something is wrong. Make sure that you communicate this in a way that absolutely conveys your genuine concern for their well-being.   After you caringly express concern for the lack of contact and business that your company has had with them, ask the question, "Is anything wrong?" Follow that up before your customer responds by adding, "Have we done something wrong or did we offend you? If we did, it certainly wasnt intentional. Is everything all right with your business, job, family, health etc.?   Believe it or not, this simple approach has a magical affect on your inactive customers (just like it does on your spouse).   Dont underestimate this strategy. Even big companies use it. When Continental Airlines was about to go under in 1994, Greg Brenneman, a former consultant suggested to   Sample Letter From Southwestern Bell Asking Me to Come Back Gordon Bethune, CEO of Continental, that they win back their customers by calling them and personally asking for forgiveness and for a second chance.   Greg Brenneman, who later became Continentals Chief Operating Officer, and Gordon Bethune both got on the phones with their executive staff and started to call their best inactive customers one-by-one. It worked like gangbusters. Inactive customers who were dissatisfied with Continental were impressed by the personal phone call and came back in droves. Since then its stock has risen 1,700%.   Be a Full-Service Provider Without All the Hassle   Lets go back to my client in the spa and pool industry who mentioned that he didnt know what more to sell his customer because they had just purchased a spa, a one-time item purchase. He did have a valid point. He personally couldnt sell his customer much more than chemicals and accessories, BUT, he could be a full-service provider by offering complimentary products and services in which his customer might be interested.   How? I advised my client to meet with the owners of other businesses that provide complimentary products and services that his customer might be interested in, and strike up a commission or referral deal. This way he could still benefit economically from his relationships with his customers and continue to provide his customers other products and services.   To maximize this strategy you might consider asking your customers what they are lacking and then find out how to solve it. As the sayings go   Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it. Find an itch and scratch it.   Virtually every successful small businessperson you ask will tell you that finding and meeting unmet wants is the name of the game when it comes to winning customers. The