All About Firing Clients and How To Do It

All right, so we've all been there, right? So, it's a Monday, and it's your last day off before you start your work week behind the chair, and you go on your, uh, booking software to check out your calendar, and you see all of the names on your book and all the services that you're gonna be doing. You're planning out, like, formulas in your head, you are expecting and planning out, like, all the conversations that you're gonna have, right, with all of your amazing clients. But you see that one name, right?

You see that one name or that one service that just drains your energy, that makes you, like, droop your head, makes you dread going into your workday, right? That name could be somebody who doesn't respect your boundaries, doesn't respect your time, somebody who just, like, drains your energy with their energy that they're bringing into your space, right? Or, it's a service that does not bring you joy, that you can't show up and give your 100% performing, or something that just does not fit your business model anymore, right? Today, we're gonna be talking about how to get rid of that name or that service, because we're gonna be talking about firing clients.

Let me guess, you are a hustling, bustling hairstylist behind the chair, working so hard to build a beautiful career for yourself, one that gives you time, freedom, and energy to spend with yourself, your family, and your friends. But you feel like you're always working in your business, even when you're not behind the chair. My name's Hunter Donia, and I help you automate your systems and implement really beautiful strategies so you can grow your business without the overwhelm, and this is the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Let's go.

So, maybe you've been here before. Maybe you have a name on your book right now that comes back to see you, and maybe it's a loyal client, but you, like, don't understand why they're a loyal client because they never like what you do on them, or they are loyal and they love you, but you really don't love them, right? Let's say that you have a client who you would not mind at all if they never booked with you again, to the point where no matter how much money they're paying you, it is just not worth it for you anymore, right? Lemme tell you a quick little story.

So, when I worked at my first commission salon and I was on the floor, um, I got this g-guest who was just wild. She was just wild, okay? And she would come in, like, intoxicated, and she would get even more intoxicated when she was in the salon, because we o- we offered, uh, alcoholic beverages and all of those things, right? And she had so much money, like, a stupid amount of money, and she lived in this, like, crazy mansion, and it was, like, wild.

And she would tip me $100 every single time that she came to see me, and she would buy five products every single time she came to see me. Yes, wild. On top of her service, right? Um, and she was, like I said, she was wild and very disruptive in the salon and very exhausting and emotionally taxing for me to take care of.

And all my coworkers were telling me, like, "Oh, my gosh. Well, I mean, it's worth the money. Like, you'll do anything for the money. Like, like, it's, like, she's giving you so much, like, you know, you, you can deal with it for, like, two and a half hours, three, three, three and a half hours, like, in exchange for all that she's giving you."

And I was like, "Can I really, though?" Like, can I really? Like, I was exhausted when I was done with her. When I went back to my family and my friends, and I, like, you know, was supposed to give them my energy as well, I was drained.

I was dying inside. And not to mention, I had an intense amount of anxiety before and during her appointment, right? Like, all leading up to her appointment. I mean, if, if I had her for the week, I would be anxious the entire week, and that took a toll on the way that I'm showing up in my life, took a toll on my joy in my life, and it took a toll on how I was serving everybody, my clients, my friends, my family, throughout the week, right?

Because I wasn't feeling good. And so, to me, there wasn't enough money in the world to make it worth it. And if you're only chasing the money, and if you're doing anything for the money, then you are very much doing a big disservice to yourself and everybody else at the end of the day. Life is too short.

I say it all the time, but it's so true. Like, life is way too short for you to sacrifice your joy, okay? So, therefore, you need to fire people when they are draining you. Luckily, my gal that I had, um, she kind of saw her own way out.

Um, but since then, and especially when I became a solo suite owner, um, and I had guests coming into my space and in my business, I have had to fire plenty of people who were just energy drainers or people who weren't, uh, the right fit for my business model anymore or whatever it may be. And I wanna talk to you all about firing clients today, what that looks like, when to do it, when it's appropriate, and how to do it effectively, okay? And so, that's really the deep-rooted reason why I think this is so important, and this is why I teach people about this and why I am really strong in speaking about it, is because I really believe that if you care about what you're doing behind the chair and if you are passionate about making an impact and building a career where you can show up creatively and passionately, then we cannot let these people stay on in our businesses, people who are draining us of our energy, people who aren't respecting us, right?So, let's talk about specifically a couple examples of when it'd be appropriate to actually fire a client, right?

And just so we're clear, I don't really love the term firing clients super much. Um, however, it is basically what it is, right? At the end of the day. And it's, uh, I think, like, it can depend on the reason why you're firing somebody, right?

Like, if it's, like, somebody's, like, really disrespecting you and, like, they're just, like, complete assholes, then that's firing a client. But if it's just because, like w-... I'm gonna go into these reasons in a moment, but, like, if, if a client is no longer in your business model or, like, it's really just truly not the right fit, then, then it's more like breaking up with a guest, right? So, just a little bit of disclaimer.

I don't think, like, firing clients is the term, like, uh, com- completely across the board. Um, but let's go into those reasons, right? So number one, obviously, a client is disrespectful of your boundaries, prices, or procedures, right? So, they do not respect your processes, solutions, procedures, the way that you run your business, right?

So for me, for example, I have online booking only, right? So, y-... a very small, tiny amount of people can actually pre-book with me when they're in the chair, um, because they're coming and seeing me within a certain range of time, but everybody else outside of that, that range of time, they have to only book online. I will not pre-book them.

I will not, um... I will not text them or, like, call them or, like, let them do... m-... call me or text me to book their appointment.

They have to book online because booking online is a systematic boundary for me. It makes sure that I am not coming in early, staying late, or on my days off because my online booking calendar is what does my booking for me, so I don't fall into my own trap of saying yes. Because I love people, I love taking care of people, and I love saying yes to people, so I set up that system to hold me accountable to say no, right? So, that's a really important system because if I'm sh-...

if I'm coming in early, if I'm staying late on my day off to serve somebody, then I'm not doing them a service. I'm not giving them the s-... the service to the standard that I want to serve them to and the standard that they deserve. So therefore, if somebody is not okay with that process and that system that I have, then they're not the right fit for me, right?

Anytime you have to break your own boundaries is when you are no longer the right fit for that client anymore, right? So, if your client can't respect how you're running your business in order to make sure that you are living a balanced, beautiful life as a hairstylist, as a business owner, as a human being, then that person, right, you are no longer the right fit for them, purr. So, that's just one example. As far as your prices go, I mean, pricing isn't necessarily, like...

I mean, you, you can't... I feel like we can't get crazy upset at people for being upset with prices, but the problem, uh, r-... like, rises when they are, like, refusing to pay your prices when you have made it clear what your prices are, right? Or, like, they are consistently making you feel bad or, like, anxious about your prices.

I think that that's when, you know, you need to have a conversation with them and tell them how you're feeling and just be honest and be like, "Um, Carol, I totally understand how you're feeling and I know that times are rough for you right now and, uh, I would absolutely love to recommend you to somebody else who has a lower price point than I do if this is truly an issue for you," right? "It would be unfair of me to charge you less and other people the same, um, or more. Uh, and therefore, like, if this is just not feasible for you, we can talk about, you know, a different service option that would be a little bit less expensive for you, um, although you won't get the same results. Or I can recommend you to another stylist or salon in the area that may cha-...

charge less than I will," right? So, that's when you need to be ready to bless and release, right? Um, that's when you need to have those honest and tough conversations, and 90% of the time, that person will stay on with you and... but if they keep on bringing up that conversation and, like, they keep complaining about your prices, honestly, sometimes you just gotta lay down the law.

Like, if you've already, like, given them a professional conversation and, like, like, laid down, like, like, "If you... if this price doesn't work for you, these are your... our solutions, then that's it," and they just keep bitching, right? Then you have to say...

and it's really taking a toll on you when they, like, you know, complain about your prices. Then you just need to say, "Carol, um, I just wanted to bring up something to you because I really love getting to see you and I'm really appreciative of your business and your loyalty, um, and I just wanna make sure that we communicate really well and that we're... we have a really nice and honest relationship, and I just wanted to make you aware that whenever you say, um, that my prices are, like, really way too expensive for this area or things such as that, it just makes me feel, like, a little bit, like, unworthy and possibly that you don't find me to be worth it And I'm not blaming you. I'm not making...

I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm just trying to let you know that this is how this makes me feel, and I would just appreciate if you, uh, wouldn't mind, um, not saying those things with me in the future." And, you know, those really hard conversations, they can go down in plenty of ways, but if a human being can't respect your boundaries and, and respect w-... uh, when you tell them how to respect you, then they're no longer the right fit for your business.

I'm gonna say it a million timesSo, I do recommend that you try and have a conversation first before you actually just, like, lay down the law and let them go, right? I think a lot of situations can be handled with a conversation, a very nice, honest, and professional conversation first before you just decide to fire them, right? Before it's, like, you're just laying down the law and they're gonna get removed from your business. Like, allow them to make the decision whether or not they would like to stay with you or not, and then put that on them.

And tell them, you know, what the ultimatum is, um, in order for them to stay with you, or give them the recommendations to leave, right? Have that conversation first before you, like, completely lay down the law and you're like, "No, sister-friend, like, you gotta go." Right? Um, because I think that a lot of people don't necessarily, like, fully, you know, w- want to fire your clients, right?

Um, a l- a lot of the times it's just, there's this, like, one thing that your client is doing that you just really, that really irks you. And sometimes it's about you taking control of your chair and taking control of your business and having the difficult conversation first before you just cut the ties and cut the relationship altogether. Because those people that you have that conversation with, they will respect you, very much so, and they may turn into clients that will stick with you forever and be the most loyal people. If you have a challenging human being, once, once you sit down and you get really real and genuine and honest with them, they can either choose to be amazingly loyal from then on out because you laid down the law and you, you taught that person how to respect you, or they can leave and they can go, uh, with somebody else who won't mind how their behavior is, right?

Or will jive with how their behavior is. So, that's the tea on that. So, another reason why you would want to, uh, break up with a guest is a guest, client, whatever you wanna call it, um, are no longer a fit for your business model, okay? So for example, let's say that you are not going to take haircut-only, uh, services anymore, right?

You are just, like, done with haircut-only services. Your specialty is color or, uh, uh, braiding or chemical services, extensions, right? Let's say that that's your specialty and these little haircut services are, like, taking up space in your book, and even if they were priced properly, they are not, uh, worth it for you because they're taking up time in which they could be f- you could be filling those spots with your specialty service, right? That is when you need to remove those guests who get those services from your books.

Now, let me just put this out there. I do not take any haircut-only clients anymore. However, I have grandfathered a very, very tiny select few into my business, but they are paying a significantly higher price to make it worth it for me, to make it, uh, worth it for me to keep them in my business, right? And they are people who bring me a lot of joy and invest in my business.

They tip me well, and they, um, they buy product, they refer people who, uh, get color to me, right? And they're good, good, good ideal guests, although the service that they're getting with me isn't necessarily ideal. And I mean, that haircut, right? Like, it depends on the haircut that I'm doing.

Like, if I felt like I really was not able to do a really good job in the haircut service that I was giving them, then I wouldn't keep them on because that's not fair to them But if I feel like I, I'm joyful about the hair that I'm doing, no matter what service it is, then I don't wanna get rid of them, right? But the haircut-only guests who you feel as if you're not able to serve to the standard that they deserve anymore because you're not passionate about it, you would, you know, you'd rather be doing, like, your specialty service instead, then that's not fair to them to keep them on anymore. So, then it's time to very professionally and lightly, um, allow them to leave your business and give them a recommendation to somebody else, right? And that's something that's, like, super not personal.

That is just how it works. That is just how business goes, and, um, and that's just, like, another big reason why I've had to let a lot of people go is because I just stopped taking these specific types of services that were really stressing me out. I mean, I don't even do color corrections anymore, and I won't accept new color corrections or fantasy colors into my business anymore because they are just so stressful to me, and I don't believe that I'm the one who i- would be able to show up passionately, creatively, and, and effectively to serve that person to the standard that they deserve. I think that there's somebody else who could do those services better than I could.

So, I am not the right fit for that human being anymore, right? Another reason is a client is impossible to please, right? So, going back to I really think that you should have a conversation with them first, right? I really, truly believe that in my soul you should have a conversation with them first before you just, like, lay down the law, especially in this situation.

Let's say you have a client who is just, like, not happy or doesn't seem to be happy with the service that they're getting every single time, right? Or they're asking you for redos all of the freaking time, we need to make a change with that, okay? If somebody is asking you for redos all the time, then that's, like, an issue. Like, you cannot be spending all of your free time doing that, especially with somebody who, you know, probably isn't a good long-term fit for your business.

That is not a smart business decision. That is not a smart emotional or human decision because you are going to be miserable with that person in your business, rightSo, that is very much a time where we need to have a diff- difficult conversation and then set an ultimatum and then f- decide whether or not they are th- they are gonna stay with us or not, right? So, you could say, "Hey, Carol. Um, I- I'm really excited to see you today.

I'm really excited to serve you today. Now, I understand, you know, that- that, uh, you weren't super happy with the last results of our color service, and I really appreciate you sharing that with me because I know how difficult it can be to, like, speak up and, like, speak honestly, and I'm really glad that you find me to be trustworthy enough and safe enough of a person to, uh, tell me about how you're honestly feeling. However, I feel like this has happened a couple times and I'm feeling like there's some sort of disconnect here in which I'm not sure if, you know, I might be the right fit for you moving forward. So, I love getting to see you.

I love having you in my chair. However, I feel like if- if- if we have to, you know, redo your hair all the time and if you're consistently not happy, then I feel like there's gonna be other stylists who can take better care of you than I could. So, what I would like to do today is I would like to have a very thorough consultation to make sure we are very much on the same page, and then I would love to carry out your service as we normally do. And if I have to, uh, if you feel as if that- that s- the service wasn't, uh, fit to your standards and- and what your needs are, then I would absolutely love to recommend you to another stylist or salon in the area that I feel like could take better care of you.

So, what are your thoughts on that? I hope that you understand. I really just want you to be happy. I care about h- like, the work that I'm doing and I care about how people feel when they leave my salon, and you are no exception to that.

So, tell me how you're feeling and we can move forward from there," right? And so then if they ask for another redo ever again, it's cut. It's done. They're not the right fit for you.

And sometimes you gotta give them a refund, right? Like, I would just give that person a refund and bless and release, goodbye, because I just do not have the time. Okay? It's just not worth it anymore.

So, let's say that you have already had all the good conversations, the hard conversations, right? And you've considered all the options and it is just not working and it is just time to unfortunately let go of that guest, li- right? Like, let's say push comes to shove and it is what it is. What do we do, right?

So, I'm gonna leave this up to you whether you wanna do this in person or by email, okay? Um, some people would not agree with me. Some people would say that, you know, uh, we have to do this on the phone, like in a conversation, or we have to do this in person. Me personally, I know that if I have this conversation in person, then I will probably end up giving in and I will not say everything that I meant to say and the things that I am meant to say will not come out how I wanted them to say.

So therefore, because I have ADHD, right? Because, and it's- and I'm not joking when I ha- when I say hav- I have ADHD. Like, it is serious. Like, it affects my life on the daily.

And so therefore, I don't... I- I would rather possibly, right? Very possibly, not even barely, risk the- risk the not having the effectiveness/professionalism or perceived professionalism of having this conversation in person, I would rather risk that than risk not saying the right things that I wanted to say, explaining all of the things that I wanted to say the way that I need them to be explained, and having things in writing and making sure that I actually follow through with what I was meant to do, right? With what I'm meant to do, with what my intention was walking into the conversation.

So therefore, email is the way to go for me. Period. All right? You do it however you feel like is most comfortable for you, friend.

Now, what you wanna do in this verbiage is, number one, you want to start off with saying, "Thank you," saying, "I appreciate you," saying, uh, "Hello" obviously, right? And you wanna show some appreciation and just let them know, like, "I've appreciated your loyalty. I've appreciated your support and your trust of me to be your service provider. Um, and that's why I wanted to reach out to you and be very honest with you and let you know, uh, how, uh, our relationship will be moving forward," and something along those lines, right?

Give them the tea. Tell them the tea. Tell them the reason why. And what you wanna do in this communication always in all of your customer service, in your marketing, everything across the board, you wanna make it customer-centric.

You wanna make it about the client. You don't wanna make it about yourself. You wanna make it about the client, and you always wanna make it a positive. You don't wanna make it negative.

You wanna make it all about serving the client. As I talk about a lot, these hard decisions are to serve the client first and foremost, at least to them, right? Um, so in this email you're saying, "I do not feel as if I am the right fit for you anymore and I feel as if there's somebody else who could serve you better than I could, and my business is no longer able to serve you to the standard that you deserve." Right?

So, saying something along those lines instead of saying, like, "Your hair is trash and I can't do anything about it." Or something like that, right? Instead of, like, giving, like- like, really, uh, personal reasons, instead of, like, uh, I don't know, saying stuff that is just inflammatory and just doesn't make sense for the client, say things that are about serving the client. This is for them.

The reason why you made this decision is because it was an integral decision and it was important to you that that person is as happy as they can possibly be. That is good customer service. That is how you make it go from your client being upset with you to your client thanking you for firing them. Dead ass.

That's how it's been in my business. That's how it's been in my students' businesses.Plenty of times, okay? Now, you always want to give them a recommendation, okay?

You don't wanna just leave them high and dry. In any customer service situation you always want a s- to give them a solution moving forward. You never want there to be necessarily a roadblock. You want to try your best to give them a solution moving forward, no matter what you're talking about in your customer service.

So, w- the solution moving forward is going to be salons and stylists in the area that you have found and you believe will serve them better than you could, right? A lot of people ask, "What if I can't find a stylist who is g- who I am, like, good with, uh, referring them to?" Just literally recommend them to a local salon that seems to be pretty great, right? Like, it's j- just, just give them to the salon.

Don't give them a specific stylist name. Give them a salon and then they, the salon can figure out who the best fit for them is gonna be, right? Take that pressure off of you, friend. But at least you're giving them something, like a next way and place to go instead of just saying, "Peace out, girl scout.

Bye bye." Right? You could even say, "I'd be happy to give you notes and formulas for moving forward." That would be awesome.

Like, that would be great customer service, especially when you are letting go of a guest in that communication. Thank them, f- again, for their understanding, their patience, their loyalty, and, uh, let them know that this is not a, uh, uh, this was not a easy decision for you. This is a difficult conversation slash email for you to be writing, um, and it's not the only email that you're writing, right? Of this type of sorts.

And that, um, and, uh, if they have any questions, to let you know. And that you wish them the absolute best. And then that's that. And then it's gonna be up to your client on how they want to take that and respond.

If they don't respond well, just stand your ground, tell them that you apologize, um, tell them that you can assure them that the salons and stylists that you recommended them to are gonna be fantastic. Um, then at that point you can start to give a, like, a little tiny bit more of your personal reasons in there if you want to, but definitely try your best to keep it con- customer-centric, and then you will be good to go, okay? Like I said, literally every single time I've fired a guest, they, I have been thanked. Like, I have been thanked.

I have not had one guest, like, be pissed at me when I did this yet. At all. So, I very much hope that this episode was helpful for you. I know that this is one of the most difficult things us as independent business owners have to deal with, and I really truly hope that this was helpful for you and it's something that I want to continuously talk about and attack in the future.

I have plenty of resources on my Instagram, um, for you to continue learning about setting boundaries and having these difficult conversations around. And I want you to do me a favor and yourself a favor, because I am a really strong believer in manifestation and in different learning styles and, and different ways that we can, like, really retain information. And one of the greatest ways to retain information is to take what you have learned and reflect on it. So, what I want you to do is wherever you're listening to this podcast, I want you to write a quick review slash testimonial and I want you to say one thing that you took away from this episode that really stuck with you and that you thought was important and impactful.

So that way it'll stay in your brain, you can share it with other people, and you can reflect on all the things that you learned, right? I want these episodes to be impactful and meaningful and actionable for you. I don't want you to just consume this content and never take action. So, so much love to you, friend.

Um, connect with me on the Instagram @hairbyhunty. So much love. Peace out, girl scout. Bye bye.

End of transcript. © 2022 Hunter Donia LLC.