Let me blow your mind real quick when it comes to retaining clients in your service-based business. As much as the industry wants you to think that your focus in business should be acquiring new clients,

retaining clients in your service-based business is cheaper and easier both in terms of money and time.

You think I am making that up for clickbait? Nope

“Research shows that it can cost up to 30 times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. It pays to stay very close to your customers, so you know their exact needs, today and tomorrow.” LinkedIn Pulse

Think back to the last time you onboarded a client.

How much

• work had to go into connecting with that client?
• energy went into helping them find the right offer for them in their journey?
• time did it take to finally find your flow?

Don’t get me wrong, there ARE ways of making this process as painless as possible (3 Tips for Onboarding A New Team Member), but once you put the work in, don’t let it go to waste! The industry is telling you to spend hours engaging and creating for new ideal clients, but many times we do that at the expense of engaging with the people who already trust us and work with us. They need our attention too!

Five tips for retaining clients in your service-based business

Update your progress as you go. 

This will allow your client to follow along on the project’s journey, which is easier for both parties.

You can do this by setting up a system for tasks that includes checking off tasks as you go. A bonus if your project management tool is anything like ClickUp (my personal favorite), there should be a feature called “status” where you can update the status of the project. Check out how here: What are Statuses?

Check the 5 Necessities of a Client Dashboard below to learn more about how to set up your clients within your system!

Your integrity is your biggest asset. 

If you tell a client that you will do something, make it happen.

When it comes to building your business and brand, it is only as strong and consistent as the reputation you build behind it. When you start to make promises, it is essential that you keep them. If you do not think that you can keep it, then don’t promise it. That is why boundaries are so important. 

How do you set them?⠀⠀

• Think about what you want 
• Think about what your clients need
• Establish how you will handle when agreements are breached– and STICK to it!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• Communicate these boundaries with your clients and include them in your contract or onboarding packet.
• More on boundaries here

This helps you create honest expectations. Honesty demonstrates authenticity, and in the service business, retaining clients relies on authentic and trustworthy business.

Get feedback often

Client’s needs are continually evolving, and each of their journeys is unique. Getting their input helps you develop your services and grow together instead of apart.

You may start saying to yourself, “how the heck am I going to do all of this at once while still bringing in new clients?”

This is where automation and workflows come in handy!

At the start, you can set up a workflow that sends out surveys halfway through and at the end of every project. Check out how I use feedback with ClickUp here.

What is Offboarding and How To Add It To Your Client Experience

Stay grounded in your why. 

When you overcommit or feel disconnected from your work, your clients can feel it too. Make sure you are working to stay connected to yourself and your business.

You really should take the time to zone in on the present challenges in front of you and not allow the past or future possibilities to keep you from giving your clients the experience you promised.

Prioritize communication. 

I’ve said it once, and I will say it thousands of times more. There is nothing as powerful in a client’s experience as feeling supported and informed by you. For a more in-depth understanding of this, check out our post,

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