing with you before.
This is a sad reality that a lot of business owners face. This does not mean however that you just have to move forward. There are different ways to approach those who have disappeared at the beginning or in the middle of the transaction. Here are 7 of the best possible tips to take note of.
1) Try reaching out again
After the initial transaction, if you have not received follow up responses, it does not mean that the client is totally disinterested in you. Perhaps, there are other reasons. It pays to follow up once and find out why he disappeared. If you have learned the reason and you think it is acceptable, you can just move on and look for other clients. If you think that you can still make some compromises, especially if it is about financial issues, you can make a deal. Be careful not to be too insistent as it might irritate him.
2) Pursue all possible communication options
This should be done especially if you are in the middle of the transaction. He just can’t disappear as you might have started moving your people and initially processed parts of the deal. You have to keep calling or sending emails to see what happened. You have already spent money to start the process. You don’t want to get nothing out of it. You are right to keep pursuing communications at this stage though.
3) Sign an agreement
The moment you have sealed the deal, you need to ask your client to sign an agreement and make an initial deposit. By then, if he suddenly disappears, you can run after him. You have legally signed documents that can be used as evidence in court. The client will also most probably hold the end of the deal to avoid penalties and lawsuits.
4) Send an emissary to meet the client
Perhaps the reason why the client seems unresponsive is that you don’t seem interested in pursuing the project. One way to show your interest is by sending someone to go over their company and maybe iron out more details. You can even go yourself if need be. This is important to establish a deeper connection. Take note that you are not the only one fighting for this client. If the client is really important, you have to do everything possible to win his heart.
5) Don’t contact the person who have made transactions with you
One of the reasons why you are no longer being contacted by your client is because that client might just be a representative of the company that really wanted to make transactions with you. Perhaps, the representative is no longer working with the company and there was no proper turnover of responsibility. This is why it helps if you can communicate with someone else in that company to continue where you’ve left off.
6) Exhaust all legal means
This is true especially if you are done with the transaction or you are close to the finish line. Once the client has received what was asked of you and suddenly disappeared without paying, it is time for you to take legal actions. You have the right to do so especially if you have held your end of the deal. If you have signed contracts or you have other evidence showing that you are right, you have all the reasons to pursue a legal battle.
7) Just be positive
Losing a client is common in any business. Don’t think of it as the end of the road. If you lose a client now, perhaps there is a better client on the way. You just need to look forward to a brighter future. It is just a setback, but it is never going to take your entire business down. You need to think of other strategies to find clients and keep them with you until the end.
These are just some of the best ways for you to handle a disappearing client. As long as you think it is right and it is for the best interest of your business, go ahead and pursue it.
This guest post is courtesy of Bernadine Racoma. He is a senior content writer at Day Translations, a human translation services company. After her long stint as an international civil servant, she has aggressively pursued her interest in writing and research. Like her poetry, she writes everything from the heart, and she treats each written piece, a work of art. She loves dogs.