Why a business loses customers.

If your long-term customers are leaving--and not coming back--you're probably making one of these mistakes (Inc.)

Remember that old romance that started off strong and then ended with rage and disgust? You know the one that always makes you roll your eyes whenever someone mentions it, because it ended on such horrible terms? Break ups like this happen...

Mack Collier says it all in his post ~ We are self-selecting buyers. Thanks to the huge amounts of information, opinions and data available online, we can research any type of purchase decision beforehand, and know whether or not it makes sense for us. This takes the ability of your brand to 'sell' me completely out of the equation.

The average small business loses half its customers within three years. That grim statistic comes from serial entrepreneur, speaker, and consultant Barry Moltz, who shared it at the recent webinar " Setting Your Small Business Up for Success in 2014." You can beat those odds, he says, by avoiding these common mistakes entrepreneurs tend to make: .

If you hate your customers it means you are turning customers away for sure ~ I’ve heard this on several occasions, and it’s time to find out why and make that hard decision to change direction or go out of business.

When I don’t hear back after my initial email, web contact or tweet inquiry within 24 hours, I am already doubtful if we will be able to do business.

If you are not going to provide ma a clear answer to my the questions at the beginning of the sales dialog, how are we going to work together on a complex project?

Some people feel that educating me will result in my taking the information, but not buying product. Well; the exact opposite works for me.

This is a deal breaker, especially in complex scenarios. In order to budget a project that is not plagued with budget overruns, I need to understand every component and its cost.

This one is hard to believe, but it happens more often than you might think. You can only make that first impression once, as the saying goes, so why don’t you show me that you care about my project, and care about having me as a customer?

Without customers, we wouldn't be in business. That is why it is surprising how easily retail shops unintentionally drive customers away. Sometimes, understanding the what can ruin a business can help us focus on what not to do while building our enterprise. Here are five simple ways to lose customers.

When a small business owner says they hate their customers, and I've heard this on several occasions, it's time to find out why and make that hard decision to change direction or go out of business. Many years ago, I met and became friends with an enterprising couple who started an 'old-world style' deli in ...

When complaining customers walk away from your business, it's easy to understand why. What about those who go quietly? If you think about it and try to put yourself in your customer's shoes, there's always a reason why they get frustrated and leave.