Do you have a coaching client that you kind of wish would ghost you? Like you have to brace yourself for each of their coaching sessions kind of bad client. Well, the best part of running your own coaching business is that you can work with whoever you want. That means you can fire the coaching clients that you no longer want to work with. Let’s take a look at some of the signs it’ time to fire a coaching client.
Signs You Need to Fire a Coaching Client
You spend so much time finding your ideal coaching clients that firing a coaching client can often feel physically painful. However, there will be situations when you need to fire a coaching client for your own mental health. Always use your best judgement, but here are some behaviours that indicate it’s time to fire a coaching client.
Your Coaching Client Is Always Late or No Shows to Coaching Calls
It may seem clear to you and the majority of the world’s population that in order to achieve results from coaching, you need to actually show up for the coaching sessions. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t occasionally work with a coaching client who is chronically late to coaching sessions or just skips the coaching session without warning.
These clients are incredibly frustrating. The utter lack of respect for your time and the expectation that you’ll move things around to accommodate a make-up session is maddening.
From a coaching business perspective, however, the most concerning thing is that these clients will not achieve anywhere near the results your coaching program promises. And you know it will not cross their minds that they are responsible for that. Even if they don’t blast you online, they will tell their friends and family that they didn’t achieve the results.
Your Coaching Client is Pushy
The coaching services you provide and your expectations should be clear from your onboarding process. While you can’t fault coaching clients for asking for things outside of the agreed-upon scope, a coaching client who continuously asks after you have said no is difficult to work with. There are only so many times you can tell a coaching client that no, they can’t just call you whenever they want between sessions, they need to contact you via WhatsApp, email, or whatever other approved forms of communication you’ve provided before you lose it.
A coaching client who doesn’t respect your boundaries is exhausting to work with. The first time this happens, give your coaching client the benefit of the doubt and explain your boundary and what you do offer. They may not have read the contract properly or just forgotten. However, when the client continues to push or overstep boundaries, it is time to rethink the coaching relationship. It is up to you how many strikes or warnings you want to give before you fire the coaching client.
Your Coaching Client Misses Payments or Haggles Prices
Again, expectations around payment should be set in the coaching contract so that you’re both on the same page and your butt is legally covered. There should not need to be any kind of discussion about payment past that point (aside from an advance reminder email so your client knows which date the payment will be processed.) If you’re having to chase a coaching client for payment or they are trying to haggle your prices, then that is a sign you need to fire your coaching client.
Your Coaching Client Is Uncooperative
As a coach, you can expect coaching clients to have trouble stepping outside of their comfort zone and even be reluctant to make certain steps. They may even push back or react in an emotional way when encouraged to take the leap.
However, a coaching client who is uncooperative or combative at every turn is just not ready for coaching. You may need to point them towards a therapist to deal with what is going on below the surface first. Your coaching client won’t reap the benefits of your coaching program if they never put it into action.
Use your best judgement in this scenario. One instance where your coaching client was uncooperative does not constitute firing (unless they were abusive), but a pattern of this behaviour requires a frank discussion. If you are not equipped to handle the client’s needs, may require you to fire a coaching client.
How to Fire Coaching Clients Without Getting Bad Reviews
There is nothing fun about firing coaching clients (even if you’re relieved to see the back of a nightmare coaching client.) This is perhaps one of the most difficult conversations you will need to have in a coaching relationship. Here is how to approach firing coaching clients.
- Stay professional – Even if the coaching client is rude and throws around accusations, remain professional. Avoid blaming or getting into arguments and save that verbal smackdown for the shower version of your argument. Just handle the situation as if your coaching client will post screenshots online.
- Explain why briefly – Politely give the reason why you are firing the coaching client (don’t call it firing to your clients), and if applicable, attached the contract that says the behaviour would result in ending the coaching. Don’t blame but make it clear where they crossed the line. Avoid the urge to justify; this email should be short and unambiguous.
- Provide a suggestion on what to do next – It goes a long way to suggest alternative options for your coaching client. Leave things on a positive note by suggesting another coach more suited to your client’s needs or resources that may help them better.
- Give details about your refund policy – Don’t be ambiguous about whether or not your client will get money back. Tell them how much they will get back and when. If they will not be receiving a refund, make that clear and attach your contract that states that.
- Wish them well – Even if there are hard feelings, put on a smile and wish them well in the future.
When you’re firing a coaching client, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. There will have been a polite but discussion where you told them their behaviour was unacceptable and discussed expectations if the coaching client wants to continue working with you. That way the email that you write firing the coaching client can just point to the discussion that you had. Here’s an example of an email to fire a coaching client for consistently being late or no showing for sessions. Feel free to use it if you need to.
Hi NAME,
As we discussed on DATE, showing up considerably late to coaching sessions/not showing up to coaching sessions means that you don’t achieve the full results that my coaching will offer. The way my program is structured, I am not able to make up for the lost time when you are late to sessions/don’t show up to sessions. And so, as we discussed in our last conversation about this, the coaching I provide is not a good fit for your needs.
My colleague NAME offers similar services on a more flexible schedule that may be a better fit for you. Here is the link to her website so you can read more about what they offer.
I have cancelled the direct debit so you will not be billed moving forward.
The progress you have achieved in the short time we had together was spectacular. I hope you continue your work towards GOAL and wish you all the best in achieving it.
SALUTATION
YOUR NAME.