327 - The Top 5 Ways to Lose Existing Clients - With Chris Do

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Futur with Chris Do – Episode 327: "The Top 5 Ways to Lose Existing Clients"

Introduction

In Episode 327 of The Futur Podcast, titled "The Top 5 Ways to Lose Existing Clients," Chris Do delves into the critical missteps that creatives often make, inadvertently jeopardizing valuable client relationships. This solo episode, released on February 12, 2025, offers actionable insights aimed at helping designers, marketers, and business professionals cultivate and maintain strong client partnerships.

1. Lack of Responsiveness

One of the foremost ways to alienate clients is through poor responsiveness. Chris emphasizes the importance of timely communication, stating:

"Responsiveness is something that I use to measure whether or not I'm going to hire somebody. And at the very early stages, if you're not responsive, you're not going to get the project." ([00:45])

Delay in responding to client inquiries—be it hours, days, or even weeks—can signal disinterest or unprofessionalism. Chris advises setting up systems to ensure prompt replies. Even if you don't have an immediate answer, acknowledging receipt of a client's message reassures them that their concerns are being addressed:

"Sometimes when you don't have a really good answer, the best response is just to say, received. We are processing. I will get back to you as soon as I have a good answer for you." ([01:10])

2. Being Completely Inflexible

Flexibility is essential in client relationships. Chris warns against rigidity, highlighting that an inflexible attitude can stifle collaboration:

"It is a collaborative effort and to never close yourself off from input from your clients." ([02:05])

Creative professionals may sometimes fall into the trap of believing they are the sole experts, leading to dismissive behaviors such as rolling eyes or giving side glances. This not only discourages client input but also fosters a sense of animosity. Instead, Chris recommends embracing client suggestions, even challenging ones, by asking oneself:

"Is that a better idea?" ([02:30])

If the idea improves the project, integrate it. This approach not only enhances the work but also makes clients feel valued as partners rather than just sources of revenue.

3. Unclear Onboarding Process

A seamless onboarding process sets the tone for the entire client relationship. Chris underscores the necessity of having a clear, structured process to prevent clients from feeling uncertain about the next steps:

"Having a clearly defined structure and process. A system in place." ([03:00])

By outlining what clients can expect—such as receiving an invoice after signing a purchase order—professionals convey reliability and competence. This structured approach provides clients with peace of mind, reinforcing the perception that they are in capable hands.

4. Poor Communication and Language Barriers

Effective communication is paramount. Chris points out that expecting clients to articulate their needs in technical or jargon-heavy language is unrealistic and counterproductive:

"There's no point to hire you if they can do that... inclusive in your language." ([04:20])

Instead, he advises creating a safe space for clients to express their objectives in their own terms. This involves asking deep, follow-up questions to fully understand their vision and then summarizing their goals to ensure mutual understanding:

"Always ask that question at the end. Do you have any questions? Is that clear?" ([04:45])

Avoiding overly technical language prevents clients from feeling intimidated and ensures that they genuinely agree with the proposed plans, reducing the risk of misaligned expectations down the line.

5. Taking the Relationship for Granted

Maintaining an active and ongoing dialogue with clients is crucial for sustaining relationships. Chris cautions against complacency, where professionals might only interact with clients when a new project arises:

"The best way you can lose a client is to just take the relationship for granted that everything's always working and that they only call you when they need something." ([05:30])

Regular check-ins, even in the absence of current projects, demonstrate commitment and foster trust. Establishing a communication cadence—whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly—ensures that clients feel valued and informed about their project's progress and future opportunities:

"Maintain constant communication. When I say constant, there's a cadence." ([06:00])

Additionally, providing valuable insights and data reinforces the perception that you are proactively working towards their goals, opening doors for expanded collaboration.

Conclusion

In this insightful episode, Chris Do articulates the five primary pitfalls that can lead to the loss of existing clients. By emphasizing responsiveness, flexibility, clear processes, effective communication, and proactive relationship management, he provides a comprehensive guide for creatives aiming to build and sustain meaningful client partnerships. Implementing these strategies not only helps in retaining clients but also in fostering long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Responsiveness: "Responsiveness is something that I use to measure whether or not I'm going to hire somebody. And at the very early stages, if you're not responsive, you're not going to get the project." ([00:45])

• Being Inflexible: "It is a collaborative effort and to never close yourself off from input from your clients." ([02:05])

• Unclear Onboarding: "Having a clearly defined structure and process. A system in place." ([03:00])

• Communication Barriers: "There's no point to hire you if they can do that... inclusive in your language." ([04:20])

• Taking Relationships for Granted: "The best way you can lose a client is to just take the relationship for granted that everything's always working and that they only call you when they need something." ([05:30])

By adhering to these principles, professionals can enhance client satisfaction, foster loyalty, and drive sustained business growth.

Transcript

[Chris Do]

Hey, everybody. Chris here we're trying something a little bit different than what we normally do for the podcast. We're doing solo episodes. These are shorter, more contained, built around certain themes and questions I think are very relevant for us to be talking about. So wherever you're listening to this, however you're seeing this, let us know in the comments and the feedback what you think and we'll make some adjustments. Foreign welcome to a super short episode of the Future. Today we're going to talk about the five things that creatives do to lose clients. Clients that are so hard to get. Some of the best ways that you can lose a client, and you have to keep in mind it's really hard to get a client in the first place. So you need to treat them like the goal that they are. Especially when you're young and you feel like you're God's gift to whatever it is that you do, then you can take it for granted and think, well, I'm the gift and they should be so grateful to work with me. A is when you're not being responsive. That's one of the best ways to lose a client. When they ask you for something and it takes hours, days, weeks for you to respond. For whatever reason, that should never happen. I don't mean to say you're on their beck and call and there's a hotline to your personal phone, but you should have systems in place that people are responding. And sometimes when you don't have a really good answer, the best response is just to say, received. We are processing. I will get back to you as soon as I have a good answer for you. So just make sure. Responsiveness is something that I use to measure whether or not I'm going to hire somebody. And at the very early stages, if you're not responsive, you're not going to get the project. Number two is to be completely inflexible. There's certain latitude that you have to kind of keep in mind that when you're working with someone else, whether it's a team of two or a team of 2,000, it's a collaborative effort and to never close yourself off from input from your clients. It is a natural thing for creative people to feel like, I have the ideas. You hired me, I'm the expert, so let me do my thing and don't mess it up. That kind of attitude sometimes, even though you're not literally doing anything, can be felt. And people are very sensitive to these kinds of attitude. Like you give them a weird look, you side eye Them you roll your eye, you let out and they start to feel that and then they feel like they're being punished for trying to contribute to the project. I have to say this, that sometimes when you're working with really good clients, they will ask you to do something that's really difficult. And I don't try to measure if it's difficult. If I should do, I always ask myself, is that a better idea? If it's a better idea, I do it and I'm grateful for it. And if you do that, then you are inviting them to feel like they're a collaborator. And no one wants to feel like they're just money, that they want to feel like they've had a hand in it big and small. So make sure you're more open minded to collaboration and to input. Number three, when you onboard a client and the feelings are high, you need to make sure you have a very clear process and don't leave them asking what happens next. You should take the initiative. Thank you for signing the purchase order. We're going to send you an invoice and here's what's going to happen next. And the more you have a system in place, the more they're going to feel at ease. Because only people who have done things many times have a system in place. It makes it feel like you're an experienced professional and they're in good hands. And the whole point of it is you're selling not what you do, but you're selling peace of mind, having a clearly defined structure and process. A system in place. Here's what happens next will help you communicate that in literal terms and figurative terms.

[Rich Cardona]

It's time for a quick break, but we'll be right back.

[Chris Do]

Are you committed to making 2024 your best year in business? We want to help you make it happen. With expert guidance, a supportive community and exclusive trainings. The Future Pro membership was created to give you everything you need to take your business to the next level. Go to the future.compro to learn more and join us inside. Okay, back to the conversation.

[Rich Cardona]

And we're back. Welcome back to our conversation.

[Chris Do]

Number four is to realize that your clients hired you because you are the professional and not to expect them to have the language to so carefully articulate the things that you understand in the language that you know. There's no point to hire you if they can do that. So you want to make it feel safe for them to be able to say in non technical terms, using non jargon, non specific language, what they want and for you to then dialogue with them, ask them deep follow up questions to get to what it is that they want. And then the way that you do that is after asking all those questions is you play back. Here's what I heard you say, here's the objective that you want and this is how we will do it. Do you have any questions? Always ask that question at the end. Do you have any questions? Is that clear? And is there anything that you're not 100% certain about? Because I want to talk it through. Sometimes in you describing what it is you're going to do, you'll default to language that you understand. It'll make you feel really smart and feel like you're an expert and you'll intimidate the client to the point in which they just go along with it versus agreeing to it, which is a very different thing. You get a false yes from them, you do the thing and then you show them the work. And, and you're so excited about showing them work and they have a reaction you never want to hear like, oh, that's not what I was expecting when you said you were going to do X. So make sure you're inclusive in your language. And you continue to ask them, are we on the same page? Do you understand? And the last point, the best way you can lose a client is to just take the relationship for granted that everything's always working and that they only call you when they need something. And what happens in these moments, like usually it's like three, four, five months into relationship, you've fallen into rhythm, everybody's doing what they need to do. Don't forget to call up your client to go over progress and to just dialogue with them about their impressions about what's going on or future things that might be coming down the pipeline. This is really important for not only maintaining the relationship, but potentially opening doors for newer opportunities so that the scope can increase. So if you're dialoguing with them, you're making sure the team's doing good job. And this is a really important thing because sometimes the team that you put in place will not tell you they're having challenges with a client until it's too late. Until the client says, you know what, I don't want to work with you anymore. It started out great, your team isn't getting it. And now that bridge is broken and there's no way you can get back across. Maintain constant communication. When I say constant, there's a cadence. Maybe it's in the beginning a couple of times a week and then once every other week, and then once a month, but not less than once a month. Make sure you give them valuable information, insights, analytical data that's driving some of the things that you're doing that reminds them that they're making progress towards their goal. It makes them feel like you're on top of it and that you care deeply about their business, but also opens the doors for new opportunities.

[Rich Cardona]

Thanks for joining us. If you haven't already, subscribe to our show on your favorite podcasting app and get new insightful episodes from us every week. The Future Podcast is hosted by Chris do and produced and edited by Rich Cardona Media. Thank you to Adam Sanborn for our intro music. If you enjoyed this episode, then do us a favor by reviewing and rating our show on Apple Podcasts. It will help us grow the show and make future episodes that much better. If you'd like to support the show and invest in yourself while you're at it, visit thefuture.com and you'll find video courses, digital products, and a bunch of helpful resources about design and the creative business. Thanks again for listening and we'll see you next time.