If we’re honest, most of us will admit that we have favorite clients and customers. Maybe they earn that status by forming the biggest slice of our revenue pie; maybe they renew their contracts year after year without question, or maybe they’re simply an easy account to manage.

Yet it’s those same customers who frequently walk away from us without warning, leaving us confused and wondering what we could have done differently. If this has happened to you, you’re not alone. As playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

Contrary to what you might think, the warning signs usually present themselves long before the client drops the axe. It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for. Here are a few warning signs to recognize you’re about to lose a customer before it’s too late:

• Silence. If you’re not talking, the relationship isn’t working. The customer should be using your platform, asking you questions or sharing results. If they’re not showing signs of engagement, they’ve checked out. Too many businesses think, “We’re not hearing any complaints so they must be happy.” But silence is the sign of a disconnected customer who’s probably already looking for alternatives.

Click below to read the full article: