Hey this is Jonas “Honey Badger” Deffes again.
I’m here to to give you meaningful blog post.. or something like that?
I’m going to make this a quick one because I really don’t like working more then I have to… I like to keep my total work minutes under 15min. a day….
I run my own Fitness Business all by myself the most part… I can handle wearing all the hats with my business with no problem because I have systems in place. I really don’t need to hire a assistant…actually the major brunt of my work comes from answering emails…..which I really don’t mind.
However…..
One thing I can’t stand when running my business is… when I have to deal with customer emails asking for some sort of refund because they chose to not make it to boot camp after they signed up for it…
These are the exact ones who read your refund policy’s yet they still try to put the blame on you because they couldn’t get their ass out of bed to make it to boot camp.. and Now they want their money back? WTF!
Man that’s just some BULLSHIT right there!
But how do you respond to that dreaded refund type of email?
Man, but that isn’t cool because that makes me look like a total douche bag..But you still don’t want to compromise your Business’s Policy’s and Procedures.
It’s always a tough call!
What I do is.. I make up a fake administrator assistant personality to answer these types of refund emails…. I usually use the name Lisa M. Mcdonald <– sounds pretty legit right?
You never know how these Clients are going to react to the words “NO REFUND”
So I usually send a trick email saying something simple like this with my fake assistant name.
” Hello Miss (last name)
Here is our policy’s and procedures on refunds as stated on the website you registered on (INSERT YOUR POLICY HERE)
Sincerely
Lisa M Mcdonald
Administrator Assistant ”
Like I said before.. You never know how these people are going to react. Hopefully they will be totally cool with it and respect your Policy OR they might get all ape shit and pissed off….Blah Blah Blah
Whatever… the point is… you got the chance to stand up for your business without looking like the “Shit Head Bad Guy” because you used a fake name to answer your email.
Well, you will probably end up giving them their money back…but at least you gave it a fair shot. Now this is the cool part… because you are probably thinking this person hates me now and will just talk shit about my business now.
Not True..
Actually, you now have the chance to respond back and look like that total ROCK STAR that saves the day and everyone loves.
So, to do that …you send out an email response to them that looks something like this.
“Hello (Use cients First name) <–more personable this time
This is Jonas, my administrator just forwarded me this email.
She is new to the job and still in training.
I’m sorry that you are upset. I have no problem refunding you.. I want you to know that I really hope
that in the future we can help you with reaching your goals and I totally understand your situation.
Please let me know if you have anymore questions or if there is anything
I can do to help you out.
Sincerely yours, Jonas
P.S. Here is my private email I use for my VIP clients. (insert different email address) Please use it If you ever want direct access to me in the future. “
You will end up making yourself look even better then before in their eyes and that’s what it is all about.
So, give that little admin trick a try next time and let me know how it turns out for you.
Later.
Jonas “Honey Badger” Deffes
www.HoneyBadgerLifeStyle.com
P.S. I’m trying to decide if I should keep the Pink Mo-Hawk..should I keep it or grow it out?
ha ha ha – LEGIT, JD!!!
SOOOO True, I do a killa job of screening athletes AND parents be4 they even step foot in this gym, AND, I have a physical newsletter with “triggers” that keep them on track on behaving exactly as I want them to!!!
It’s NINJA shiz, will unleash at Sam’s “BIG Day!” ha ha
The admin trick looks like the answer to my dilemma. The customer will definitely feel they are important because the Boss sent them an email. I never have thought of this. You are clever!
You are one great man! You manage your own business and don’t have an assistant? That is one tough job I must say. I do answer my own emails but sometimes my assistant does that for me. I want to try your admin trick and see what will come out of it. Thanks a lot for sharing.
I agree. Some customers think they are smarter than you. They always complain but I know they already planned it ahead. I am not saying everyone does that. The admin trick will really surprise them. By the way, keep the pink mo-hawk. You look awesome!
You write your article with enthusiasm. I enjoy reading this article, plus I got to get some tips from you. I have to tell this to my business partner and for sure this will be the talk of the town in the office. I hope to see more whirlwind articles like this.
I really don’t understand why some customers will sign-up and then ask for a refund. This is a never-ending issue that I am also experiencing. The admin trick might help them stay or what not. I will certainly give it a try.
How did you come up with this brilliant trick? This shows that you really don’t need any assistant. Sometimes all we need is creativity and sense of humor to come up with ideas like this. I like it and will try it tomorrow.
You really know how to deal with your clients more so with the difficult ones. I have been having problems with a similar situation and I just don’t have any idea how to deal with them. I am going to give this a shot. Thanks!
VIP is the right keyword to use. They will feel important and sometimes the email will make them feel bad to let you go. You are amazing! Please post more tips and tricks we can use. I will drop by again.
Reading your post is like opening a gift. I was really surprised about the admin trick! There was never a dull moment while reading it. I like the pink mo-hawk too! I will surely share this fantastic article with my family and friends.
I got too many clients asking for refund these past few months. I am still trying to get to the root cause of it, but I guess I should try your admin trick first. I hope I can still save them from leaving. I will come back and will share how it turns out.
Bad Ass system Jonas, thanks for the hook up bro!
“So what do you do if you get some angry response back from them? Well, you will probably end up giving them their money back…but…”
But nothing.
The fine print is right there and if they want to go to court, then bring it. Their signature is on it…and they have a copy…and in the fine print it says “I hereby will comply and understand all policies yada yada.”
Then it’s binding.
What’s the point in having fine print, cancellation policy, early termination fees, rules, etc.
if you’re not going to re-inforce ’em?
Hey Chris A, A lot of times…because i do keep the relationship with the customer positive..they often come back and use my services again.
For the most part…not everyone is even going to challenge you on your policy..however this is how i handle the few that do and it’s always better to have a happy customer then a pissed off one..even if they are douche bags
Awesome post Jonas! I’m still in the process of dealing with my refund story. Next time I will definitely use the assistant email tip ;) Thanks! -baby honey badger
What a marvelous tip! We always try to maintain our customer’s loyalty. Email is a one way of letting them know how important they are. Refund has always been a problem but thinking like a customer helps a lot in dealing with them.
You made things much easier for me. I am going to try the email tip and hopefully I won’t need to do a lot of refunds. Thanks! I’ll keep you posted.
This article is impressive! You are resourceful. I will come back to this site so I can learn more from you.
I did try it yesterday and I got awesome feedbacks now. Some wants to stay and asking if there is any VIP discount. They are really funny but seriously thanks to your tip! I didn’t lose that much now.
Providing excellent customer service doesn’t just mean keeping them to stay. They will still recommend you because of that positive customer relationship you provided them. The email trick is something we should really try to let them feel they are still a valued customer.
Jonas, you’re a fool… lol
Nice post my man.
@Dustin…yes I’m the biggest fool of them all…but damn, I look sexy in a purple dress!
freakin hillarious! love your pics! and yes, Ive done that before….lol! or used my business partners name:)~
You guys are the best! Seriously. You really teach us how to build a 6 Figure Business
lol this is the best personal trainer marketing on the internet! thanks guys for another good tip!
Definitely going to have a training with my support staff about this. Thank you!
Thanks for the crafty marketing techniques. I will be applying this to five different models I have going on. You guys are awesome! Im sure you would not mind if I forward this to some coworkers and friends….
“Hey Chris A, A lot of times…because i do keep the relationship with the customer positive..they often come back and use my services again.
For the most part…not everyone is even going to challenge you on your policy..however this is how i handle the few that do and it’s always better to have a happy customer then a pissed off one..even if they are douche bags”
yes very true chris. you can also lose business from them bad mouthing you. so yes, you could get the money back but you have to consider the ramifications of upsetting that person. we have to remember that these people are not “customers” but people…
another great post. cant wait till you guys set up boot camp marketing seminars on the east and west coast.
And this is why you are guys are my fitness marketing gurus…thank you for the tip!
So we have family visiting, all the way from Florida… LOTS of family, needless to say, I’ve been pretty busy with hanging out with all of them, and so I wanted to take a minute and write a comment on here.
I was tinkering with my iPhone, and I checked my email, and saw that you guys updated your blogs, JUST posting to say that I really love appreciate the work (and humor) you put in for us every week.
Loved the MADMEN send up. And the tip is killer as well.
Yeah… Kaiser.. I love Madmen.. It’s cool that you got that..I don’t think many people caught on to that lol …more people should watch Madmen ..lots of old school marketing in it.