My friend Amy recently decided to cut down on the large number of catalogs she received regularly. After emailing her opt-out request to a wide variety of companies, she reported that only one tried to nurture the relationship any further.
L.L. Bean sent her a personalized letter by snail mail saying they were sorry to see her go, encouraging her to use their website, and inviting her to sign up to receive the catalog again in the future. Bean stood out from the crowd, and Amy was genuinely impressed. Considering how hard most companies work to acquire every single customer, it makes sense to let them know how valuable they are, even when they’re opting out.
I asked Amy if she would have agreed to receive just one or two catalogs per year, if that option was offered. “Absolutely,” she answered, “but not one company even suggested it.” Clearly, many companies have a lot of room for improvement in the customer retention department.
