Keep Your Clients Through Tough Times

When a business is trying to stave off potential lawsuits because it owes suppliers and the IRS lots of money, your clients will notice.

After I took over as president of said company, convincing clients to stay loyal was no easy task.

Angry former employees were circulating rumors of bankruptcy amongst my clients, many of whom had already announced their plans to sever ties with the company.

When the chips are stacked against you, you can still stop a mass client exodus by acting quickly on a few key things:

Make It Personal

I told my employees, who had poured their hearts into their clients' projects, to call their clients and reassure them that everything was under control.

Employees who are more closely associated with their own clients will present a more compelling case than the head of the company can.

The more personalized the message the better.

Keep the Big Guys Close

While I requested meetings with all my clients, I focused on retaining our three biggest clients -- Merck(MRK Quote), Corestates Bank (now Wachovia Corporation(WB Quote)) and Rosenbluth International (now part of American Express(AXP Quote)).

The money the big three brought to our company was actually secondary: If they stayed, that would send a message to our other clients that we were alive and well, erasing some of their doubts.