Eventually, you will lose your best customers. The question is, will you be ready?

By Phil Whitebloom, Founder of BeenThere Consulting Service

Average read time: under 4 minutes

The following story is fictional. The scenario is not.

Let’s bring back our friends Frank and Judy.

Frank and Judy have owned and operated their business together for 20 years. By any meaningful standard, they have built a very successful company. They have a strong customer base, consistent revenue, and over time, the business has grown to what they believe is full capacity. One customer, their largest, represents 30% of their total revenue and 35% of their profits.

At the start of the last fiscal year, Frank and Judy made what they believed was a practical decision. Because they were at capacity, they chose to stop all meaningful sales activity. There was no perceived need to bring in more business they could not handle.

Then they got the call.

Their largest customer was canceling their contract. The reason is not important here, and it happens more often than most people think.

What matters is the impact.

Overnight, a significant portion of their revenue and profit disappeared. And because they had stopped selling, they did not have a sufficient pipeline of opportunities to come close to replacing what they had just lost.

Now let’s look at the same situation a different way.

Frank and Judy are in the exact same position. Same business, same success, same customer concentration with 30% of their revenue and 35% of their profits tied to one client. The difference is that they recognized the risk early. As part of a business analysis, they saw clearly that too much of their success was dependent on a single customer.

Instead of ignoring it, they addressed it.

They made a deliberate decision to continue their sales efforts, even while operating at or near capacity. They looked at ways to bring on new customers while maintaining their high standards, whether that meant increasing internal capacity or strategically outsourcing where it made sense. At the same time, they stayed focused on building a strong pipeline of new opportunities.

Then, just like in the first scenario, the unthinkable happened.

They lost their largest customer.

The impact was still significant. There is no way around that. At the same time, because they had continued selling and consistently built their pipeline, they were in a very different position. While their growth would take a hit for the year, they had enough opportunity in front of them to believe they could finish flat year over year at worst and position themselves to return to growth the following year.

The difference was not luck. The difference was that they never stopped selling.

I’m always interested in how businesses handle this. If you’ve already taken steps to reduce your dependence on a single customer, what did you do? And if you’re working on it right now, what are you putting in place?

Post it in the comments or send me a note. I read every one and respond.

Never stop selling.

Not when you’re busy, not when business is strong, and not when your biggest customers are demanding your time. The moment you stop building what’s next is the moment you become dependent on what you already have, and as we’ve already established, that is never permanent.

Now step back and look at those two scenarios.

Same business. Same risk. Same outcome. Completely different results.

There are certainties in life, and there are certainties in business. One of those certainties is that, at some point, you are going to lose customers. Sometimes for reasons within your control. Many times, for reasons outside of it.

The reason does not matter nearly as much as the reality that it will happen.

What does matter is whether you are prepared when it does.

If your current customers are carrying the weight of your business and you are not actively building what comes next, you are creating a gap that will eventually show up. And when it does, you will not have the time or the pipeline to fix it quickly.

The businesses that navigate this well are not guessing. They are not reacting. They are consistently building new opportunities, even when they are busy, even when things are going well, and even when they feel like they do not need more business.

With over four decades in sales and sales leadership, I help businesses identify the risks in their sales approach before those risks show up in lost revenue. The goal is simple: protect what you have while building what’s next, so one customer never puts your business in a hole.

If this hit close to home, let’s talk. If someone you know is in that position, feel free to refer them. Send me a note, give me a call, and we’ll set up a time to review where you stand and what to do next.

Are You Set Up to Win, Or Just Hoping Things Improve?

How are these factors impacting your business right now?

How are they impacting your customers and your prospects?

And do you have the right people in place who can help you overcome your current sales-related challenges?

Because in this environment, being good is not enough.

Being clear is not enough.

You have to be specific.

Let’s Talk About What This Means for You

What part of this resonated with you?

And how would you like me to help you?

Let’s connect.

Schedule a meeting with me or reach out directly to start the conversation.

Contact Information:

Phil Whitebloom

🏢Founder, BeenThere Consulting Services

📩 phil@beentherecs.com

🌐 https://beentherecs.com

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📞 240-305-7149

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If You Want to Go Deeper, Start Here

Valuable links:

📖 Click here to learn more about Handling Objections: Close More Sales, or scan the QR code below:

📖 Request Your Complimentary eBook Copy of The Sales Fixer here, or scan the QR codes below:

Unlock the Secrets to Closing More Sales with “Handling Objections: Clues for Closing the Sale” by Phil Whitebloom

Are you tired of hearing “no” or struggling to close the deal? In Phil Whitebloom’s book, you’ll learn how to turn objections into golden opportunities to secure the sale.

Whether you’re new to sales or have years of experience, this book is packed with actionable insights that will elevate your approach to closing deals.

Listen to The BeenThere/SoldThat Podcast

Join Brianna Hendley of Achievant Business Coaching and Phil Whitebloom as they discuss practical strategies to enhance your sales and business skills. Get ready to achieve your goals and dreams! Listen here.

More from BeenThere SoldThat

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Have a topic you want me to cover next?

Email me at phil@beentherecs.com. I read every note.