I was booting up my computer the other day when my Norton firewall prompted me that it was time for a renewal. This message came in the form of the concise little window you see here:
Norton could have just asked if I wanted to renew my subscription. However, they didn’t stop there. They threw in this little gem:
You have been protected against 72986 viruses over the last 707 days.
That sentence alone made me think: “Wow, that is a lot of viruses. What would happen if I didn’t renew?”
No Freebies
You can’t assume you’ll retain current customers when it comes time to renew their service or buy from you again. You need to be prepared to re-earn their business.
Reminders
Help the customer remember all the beautiful benefits they enjoyed because they used your product. Norton reminded me of the security I may have taken for granted. Help the customer recall the pain they felt before they found you and the joy they’ve had since their initial purchase.
The Future
Customers will renew or buy from you again when they don’t like the vision of the future without you in it. I don’t really want 70,000 new viruses getting through to my computer next year. So what do I do? I renew my subscription.
Persuasion
Paint two pictures: one with your product and its related benefits and one without it accompanied by the negative consequences.
You don’t have to spell everything out for customers. Spark their imagination or help them doubt your competition and you may just re-win their business.