Perceived indifference.
You don't SHOW you care about a customer.
Poor communication.
Crossed lines? Calls not returned on time? Any of these could lose the deal.
Poor quality service or products.
Go the extra mile for the customer and you'll be rewarded.
Lack of a timely and appropriate response to a complaint.
Customers want to be kept in the loop, and they want to know you care and you're doing everything to fix the issue.
Making decisions on behalf of a client.
Customers don't want to be treated like idiots. They want guidance, but the decision is theirs.
Over-promising and under-delivering.
Do the opposite - under promise and over-deliver.
Lack of trained staff.
There's nothing much worse than being a customer who knows more about the product than the salesperson.
Assuming that ignorance is the same as stupidity.
Don't take your customer for a fool. You're there to guide them in their decision making
One bad experience can be a mistake. Two bad experiences indicates a systemic problem.
Get to the root of the problem, and then put systems in place to make sure it never happens again.
A perception that the business is falling behind.
If it looks like your competitors know more than you, they'll end up getting the sale.
Random or pressure discounting.
If you can discount today does that mean you were ripping me off yesterday?
Not enough products and service.
There's a reason companies like Walmart are so successful. A wide variety of products and motivated salespeople.
Nothing works.
Are your internal systems broken? Are your products of poor quality? Bad salespeople? All those things will drive customers away.
Customer relocation.
This one isn't entirely your fault, but if a customer moves, and you can't service them in their new location, you'll lose the business.
Changing needs.
Sometimes a customer's needs will shift - and you're no longer the right match. Steer them to someone who can help.
Lured away by competition.
Competition is tough - and sometimes a competitor will do it better. Learn from the experience.
Thank you to Mathew Dickerson and Leon Gettler for their input.
Perceived indifference.
You don't SHOW you care about a customer.