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mims01's avatar
mims01
Contributor 5
20 days ago
Solved

Would you fire a difficult customer even if they spend a lot?

I have this one custome who is very very supportive of what I do but can be very difficult ALL THE TIME, even when I do every thing the way he likes it its never up to par and there's always something thats wrong. It can be difficult at times specially when Im pressed for time and have other customers waiting 

  • 100%. At the end of the day, high revenue doesn't mean high profit if they eat up hours of your schedule and make you late for other paying clients. I’d personally hit them with a price increase to cover the extra time and headaches. If they pay it, great—you’re compensated for the hassle. If they walk, you just reclaimed your schedule and sanity for easier clients.

12 Replies

  • travisshepherd's avatar
    travisshepherd
    Verified Community Coach

    100%. At the end of the day, high revenue doesn't mean high profit if they eat up hours of your schedule and make you late for other paying clients. I’d personally hit them with a price increase to cover the extra time and headaches. If they pay it, great—you’re compensated for the hassle. If they walk, you just reclaimed your schedule and sanity for easier clients.

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      That's actually a good idea I didn't see it that way thanks 

  • I had a customer like that. I lost about 500lbs once i fired him, gave him a refund for some of the work already completed as he had paid for the season, on top of obvious refund for work not yet, it was mid season. I got a 1 star review for problems that came up becuase i was no longer servicing him and the new company would deal with him as they had crews and they just did was the boss said, and they were not a thourgh as me. He wanted me to come back, but hey im done so 1 star review. I have never been so happy to have a 1 star review in my life. Seriously, if they are never happy, let them go and be a headache to someone else to dumb to drop them (hint hint). i don't  care how "supportive" if they are draining your energy let them go

     

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      I’ve heard so many business owners say their biggest relief came after letting go of a difficult customer. It’s crazy how one person can take up so much mental space. Sometimes that 1-star review is worth the peace you get back.

  • Sometimes a customer isn't a bad fit, they're just on the wrong pricing model. If they require significantly more time and attention than the average customer, it may be worth creating a premium service rate instead of charging everyone else more.

    It can also help to keep notes on how much extra time certain customers require. Looking back over six months of data may show that one "good customer" actually costs more in lost productivity than they bring in. Decisions become much easier when you have numbers instead of just frustration.

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      I like that approach. Not every difficult customer needs to be fired, sometimes they just need to be on a pricing plan that matches the level of service they expect.

  •  

    Would I fire a customer that spends a lot of money? absolutely! Why because if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything and once you allow that bad behavior to enter your workspace, it would be extremely hard to stop it! Also to add to that,” monkey see monkey do “if you don’t know what that mean good luck!

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      100%. The right customers respect your business, your team, and your policies. Sometimes letting one bad customer go makes room for two good ones.

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      Definitely 💪 💪 

  • After years of dealing with the general public in business, I have learned money isn’t worth stress. Sometimes we choose to do it for different reasons and that depends on the season you’re in -life, business or personally. I’m now in the season of life where no money is worth my peace of mind or to have bad energy around me. 

    • mims01's avatar
      mims01
      Contributor 5

      Peace of mind is priceless. Some customers bring profit, and others bring problems. Learning the difference can be one of the best business decisions you make.