Win-back campaigns can be a powerful tool for your company when you’re trying to grow your customer base.
“Our win-back campaigns allow our close rate percentage to be in the 80%+ range,” says Mary Grace Shisler, marketing leader for Ziehler Lawn Care, based in Centerville, Ohio. “This is a similar sales close rate as our referrals, which tells us that former clients are closing at the same level as those who were referred by current customers.”
Frequency and Timing
One critical aspect of win-back campaigns is making sure you strike a balance between being persistent without being pushy.
Christian Judd, sales and marketing manager for Weed Man, says they opt to reach out to former clients consistently throughout the year as agronomics and the economy changes. Meanwhile, Tabitha Coker, director of sales and marketing for King Green, based in Gainesville, Georgia, says beyond their cancel follow up protocol, they will conduct a targeted campaign in the spring and the fall.
“Early spring tends to be the most effective,” Coker says. “That’s when lawn care is top of mind for most people. Fall can also work well, especially for clients looking to prep for winter or get a jump start on the next season.”
Shisler says they choose to reach out to former clients around five times a year with information about their programs and insights into what they are seeing on lawns.
“We try to offer information that can benefit the client so there is a need, not just a want, to come back to Ziehler Lawn Care,” Shisler says.
Shisler says they see the most success in the late spring as this is when the customer realizes the level of quality, results, price, and communication are not being achieved elsewhere.
Who to Target
Another element to consider is which former customers you want to focus on contacting. Judd says in general they will reach out to all their past clients.
“For the most part, 95 to 98% of customers, it’s usually something that’s not that big of a deal,” Judd says. “It’s something that we can actually go and address.”
Coker says they will also try to connect with almost every former client unless someone has clearly expressed that they never want to hear from the company again.
“Everyone’s circumstances change — maybe their DIY approach didn’t work out or they weren’t happy with a competitor,” Coker says. “By reconnecting, we sometimes find they’re open to giving us another chance.”
Ziehler Lawn Care chooses to contact former clients from the past five years, excluding recently cancelled clients until they are halfway through the year.
“There should be a ‘cool down’ period where those who want to explore other options have the ability to do so,” Shisler says. “We value our reputation and approach and do not want to be perceived as pushy or salesy.”
Outreach Methods and Tailoring Your Message
There are numerous ways to reach your former client base. It’s best to use a variety of tactics including emails, phone calls, direct mail and texting as different people have different communication preference.
“We’ve actually had surprising success with texting — it’s quick, personal, and often gets a faster response than email or phone calls,” Coker says.
Shisler says emailing and calling has been the most effective for them. They will pair the two tactics in a concerted campaign effort.
What really matters is your messaging. Sending something generic that could go to a new lead or a former client can come across as tone deaf. Coker says whether you’re offering a limited time offer or simply acknowledging the client’s past experience, the message should feel like it was meant just for them.
Shisler recommends training your customer service team to ask the right questions and get to the root cause of why a customer is cancelling and taking detailed notes.
“From there, build a win-back campaign based on that cancellation reason and personalize your outreach as much as you can to address that concern,” Shisler says. “Align your sales team with the plan as well so they can outbound call during that time. Lastly, don’t oversell it. You don’t have to offer everything in your toolbelt or call endless amounts of time to win them over.”
Advice for Others
Judd says it’s critical to have the right people in place who are able to communicate and listen to the customer’s needs and follow through with them.
Shisler says the key to an effective win-back campaign calls for aligning your sales and marketing efforts on the same timeline.
“It’s more communication concentrated during a specific period of time as opposed to a continuing revolving door of reaching out to former clients,” Shisler says. “Sales should piggyback marketing and vice versa. It’s a unified front and should be perceived as ‘singing from the same song book.’”
Coker recommends not writing off former customers as a lost cause. Some of them can become your best future clients.
“Dig into why they left, segment your outreach thoughtfully, and make sure your messaging is authentic and customer-focused,” Coker says. “It’s not just about getting them back; it’s about keeping them this time.”
