Most distributors know that losing customers costs them money. Despite this, few have specific plans for reducing defection – and even fewer have someone in charge of this important task.

But losing customers costs more than you think for one very important reason: Customers that defect can only drop to zero sales dollars. Customers you retain tend to grow over time. That means when you improve retention, you not only keep the sales you would have lost, but you also add growing accounts over time. The multiplier effect of retaining more accounts means distributors should invest more in retention than they think. The opportunity cost is much greater than the lost sales alone.

In this episode of Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein share the true costs of customer defection – and the real upside of reducing it.