Developing A Client Retention Strategy For Consulting

This Common Belief Is Misleading: Belief: "Satisfied clients will always come back." Misleading...unless you're actively engaging them beyond the initial service: -Counterproductive Action: Failing to follow up post-consultation. -Counterproductive Action: Not personalizing your communication to individual client needs. -Counterproductive Action: Ignoring client feedback on your services. Strategies for Achieving Higher Retention: Action 1: Personalized Follow-Ups Example: Sending tailored resources related to the client's last session. Example: Quarterly check-ins to reassess client goals and progress. Action 2: Reward Loyalty Example: Exclusive offers for returning clients. Example: Special recognition in community newsletters. Action 3: Continuous Improvement Example: Implementing changes based on client feedback surveys. Example: Offering new services or workshops based on popular demand. If you focus on these strategies, you can expect not just satisfaction, but loyalty and advocacy from your clients. Let's Discuss: What strategies have you found most effective for retaining clients? #clientexperience #retention #clientsatisfaction

One of THE biggest pitfalls in a marketing approach (in fact, in all facets of business planning) is a focus on new revenue growth at the expense of client retention. We tend to overfocus on the funnel when most practitioners agree that the funnel is now an hourglass; i.e., it’s not just about filtering the market down to leads and then to closed sales, but it is about then engaging with those closed sales (aka “clients”) to get them excited, turn them into promoters, and then eventually to renew and not churn. More than once, I’ve come into a firm and heard, “Clients are leaving because they think we don’t have functionality XYZ, but we rolled it out 6 months ago”. Ok, how did you communicate that? Besides your one email blast or bullet point in the release notes, how did you engage your existing clients around it? Before you built it, were they included in the prioritization process through steering groups and user forums? Were you promoting the functionality pre-launch to get them excited? Did you invite them all to a virtual demo by your product leads (NOT your salespeople) where they can get their questions answered by the SME who built it? Did you get them to do a review of the new functionality through beta and production and let me know how that feedback is driving the next development cycle? No? Remember, your clients don’t actually want “functionality XYZ”; they want their business problem to be solved, so they have to think about it less and go about the rest of their day. Making them feel like you understand their business problem, are keeping them engaged as you solve it, and deliver an ongoing experience of solving it better is equally (or more) valuable than just making the promises in the sales cycle. Once they’re in, it’s even MORE important to stay engaged in their journey from “closed sale” to “raving fans”. (I left a comment on a #productmarketing thread about client retention, but due to character limitations, I couldn’t post this whole diatribe, so I made it its own post.) #b2bmarketing #clientretention #productrollout #communications

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

Saturday Case Study: Client Retention - Sanford Packaging Service Jack Sanford, owner of Sanford Packaging Service, had a serious challenge; his company was losing nearly half of its customers after their first purchase. Their churn rate was almost 50%, making it difficult to grow and develop sustainable long-term revenue. The first step was identifying why customers weren’t returning. We analyzed the entire sales and client acquisition process, looking at how customers were brought in, what they were buying, and why they weren’t purchasing again. We also reviewed fulfillment and delivery to ensure product quality and service met expectations. One major issue was that customers weren’t aware of the full range of products available. They bought a single packaging solution without realizing Sanford Packaging Service could meet their ongoing needs. To fix this, we implemented a post-purchase follow-up process, educating customers about complementary products and offering reorder incentives. We also streamlined order fulfillment and delivery, ensuring customers received their products faster and with better communication. A loyalty program was introduced, rewarding repeat purchases and strengthening relationships. Within a year, customer retention improved by 30%. The key was a simple understanding of why customers left, improving communication, and making it easier for them to stay. Jack’s story shows that small changes in customer engagement can have a huge impact on long-term business success.

We onboarded 7 Amazon accounts in June & July. 6 are now long term clients.. Here are some top lessons that I've learned over the last 5 years about nailing client retention: 1. Get going with THE work ASAP ⏲️ - First two months is when the client trust is 0 - Slow/shaky performance in this period can hurt - DON'T delay real work for only 'digging out insights' - Start with the most immediate biggest opportunities of improvement - The client needs to see a lot of little positive hints in first two months ↳ Remember, you're buying yourself time & trust to do the bigger time-taking improvement. 2. Draw CLEAR projections early on 📄 - When clients don't know what to expect, they expect too much - They can't know which week/month will be slow if you don't tell them - Underpromise only enough so that the client is still satisfied with it - Set up tougher projections internally and try to overdeliver all the time - Monthly or 10-day breakdowns work the best (add notes) ↳ For example, if the client is told TACOS will go up in July and reset in August, he won't panic when it goes up in July. 3. Be proactive NOT reactive with communication ☢️ - When clients see a decline, they don't investigate external factors - They assume it's because of you - Or they panic that they were not informed - Clients can't be patient with challenges they're kept unaware of - Proactively informing clients > Reactively responding to panic texts ↳ Nothing builds trust stronger than knowing this team is on top of my account. 4. Know the small details better than the client 🔢 - Clients expect you to give their account the attention they can't give - I have seen our clients fire agencies over this EXACTLY - 1 person in the team has to know the account's stats really really well - If the client sees repeatedly he knows more, you're getting replaced 💩 ↳ Question, why would at least 1 person in the team not know the macro & micro details really, really well anyway? 5. Meet the client once every week or two weeks 💻 - You want to know how the client is feeling about recent progress - Address any objections or confusions built out of overthinking - Get them on the same page about any challenging strategies to execute ↳ Clients are much quicker to notice declines vs improvements. Weekly meetings allow you to show what you've been doing for them. A lot of the other stuff is a waste of time. Just aim to make them more money and nail these 5 lessons. That will get you 90% of the results.

Clients leave their advisors because of poor communication. So you need to ask yourself if you are communicating enough with them. Consistent communication is critical to retaining your clients: 1. Build Trust and Loyalty → Regular updates and proactive outreach show clients you’re engaged → Position yourself as their go-to resource → Address potential concerns before they escalate 2. Stay Ahead of Market Changes → Keep clients informed about market shifts and financial planning opportunities → Reinforce your role as a trusted advisor guiding them through changes 3. Show You Understand Their Unique Needs → Clients want more than just portfolio management → Deepen your understanding of their evolving challenges and goals → Offer tailored solutions that fit their life, not just their finances 4. Create Long-Lasting Relationships → Consistent check-ins strengthen long-term relationships → Show clients you care about their overall success, not just their portfolio performance 5. Prevent Client Attrition → Poor communication is a leading cause of client loss → In an industry built on trust, consistent communication can mean the difference between keeping or losing a client Your clients want to feel understood, supported, and valued. This will always be one of the most important parts of your business.

Client retention is the lifeblood of any successful agency. But sadly, most agency owners are fumbling the ball BIG TIME when it comes to keeping clients around. After running my own agency and mentoring dozens more, I've noticed 3 common mistakes that KILL client retention: - Over-promising and Under-Delivering You sell them the world during the sales process, but then reality hits. Deadlines are missed, quality slips and communication breaks down. The Fix: Set realistic expectations from Day 1. Underpromise and overdeliver. Always. - "Set It and Forget It" Service  You land the client, do the initial onboarding, and then... crickets. They only hear from you when there's an issue or when it's time to renew. The Fix: Establish regular QBR (quarterly business review) meetings. Share wins, gather feedback, and consistently add value. Proactive > Reactive. - Lack of Results   This one seems obvious, but you'd be shocked how many agencies skate by without delivering the goods. No clear KPIs, no reporting, no tangible ROI. The Fix: Tie everything back to revenue. Track key metrics. Show the client EXACTLY how your work impacts their bottom line. No fluff. Master these 3 areas, and you'll have clients banging down your door to stick around (and pay you more 💰).

Agencies: giving you my client retention & expansion system (Part 4)... the Roadmap of Initiatives. It's how you keep clients longer. This is your plan for how you’ll expand the account. You’ll gain client buy-in on a long term vision for the relationship and services that align with the client’s annual plan, initiatives and milestones. The roadmap also helps to focus your current goals and scope of work to avoid over committing and scope creep. MEETINGS Executive Sponsor Briefing Meet with the senior most executive contact to get their feedback on the roadmap & milestones before you present to the larger group. They can provide you with valuable insight, help navigate the leadership team and align with their priorities. Roadmap Presentation Present the roadmap to the executive team. Incorporate their priorities and existing initiatives into the plan. Most importantly: establish a cadence for updating the roadmap as a team based on progress with other business initiatives and cross departmental objectives. Ideally this would involve a quarterly business review or a session which informs their internal quarterly planning session. RESOURCES Roadmap of Initiatives: Slide deck document showing a phased timeline of projects. Outline: - Business objectives vs marketing goals - Team roles - Timeline of activity - Resources & budget requirements ROLES - Client Executive Sponsor - helps align the roadmap with business initiatives and navigate stakeholders - Client Leadership Team - Required for cross-departmental buy-in - Agency Account Manager - Owns the relationship between the agency and client leadership (NOT DELIVERY) RISKS - Your client has no planned initiatives - Clients want results faster than your recommended timeline - Your presentation is a "reveal" because you didn't create the plan WITH the client. Stay tuned for more account management process. #agency #servicedesign

Nobody cares how many hours you put into your company. They care if those hours actually drive revenue. At $100K grinding it out works. At $1M systems start to matter. At $2.5M+ what matters most? Retention Because it’s your fastest path to $10M. We’ve been scaling Customers On Command fast but I kept solving problems with the same playbook that got us here: More leads. More calls. More sales. But after a few convos with people who’ve actually built $10M+ agencies (thanks Nick Eubanks and more)… I realized I was missing the point. You don’t scale by replacing clients. You scale by compounding them. So here’s the play: • Custom 12 month client roadmap • In person client visits every quarter • Daily Slack touchpoints (not just “account updates”) • Real business reviews with recommendations that turn into upsells • Packaging retention as expansion, not maintenance Because if someone’s paying you $5K/month... The best outcome isn’t them staying. It’s them growing with you to $10K/month. Retention ≠ keeping clients happy. Retention = giving them a reason to scale with you. We’ve got 3 clients now booked in for 12-month scopes. And the new standard is clear: If you want to scale premium services: Keep the premium clients.

The value of every dollar is NOT the same. It should be. But it’s not. And anyone running a P&L knows it. Of course, every customer matters. But let’s not pretend that every dollar of revenue carries the same weight. Some clients make your business stronger. Some make it weaker. Some will fuel your growth for years. Others are already one renewal away from walking. So if retention is just about keeping customers, you’re playing the wrong game. The real game? Keeping and growing the right customers. The ones who see value, who expand, and who turn into long-term, high-margin revenue—not just another logo on the churn report 18 months from now. That’s why we’re making some serious shifts in how we handle retention. Here’s what that actually looks like: ➡️ Executive sponsors on every account. (Shoutout to Richard Uruchurtu III for championing). Not just a point of contact. Not just an account team. We’re embedding leadership—ranging from our Service Directors to our Executive Team—into our customer relationships. The goal? Senior-level accountability, better advocacy, and stronger alignment on both sides. ➡️ More face time with decision-makers and day-to-day contacts. Look, if your retention strategy relies on quarterly QBRs and email check-ins, you’re already behind. We’re getting in the room. Not just for the handshake moments, but to build relationships that lead to actual business impact. Because deals close faster and accounts expand quicker when trust is built face-to-face. ➡️ A smarter, revenue-aligned approach to customer success. We’re not playing defense anymore. Retention isn’t about just preventing churn—it’s about ensuring our clients are seeing so much value that expansion becomes inevitable. That means: ✔️ Identifying whitespace and growth opportunities earlier. ✔️ Proactively solving high-impact problems before they become renewal risks. ✔️ Making sure we’re indispensable to their long-term strategy—not just their short-term needs. The days of treating all retention Directive equally are over. At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to keep everyone happy. The goal is to make sure our best customers are seeing so much value that they never have a reason to leave. And that’s exactly where we’re headed. (Additional shoutout to sales savant and friend, Matt Green, for inspiring this post.) 🙏🏼