David Avrin - Why Customers Leave (and How to Win Them Back): (24 Reasons People are Leaving You for Competitors, and How to Win Them Back*)

I 've said for years that being in business would be great if it weren't for employees and customers. Think about it: Employees and customers are the source of nearly every problem you have. Employees have a tendency to forget they are there to make the business profitable by serving customers well and making them happy, which is what keeps them coming back. After all, happy customers who share their money with you is what keeps those employees paid, and they should realize that. But when that most basic aspect of a business relationship breaks down, that's a problema big, costly problem.

And customers... wow! They want and expect so much these days. But why shouldn't they? They have so many options. There's you, there's the guy down the street, and the thousands of other businesses that are just a click or two away. The obvious truth is that you aren't the only game in town. You are just one more on a long list of businesses where they can get what you have to offer possibly quicker, probably cheaper, and maybe from someone who values their business more and demonstrates it in a variety of ways.

As for the Internet, I would much rather buy with a click and have it in on my doorstep in a couple of days and never have to talk to an unknowledgeable, surly employee who is more interested looking at Instagram than they are in me, my needs, desires, problems, and money. Wouldn't you?

Those are the issues almost every business deals with almost every day in some way. Your employees and your customers hold the success of your company in their hands. But you know that. How could you not?

So why is that you know it and are still dealing with all of the problems (and maybe even more) that I just described? It's not for lack of knowledge as there is plenty of that around. It's usually for lack of implementation. I have been doling out business, personal, financial, and parenting advice for a lot of years.

After having given thousands of speeches and selling millions of books, I have discovered people don't do much of anything with the knowledge they have at their fingertips. There are lots of reasons for that, but I think one of the big ones is that most of the information is so abstract it ends up being confusing. Or it is just the opposite and is so specific that people can't understand how to apply it to their particular situation.

Good news: This book isn't like that. It is logical, practical, easily implementable, and well, it just makes sense! I like that. I read it and found myself nodding my head up and down saying, Yep, I get it. He's right. I need to take action on that right now. You will be the same way.

So when you find your customers leaving and aren't sure exactly what to do to stop the drain or to get them back, what do you do? Do you fire everyone who doesn't treat the customer right and start over? That's a possibility for sure, but not a very smart one. Do you trash your competition in order to build yourself up in the eyes of the customer? That's a short game you will never ultimately win. Do you out-advertise them? Someone else can always spend more money.

Most people when faced with a problem, any problem, start looking at how to solve their problem. Of course, right? That's exactly what they should do! Well, not necessarily. Figuring out what to do and how to do it is indeed important, but probably not the first step. That's what I like about this book. David Avrin will give you the how and what, but he starts with why. I like that. A lot.

Too many folks jump right into how and what and get really busy with fixing the problem, only to find out after much effort, time, and possibly expense that the problem isn't fixed at all. That can be a frustrating, even maddening, experience. But it's because they never figured out why they have the problem. David wants you to think about why you do what you do and realize why your customers react and respond the way they do. In other words, Why am I in this mess? That sounds simple, and although it is, it's really powerful. It's powerful because it will make you think. Thinking is always hard, and thinking about how dumb we sometimes are is even harder.

Here is another reason I like this book: David gives you a better approach to doing business so your customer will never leave you. He doesn't say this is the only approach or the best approach (even though it probably is the best approach). He just shows you what you are probably doing wrong and then suggests a better approach. I like the lack of arrogance in this. I am tired of authors and speakers saying this is