How to reliably get new clients
Cold emails to get new clients
Follow ups to get replies
Link building emails
Partner with influencers
Graceful apologies
Pitch journalists
Onboard new users
Ask for donations
Ask for referrals
How to gracefully apologize for a single customer's bad experience
One of your customers had a negative experience? Here's how you can sincerely say sorry and show them what steps you're taking to make sure it doesn't happen again.
❶I'm really sorry about what happened with your spa experience. I have processed a full refund for you.
❷Going forward, we will ask clients to fill out a more in-depth intake forms so our massage therapists can better understand and accommodate your unique needs.
❸If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 415-888-8888.
With my sincerest apologies,
[Your name]
❶ Accept responsibility for the bad customer experience.
❷ Describe the specific steps you're taking to prevent the same issue from happening again.
❸ Put a human face on the company and let the customer contact you if they have any questions.
How to apologize after a widespread issue affects your products
Experienced an issue that affected a handful or many people? Here's how you can say sorry to keep them as customers by explaining what caused the issue and how you're preventing it from happening again. You can also mention what inspired you to start your business and what it helps with so they want to keep supporting you.
❶I'm Sarah, founder of Food2Home. During the last week, you may have received food that was different from what you ordered.
Recently, we started testing a predictive feature that would anticipate demand for our restaurant partners so they can start preparing ahead of time and avoid drowning in orders.
We really let you down with our latest update - it was released too early.
❷I'm really sorry about the confusion and inconvenience. We fixed the issue and have completely revamped our code review and release process so this never happens again.
❸We started Food2Home because most of our favorite restaurants, especially the ones outside of downtown, didn't offer takeout.
We really hope you give us another chance. All of us here at Food2Home are excited to help you easily discover and access the diverse food your city has to offer.
❹[Team photo]
My sincerest apologies,
❶Briefly describe the issue that happened and sincerely apologize for it.
❷Describe what your team did or are doing to rectify the issue and how you're preventing this from happening in the future.
❸Remind your customers the biggest benefit you provide them and what inspired you to create the company.
❹Put a human face on your company by showing a casual photo of your team.
Whew, my customers aren't upset anymore...but question, how do I sell to them without coming off as a money grubber? Here are 4 sales emails that Nigerian princes would never send (which is good). :)
How to apologize for site downtime and make up for it by offering a discount or voucher
❶I'm really sorry about the intermittent downtime you may have experienced the past 3 days. We know shopping for your favorite indie brands is no fun when you have to keep pressing the refresh button.
❷What happened? KULT was featured in several big publications around the same time, which sent a massive wave of visitors our way.
❸Our tech team has since added several new servers that will keep KULT online during peak load. Even if Kendall Jenner shouts us out (fingers crossed ;) ).
❹To make up for this inconvenience, here's $5 off your next steal:
SORRY5
Expires May 12
[CEO or founder email signature]
❶Acknowledge the issue your customers experienced and apologize for it.
❷Briefly explain what caused it.
❸Describe what your team has done to prevent the issue from happening again. Depending on your audience and how severe the issue was, you can use a bit of humor to lighten the mood.
❹If possible, offer a small discount off their next purchase to apologize for the inconvenience.
How to tactfully reply to someone who ranted about your company
I'm sorry to hear you had a negative experience.
❶It seems there was a bit of a misunderstanding about how our art rentals work. I would love to clear that up:
Our customers agree on a monthly fee for each piece of artwork they wish to lease. At the end of the leasing period, if you wish to keep the artwork, 60% of the total leasing fee you've paid is applied toward the cost of the artwork.
❷We have a dedicated customer support team here ready to help you in any way we can. In the future, you can contact us directly for a quicker response and resolution at:
support@artforyou.com
416-888-888
❸Thank you for your honest feedback, we appreciate each one as they really help us improve.
❶Directly address the issue they raised and explain to them how your product or service works to clear up any misunderstandings.
❷If they did not contact customer service first, recommend they do so next time to receive a quicker response. This subtly encourages others who may be reading the exchange to reach out to support first before saying something on a public forum.
❸Thank them for their feedback to show that you and your company can take criticism well and learn from it.
How to proactively ask customers who had good experiences to leave reviews
❶We're excited to keep helping you with grammar and sentence syntax. So far with Grammarly, you've proofread 14 6546 words and made 1255 corrections.
❷Would you mind sparing one minute to leave us a review? [link to review]
❸Most people consult reviews when they decide whether or not to try out a new product so it would make a huge difference if you shared your experience.
[review link]
Thank you so much,
[Your name]
❶Enumerate the results that your product or service helped your customer achieve.
❷Politely ask them for a review.
❸Explain what impact their review makes to motivate them to leave one.
Frequently asked questions about apologizing to customers
How do you apologize to a customer for a bad experience?
If the customer had a bad experience because you or your team made a mistake, sincerely apologize. Depending on the severity of what happened and your product or service, make up for it by offering compensation such as a refund. If it was a moderate or serious issue, mention a change you'll make to prevent something similar from happening.
What if a customer leaves a negative review anonymously or under a name you don't have on file?
They could be a customer who uses a different alias online or someone who didn't buy from you or work with you. It's important to reply to these reviews to show potential and existing customers you're acknowledging and addressing the negative ones.
Simply let them know you don't have a customer with their name on file and ask them to reach out to your support team so you can look into it for them.
What if a customer had a negative experience that wasn't your fault?
Show empathy for the inconvenience they experienced and explain how it happened and why it was outside of your control without blaming anyone or apologizing. If there is something easy and costless you or they can do to fix the issue, you can suggest this as an idea.
