When to say No!

‘I’m ready to pay you, so why won’t you treat me?’ Have you ever struggled to know when to refuse a client treatment? Dr Sharan Uppal, aesthetic clinician, shares her thoughts and experiences.

‘Why won’t you treat me?’ I had this question put to me by a client when I advised him that I would unfortunately not be able to treat him with dermal filler. I knew the treatment would not make him happy or deliver the outcome he was looking for.

He looked at me as though I was insane: doing myself out of business and handing that business to my competitors down the road. Yet, I felt a sense of pride that I knew ethically I had made the right call.

Being a people-pleaser, saying ‘no’ has never been something I’ve found easy to do. However, reflecting on this case and similar cases, I’ve been able to create a mental check-list, which has really helped me say ‘no’ with more confidence. Here it is: