I have said it before and I will gladly say it again: I really don’t like it when a client comes in sick to her facial appointment! I personally rarely get sick therefore I have not had to cancel too many appointments in my career due to an illness. But I have gotten sick on numerous occasions when a client has come in “under the weather.” Usually the illness passes through me quickly, but I still have to load up on supplements and immune stimulants after I have encounter a client who has made the decision to get her facial while she is not well.
I always have a surgical mask at the ready that I can wear if someone comes in sick and I don’t have it in me to turn her away. In Letting go of clients (see link below), you can read how I did turn a sick client away when she came in for her allotted facial. There is one more instance I can remember when an out-of-town client came in—sick—but asked me if I still wanted to do her facial. I said no. So she purchased some products and left. I haven’t heard back from her, although she didn’t frequent my business more than once or twice a year. Still, it could be lost business, but I stand by my personal edict: If you’re sick—stay home! And I will do the same if I am not feeling well, in deference and as a courtesy to you.
The downside to wearing a mask is, because I am looking down to give the facial, the mask creeps up close to my eyes. When a client is sick even when I’m wearing a mask, I try to keep my face further away from hers than I would normally. To say the least, it is difficult to give a facial with these masks on. I don’t like it, but I do the best I can. I will say without a doubt any client who has come in semi-sick to sick and I’ve had to don a mask did not get the great facial I would normally give them. I can’t breathe well, it’s harder to see, and I am literally trying to keep as far away as possible from their mouth and nose—where the germs are.
Everyone has their own battles, and this is definitely one of mine. I choose it in order to keep me well. If I’m not well, no one is getting a facial from me. If I come down with something and am unable to work, because I own my business, no one will be paying me if I’m home sick. And I will cancel appointments if I’m sick. My policy does go both ways.
I am giving you this information, my personal experiences, so that you can make the right decisions for yourself. Perhaps this is not one of your battles. I know a few acupuncturists who deal with sick clients all the time. They do not turn them away; they treat them! To me, a facial is not somewhere to go in sick—nor a massage. But you, as a business owner, will make your own decisions and policies that work for you.
All of these articles, whether about how I run my business or how I work with clients, is all about me and my way of doing things. I present this blog to you as a guide to help you as you make your way as an entrepreneur. Ultimately, you will decide what is right and wrong for your business.
Be sure to read Letting go of clients if you find you need to say goodbye.
I am giving you this information, my personal experiences, so that you can make the right decisions for yourself. Perhaps this is not one of your battles. I know a few acupuncturists who deal with sick clients all the time. They do not turn them away; they treat them! To me, a facial is not somewhere to go in sick—nor a massage. But you, as a business owner, will make your own decisions and policies that work for you.
All of these articles, whether about how I run my business or how I work with clients, is all about me and my way of doing things. I present this blog to you as a guide to help you as you make your way as an entrepreneur. Ultimately, you will decide what is right and wrong for your business.
Be sure to read Letting go of clients if you find you need to say goodbye.
