Why Most People Are Bad Clients

I am a bad client.?

Let me share an example of how my being a bad client comes about…?

You see I have a personal trainer.?

Once a week he comes round.?

To the house.?

For an hour.?

?I hired him to ensure I do my kettlebell training true to form.?

You see about 8 years ago I was a complete kettlebell addict… I had muscles and everything.?

I could lift, and I was strong.?

But then I stopped exercising. And my muscle turned to flab… yuck!?

So, about 6 weeks ago I got in touch with a personal trainer. I told him I was ready to swing a kettlebell around again, and could he come and ensure my form was good as I was 8 years out of practice.?

(I saw this personal trainer on the beach with other people doing kettlebells so assumed he knew his stuff…)

Anyhow, I signed up to 10 sessions. ￡400 down on 1:1 training support.?

The first session was a reminder of the different kettlebell moves. During the session he talked a lot. He spent ages looking out of my front room window and spoke about how wonderful the bloody sunset was, and how lucky we were to be able to watch the sea from this window every day.?

I thought I would let his obsession with the sea and beach go as this is how many people react for the first time when they come to our home…?

The second session he asked me what kettlebell exercises I wanted to do, and I pretty much planned my session and did my exercises whilst he once again looked out of my windows and commented on the view…?

Again I put it down to the fact that we were lucky and thought very little more of it… although I was slightly surprised I had to come up with my exercise regime, and I was a little agitated at the experience I was receiving.?

And from this point things didn’t change…?

Each session he kept talking to me asking me about my family, work, life…?

He kept walking to my windows and staring out over the sea …?

... completely forgot to train me, time me, correct me or help me with any exercises (which was why I hired him in the first place).?

And now we are 5 sessions in...?

Halfway through the training I see we have just 3 options:?

1. Walk away, lose the money I have already paid for the next 5 sessions and put it down to bad luck.?

2. Talk to him and ask for our money back for the next 5 sessions.?

3. Give him feedback and hope he improves.?

Which one would you choose... because I know which one I will go with, which is why I say I am a bad client.?

I don’t want to do number 3. It makes me uncomfortable.?

I don’t want to give feedback.?

In fact, I would prefer option 1.?I would rather lose ￡200 than tell him I am not happy.?

But check this out…?

I may choose option 1 and just walk away...

not telling him I am unhappy and be prepared to lose ￡200.?

.... but if I do this I will also be very quick to tell others not to use him as I don’t think he is any good.?

But my situation is not unique to a personal trainer and their client.?

It works across all industries.?

Right now you may have clients who feel like I do, but are not telling you.?

You may think that your accounting firm is doing a great job.?

But your clients may not feel they are getting the attention or service that they want from you.?

And, like me, maybe they are not the kind of person to tell you so. Maybe they too just sit in silence until they are so unhappy they walk away or ask for their money back.?

And here is the lesson.

We cannot hope clients are happy. We have to ask them for feedback.?

Feedback helps a business improve. See where things are missing. Learn how to get better.?

Communication with a client is essential.?

And it doesn't have to be scary.?

The best way to do this is to survey your clients every 3-4 months.?

Ask them how they are feeling, ask what improvements they think you could make, what they love about working with you and what they don't love.?

You might be pleasantly surprised and find out that there are many different services your clients wish they had from you (and are willing to pay for). But you won't know this if you don't ask them.?

And here is the real kicker...?

You can bet your bottom dollar that your competitors are talking to your clients trying to lure them from you…?

And if they are even slightly unhappy they will jump ship if they find someone who they think will serve them better.?

So you have to COMMUNICATE with your clients at all times and have a strong relationship with them.?

And whilst I am a bad client, so are most clients.?

I don’t give feedback unasked. I just quit.?

As do most people.?

And then those that quit are generally quite unfavorable about you too.?

It's super easy to get feedback. Here is an example of a feedback form we created for a Mastermind session we held with our clients.?

We used Google Forms, and it took seconds to create, but the feedback received was priceless.?

Here it is: https://forms.gle/RQRy8tQEyp8jQ68k9

Thanks for reading!

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