How can I avoid refund requests from my clients? And how can I protect myself if things go wrong?

3 simple things you can do to improve your position 100%

So, you did all the soul searching work on finding out what your why is.  You created your business to allow you to follow your true purpose.  You nailed your message to speak to your ideal customer.  You spent long days and nights creating your programme.  And you actually have some clients!

You should be feeling on top of the world, but you can’t shake this underlying feeling of worry which is spoiling the fun.  You feel vulnerable and exposed and it’s stopping you doing your best work.  

You are not alone in this, my friend.  I have heard this from my clients many times and two of the main reasons for this underlying yucky feeling (technical term!) are:

• It has taken you so much time and effort to get your clients, you are now worried about them asking for a refund!
• You feel the weight of your clients’ expectations – what if they are unreasonable?  What if they have a wobble when you go deep with them?  What if they not only ask for a refund but decide to sue you?!

Here are 3 simple things you can do to improve your position 100% so you can: 

• get rid of those yucky feelings, 
• sleep well at night 
• feel safe to do your best work

1. Have a clear written description of what you are doing for your client.

This is what sets a solid foundation for your relationship with your clients and will save you hassle further down the line, so be disciplined and take the time to think it through properly.  I know it’s not the sexy part of your business, but trust me on this.  At some point you will be very grateful. 

When writing the description, this is the question you should have in the back of your mind “If a client has a wobble at some point in the future, what are the nuts and bolts of what I am providing, so I can point to this list and show I have done all the things I promised?” So we are not talking results or marketing speak here – we are talking: number of sessions; length of sessions; amount of support in between; materials to be provided and so on.

2. Establish healthy boundaries with your client and make sure you set them out in writing.

 Make sure they understand your policies (for refunds, changing sessions etc) and – super important, this - define what your role is as coach – the fact that you do not provide medical treatment and the responsibility your client has for taking action.  You are a coach, after all, not a miracle worker!

3. Have a good strong limitation of liability clause

 The hard truth: sometimes, no matter how good a coach you are, things go wrong. 

A good limitation of liability clause means when they do, you will only be on the hook for what is reasonable, and not for nasties such as loss of profits and consequential loss.  This is the clause that helps you sleep soundly at night.  And if you have a partner and jointly own any assets with them (like your family home) this is also the clause that will help THEM sleep soundly at night. 

The best place to set out all these things is in your client contract – and I can help you get yours in place quickly and easily. Find out more here.