153: Toxic Clients

Dealing with certain clients can really suck the life out of you, you know? These are the ones I like to call "toxic clients" because they just bring this heavy energy with them that's hard to explain. Even if they claim to mean well, it doesn't make their impact any less draining. All you want to do is throw in the towel and head home. It totally ruins your day and it's not fair to your other clients or your reputation because they end up seeing the exhausted version of you.

When you're just starting out and trying to build your client base, you’ve got to have a bit of patience, you know? But here's the thing: don't fall for that nonsense when people say that putting up with abusive behavior is just part of the job. Yeah, it can happen occasionally, but it's definitely not the norm, and you shouldn't put up with it. Here's a daily reminder for you, right there in the salon:  you, and only you, teach people how to treat you. So, make sure you respect your own personal and professional boundaries, and make it clear to others that they’ve got to do the same.

Listen to the podcast for some helpful tips for spotting and dealing with toxic clients.

I hope these tips helped. Please remember to share with your stylist friends…and until next time, remember:  When you know better, you do better. 

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Transcript

Unknown: 1:29

Hey there, welcome to the salon ownership Made Easy podcast. As a former salon owner, I know how tough it can be to deal with things like hiring new team members, managing your KPIs, and fixing everything that seems to break in the salon. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. But don't worry, I'm here to help you navigate the ups and downs of the industry. Let's face it, beauty school didn't prepare us for the real world of Salon ownership. But with the right techniques, systems and mindset, you can achieve amazing success. With over 30 years of experience. And for successful salons under my belt, including two that hit over seven figures, I've learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn't. So buckle up and get ready for some practical tips and real talk. Let's do this. Hey there, welcome back to salon ownership Made Easy. Today, we're going to be talking about how to deal with toxic clients, you know, those clients, the ones that you see on your books, and your stomach just kind of goes in a knot, because it's like, they just suck the energy out of you. Now, we all have them. We all put up with him. But you know what? Maybe we shouldn't put up with them. Today we're going to talk about how do you deal with it? How do you fire them? How do you stay cool. So you can just get through the day and you don't ruin your day, right? Well, these toxic clients, if you go ahead, that maybe they're just having a bad day, and that maybe you can be their day maker and you can turn it around. That's one way to to look at it. But let's not, let's not let it ruin your whole day. But you know, when you're first starting out and you're trying to build your client base, you've got to have a little bit of patience, you know, but here's the thing. Don't fall for that nonsense when people say that putting up with abusive behavior is just part of the job. Yeah, it can happen occasionally. But it's definitely not the norm. And you shouldn't put up with it. Here's a daily reminder for you, you and only you teach people how to treat you. So make sure you respect your own personal and professional boundaries, and make it clear to others that they've got to do the same. Here's some tips for spotting and dealing with toxic clients. Okay, first of all, stay cool. Don't let them see you sweat. used to say this, be like a duck, you know, be really cool and sophisticated on top of the water. But underneath you're like paddling like hell. That's what be like a duck means okay. I used to struggle with this because I get so worked up over any kind of abuse. But I've learned to take a deep breath, remind myself, it's just one hour of my time, and focus on how awesome it'll be when they finally walk out the door. And hey, maybe they'll walk out happy you never know. Think about this toxic clients love pushing your limits. So right from the very first appointment, set your boundaries for all clients. Let them know what you're available to do, what your pricing is, and the services you provide. Be polite but firm when communicating your limits and stick to your guns even if they try to push back. So if they come in and you don't know how to do like unicorn vivid colors, don't act like you can do it. I know when you're first starting out, you want to do everything and you want to prove to everybody around you and especially the salon owner, that you know what you're doing. I get it. Understand. But if you're not comfortable doing the service, don't do it politely say I think you'd be better off with someone else. You can say somebody in your salon it's it's cool. I used to not like to do let's see Mohawks let's say that. I know how to do a mohawk. But I don't want to do a mohawk I don't want that to be my advertising walking out the door. Or say I actually personally did not like to do vivid hair color. Do I know how to do it absolutely know how to do it. I would teach it. But I don't want more vivid hair color sitting in my seat. So I would just politely say that's that's not my thing. I don't like doing that. I don't know if I would say I don't like doing that to your customer. I would just say I'm not your girl. I'm not not you know, there's there's people who know how to do that a little bit better, and just suggest someone else who can help them out. And then sometimes you just have to fire those toxic clients. You do. Don't Don't worry about it. It can be scary trust To me, I've done it though. And it's always turned out for the best. If a client has crossed that toxic threshold, and you know what I mean? And you're seriously considering firing them, follow your gut. Just suggest to them that they might find another stylist, they probably won't even be surprised. Deep down, they know it's the right move to. Okay. Sometimes they just don't know how to move on. Here's the trick, all you have to do is say, Hey, I don't think I'm the stylist for you. And you can even say, I've tried a few times. I just don't feel like we're communicating. Let me let me offer you somebody else's business card or let's try this. Anything. You don't have to say it's because you're not being a very nice person. You're gonna say I don't think I'm a girl. And then finally, you have to find your quiet ritual. Find a place that you can escape to that. Even if it's just for a few minutes, you you fill up peace, and the stress of the day melts away. Mine I like to listen to podcasts, or I like to listen to music and go for a walk or a run. Just make sure you carve out that time at the end of the day. Because remember, you are always your best client. Well, I hope these tips helped. Please remember to share with your stylist friends on how to take care of yourself when you have a toxic client in the chair. And until next time, remember, when you know better you do better. Thanks for hanging out with us on today's podcast. We hope you found it interesting and learn something new. If you liked what you heard, hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on future episodes. We're always open to your feedback and suggestions for topics to cover in the future. So don't be shy. Drop us a line on social media or shoot us an email. Thanks again for listening and we'll catch you on the next one.