The vexing problem of how to increase the loyalty of clients has always been troublesome to people specializing in foreign trade. Salesmen often find that their clients may say goodbye to them and end their business relationship, simply to start a new one and on other occasions, their clients disappear without any notice. In order to mitigate issues such as these, we should know what causes this behavior and how to remedy the problem.

The costs of developing new clients is considerably higher than the costs of maintaining the ones you already have, but many companies strap their cart before the horse way too soon by continually chasing after new client and neglecting the ones they already have. Retaining the trust and loyalty of your old clients will end up being the foundation of your company.

Client loss stems from both internal and external factors.

Internal factors:

1. Unstable productor serviceYour company’s product or service provides the standard by which clients can measure you and what clients are looking for is high quality. Competition is fierce for companies engaged in the pharmaceutical or medical devices trade and if they fail to raise the bar of their standard, not meeting the expectations of their clients, client loyalty will be a complete impossibility.
2. Lack of service consciousness.Behaviors such as unprofessional attitudes, unanswered questions, ignoring clients and not addressing complaints are all contributing factors to client loss. The interests of buyers and suppliers are closely connected and low service standards can cause great damage to a company’s reputation and may inevitably lead to major client losses.  Never take the finer details and basic good manners for granted.
3. Lack of innovation.Because of maturing markets and the increasing transparency of product price, profit margins are becoming smaller and smaller. If companies become too set in their ways, their lack of adaptability may lead to clients looking for more attractive  business deals. After all, relationships are maintained by keeping the interests of both parties involved.
4. Unstable employee base.Due to carelessness and lack of standardization of companies when they are dealing with clients, they often don’t exert enough influence and impress their clients. As a result, once a specific employee leaves the company, they often take their clients with them. If you don’t pay attention you will end up being very surprised by the number clients you lose due to employees' who job hop.

External factors: 

1. Clients are faced with new propositions. There are a limited number of clients in every field and gaining them as your clients becomes the main objective. Every brand or product has a weakness and once yours has been discovered by your competitors, they will take advantage and exploit it. Because of the intense competition and in order to get in on the main market, they will try to attract clients with all the resources available to them, regardless of the cost.
2. Natural wastage. Some client loss is a result ofnatural wastage. For instance, clients may change their jobs or careerThere are numerous resources available to foreign trade companies to determine the possible causes if they experience client losses. Follow ups and conscious investment in client relationships are priceless. Companies who make an effort to address concerns and provide good after-sales services will see positive results. This will all be pointless though if the same mistakes are continuously repeated.
   Of course, the upkeep of client information is crucial. People move and change contact information and making an effort to keep this updated will help secure them as loyal clients. One on one calls always brings a more personal touch and speaking to your clients directly is a valuable way making them feel appreciated.

When experiencing client loss, it advisable for companies to reflect on the internal factors first and try to analyze the situation in order to get to the root of the problem. Reach out to clients who have left and ask for feedback on both products and services to determine what they were not satisfied with.  

1. Quality of products. Companies specializing in medical deviceswho guarantee the safety, accuracy and durability of their products are able to gain an advantage to some extent while pharmaceutical companies should ensure the safety and effectiveness of their products. Whether it is vaccine, formulation or other medicine, we should not only control production lines and the timing of transportation but also aspects such as temperature to make sure the whole process is efficient and managed well. Only top quality products can lay a solid foundation for sales and promotions and truly attract and retain clients.
2. After-sale service optimization.Companies should provide first-rate serviceswith high standards. After-sale service plays an important role in the medical devices industry. Adhere to the principle of “customer first” and perfect your after-sale service to impress, inspire confidence and establish trust in your company.
3. Strengthening communication with clients. Companies have an obligation to clients to be candid abouttheir development programs and what they aim to achieve. For example, pharmaceutical companies could decide to make various adjustments to the products of regional markets according to current market trends, which would not only meet the needs of clients but also boost their confidence in your company. At the same time, companies are able to strengthen good relationship by gathering information of clients in detail and managing this information with precision. Only when we understand our clients’ requirement can we really reach the goal of providing a service that will motivate them to stay with your company. 
4. Adding marketing value.This requires companies to improve their products, services,personnel and image to increase the total value of their Companies should also establish long-term cooperation plans. Consider using dividends in installments or seasonal and annual rewards to attract clients on the premise of making profits by taking the balance of price-cutting as reward.
5. Innovation.To keep up with constantly evolving markets and trends, companies have to make adjustments to products and be creative, constantly analyzing and focusing on improvement. Both pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies should keep track of market shifts and changes so as to keep their operation strategies current and up to date.