Defensiveness can be defined several ways.

One that I like is Reacting to nearly everything that is said or done as if it is a personal attack on you.

So, someone passes you in the hall at work and says: Hello, and you think: I wonder what he MEANT by that!

We can also become defensive with our clients, especially if they ARE attacking us or criticizing our products, or theyre thinking of bolting toward our competitors.

The same negative feelings crop up when we believe that theyve already stopped doing business with us for good.

This isnt a helpful concern to have if youve decided to contact your inactive accounts by phone. If youre defensive, youre likely to blurt out something like: Why arent we doing business, anymore?

This, of course, would put them on the spot, creating a defensive cycle, and theyd be inclined to attack back.

There is a better way to not only find out WHETHER they left, but also to being them back into the fold.

Start your conversation with the Thank-You Approach:

Hello, Bill, this is Gary Goodman with Customersatisfcation.com and Im just calling to say hi and to thank you for all of the business weve done together.

Then be silent!

If they feel positively about you theyll say they were thinking of you, or your name came up in conversation, or even that they have a new order for you.

If theyre reticent, you can explicitly ask them how theyve been and how theyve been taking care of their need for widgets, lately.

In any case, your Thank-You Approach will be supportive, which is the opposite of defensive, and this could thaw any frost that inadvertently caused a lull in your activity.