One of our clients is leaving.
It’s bittersweet. We’ve enjoyed working with them, and the writing and messaging assignments have been fun. At the same time, they’ve hired someone in-house as a writer, and we’ve finished working on the projects we contracted for.
How do you say goodbye to a client?
Whether you’re leaving on good terms or not, saying goodbye is much the same in a business relationship as in a personal relationship. It’s time to get closure, make sure you’ve taken care of all unfinished business, and see whether you can ‘just stay friends’ in the future.
Here are five steps to take:
1. Get clear on where you stand.
Review your contract, if you have one. What were the expectations of termination? If it’s an open-ended contract, has one of you given sufficient notice. If you haven’t, you and your client need to work out an equitable arrangement.
2. Finish up outstanding work.
Really, unless there’s a dispute, you need to make sure all of the work is done. This is especially important for a retainer or open-ended contract. Although it may seem like time is up, you should ensure you wrap up all the work professionally, even if it takes some extra time. If you can provide some stellar, unexpected benefits at the end of your relationship, you’ll leave a lasting positive impression.
3. Hand over all documentation.
Again, this depends on your business and your contract. If you’ve produced something for the client that can be maintained (for example, a Web site), make sure the client has the information it needs (for example, the site navigation diagram, the HTML code, the Photoshop files for composite images) to go forward and keep it up-to-date. Of course, you may not want to do this if the material requires expert care, or if you had contracted to outsource the upkeep.
4. Have an exit interview.
This can be as informal as a telephone call. Make sure you’ve covered points 1-3 above. Ask the client how the relationship has gone -- what they liked and didn’t like about working with you, and what could be improved. You should have asked for a testimonial before now, but if work has gone well and you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to get one. Offer to write one for them if they’re busy, which they can then edit and sign.
5. Stay in touch.
The hardest one of all. If you’ve ended on good terms, your client will appreciate a call, email, or note now and then to see how they’re doing. You can forward them a news item about their industry, wish them a happy birthday, or just say hello. To make sure you do this, schedule a repeating appointment in your calendar software. Even if you only contact them twice a year, it’s a good way to maintain your network and remind them you’re around.
Proper client care can turn a parting of the ways into a positive experience that leads to referrals and more business down the line. “Breaking up is hard to do” in relationships, but with these five steps you can make sure there are no hard feelings.
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