I have been in the service industry for quite some time now. I’ve had my fair share of good and ‘bad’ clients.
But there’s one experience that really stuck out to me.
A few years ago, while I was still working at Nordstrom, I learned a very valuable lesson in customer service.
Here it goes…
A customer came in with a hefty return. I had just made my numbers for the day and this return would prevent me from beating last year for the day. I asked the customer if she could return the products to the counter where she actually purchased them – which wasn’t my store.
She got really upset, went to the shoe department, and made a return there.
The store manager talked to me that day. He told me that the customer purchased a pair of Gucci shoes in the shoe department and the salesperson made more in commission for themselves by just servicing the customer in the right way.
And it could’ve been me.
The store manager was right.
The point of working is to make money for yourself.
And servicing customers is the best and fastest way for you to develop a consistent income that you can count on.
I realized that sometimes focusing on numbers doesn’t guarantee consistent results. Rather, if you focus on customer service, sales prove your efforts are working.
When is it right to reject a client?
The answer is simple.
It is only right to reject a client if they do not respect your policies.
Your policies are put in place to protect you. They are the boundaries that you set to nurture a professional relationship.
In the Lash industry, we can get very close to clients and have conversations on a deeper level. You would be surprised at the things that people tell you when their eyes are closed.
But even though you may have vulnerable conversations with your clients, it’s still a professional relationship.
So, when the boundaries are crossed. And they are crossed more than once. This is the time when you have to reconsider if this client’s money is worth your time.
Here’s an example
Recently, one of my stylists had a client that she had only serviced twice. This client started sending her religious memes. These memes spoke of people who didn’t believe in the love of Jesus would go to hell.
Even though my entire staff is religious in their own way, this type of behavior exhibited harassment.
We are all free to have our own beliefs.
But, when customers press their beliefs on you and give you their unsolicited opinion on such topics, it’s a go-signal to me as a business owner to reconsider this client for our establishment.
We had to send this client a text and let her know her messages were inappropriate and unwarranted.
If you have any customers that do not respect your boundaries and policies, it is okay for you to end the relationship and move on. If a customer makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, you do not have to service them.
So when you’re writing the consent forms, just restate your policy.
Let them know that they have broken your policy. And it is legal grounds for you to refuse service at any time.
