Losing Clients: How To Turn Negatives Into Positives

Losing clients is always a bummer. For starters, you’ve lost a customer’s business, which is bad enough in and of itself. But then there must have been some reason for their leaving. Some will tell you straightforwardly the reason or reasons they no longer wish to do business with you; others will simply disappear without a trace. The latter is perhaps the worse situation, as not knowing the reason why they left can be painful.

However, not all is lost. There are positives yet to wring out of this bad situation!

The following are some typical reasons clients give for changing services. In each situation, I've outlined how you can turn the loss into a win!

Cost

If you’re losing clients due to price, it may be time to figure out why they believe your services are not worth the price. Balance the time and effort you are putting into your services and re-evaluate whether or not you are asking for too much.

Of course, you may be charging a perfectly fair price, and the customer has simply fallen on difficult financial times. People budget, but people don’t always budget well. Your client may have realized your services are pricier than they can afford, or perhaps something happened that tightened their budget elsewhere. It’s rarely a straightforward scenario. It’s always best to revisit your prices every so often and adjust as needed.

Sub-par Service

This hits where it hurts. You’ll want to try to understand exactly what it was about your service that made it so terrible. Perhaps it is something you didn’t notice as being off-putting or rude; perhaps you realize that you or your employees are too curt in your correspondence -- it could be any number of things. But accept it, let the client know you’re going to do better in the future, and then follow through with it.

Ask yourself if you're making too many promises that you or your team aren't able to follow through with due to money, time, team size, etc. Have a meeting with your team (or, if you work solo, yourself via mirror) and remind everyone that any business relies on customer satisfaction to succeed.

If you follow through on promises to improve, lost clients might be so impressed with your willingness to address grievances that they return. Don’t give the lost client reason to spread ill will against you to their friends and acquaintances. If you deal with the loss professionally and courteously, the client may still recommend you to others -- thereby turning a loss into a potential gain.

Timing

Sometimes it’s simply just not the right time for your client. Your job is to convince them otherwise. However, if the customer is adamant, don’t keep pushing. The client might be dealing with some hard times, and pressing her into a corner is not going to make her feel any better about your business.

Know when to change gears. Make sure you use this as an opportunity to hold on to their business later on. Be sure to establish that you’re still available down the line, and that you are always ready to pick up where you left off.

Not the Right Fit

Sometimes you and the client just don’t fit well together. You have irreconcilable styles and perspectives. This is nothing to take offense over! Use this opportunity to ask what it was that didn’t gel right (if you don’t already know). If it’s something you can easily fix, offer a solution and try to bridge the gap between yourself and the client. But if they resist, let it go and politely part ways. 

In all of the above scenarios, the event professional is able to make positives out of negatives primarily through simple tact and professionalism. Sure, it’s never good to lose a client, but it’s foolish to make it worse than it needs to be. 

Developing a skill for lasering in on what good can be had in any given scenario -- that is perhaps the most valuable skill an event professional -- any professional -- can have. Always ask yourself, “How can I turn this failure into an opportunity?” and you’ll surely find success.

Retaining clients is a lot easier with Inspherio, the all-in-one event planning and business management program. For starters, you won't be a disorganized mess, jumping from application to application to application, which means you'll drastically cut down on slip-ups that could cost you your clients. Everything you need to succeed in the event industry is located in the cloud-based Inspherio. Every minute you waste jumping from program to program is a minute taken away from your clients, existing and potential.

It's time to get going. Try our free 30-day trial today!

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Slaying Dragons Together: Our (True) Story of Teamwork

The “self-made man” -- you see him everywhere. Whether it be literature, television, film, or music, the myth of the mighty individual defying all odds (without any help whatsoever) is everywhere.

This archetype makes for compelling drama, and is perhaps the most utilized theme in the history of American media. It’s fun to root for the little guy, the rugged and determined hero who straps up his boots and climbs a mountain by himself, slaying the dragons of circumstance along the way, only to bask in glory atop the summit.

It feels good to see this hero succeed. It makes us feel like we too can conquer our demons, if only we are as brave as our mountain-climbing, dragon-slaying hero. But, in reality, this is a very destructive idea.

Retract that gasp, and allow me to explain: there’s nothing wrong with pride in individual achievement; one must always believe in oneself and live courageously if one is to succeed in this life. However -- the idea that success is achieved solely through self-determination? Nonsense. There’s no doubt that self-confidence is absolutely, positively, one-hundred-and-fifty percent vital to one’s success, but let’s not confuse a vital ingredient for the entire recipe.

Success is a multi-faceted, elusive beast-- much too complicated to be charged at with one mindset! Returning to our hero analogy, no two “mountains of circumstance” are alike. Some are taller than others; some narrower. Some house dragons; others malicious giants. Some heroes are provided better equipment; others might have very little.

And, of course, you know all of this. You've heard this story before; the variety of circumstance means we can see this story play out in so many different ways. But one thing remains common in these kinds of stories -- the hero always succeeds on his merits alone. Sure, there might be companions along the way, but they are mere scenery, there only to behold and comment upon his might.

The hero rarely asks for help -- he either orders his inferiors to do the dirty work (usually an “honor” for them, so he’s really doing them the favor) or he is so benevolent and mighty that people do so without being asked.

But think to yourself: how many times have you accomplished something without soliciting the help of another person?

It is true that some journeys are lonelier than others. But if you are being honest with yourself, you’d see all of the help -- large or small, noticeable or hidden -- you have received from others. Think about the little things you’ve done to help others succeed. Think about the big things you’ve done to help others succeed.

And so, when one starts to dissect our hero’s story, we see that its relation to reality is shaky at best (and not just because of the dragons, which I assure you exist). When you consider the important roles others have played in your life, it seems the absolute height of conceit to declare your success entirely self-made.

Despite the abundance of egocentric-to-the-maximum stories, we are still capable of seeing that there are many heroes in every story -- some noticed, some unnoticed, helping each other scale the dangerous terrain together.

And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. Teamwork does not in any way diminish your personal achievements; admitting you have had help along the way doesn’t make your success less impressive and you don’t have to be any less proud of your successes because you've had friends to help you realize your visions. And you know that you’ve helped others achieve their dreams, too.

Isn’t that a great feeling? You get double the joy.

So, what does all this have to do with business? Everything. Nowhere is the “mighty individual” story line more prevalent than in the business world. Sometimes we believe and invest ourselves in the myth, buying into the idea that all “unsuccessful” (a loaded term, to be sure) or "unhappy" people are the way they are because they are petulant little minor characters, too lazy or weak or uninspired to climb the mountain. Not exactly an inspiring sentiment, right?

What's particularly damaging about this myth is the effect it has on so many trying to achieve their dreams. Too many individuals close themselves off to accepting a helping hand, simply out of pride. And of course they become frustrated in their isolation, and wonder why they have failed to live up to our hero's impossible feats.

Well, there's good news: you don't have to do it all alone.

Despite what you might have read, seen, or heard, all of those successful people you aspire to had help along the way. It doesn't make them any less inspiring.

To paraphrase the great Kurt Vonnegut: there are no minor characters in real life.

Remember that each and every one of us is going through our own story. Remember that our individual stories intersect with the stories of all of the people we meet. Surely, it can be easy to forget that the clerk at the grocery store or the coworker you never talk to are protagonists of their own rich and compelling stories. But try to be aware. We would all benefit to remember that, though a person seems small in your story, she is quite important in her story and in the stories of others. Some people might be in the crisis of their novel; others may be experiencing a much-deserved resolution. Whatever the scene, we are all of us vital to each others' narratives.

A group of self-centered protagonists living entirely in their own personal stories accomplishes little, but a team of cooperative, caring characters (each and every one of them protagonists) contributing to one another’s stories -- this team will get results. A team-positive mindset will get you up that mountain much faster, and your story (and stories) won’t be any less interesting for it.

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Before you and your team start your journey, ensure you're well-equipped for that hike up the dragon-ridden mountain: check out Inspherio, the all-in-one event planning and business management program. Try our free 30-day trial and see for yourself why there is no greater slayer of stress than Inspherio!

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Onward and Upward: SPAN Enterprises Makes Inc. 5000's List of Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies of 2015

Inspherio is proud to announce that SPAN Enterprises, our parent company, has made the 2015 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately-held companies in America! Out of this year's companies, SPAN ranks #1150 overall, #11 in the Charlotte Metro Area, and last but not least: #1 in its home state of South Carolina!

For those of you who haven’t heard of us, we’d like you to learn more about our growing company.

Some users have asked about our location–but we’ll never tell! Just kidding. Our home base is the SPAN Enterprises office, located in the small town of Rock Hill, South Carolina. It is here that Inspherio was born, and where we continue to thrive. We’ve stayed loyal to our roots, choosing to remain in the city that saw our birth and rapid growth into the worldwide industry leaders we are today.

Home to over 14 internationally used cloud-based applications (including Inspherio), SPAN Enterprises remains a pillar of the local community, never letting global success interfere with their commitment to the Rock Hill community.

That’s the where, but what about the when, why, and who?

Inspherio started, as all great products do, with a great idea. Having worked as a photographer in the event planning industry, Agie Sundaram, our CEO, set out to create an all-inclusive program that catered to the needs of all kinds of event professionals.

It was, to say the least, a large undertaking–but Agie knew that a comprehensive, user-friendly program was long overdue in the event industry. (Did you hear that? That was the collective sound of event professionals nodding their heads in agreement.) And in 2014, that’s just what he brought to the table with Inspherio.

As word spreads, event professionals everywhere are continually floored by Inspherio’s comprehensiveness and affordability. No longer tied to multiple applications or multiple websites, event professionals have found themselves with a lot more time to spend expanding and improving their businesses.

While we are proud of our product and of our service, we would be nothing without your support. Thank you for helping to make Inspherio the best program in the industry, and thank you for helping us grow. We strive to improve every day because, when it comes down to it, you are the only reason we exist!

When you consider the high quality of programs like Inspherio, it’s no wonder SPAN Enterprises has received recognition from Inc. 5000. SPAN continues to be a market leader in several industries across the globe, all from the small town it began in. We’re proud to be ranked in the Inc. 5000; the future certainly looks bright for Inspherio and SPAN Enterprises in sunny Rock Hill. We look forward to growing with you!

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The Benefits of Diversity In the Workplace

More and more companies are finding out just how valuable a diverse workplace can be, not just for

camaraderie but for productivity and innovation.

Diversity is more than a workplace or government policy; it is foremost a reality of the world -- and not just for humans, but for everything and anything you can think of. Living, breathing, or otherwise, the world and the universe it resides in are infinitely interesting and diverse. Think, for instance, of how many species of frog there are in the world -- and that’s just one little creature on one little planet!

Diversity is default. With all the wonderful variation in and around us, we can never cease to be interested. But why is diversity so important in the workplace?

Diversity is important in the workplace precisely because allowing ourselves to listen to and to learn from those who have different experiences results in the expansion of perspective -- a stretching of the mind’s ability to entertain new notions. One simply ceases to learn when one closes oneself off to a diversity of ideas. And when people cease to learn, companies cease to grow.

A company comprised of people with more or less the same background, from the same region, with the same values -- well, this company is likely going to continue to remain in that same mindset. Add people from different places with different ideas and different-but-nonetheless-valid realities, and suddenly you have everyone learning from one another, thus creating an atmosphere conducive to creativity.

A lack of diversity places a limit on the possibility for growth and innovation precisely because people of like mindsets rarely challenge each other to think outside the box. The more perspectives one brings in, the more possible results one gets out. Quite simply, we have a lot to learn from one another’s lived realities. 

It’s important to note that people of different ages, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, gender identities, and school majors are all individuals -- one person’s life does not mirror another’s simply because they share a label. But this just goes to show how diverse the world is! In the end, it’s always best to have a conversation with someone to see what they can offer your business. 

Try to bring in, to the best of your ability, people with different perspectives -- problems get solved much more quickly when you have different perspectives being brought to the table.There is infinite potential for creativity when you’re willing to listen to what others have to say. 

Once you have a variety of minds at your disposal, sign up for Inspherio to make sure you also have a variety of event planning and business management tools at your disposal. Try our free 30-day trial today!

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