Securing clients is hard work in business, with so much competition out there it takes a lot to convince companies to take you on and work with you long term. However securing clients is just the beginning, you need to make sure you keep them happy to they’ll want to stay. Here are just a few ways you could lose, or put off clients when you’re doing business.

An unimpressive office

You might have wowed a company at an event or trade show, and they’re seriously thinking of taking you on. You arrange a meet at your office, and while it seems to go well, they decide against using your services. What might have happened is that they were put off by your workplace. While you don’t necessarily need a top of the range office, you do need to make the most of the space you have. Something dirty, dingy or disorganised could cause clients to believe that the rest of your business is run in the same way and completely put them off. Give your office a makeover, repaint the walls and replace the carpets. Invest in new desks and chairs and have some new signage made. Adding living plants adds colour and texture while still looking professional. Outside, hire a company offering landscaping services and paint things like doors, fences and remove any rubbish. The way your office looks is important, it’s a reflection of your business and so you need to get it right.

Bad reviews

Sometimes the occasional bad review is unavoidable. Perhaps something went wrong which has now been corrected, or maybe you had a fussy customer hoping to get something for free by leaving a bad review. However, if you have lots of negative reviews then it shows that something is going wrong in your company. If people are being left unsatisfied and nothing has been done to change this, then clients can quite easily lose their faith in you. In some cases, being associated with a business can reflect badly on you, so in their situation they won’t want to be affiliated with a company that’s not running the way it should. Check your reviews often across all sites on the web, and speak to customers to see what can be done to put things right. Make any changes necessary to avoid the same things happening again.

Falling behind with work

If a client has taken you on and outsourced an area of their business, it’s because they want to ensure this is done to the best standard and in a timely manner. One of the most damaging things you can do when it comes to client relationships is not deliver on your promises. When you don’t get their work done on time, they can fall behind too and it can cause all kinds of issues. Time management is crucial, you also need to make sure you have the staff and the equipment to handle your workflow.