Shed those unwanted clients – Part 2

What happens if you already have someone who you would like to shed? Well the answer is quite simple but the implementation is not. I won’t lie to you. You are going to have to be prepared to be strong, confident and understand that they may take it personally. If you do your best and come prepared then the outcome shouldn’t be too painful for them or you.

So here’s what you do.  First think about what you are going to say and then take the time to prepare. Rehearse what you would like to say with another trainer and get their feedback. They will let you know how you are coming across. Call the client and arrange for a meeting and find a quiet place away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. During the meeting remain calm, and use “I” statements throughout the conversation. Here’s an example of a real life situation that took place for a recent business coaching client of mine; (names have been changed)

Brittany was training for two months with Bill. Initially, she was really committed to the program but then started to miss and then cancel sessions. She wasn’t seeing any results and started to voice her concern to Bill. Bill attempted to speak to her several times expressing his concern about her erratic commitment but she still wasn’t making any changes. Brittany also spent most of her time during the session talking about her social life. Although Bill did everything he could to try and re-direct the conversation, she was still more interested in talking. Bill finally decided that he’d had enough and didn’t want to renew Brittany’s sessions. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. I suggested he craft a script and here’s what we came up with. (Brittany’s comments were summarized for this article)

Conversation

Bill: Brittany I know we’ve been training together for a while and you’ve seen some results. I’ve been happy to be part of this journey with you. There is something that I would like to discuss and I feel it’s respectful to bring it to your attention. There are times when I feel that I haven’t helped you enough with your commitment to exercise. I’ve struggled to help you be consistent and I know we’ve had a lot of stops and starts. I’ve always been empathetic to your situation but at this point I believe it would best serve your interest to end our training relationship. I know this can upsetting and I would like to hear how you are feel about this?

Brittany: Well obviously I’m upset because this comes from left field. I know I can do better if you would just be willing to work with me.

Bill: I think it’s great that you are willing to really commit to your training and I encourage you to pursue that but at this point I feel it would be better for you to consult with another trainer. I have a few people in mind that I can refer you to. They are all really great trainers and I believe any one of them would be a great fit for you.

Brittany: If that’s how you feel.

Bill: Brittany in all honesty I’m looking after your best interest. You are paying good money for personal training and I really want to make sure you achieve your goals and see results. It wouldn’t be fair for you or me to keep training you knowing there’s a better fit with another trainer.

Brittany: I guess that makes sense.

Bill: Thanks for understanding, here are the names and numbers and I will take a moment to tell you about each one. I will make sure your file gets transferred to the trainer and I will personally go over it with them so you can just start from where we left off.

During this conversation Bill used a lot of “I” statements. You don’t want to make it about them. As soon as you make it personal or attack the client saying things like you aren’t consistent or you keep missing session, they will get angry and then defensive. This is a perfect recipe for creating a conflict situation. Be honest with how you approach your client and listen attentively to their concerns about breaking up. If they do get angry or accusatory, stay calm. It’s understandable that some clients may get upset.

While shedding unwanted clients can be difficult, you have an opportunity to take a potentially unpleasant situation and turn it around. In the end if you just don’t want to work with someone it’s in your best interest and theirs to cut them lose.

PS: If you are looking for more help in shed those unwanted clients then feel free to contact me.