Tips for Client Retention Strategies

Netflix doesn’t wait until month 12 to learn you’re gone. The platform knows by episode 3. B2B SaaS churn works the same way: 71% of cancellation intent surfaces in the first 30 days. Essentially, day 1 - 30 is the verdict window. - Only 28% of users who fail to reach first value inside two weeks renew a year later. - Accounts that activate three core features in month one renew at a 92% clip versus 58% for single-feature tourists (per Gainsight Pulse). - CS teams that run a 30-day “decision audit” see renewal forecast accuracy tighten from around 18% to +/- 7%. Yet most companies schedule the first serious check-in 90 days before renewal, which is LONG after the jury has left the building. Try doing this: 1. Map a Time-to-Impact SLA: first value <14 days, second value <30. 2. Treat early warning signals like pipeline slips. No daily log-ins by day 5? Auto-trigger a guided tour. 3. Escalate risk the same way sales escalates exec involvement. If NPS is < 6 in week three, drop an exec note rather than a generic survey. 4. Push product usage data to CS in hourly feeds, not weekly roll-ups. Retention is the delta between first-month reality and twelfth-month pricing. Nail the former and the latter becomes paperwork. Forecast renewals on behavior you can still change, not anniversaries you can only regret.

One thing I've noticed when working with clients and doing discovery calls is that a lot of companies are not using customer signals to be proactive instead of reactive. Being proactive rather than reactive is the key to ensuring customer satisfaction and retention. One effective strategy to stay ahead of potential issues is by documenting and understanding "customer signals" – subtle behaviors and indicators that can serve as red flags. Recognizing these signals across the organization allows businesses to engage with customers at the right moment, preventing issues from escalating and ultimately fostering a more positive customer experience. Teams should not just try to save the account once there is a request to cancel or an escalation. You need to pay attention to the signs before you hit this point. Ensuring the entire team knows what to look for means that everyone is empowered to care and improve the customer experience. Here's a list of customer behaviors that could be potential red flags, gradually increasing as they check out or consider leaving: 🔷 Reduced Engagement: Decreased interactions with your product or service. Limited participation in surveys, webinars, or other engagement opportunities. 🔷 Decreased Usage Patterns: A decline in frequency or duration of product usage. Reduced utilization of features or services. 🔷 Unresolved Support Tickets: Multiple open support tickets that remain unresolved. Frequent escalations or dissatisfaction with support responses. 🔷 Negative Feedback or Reviews: Public expression of dissatisfaction on review platforms or social media. Consistently low scores in customer feedback surveys. 🔷 Inactive Account Behavior: Extended periods of inactivity in their account. No logins or interactions over an extended timeframe. 🔷 Communication Breakdown: Ignoring or not responding to communication attempts. Lack of response to personalized outreach or engagement efforts. 🔷 Changes in Buying Patterns: Drastic reduction in purchase frequency or order size. Shifting to lower-tier plans or downgrading services. 🔷 Exploration of Alternatives: Visiting competitor websites or exploring alternative solutions. Engaging in product comparisons and evaluations. 🔷 Billing and Payment Issues: Frequent delays or issues with payments. Unusual changes in billing patterns.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever struggled to figure out marketing’s role in reaching retention goals. 🙋🏼♀️ That’s me with my hand raised high. As a previous demand marketer I had always been hyper-focused on growing revenue. Specifically growing at all costs in the late 2021, early 2022 days (who else can relate?) Protecting revenue was something I was less familiar with. Which is why I was excited to roll up my sleeves and revamp our 2024 retention playbook with our VP, Client Success this past quarter. Here are five (almost free) strategies that you can steel to start impacting retention: 1. 📊 Implement Client Health Scores: Understanding your client's level of satisfaction with your company is critical. - Categorize clients as healthy, at-risk, or on the verge of terminating. - Once scores are in place, develop targeted 1:1 strategies for clients who are at risk. Think of it as ABM for current clients. 2. 📄 Craft an Executive Summary to accompany your renewal contracts: An engaging executive summary sets the stage for why prices may have increased. - Spotlight key successes from the past year. - Illustrate the value clients can expect in the upcoming year. - Introduce new enhancements or offerings they will see in the renewal proposal. 3. 🖥️ Create a Dedicated Renewal Presentation for you Client Success team: Don’t underestimate the impact a dedicated renewal deck can have. Not only as an external tool, but an internal enablement tool as well. - Use data visuals to emphasize the wins and value derived from the ongoing partnership over the last year. - Highlight areas of growth and potential opportunities. - Make sure your retention teams have a captivating storyline, supplemented with effective visuals so they truly understand what they are delivering. 4. 🌟 Write professional bios to accompany outreach - especially if accounts are changing: Spotlighting the expertise and experience of your retention team members is an easy way to instill confidence in your ability to deliver the commitments in your renewal proposal. - Emphasize the team’s collective knowledge, specialized training, and significant achievements. - Add personal anecdotes for a human touch 5. 📸 Professional Headshots: Make the relationship more personal. - Help clients see and relate to the dedicated individuals behind the scenes. - Maintain a uniform, professional image for the entire team to strengthen brand identity. - Recognizable faces can establish deeper rapport and trust. Remember, while these strategies enhance the retention process, the fundamentals—like a solid product-market fit and genuine expertise—remain at the core of successful client relationships. To those in the retention field, are there any other tools or strategies in your toolkit? Let’s share and learn. Comment below! ⬇️

What if you could reduce headcount on the right side of the bowtie, while at the same time increasing expansion rates? TLDR; Two things: Do away with your one size serves all: focus on accounts with the most white space And Talk to your customers when it matters: more triggered and fewer scheduled touchpoints Using these strategies we have seen clients reduce headcount by 33% paired while increasing retention by 7% (absolute). How does this work? Many CSMs spent their time mostly on the customers who scream loudest, not on the customers that are most deserving of their time.. Instead segment customers by white space and likelihood to expand, then put the low white space clients on a self-service or 1:many path, giving your CSMs and AMs more time to spend with strategic accounts. Note that a strategic account is NOT necessarily the account who has already purchased the most from you or the largest company. Instead strategic accounts are those with the most future potential. Second, think about when your customers wants to hear from you. Move away from purely scheduled check ins to conversations that are triggered by an event, good or bad. Triggers could be something that’s in the news, a new stakeholder, a new product, or signals of concern such as low usage or high customer ticket volume. If you spend more time with your accounts which have most white space, you’ll see more expansion. If you talk to your strategic accounts when it matters most, you’ll see better retention and expansion. Have you deployed any of these strategies in your company? What were the results? #saas #customersuccess #expansion #retention #nrr #churn #revenuearchitecture #bowtie

Worried your brand has no retention "strategy"? Do this: The Discount Ladder Method: 1. Profile your 'natural' retention. Look at all your historical 2x+ buyers. What did they buy first? Second? How long after the first purchase was the second one? Ex: People buy Product B 30 days after buying Product A 2. Grease the skids. You want to encourage repeat purchases for all 1x buyers. Ex: For all future buyers of Product A, market Product B via all owned channels (Email + SMS + Direct Mail). Do this for the first 30 days after purchase of Product A, and NO DISCOUNTS. Why would you want to incentivize naturally occurring behavior? 3. Create incentives for those who deviate from the norm. Recency matters. The further outside the typical rebuy window, the less likely a 1x customer is to ever come back to buy. So introduce and increase your incentives the longer it has been since a "typical" rebuy. IOW create your Discount Ladder. Ex. If a 1x buyer of Product A gets to Day 30 without coming back to buy, trigger a 10% off coupon. If she gets to Day 60 without coming back to buy, trigger a 20% off coupon. If she gets to Day 90, 30%. If she ever buys during this Ladder, she drops from the sequence. Easy enough? The Discount Ladder Method is a great way to increase your retention. It is relevant to the customer at her stage in the lifecycle. It can be automated in your CRM or via direct mail (h/t PostPilot). And if you aren't using one, it is the first place I'd start to drive an additional 20% revenue. Implement one this week. (Queue everyone saying "but we don't discount" . . . fine, I get it, the general idea is to increase incentives with a customer's decreasing likelihood to ever come back. So put your thinking cap on, it can be a discount or a free gift with purchase or a BOGO or free shipping or free consultation or . . . you get the idea.) #DTC #retail #marketing

As a CEO deeply invested in B2B lead generation, I’ve learned that client retention is crucial. Here are my top strategies for keeping clients happy and engaged: 🎯 Understand Their World: To keep clients, you first need to understand their challenges and goals deeply. This means regular communication and feedback loops that help anticipate their needs. 🔗 Personalized Engagement: Each client interaction is tailored. From personalized emails to customized solutions, make sure every touchpoint is designed to meet their specific needs. 🔄 Consistent Value: Don’t just meet expectations—exceed them. Regularly update clients on new insights and ongoing support that adds value beyond the initial sale. 🌟 Trust-Building Transparency: Be clear about what you can do and be honest when things don’t go as planned. Trust is built through transparency and integrity in every interaction. 🤝 Long-Term Partnerships: Treat every client like a partner, not a transaction. Invest in their success as if it were your own, which often means going the extra mile to support their long-term goals. Implementing these strategies has not only helped us retain clients but also turn them into advocates for our business. What strategies do you use to keep your clients coming back? Let’s discuss below! #Strategic #Consistent #Patnership #Engagement #B2BleadGen #B2BLeads

It was 2016. I was looking at the YTD reporting for a creator and I was blown away. $13m in sales. 3 person team. I had heard about stuff like this, but had never seen the hard data before. As I dove deeper into the creator space I started to find more and more stories like this. Marie Forleo. Pat Flynn. Sam Parr. Amy Porterfield. Jacques Hopkins. Dale Beaumont. Wildly successful creators with less than a dozen employees. Chatting with many of these creators first-hand. Here are a few things I have learned… 1) Trust is the biggest barrier: For online creators, digital marketers or small eCom brands, the biggest barrier is trust. Why should folks tune in for your content, or buy your membership or course? Nearly all of the folks mentioned above focused heavily on customer proof, testimonials and UGC to build their brands in the early days. Two tips here: #1 Make sure the testimonial style matches your audience. For example, someone like a Marie Forleo would want a more emotive before and after style of testimonial vs. a B2B SaaS creator might want very specific data and a more quantitative approach. #2 volume matters. Often folks won’t read through 100 reviews but if you have only 4 reviews on the site folks will wonder “Why can they only get 4 reviews? Are they small or unpopular?”. 2) Community, not just audience: For the top creators operating at scale, I find the communities they build are an essential part of the puzzle. When you foster an environment of like-minded people who can start to help each other, you create real lasting power and retention. Most of the top creators are masters of this. Top tips I find are: #1 Be a good curator. Free for all communities typically devolve quickly. Make sure you keep the quality bar high for folks. #2 Have a lot of dynamic content. Communities with just static resources get stale quickly. Workshops, lives, and other frequent dynamic events are key for retention. 3) Use email effectively: Whether it’s for onboarding, or a newsletter, or letting folks know about product launches, running promotions or even just deepening education on your niche, email is the lifeblood of effective digital businesses at scale. All of the top creators I have worked with use email and automation as a core revenue lever. Top tips I find are: #1 Segment based on dynamic and static behaviors, meaning things they do (opens, clicks, page visits) and info they provide (industry, team size, role). #2 Build systems. Email is not just a newsletter or to push coupons, but email is tied to the core processes of the business, taking people through a full lifecycle, and dynamically adjusting the pathway for trials/customers based on their needs. One of the things that has blown me away in my first quarter working at ActiveCampaign is how many small teams we have powering big businesses. Thousands of teams with just a few employees powering $1m+ businesses. Tech is heralding in a new age of accessibility in entrepreneurship.

Why do some writers earn more than others? It's not just about writing. The top earners know something you don't. They master the subtle art of the Client Experience. This approach transforms casual clients into loyal partners. ▶ Client-Centered Communication. It all starts with understanding your client as a person. Listen actively to their needs and feedback. Take responsibility for everything. Tailor your messages to reflect their personality. Effective communication builds trust, the cornerstone of any relationship. A client won't pay you if they don't trust you. ▶ Empathetic Engagement. Engage on a personal level, not just a professional one. Share stories that resonate with their experiences. By the way, this means having a life outside of work! I can't tell you how many times a quick story about one of my kids has cemented the relationship with my client. And celebrate their successes as if they were your own. Take ownership of the relationship, even if you aren't directly benefiting. This personal touch makes clients feel valued and understood. ▶ Confidence + Comfort. Clients should always know what to expect from you. Maintain a consistent tone and approach in all interactions. Don't let your mood dictate how you treat them - that's a quick way to get fired. You don't need to be available 24/7, but you DO need to be predictable and reliable. Consistency breeds comfort, and comfort breeds loyalty. ▶ Feedback Loops. Make it easy for clients to give feedback. Regularly ask for their thoughts on your work. Show that you're receptive and act on their input. And if you screw up, hold yourself accountable and admit fault (even if the fault is shared). Become the dude in the pickup basketball game patting his chest and saying, "My bad - that's on me". Feedback loops help refine your approach and enhance satisfaction. Transform every client interaction into a step toward lasting loyalty. This framework isn't theoretical—it's a compilation of strategies used by the highest earners in the industry. Soft skills win, but only if you develop them. Get likable and watch your client work stabilize.

Churn will destroy your business And losing a client hurts much more than the joy of onboarding someone new I have clients who have been with me since my freelancing days Here are 3 unconventional tips I use to retain clients for years (not months): 1. Honest communication I try to understand client needs deeply Not just what they say they want but what they truly need to succeed as a business I know my clients want all of the nitty gritty details of audits and research. I provide them the raw data, but make sure they understand that the end result is what they're after. 2. Regular check-ins I do two types of check-ins: Business check-ins to cover campaign details, wins and losses. Personal check-ins to understand and support stakeholders as a person. The root of marketing is genuine human interaction. 3. Listen more than I speak I've worked with agencies that like to drown out fires with rapid-fire speak. And I've always distrusted them in the long run. By listening to the problems clients are having, I can pinpoint areas of concern and provide real solutions. The result? - Clients who feel heard, supported, and valued - A partnership that grows stronger with every interaction - Long-term relationships that are about more than just transactions I stopped chasing new clients and now, I'm doubling down on building stronger relationships with the ones I already have. Your clients are the best asset you have in your business. How do you keep your clients coming back for more?

As someone deep in the realms of CX & Retention, I can't hold back from sharing this week's burning topic in my mind - Post-BFCM Retention. Now, the real hustle kicks in - holding onto those fresh-faced customers! After BFCM, the mission revolves around nurturing that initial spark into a long-standing love for the brand. 🛒✨ 🔸 Loyalty That Sticks Around: Let me tell you, a well-touted loyalty program is a game-changer! Post-BFCM, it's prime time to flaunt exclusive deals and rewards, keeping those customers hooked. Reach out through SMS and email, enticing them with special offers. It's all about turning seasonal visitors into ride-or-die fans! 📦 Smart Subscriptions: I've seen subscriptions work wonders, especially for frequently bought items. Personalized communication is your golden ticket here. Blend convenience and savings through regular shipments, add in some loyalty points, and you've got yourself a devoted set of customers who keep coming back. ✉️ Feedback Rules (no surprises there, right?): Gathering post-BFCM feedback is gold. But it's not just about collection; it's about savvy usage. Simplify the review process and dig into this feedback to truly grasp your customers' tastes. It's like having a compass guiding you to refine strategies for top-notch experiences. 📢 Crystal-Clear Communication: Transparency, especially post-purchase, is the name of the game. Real-time updates, upfront issue addressing, and clear communication for solutions - these build trust and squash post-purchase jitters. It's remarkable how straightforward talk can make a monumental difference! 💬 Tailored TLC: Personalized support? Always a believer. Leverage customer data and school your support teams in understanding individual needs. Watch as customer problems transform into opportunities for singing your brand's praises. That personal touch? It's everything. 🤝 Sustaining the Connection: Keeping up the buzz beyond specific events is critical for brand loyalty. Fostering a community vibe through engaging interactions and shared experiences is a game-changer. Encourage ongoing interactions among customers to cement a bond with the brand. It's about keeping that engagement alive, fostering a sense of belonging, and cementing relationships that go far beyond mere transactions. Let's not let our BFCM magic fade away! With a robust retention strategy in place, we're not just riding the success wave from the holiday season; we're laying the groundwork for customer loyalty that'll spike sales in 2024! 🚀✨