Bring past customers back

The leak

People who already bought from you know your work. When they need it again, they'll often go with whoever reaches them first — or whoever they remember. A well-timed, useful check-in makes that you.

Before you start

Count returning customers. Of the customers you served 3 to 12 months ago, how many have come back since? Write down both numbers.

Steps

1. List your past customers

   Template · Customer list columns

   Name | Contact | Agreed to hear from us? (Yes / No) | What they bought | Last service date | Return trigger | Next contact month | Result

2. Find the natural return trigger

   A maintenance interval, a season, a refill, a renewal, an anniversary of the first job. Set "next contact month" from that trigger, not from a random date.

3. Write a check-in that helps first

   Template · Check-in message

   Hi [Name], it's [your name] from [Business]. It's been about [time] since [what you did for them] — around when [the useful reason: e.g. "it's worth a check-up before summer"]. Want me to [simple next step]? If not, no worries at all.
   
   [How to stop receiving these messages]

4. Run it once a month

   Put a recurring 30-minute block in your calendar. Filter the list by this month, send the check-ins, record the results.

5. Respect permission

   Only contact customers who agreed to hear from you, and always include an easy way to stop. In the US, marketing emails must include a way to opt out, and marketing text messages generally require the customer's prior written consent. This isn't legal advice.

Check in

After 7 days: how many check-ins went out, and how many got a reply?

After 30 days: how many of those customers booked again? Compare with your baseline.