A new client quit on us last month.
Her curt email included a list of reasons and a refund request for her unused sessions. Her complaints were specific, so I read them, sat with them and called her.
Not emailed. Called.
When I receive an email complaint, I almost always follow up by phone. My experience is some people like to hide behind their words and feel they can be more honest (ergo critical) if they can write it and walk away. But I don’t take those emails at face value. There’s usually more to it.
So I called her. She was polite but direct. I listened, and some of what she had to say was fair. Not a fan of Gratz equipment. Didn’t want to share her hour with a group class. All noted. But none of it was personal. And by the end, I understood unequivocally: she is not the right client for our studio. Not every client is.
Calculating a refund is simple. She had a 10-pack and used 4 sessions of it. I multiplied those 4 sessions by our single drop-in rate and subtracted it from our 10-pack price. The balance was refunded.
The logic: the per-session discount in a 10-pack is the reward for committing to a full 10 sessions. If a client quits before finishing it, the sessions already used revert to drop-in pricing. She paid a fair rate for what she received and got the rest back.
But the math wasn’t the hard part. What was difficult was resisting the urge to hold on to her business.
A client who’s not a good fit could cost cost you much more than the refund. If she leaves quietly, well, that happens and a quiet quitter is better than a loud one. Because if she leaves upset, she could write a negative review or share her displeasure publicly.
But this client costs you in other ways, too. She takes a time that a more promising client needs. Someone who would loves your equipment and the busyness of a studio’s Monday morning.
Letting her go gracefully, with money back and a warm good-bye, costs less than keeping her.
This understanding does not come easily in the beginning of studio ownership. The revenue feels too important to give back, and the complaints feel too personal. But the math is not on your side here.
The day after our call, I followed up by replying to her original email. I expressed my gratitude for giving us a try, and I recommended two nearby studios with a quieter schedule and equipment better suited to her preferences. Her reply was immediate, warm and gracious.
And this week, her spot was filled by a promising new client.
Amanda