Letting go of clients

Although the thought of letting a client go may seem contradictory when you are running a business, sometimes letting go of a client here or there actually is good for business—or perhaps just good for you. “Letting go” is a nice way to say you are firing a particular individual as a client.

Why would you do this? Perhaps this client is a chronic canceler. She may give you just about 24 hours notice but not much more. This has happened frequently, and on many occasions you weren’t able to fill the appointment vacancy. Maybe she doesn’t cancel but is simply unpleasant to work on. I will say that only once did I “fire” a client who I found offensive. She would come in and talk start to finish about things that for me were not pleasant to hear. This, of course, is an individual preference and call, but keep in mind this is your business and you actually have the right to refuse service to anybody for any reason.

I can’t remember ever actually telling a client that I would no longer give her facials. I suppose that kind of confrontation wasn’t something I felt comfortable having in my business environment. However, since I run my scheduling book, I can make it difficult for a problem client to get a next appointment. Usually if it is so hard to get in with you over the long-term, that particular client will find another practitioner who is easier to get an appointment with, and this new person can take on what you may have found intolerable. I have spoken with many professionals who employ a similar strategy for letting a problem client go. In all of my 30 years in skin care, I have only had one or two “problem” clients. Truly, most everyone is a good fit, whether long- or short-term.

Something I have discovered to be true in my business as well as in life: If something isn’t working for you about a particular person, more than likely something about you isn’t working for them. So in this instance, it may not take much for a client to move on. And if you feel OK about confronting a client head-on, by all means speak directly to the individual about letting them go—firing them. We all do what we feel most comfortable with most of the time. So however you choose to do it, if you have a client you no longer want to serve, somehow let them know.

Even when I didn’t let a client go intentionally, sometimes I have done things for the health of my business that turned someone off. I had a lovely client in Dallas who was regular every month—for years. One day she came in for her facial in her pajamas and slippers (yes, she was wearing big, fuzzy bedroom slippers), and she looked horrible. She had deep dark circles under her eyes and her hair was disheveled. Neither of those things means someone is not well, but she just had the aura of someone who was sick. Although I asked her if she was indeed sick (she said yes), because she was a good client, in my mind I thought I could just let it go. I’d wear my surgical mask and hope for the best in terms of my not getting sick.

I got her settled into the bed, but once my hands were on her face, it was hot—red hot—indicating what felt like a high fever. I asked her directly if she thought she was contagious. She said she wasn’t sure. She did say she came in because she thought the facial would make her feel better. Although I was upset, I got up and nicely said that because she was sick and most likely contagious (she was contagious!), I didn’t feel comfortable giving her a facial. She picked herself up out of the facial bed and scooted in her bedroom slippers out my front door—never (ever) to return again.

Sometimes if a client comes in sick I will just put a mask on and give the facial, hoping to not get what they have. Sometimes this works, other times I have gotten their cold or flu. That is why I am rather adamant (as you can read in my blog posts and on my website) about clients not coming in sick to get their facials. It’s just not fair to me and it doesn’t help the sick people to get well. They should be home resting in bed, drinking fluids and going to the doctor if necessary. Still, when I do find it necessary to don the mask when a client comes in sick, I hope for the best and load up on supplements when I get home.

With the PJ client, although I was sad to lose a long-term, regular monthly client (who also purchased products), I was just as happy to let go of someone who obviously didn’t care about my health as a fellow human being. I get the idea of how relaxing a facial would be and how this might make you feel better if you’re sick. And if the facial was given by a robot—great! But I am a living breathing (your breath) person who, just like you, can get sick—from you! Going to the doctor when you’re sick is one thing, but arriving at a facial or massage appointment infirmed is not the appropriate thing to do in my book.

There haven’t been any more instances of a client coming in sick and after being rejected for a facial, never coming back to see me. But there are other situations where I have “lost” a client over something that I’ve done that didn’t set right with them—usually (almost always) it has been due to charging for a no-show or (chronic) last minute cancellations. If a client’s concept of time and respect that I am running a business is so miles away from where I need them to be, then I am OK with them leaving. This is how I see it: When I lose a client who was not really a good fit for my business (and therefore I was not a good fit for them), it opens up space for another, perhaps more conscientious client to take their place.

I will say that 99.9% of my clients in all the cities I’ve had offices are wonderful, respectful, joyous people who have given me so much more than I could have possibly given them. So if I lose .1% here and there, I am OK with that. 

Also see:

• When a client comes in sick 

If you’re not feeling well, stay home :+)

Please NO comedone extractors!

Recently I posted an article on my lay person’s blogsite about a client who had a (very) bad experience in a facial where the aesthetician used a comedone extractor. If you are a professional using one of these instruments, please know I am in complete disagreement with their use. Read this article to find out why: Just say NO to comedone extractors!

Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin

As much as I love the accolades, it is a bit disconcerting that professionals are getting a lot of new information from my layperson book, Timeless Skin. I wrote both of my books for the average client, but over the years have heard from dozens of aestheticians remarking how much the books have helped them. No matter, I am glad the books are helping—no matter who! Read the entire article: Another aesthetician helped with Timeless Skin.

Where in the world is your business?

Boulder CO

In previous articles. I’ve mentioned how small my business is here in Boulder compared to when I lived in Chicago and Dallas. According to the U.S. census bureau, the population in Boulder is just over 300,000; Chicago is under 3 million at 2,718,000; and Dallas comes in at around 2.5 million.

I’m sharing this information with you for two reasons. First, my business is smaller because I wanted to live a more relaxed life and therefore I moved to a slow-paced mountain town. I don’t book my work days as heavily as I have in the past. I also bring attention to this because since I live in a small town vs. a big city, there are less people available to become clients. Naturally I don’t have the same sized client pool I would (and did) in larger, more populated cities. Just looking at these two photos tells the story. One portrays a town that has lots of open space; the other a large metropolis.

Chicagoland’s skyline

If I was just starting out in the business yet living in the Boulder area, I would definitely look to Denver to start my career. With an estimated population of around 664,000, it has twice the population of Boulder. I would therefore have twice as many clients; that’s just simple to math.

Imagine in a big city with millions of residents how many more clients I would have. Almost 10 times as many and realistically, that is about the case. I mentioned in The Importance of a Cancellation List (see link below), at times in my Chicago storefront location I had a two month waiting list just to get a first appointment with me. In fact I had to stop taking standing clients because my schedule was getting too locked in. I was busy! And for me, then, and in Dallas too, it was ideal. Thinking about having that kind of schedule now makes me feel tired and overwhelmed. It just isn’t how I’ve structured my business nor my life at this point in my career.

I want to make it clear that if you are starting a business in a relatively small town, it will be harder for you to make a living. It really just comes down to math. To make this equation even more difficult, if you are a novice opening a business, you may not be able to hold onto clients like you want to. You may believe in yourself (and that’s a must) but you may have a harder time pulling in clients if you’re an unknown. Starting a business in a small town is necessarily more work. You don’t have the client pool you would in a larger populated area; you have less people who will be looking to get facials. It’s as simple as that.

As an example, in my office suite there used to be a married couple, both newly certified Rolfers just out of school. They had to resort to offering continual “deals” through Groupon and other discount coupon companies. This did net them clients, but as I mention in Special Promotion discounts, sometimes discounting your services at rock bottom prices is painful. And it was for them. They had regulars, but because the population in Boulder and the surrounding cities is low, they simply couldn’t make their fledgling business work.

Eventually, while still keeping their office in Boulder, they opened a second location in Denver. It was a risk, but one they had to take. And I'm happy to say it really paid off. They got so busy in Denver, without any coupon/discount deals, they closed the Boulder office and concentrated their efforts in one spot—their Denver office.

That is just one example, but it’s a good one. It is difficult to make a name for yourself in a small town. Or rather it’s hard to make substantial money working in a town with a small population—especially if you’re a newbie.

Don’t be discouraged, just be informed. Before you plan your business you should research what it would look like client-wise in terms of population. You might have to reach outside your place of residence to find a demographic that can support your business. 

Perhaps you’re like me. Although you are just starting a business, it isn’t mandatory that is goes gangbusters. You like a quiet, relaxed schedule and it won’t hurt you financially to let the business grow and build over time. Somehow I doubt that would be the case with many people. Why go into business if you aren’t gun ho and wanting to build it into something sustainable. And that is where 30 years of experience comes in. It is relatively easy for me to attract new clients so I can be “relaxed” and have a more quiet schedule because there are always new (and existing) clients desirous of my services.

Do your research. And keep “low overhead” tattooed to your forehead. These two things, among others, are essential when you’re looking to start a new business from the ground up.

For more details, see:

• The Importance of a Cancellation List 
• Special Promotion discounts