When you grow a business, it is tempting to focus on new customers. I understand that. A new order is easy to see and celebrate. But someone who already chose you may still have a question, a problem or a reason to return. That relationship deserves attention before you think about the next sale.
I wrote about this in 2012, after my digital TV decoder broke. I had a subscription that required the decoder to watch TV. My provider's support team told me I would have to buy a replacement myself. The manufacturer sent me back to the provider. What bothered me most was the comparison with a broken television: without this decoder, I could not use my subscription.
The cost behind a simple answer
At the time, a new decoder cost enough for me to consider another provider. A new subscription there came with one. I switched, although I had been happy with the service until then. This is a personal experience from 2012, not a statement about either company's present policy or about my legal rights at the time.
Perhaps my provider had a good reason for its answer. Nobody explained it to me. That was the problem: I needed a working subscription and was sent back and forth between two companies. An employee who had taken ownership and clearly laid out my options might have changed my mind. I cannot know that. I do know why I left.
Make help part of the relationship
You do not have to grant every request to take a customer seriously. Start with the question behind the complaint. What are they trying to do? What does the problem mean for them? Then explain what you can resolve, what they can do themselves and when you will follow up.
If the same questions keep coming back, the product or its instructions may need work. A clear answer on your website helps, provided people can still reach you when it does not fit their situation. My article about personal communication makes a similar point: there is a person behind the message, not just a ticket number.
The next sale comes later
Of course, you can tell existing customers about something relevant to their earlier purchase. But a sequence of offers is little use if the first experience remains unresolved. Look first at complaints, returns, questions and cancellations. They show what your promise is worth in practice.
Also distinguish a message about a current order from marketing for another purchase. Promotional email is subject to rules and conditions; an earlier purchase does not amount to blanket permission. The Dutch regulator's current guidance is a better starting point than the sweeping claim I made in the old version.
The value of an existing customer is more than a possible next order. It is also a chance to show that you take responsibility when things get difficult.