How to Fire a Difficult Hair Client – Scripts, Tips, Dos and Don’ts
How to fire a difficult hair client in the salon. There are a number of ways to complete this unpleasant but sometimes necessary task.
Hairstylists, barbers, cosmetologists, and business people firing a client can be hard but there are a few things to ask yourself before pulling the trigger.
Can you fire a difficult hair client politely and professionally? Yes.
What traits to look out for in a toxic client? We’ll go over these shortly.
How to Fire a Difficult Hair Client in a Salon
How do you come to the conclusion that a client needs to be fired? What leads up to this decision?
Confirm this is actually a problem client.
Check your ego and stay humble
Ego is a dangerous voice to listen to sometimes. Especially as a business person. Clients are the business, they are what makes you profitable. So just be sure before letting them go that you have checked yourself first.
This is not an accusation but just a warning. Make sure that you have done everything you can to resolve the issue with this trouble client before firing them.
Humility will get you a long way. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and just deal with a client you don’t get along with. Be sure you have yourself in check before firing a client.
The decision should be made after you check that you-
✔️ Are not angry and in the heat of the moment
☑️ Positive that you can take the financial cost of losing this client
✔️ Your ego and pride isn’t the reason this guest has to go
☑️ It’s a bigger issue than just a personality difference
There are nightmare clients out there that you can’t do anything about but fire them.
Who do you fire?
Which clients would you want to fire? What would make a client fireable?
Here are some red flags to look out for in current clients and new clients. Watch out for-
🚩 People looking for free services. The ones that don’t respect you, your time, or your business.
🚩 Clients that are costing you more time, money, and energy than they are worth. Your time and your skills are valuable. Don’t sell yourself short of what your services are worth.
🚩 “No one has EVER done my hair right.” Ever heard this one behind the chair or on the phone with a possible new client? Just be careful. This isn’t always a bad thing, you could take it on as a professional challenge. Or this is a nightmare-client-in-waiting who has already determined that they won’t like anything that you do.
🚩 They have poor anger management. It’s a nightmare when a client throws a fit while still in your chair.
💛 Clients worth keeping are the ones that love you. Treat you like a person. And will not take advantage or short-change you.
Personally, in my own experience working behind the chair, I have found that there are innumerable reasons to fire a bad client and very few times that you actually have to fire a difficult hair client.
Why should you fire a difficult hair client?
What are some good reasons you should fire a client?
❌ Thieving. Stealing should never be tolerated for any reason or at any time
❌ Not showing up and wanting to reschedule constantly. A sign that they are taking advantage of your time, business, and generosity.
❌ Unrealistic demands
❌ Anger management issues. The lack of self-control in a public place- your business- creates an unbelievably uncomfortable environment and will affect other customers too.
❌ Fishing for free services. Always trying to negotiate prices or attempting to convince you that your services cost too much. Or constantly needing re-dos or re-funds.
❌ Being impossible to please
❌ Are abusive to you or others in your salon. Co-workers or clients, this should not be tolerated or ignored.
❌ Dishonest clients. Not only is this a red flag, but a reason to fire the client because they now become a liability, especially when it comes to chemical services.
Some clients just will not be happy no matter what. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. But even when you do everything right, work with them, and do your best to give them the results they want, they still aren’t happy.
When to fire a difficult hair client
What indicates that it’s time to pull the trigger?
Consistent No Call – No Shows
Are no-shows bad? Rude? Yes, because not respecting your valuable time and respecting your business is costing you.
Time is valuable. Your time is valuable, and this is your career, it’s how you pay the bills.
A time slot taken by someone is money that you are making for a living. If it is not respected and you have these unplanned gaps in your schedule where others could have booked, you lose money and it is rude to leave you hanging.
Would you tolerate other kinds of disrespect in the workplace?
Each individual shops have their own policies. As a self-employed stylist, I have a 3 strike rule.
If a client is a no call- no show 3 times in a row, sorry bud, you’re out!
When you have an established clientele and you know your guests well and their habits it’s easy to weed out these people. Sometimes a client that you know forgets or has an emergency, and you know that this person would never leave you hanging on purpose.
That’s understandable. We all have those guests.
The professional thing to do in such a situation is to give them the benefit of a doubt for the first 2 no-call – no-shows.
Call after 8 or 10 minutes to ask if they are still planning on coming to their appointment.
But by the 3rd time someone misses their appointment, I advise not rebooking this guest.
If they ask to reschedule again, kindly and professionally explain that you cannot afford to book time slots and then be no-showed.
Sometimes client’s fire themselves
In my shop, I had one client a while ago that I cut her hair into a pixie cut. During the consultation, I noticed that her hair grows faster on one side of her head than on the other. We talked about it and she confirmed that yes, typically one side grows faster.
For those of you who don’t know, a pixie is typically a very short women’s haircut that leaves the hair above the ears.
9 days after her haircut she messaged me saying, “My hair is longer on one side now, and I’d like to come in for a re-do.”
My policy is free re-dos if it’s within 7 days of the original service. Because she was a new client I wanted to be generous and wanted to do everything I could to reasonably keep her.
So, offered her half price instead of charging her full price for another haircut since it was only 9 days after the original service.
I answered her message saying, “Since you came in 9 days ago, your hair has had enough time to grow and change. And we talked about your hair growing faster on one side. That’s why it looks different than when you left here. I have a policy for free re-do’s if it is within 7 days of the service but I would be willing to take a look at it for half price. Since it’s been 9 days.”
My new client from 9 days prior responded, “I can’t justify paying twice.” And went elsewhere.
This is an excellent example of someone who is fishing for free services. This type of client is the kind you can fire if they don’t walk themselves out first.
How to break up with a client in a salon
Here’s an example of how to break up with a difficult hair client in a salon.
A simple how to fire a client script.
How to Break Up with a Hair Client Script
“I am sorry, I don’t think I am a good fit for your needs. You should find someone else who is better suited for what kind of ‘cut’, ‘style’, or ‘color’.”
👉 And offer a referral to another salon or stylist or a solution to their issue.
If you make it sound like you have a solution to their problem (their hair not turning out their way) and know who can fix it for them, it’s much more professional and easier for them to want to take your advice and go elsewhere.
Be professional, be kind, be firm
If possible, fire a difficult hair client face to face or over the phone.
Some choose to fire clients over text messages, but I personally don’t advise this method if you are going to go about explaining why you cannot rebook this client.
- Be honest
- Don’t humiliate the client, try to keep it as quiet and private as you professionally can
- Do not ghost your client
- Use straightforward language, don’t try to get around the message you are trying to communicate
- Tell them that you have appreciated their support of your business and you wish them the best from this point forward.
- See if you can give them a referral to another shop, professional, or even give them some guidelines on what to ask their next stylist to see if they’re a good fit. I know sometimes nightmare clients you don’t want to pass on to anyone else, so in those cases, just give them a guide or list of questions to ask the next shop.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool. If you are rude to your guest word will spread quickly. Don’t skip the How Not to Fire a Client section below.
If you are professional and kind to your guest during this uncomfortable process you will be above reproach and have nothing to be ashamed of.
How to Break Up With Hair Client Scripts- More advice from other professionals
In an anonymous survey I conducted among hair professionals around the world, I discovered that hairstylists and cosmetologists handle firing clients differently than barbers. Which was interesting.
The stylists that responded typically answered, “Be honest with your guest. Tell them that they have no-showed too many times and you cannot afford to continue booking them.”
And, “I think your needs will be better met elsewhere.”
Multiple barbers that responded to the survey said, “Tell them you’re booked.”
Others said, “Keep raising the prices on them.”
As a professional barber and cosmetologist myself, I cannot fully recommend the barber method. Each situation is different, so sometimes this might be a strategic method, but again, you want to be professional.
How NOT to fire a difficult hair client– face to face
This is important!
Remember, you should NEVER fire a client while you are angry. Remember you want to stay professional.
🚫 Do not yell at your client.
🛑 Don’t get into what they say or have said that has brought you to the decision to let them go.
🚫 Never blame the client or point fingers- especially if you are angry.
🛑 Don’t call names. You’d be surprised at how many times this happens. Even if they are calling names and cussing you out, do not bend to that level. You are a professional, and word of mouth spreads faster than wildfire. If you are firm about your decision but not rude, they have no ground to stand on in trying to start rumors about you to other clients.
🚫 Your decision is not negotiable. You are not obligated to discuss your decision if you choose not to explain, they should not be allowed to argue with you after bringing the hammer down. It’s not necessary to get into it if you don’t want to.
(OPTIONAL) Give them a reason. Typically people tend to respond better if they are given a reason as to why they are no longer allowed to do something or go somewhere they could before.
Remember, you are not responsible for how your client reacts
You are only responsible for your own behavior.
You are not responsible for how your guest (or now ex-client) behaves.
The only thing you can do is remember that the reputation you have for your business and keeping it professional is the best thing you can do in this kind of situation.
Firing a client is not a reflection of your skills! You are a top-notch professional.
When you have to fire a difficult hair client it does not make you a bad stylist or barber.
Don’t forget, you are worth your prices and your time.
And here’s the thing- after firing a client, you will always be able to build more clientele. You will be able to fill that slot with another client that will respect you, your time, and appreciate your services.
If you struggle with building a clientele and are worried about filling up your books, please read How to Get Hair Clients Fast. In this article, I explain 11 tried and true ways to successfully build and keep a clientele.
Don’t worry! You CAN fire your difficult hair client, and you CAN build your following again!