In book three
of one of my most popular series,
I killed off
a much beloved secondary character.
Readers were upset.
Many swore to never read me again.
I reached out
to as many as I could,
listened to them,
promised them
I wouldn’t do that again
(I won’t.
That plot device loses effectiveness
with repeated use.).
Many of them stayed away
during the release week of book 4.
They read reviews.
They were reassured
I hadn’t broken my vow.
Some, not all, eventually
bought book 4.
Zach Goldstein,
Founder of
Thanx, Inc,
shares
“Our study found that
communicating with customers
who were once loyal
is eight times more cost effective
than acquiring new ones
and more likely to produce large returns.”
Lost customers
don’t have to be lost forever.
If you want them back,
communicate with them.