LETTERS. RECOVERING OLD CUSTOMERS ONE of the most important uses to which form letters can be put is the endeavour to recover old customers whose patronage has for some reason been removed from the firm. Such old customers can be divided into two classes, the first consisting of customers who have removed their patronage owing to some specific complaint which they have mentioned at the time. Letters to this class must be written especially for each individual case, having regard to the reason why the customer was lost, and should point out in detail that the service of the firm has been so iniproved RS to avoid any recurrence of that specific trouble. For these reasons it is very wise to keep a record of all customers who are lost, including particulars of the reasons for the closing of the account.
The second, and by far the larger, class consists of customers whose business has been lost, not through any special dispute, but simply from sheer forgetfulness of the customer to come and order! Letters to this large class ean be written more generally, and should mention how sorry the trader is to lose the custom and how anxious he is to obtain a further trial. They should
point out that the only hope of the firm is to please its customers, and it is often very effective to request that even if another trial cannot be given, the erstwhile customer should tell the reason why he removed his patronage.
One of' the most effective of all plans for inducing immediate replies to such letters is to make some special bargain offer that is only held out to old customers. Some remarkable results have been achieved by such letters. One letter for instance, similar to that given below, offering three 43. 6d. shirts for l'Os. 6d., was sent out by a large firm of London hosiers to a list of custonnrs who had not bought for two years. In spite of the fact that these old customers bad received several previous communications asking for a further trial, the letter brought 19 per cent. of orders—under the circum stances a very remarkable result—which shows the great value of a distinctive letter containing a clear incentive to immediate action.