GPI 364 – Compare the net sales of the top ten customers over the past five or ten years. Where did they go and what did you do wrong?

Line up the top ten customers over the past five to ten years by net sales dollars.  Ask the following questions to provoke some thought as to revisiting these companies that once paid your firm a lot of money.

Questions to ask previously large customers:

• When we analyzed our business with your firm, it has not grown and we wondered what we neglected to do to win some new business?
• What happened? What did we do wrong that you are no longer buying anything from us or at least as much as you used to?
• What do we need to do in order to win your business again?
• Did we tell you of our company growth, increase in capacity, production facilities, number of warehouses, offices and new products and services?
• Did we give or show you a list of all of our new capabilities or product lines?
• Did we mention our new machinery and equipment?
• Did we tell you of our new locations or new branches?
• Did we introduce you to our new sales personnel? (Maybe the customer hated, despised or at best tolerated your assigned salesperson in the past).
• Did we tell you, show you or demonstrate for you our new products or services? Did we give you samples, catalogs, brochures, idea lists, testimonials, instructions, videos or any other type of marketing or promotional item that might get your attention to our request?
• Did we tell you about our new insurance limits and coverage? (This may have been a problem in the past.)
• Did we offer you a plant tour of our new facilities?
• Can we rebid some of your products or services needed?