Can You Take Your Clients with You when You Quit?

If you've decided to leave your current job and join a member of the competition or start your own business, you might be faced with the dilemma of building a client base. It can be tempting to take your clients with you when you quit, but is it ethical? According to Entrepreneur.com, it is ethical in some situations, but you have to be very careful about stealing clients from former employers. When you take your clients with you when you quit, you open yourself up to potential lawsuits, regardless of whether or not they have any legitimacy.

First of all, if you signed a non-compete agreement when you were hired at your current job -- or if you signed one during your employment tenure -- you can't take clients with you when you quit. A non-compete agreement means that you agree not to do anything that might sabotage your employer's relationship with its client after your employment is terminated. Make sure you read through all of the paperwork you have with your employer to ensure you haven't agreed to that.

Even if you don't have a non-compete agreement, however, you need to be careful about taking clients with you when you quit. Intellectual property and confidentiality laws are very strict and you don't want to open yourself to litigation. It is far better to avoid suggesting to clients that they come with you when you leave your employer; instead, let them make that decision on their own.

If you have been working in sales or in customer relations, you might not have to worry about stealing clients from your former employer. They don't have a direct professional relationship with your company; instead, their relationship is with you. Give your boss the honors of informing them of your resignation or termination so that you can't be accused of trying to sway their loyalty, then let nature take its course from there. Of course, there are a few things you can do to tilt the situation in your favor:

Give Them a Call
After you quit your job -- and not a second before -- you can call your former clients to see how they like the new company representative. Express a concern for their well-being and don't mention that they should switch to your new company, but leave the option open. Wish them the best of luck and use all of your customer service savvy to show them what a great guy or girl you are. This might help your clients decide to come with you now that you've quit.

Send Thank-You Notes
It is also not inappropriate to send all of your former clients a thank-you note to show your appreciation for their business. Include your new business card and hope that they will decide to come with you now that you've quit. It also wouldn't hurt to include a coupon or a special offer to help tip the scales.

Ask for Opinions
If the previous two ideas haven't worked, you might want to call up your former clients and ask their opinions on products, services and methods of business. This is especially useful if you're starting your own company because you'll get valuable market feedback and you might convince your clients to come with you now that you've quit. Make sure to work positive differences between your new company and old company into the conversation.

Drop a Referral
If your clients are business men and women themselves, try reciprocating their patronage by sending referrals their way. This will keep you in their minds as they make business decisions and will help you steal them away from your former employer. You might also send them samples of your products to get them interested.

Keep Communication Open
Whatever you do, don't stop communicating with your clients. If you often send them links to websites they might find useful, keep it up, and include a note saying, "Thought you'd like this". You can also drop them an e-mail now and again or make a call.

None of these tips will guarantee that your clients will come with you when you quit, but none of them will hurt. Just make sure you don't steal your clients out from underneath your employer's nose and stay out of legal trouble.