Slow month? How calling past customers can lift your cash flow

The phone works both ways

When business goes quiet, most owners wait for the phone to ring. It’s the natural response: you’ve done the marketing, you’ve got a good reputation, the work will come. Usually it does, eventually. But a quiet month still has to cover wages, rent and tax, and “eventually” doesn’t help with any of those.

Picking up the phone yourself is one of the fastest, cheapest ways to bring work forward. Not cold calling strangers, but calling people who already know you, trust you and have paid you before.

Why past customers are your best list

A past customer has already decided you’re worth hiring. They know your work, they have your details, and in many cases they’ll need you again: a service that’s due, a second stage of a project, a seasonal job, a replacement. Calling them isn’t selling from scratch; it’s reminding them at a good moment.

business.gov.au’s cash flow guidance focuses on boosting money coming in as well as managing what goes out. A short burst of well-targeted calls is a direct way to do the first.

Step 1: build a focused list

Open your invoicing or job management software and pull out:

1. Customers due for a repeat service. Annual services, inspections, maintenance, seasonal jobs, restocks.
2. Quotes that stalled. People who asked for a price in the last six to twelve months and didn’t go ahead.
3. Past big-ticket customers. Anyone who spent well with you in the last one to two years.
4. Customers who asked you to “call back later”. Later might be now.

Aim for twenty to forty names. A short list of likely yeses beats a long list of maybes, and you’ll actually get through it.

Step 2: check who you’re calling

A quick check before you dial:

• Business customers on business numbers are the simplest. ACMA notes you can’t add a business phone number to the Do Not Call Register.
• Sole traders and households may be using personal mobiles. A number used for both business and personal purposes can be registered if it’s mostly personal. If you’re making marketing calls to numbers that may be registered, check the rules on ACMA’s website first.
• Anyone who’s asked not to be contacted: respect it, and note it in your records.

This isn’t about paperwork. It’s about making calls that customers are glad to get.

Step 3: what to say

Keep it short, friendly and useful. Three parts:

1. Who you are and the connection. “It’s Alex from the air-conditioning business. We serviced your split system last November.”
2. Why you’re calling now. “Summer’s coming and we’ve got some early slots before it gets busy.”
3. One simple question. “Would you like me to book you in for a service in the next couple of weeks?”

“Hi Sam, it’s Alex, we did the air-con service at your place last November. With summer coming up, I’ve got a few early slots before things get busy. Would you like me to pencil you in for the week after next?”

Illustrative example only.

For stalled quotes:

“Hi, it’s Priya from the landscaping business. I quoted on your back garden in March. I’m just checking whether it’s still on the cards; I’ve got some availability in November if the timing suits.”

Illustrative example only.

Step 4: handle the answers

They say	You say
“Yes, book me in.”	Book it on the spot and confirm by text or email.
“Not right now.”	“No problem. When would be a better time to check in?” Note the date.
“We went with someone else.”	“Thanks for letting me know. If anything changes, we’re here.” Mark the record.
“Please don’t call me.”	Apologise, confirm you’ll remove them, and do it.

Keep notes as you go. A simple spreadsheet with name, date called, outcome and next step is enough.

Step 5: make it a habit, not a panic

The best time to call past customers is before the quiet month, not during it. If you know your slow periods, and most businesses do, schedule a calling session a few weeks ahead each time. It smooths the dips instead of reacting to them.

Some owners set aside one morning a month. Others pass it to a receptionist or admin person. If call handling is already stretched, our guide on receptionists and answering services looks at the cost of getting help.

Pair it with the other quiet-month moves

Calling past customers works best alongside a few other steps:

• Chase what you’re owed. Overdue invoices are money you’ve already earned. Our guide to chasing unpaid invoices by phone has scripts.
• Talk to suppliers early if you’ll need a little more time on an account.
• Review what’s due. Wages, BAS, rent and loan repayments in the next six weeks. If something won’t be covered, act before the due date. Our page on tight deadlines helps if there’s a date looming.

Other calls worth making in a quiet month

Past customers aren’t the only people worth ringing when things are slow. A few other calls can bring work or cash forward:

• Referral partners. Accountants, builders, real estate agents, other trades. A quick “we’ve got capacity next month” call can generate introductions.
• Customers with open quotes. Not just stalled ones: anyone who’s received a price in the last few weeks and hasn’t replied yet.
• Customers who owe you money. Chasing overdue invoices is the fastest cash you can find. See our guide on chasing unpaid invoices by phone.
• Suppliers. If you’re likely to need a little longer on an account, ask early. Most suppliers prefer a heads-up to a surprise.
• Your accountant. Ask whether any BAS refund or tax adjustment is due, and whether your PAYG instalments still reflect your income.

Keep track of these calls in the same simple spreadsheet as your customer calls. The habit matters more than the tool.

When the gap is still there

Sometimes you’ll do all of this and still face a shortfall for a few weeks. A seasonal business, a big customer who pays slowly, a quiet stretch that ran longer than usual. That’s when a short conversation with a lender is worth having, before the pressure peaks rather than after.

If your business is sound and the quiet patch is temporary, you can see what might be available without a credit check at the enquiry stage. When you talk to a specialist, describe the pattern clearly: which months are quiet, why, and when things pick up. Our page on describing turnover shows how to explain a seasonal dip so it’s read the right way.

A worked example

A small pest-control business has a slow August. The owner pulls a list of 35 customers whose annual inspection is due in the next two months, plus 8 quotes from the past year that didn’t proceed. Over two mornings, they call all 43. Fourteen book inspections for September, three quotes go ahead, and several ask to be called in spring. The bookings don’t fix August, but they fill September. To cover August wages, the owner also arranges a small working-capital facility, repaid as the September work is invoiced.

Illustrative example only.

Make the call

Your past customers are one phone call away, and so are we. If a quiet month is putting pressure on wages, rent or tax, ring 03 4059 1829 during Melbourne business hours, or leave a 60-second enquiry and we’ll call you. There’s no credit check to enquire, your details stay with one team instead of being passed to a pile of lenders, and a real specialist will talk it through. Please describe your quiet and busy months accurately, so we can match you with an option that fits the rhythm of your business.