Win Back Old Customers and Stop Wasting Money on Leads

Stop Chasing Strangers and Look at Your Own Desk

I’ve sat in enough offices in suburbs from Chermside to Cleveland to know one thing for certain: most Brisbane business owners are obsessed with finding new customers.

They spend thousands on Google ads, Facebook posts, and letterbox drops trying to get someone who has never heard of them to pick up the phone. Now, don’t get me wrong, you need new blood. But most of the time, there is a goldmine sitting right under your nose that you’re completely ignoring.

I’m talking about your existing email list.

I’m not talking about the people who bought from you yesterday. I’m talking about the ones who haven't opened an email from you in six months. The ones who used your plumbing service three years ago and haven't been heard from since. The ones who signed up for your newsletter because they wanted a discount code, used it once, and went silent.

In the marketing world, people call this a "re-engagement campaign." In the real world, I call it "reminding people you exist so they give you money again."

Keeping a customer is significantly cheaper than finding a new one. In fact, it can cost five to ten times more to get a stranger to buy from you than it does to get a past customer to return. If you’re a small business owner in Brisbane trying to keep your margins healthy while inflation bites, this is the lowest-hanging fruit you’ve got.

Why Your Customers Stopped Opening Your Emails

Before we look at how to win them back, we need to be honest about why they left. Most of the time, it’s not because they hate you. It’s because you got boring, or you got annoying.

I’ve seen this with a lot of local professional services. They start an email list with the best intentions. Then, they either: 1. Stop sending anything at all. Six months go by, the customer forgets who they are, and then suddenly they get an email out of the blue. They don’t recognise the name, so they delete it. 2. Send too much junk. They blast out the same generic "Monthly Newsletter" that contains zero value. It’s just "Here is what the team did this month" and "Look at our new office cat." Nobody cares. People want to know how you can solve their problems or save them money.

When people stop clicking, it costs you money. Not just in lost sales, but because the big companies like Google and BigPond notice. If you keep sending emails to people who don't open them, those companies start shoving your emails into the junk folder for everyone—even your active customers.

That’s why you need a plan to either wake these people up or clear them off your list.

The Three Main Ways to Win Customers Back

There isn't just one way to do this. Depending on your business—whether you’re a mechanic in Geebung or a lawyer in the CBD—different approaches will work. Let’s look at the three most common methods and see which one puts the most cash in your pocket.

1. The "Big Bribe" Approach (The Discount)

This is the most common method. You send an email that basically says, "We miss you! Here is 20% off your next service."

Does it work? Yes, it’s the fastest way to get a spike in sales. Everyone loves a bargain. If you’re a retail shop or a service business with high margins (like a hair salon or a carpet cleaner), this is a great way to fill your diary for next week.

The Downside: You’re training people to only buy when there’s a sale. If you do this too often, you’ll find that your customers just wait for the "I miss you" email before they book. You’re also eating into your profit. If you’re already tight on margins, a 20% discount might mean you’re working for free once you factor in staff and overheads.

2. The "Helpful Expert" Approach (The Value Add)

Instead of a discount, you send something genuinely useful. If you’re a landscaper, you might send a "3 Tips to Keep Your Lawn Green During a Brisbane Summer" guide. If you’re an accountant, it might be a "Last Minute Tax Checklist."

Does it work? This builds trust. It reminds the customer that you are the expert. When they eventually need your service, you’re the first person they think of because you just helped them out for free. It’s a slower burn, but it builds a better business in the long run.

The Downside: It doesn't always result in an immediate phone call. You have to spend time (or money) creating the content. If you’re a busy tradie, the last thing you want to do on a Sunday night is write a blog post about PVC piping.

3. The "Housekeeping" Approach (The Ultimatim)

This is the blunt approach. You send an email saying, "Hey, you haven't opened our emails in a while. We don't want to clutter your inbox, so we’re going to remove you from our list in 7 days unless you click here to stay on."

Does it work? It’s incredibly effective at cleaning your list. Surprisingly, it often triggers a "FOMO" (fear of missing out) response. People who were ignoring you suddenly realize they might lose access to your updates and they click just to stay subscribed.

The Downside: You will lose subscribers. But honestly? If they haven't opened an email in a year, they weren't going to buy from you anyway. You’re better off having 500 people who actually read your stuff than 5,000 who ignore you. Plus, many email platforms charge you based on how many people are on your list. Cleaning the list literally saves you money on your monthly bill. Understanding email platform costs is a huge part of making sure your marketing is actually profitable.

Which Approach is Best for Your Business?

I’ve seen this play out for dozens of Brisbane businesses, and the answer depends on what you sell.

If you run a high-volume business like a cafe, a car wash, or a boutique, go with the Big Bribe. You need feet through the door and the lifetime value of that customer is worth the initial discount.

If you run a professional service or a trade (plumbers, electricians, solicitors, mortgage brokers), go with a mix of the Helpful Expert and Housekeeping. You want to be seen as the authority, not the "cheap guy." You want customers who value your work, not just your price.

Step-by-Step: How to Run Your First Win-Back Campaign

If you want to do this yourself, don't overcomplicate it. You don't need a degree in data science. Here is the exact process I’d tell a mate to follow if they were running a small shop in Morningside.

Step 1: Find the "Sleepy" Customers

Step 2: Write Three Simple Emails

Email 1 (The "Just Checking In"): "Hey [Name], it’s been a while since we saw you at the shop. Hope everything is going well. We’ve got some new [products/services] we thought you’d like." Email 2 (The "Little Something Extra"): Send this 3 days later to the people who didn't open the first one. "Hey, just following up—I’d love to see you back. Here is a [Discount/Freebie] if you book this week." Email 3 (The "Goodbye"): Send this 4 days after that. "It looks like you’re not interested in our updates anymore. No hard feelings! We’ll remove you from our list so we don't bother you. If you want to stay, click here."

Being too "Salesy": If your email sounds like a late-night TV commercial, people will tune out. Write like a human. "Hey, we haven't seen you in a while" works much better than "ACT NOW FOR UNBEATABLE SAVINGS!!!" Ignoring the Subject Line: If they don't open the email, the rest doesn't matter. Use something simple. "A quick question for you" or "We miss you at [Business Name]" usually gets a high open rate. Sending to Everyone: Do not send your "win-back" discount to people who just bought from you yesterday. They will be annoyed that they paid full price. You need to learn how to send better emails by only targeting the people who actually need to hear from you.

Real Results: The Brisbane Plumber Example

We worked with a plumber based in the Western Suburbs. He had a list of about 2,000 past customers. He hadn't emailed them in over a year. He thought the list was useless.

We ran a simple three-email campaign. No fancy graphics, just plain text.

Email 1 was a "Winter Plumbing Check" tip list. Email 2 was an offer for a $50 discount on a hot water system service. Email 3 was the "Should we stop emailing you?" message.

The result? He booked 14 jobs in the first week. Total revenue was just over $4,500. The cost to send those emails? About $30 for the software subscription.

You won't get that kind of return on investment with Facebook ads. Not in today's market.

How Long Does it Take to See Money?

Unlike SEO, which can take months to kick in, email marketing is almost instant. When you hit "send," you’ll usually see the first phone calls or bookings within an hour.

If you’ve never done this before, I’d suggest setting aside two hours this Friday. Spend one hour finding your old customers and one hour writing the emails. If you do that, you’ll likely have a busier Monday than usual.

What Should You Do First?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just do the "Housekeeping" email.

Go find everyone who hasn't opened an email in six months and ask them if they still want to be there. It’s the easiest way to start because there’s no pressure to "sell." It cleans up your data and usually reminds a few people that they actually meant to call you about that job they’ve been putting off.

Is This a Waste of Time?

Look, I’ll be blunt. If you only have 10 people on your email list, don't bother with this. Go spend your time getting more customers.

But if you’ve been in business for more than a year and you’ve got a couple of hundred (or thousand) names sitting in a spreadsheet or a booking system, ignoring them is madness. It’s like leaving cash in a drawer and forgetting where you put it.

Marketing doesn't have to be about "algorithms" or "viral videos." Sometimes, it’s just about being a good business owner and staying in touch with the people who have already shown they like what you do.

Need Help Getting Your Customers Back?

Running a business in Brisbane is hard enough without having to worry about email templates and data segments. If you know you’re sitting on a goldmine of old customers but you just don't have the time to deal with it, that’s where we come in.

At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy marketing awards. We care about making your phone ring. We can help you set up these systems so they run in the background while you’re out on the tools or running your shop.

Stop letting your competitors steal your old customers. Let’s get them back.

Ready to grow your business? Contact Local Marketing Group today.