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Don't let it go! It wants to stay.
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See if this sounds familiar: Farmer Garbanzo wakes up one morning, thirsty for a cold, delicious glass of milk. Like any farmer worth his salt, he goes and buys a calf, feeds and nurtures it to cow adulthood, and finally milks it until he has a full glass.
Then he lets the cow go. It is confused at first, but finally accepts that it is free and wanders off in search of new pastures and farmers.
The next morning, Farmer Garbanzo wakes up, thirsty for another glass of milk, so--he goes and buys a new calf . . . .
 Even though Farmer Garbanzo is inefficient, his story certainly isn't unique. This kind of insanity happens all the time--especially with advertising. I know too many people (myself included) who have bought solid, comprehensive advertising programs only to let their customers slip away shortly after the sale.
Case in point: a couple months ago, I called a carpet cleaner after browsing their excellent yellow page ad. They came to my house and did a fantastic job. I've got fourteen grandchildren--FOURTEEN--and after they were through cleaning it, those carpets looked like they had never known dirt. The cleaners were quick and efficient about it, and left in an hour without saying so much as a "goodbye."
I would love to use them again, but I can't. I couldn't remember the name of their business if my life depended on it. The saddest thing is that it would not have been difficult at all for them to keep me from wandering off (yes, I am the cow in this story). If they had left a magnet behind with their phone number on it, followed up with a call afterwards, or asked for my email and sent me periodic offers, I probably would have kept on doing business with them forever. Heck, I would have even recommended them to my friends. As it is, next time I need a carpet cleaner, I'll probably just open up the yellow pages again.
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Having an effective retention program will turn a moderately successful ad into a cash cow.
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So if the Farmer Garbanzo or carpet cleaner stories strike you as too familiar, do something about it. It will mean a lot to your business if you do.
Thanks for your Business,
Reed
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