I recently moved and with the move came a need to purchase a great deal of new  services and change relationships with other service providers. I am not alone, as recent census data shows that close to 40 million people, or nearly 15 percent of the population, moves each year. This will only increase as baby boomers retire and move, and our society grows and becomes even more mobile.  I completed the change of address with the USPS and expected a torrent of new mover offers. It was amazing how quick some companies became aware of the impending move and communicated with me through direct mail! Other companies attempted shortly after I moved, and several others continue to contact me long after important decisions have been made about their services.

Because of the move, I changed several service provider relationships including insurance providers, telecommunications, cable, medical, home services, banking and auto dealerships. Many of these competing service providers made no attempt to contact me through mail and lost out on the chance to win new business. The ones who sent mailings offered nice incentives to switch, some with very compelling offers.  Some of the mailings included maps and locations of service providers and contact information. Most were timely, but a few showed up too late to be considered.
 
The whole experience reminded me that there is a huge opportunity for companies to win or lose relationships during  these moves. It demonstrated that some companies realize this and put great effort into winning new customers and keeping the ones they have, while others  are completely missing the opportunity to do both.