What Would You Do: Breaking Up With A Client

“I once told a difficult client in a mellow tone that the end goal for my clients was for them to be happy with their service and it was my job to provide that. I told this client this was not happening for her and she might consider another hairdresser. She was immediately apologetic and I never heard a peep out of her again. She ended up being a great client until I left the area. It's like the bully on the playground. We are humans before artists and sometimes we have to just stand up for ourselves.” - Stacey Pierce van Gelder 

“This is what I send out:

Hey ___,

I've been giving our relationship some thought, and after looking through our history, I've noticed a pattern of you not being happy on several occasions throughout the past two years. After giving this a lot of thought, I don't know what I can do to better meet your expectations and think you may be more satisfied with another stylist. It pains me to lose you as a client because I have genuinely enjoyed getting to know you, but ultimately your happiness and satisfaction are what's most important to me and unfortunately I don't think I'm the best fit for making that happen. I will sincerely miss seeing you and I wish you nothing but the best!” - Alyson Taylor Berry 

“Tell her you don't think you're the right stylist to suit her needs. Give her a few referrals, and tell her once she finds a new stylist, you'd be happy to pass on her formula to make the transition as easy as possible for her.” - Abigail Nilluka 

“It’s pretty simple actually. Why are people so afraid of being honest? Here's what you say: ‘Ms. X, your appointments are proving to be far more stressful than I'm allowing myself to deal with, and I will no longer be providing any future hair services for you. Take care—goodbye.’ That’s it!” - Kristy Carbone - Sebastian 

“This is your job. This is what customer service is. Will there always be amazing clients? No, unfortunately not. But I believe you should continue to do her hair and get her out as quickly as possible.” - @claire_olsen

“Once you're established and experienced enough, you do have the option to choose your own clientele, create your own brand and run your business however you want. Cut the cord! Inform her you are raising your prices and that you understand completely if she chooses to seek out a different stylist to better suit her needs.” - @hairbyarielmarae

“Politely but firmly tell them you feel this just isn't the right fit, so you will no longer be taking them as a client…All you can do is make sure you are kind when doing it. People will say what they want to say, so you have to let that part go, but if you are polite when handling this and every situation, you will always be the better for it.” - @deathbycouture

“Compile a list of better-suited salons or stylists for her and have a chat saying you can no longer meet her needs and it's time for her to see someone who can. I've given small ‘going away’ gifts like product samples to make it an easier split.” - @mccartywife12

“I just had a situation like this. What I did is made a list of salons in the area and let her know that because of my schedule I couldn't keep all clients anymore and would have to help them find new places…I said I enjoyed our time together but my schedule just wasn't allowing me to keep everyone and also be able to work less than 50 hours a week. She was grateful for the list and it took the pressure off of me for the uncomfortable conversation.” - @morganwink