I recently got pushed to violate one of my own policies. I DO NOT issue refunds once somebody has made the decision to work with me. While I stand 100% by the services I provide – and promise to credit anyone’s credit card back who invests in a coaching relationship or Moxie Solo Bootcamp and doesn’t feel like I’ve rocked her or his world at the end of our first session – the promise is to eliminate the risk of not getting one’s desired result and not an invitation for buyer’s remorse. Nevertheless, despite my transparent policy, a new client recently decided she didn’t want to move forward with her initial decision to work with me and made it very clear she believed I had a responsibility to issue her a refund.
When I shared this dilemma with a friend – and former client – he not only empathized with the situation I was put in. He shared quite a jaw-dropping story of his own.
Watch this week’s video to explore how to handle situations where your perspective might be right, but simultaneously might be getting you in the way of preserving professional and personal relationships. (And if you like what you hear – or find that it pushes your buttons but is still useful for your relationship building, make sure to TWEET IT!)
2 Comments
What a thoughtful post, Alexia. Thank you so much. Your friend’s experience hits me squarely in the gut. Do you think that there are also times that preserving a relationship is not possible? It does take two willing parties to preserve a working partnership. I’ve run into only one circumstance like that, and the only way forward was choosing to behave in ways that I would be proud to recount to others if asked. Do you have other suggestions?
Thanks @JessLarsen. In answer to your question, HECK YEAH! And those are the relationships you don’t want to preserve. If the other party is not willing to own her role in a situation or be a part of the solution, it’s good for everyone to walk away.
One of my favorite questions to ask when you’re not sure if moving forward is possible is: “How can I get this right for you?” If what’s revealed is totally unreasonable or the person cycles back into the story of how she’s been “wronged,” there’s your answer.