If you’ve ever checked in for an appointment on time and then watched the clock crawl thirty, forty, fifty minutes past it, you already understand why I run my practice the way I do. So when American Express asked me to talk about something most business owners avoid — how, and when, to say no to a client — I was glad to.

Saying no is what makes the rest of it work. We run on time and we never overbook, which means a last-minute cancellation or a no-show doesn’t only cost us — it costs the guest who could have been in that chair. So we set expectations clearly and early, in writing, before anyone sits down, and then we hold to them, even when it’s uncomfortable.

One of our policies is our ‘three strikes, you’re out’ rule. We run on time and never overbook, so no-shows and last-minute cancellations are very disruptive and costly.

The first time I actually had to enforce that rule, I was terrified. I was bracing for an argument. Instead, the guest already knew exactly why it was happening and apologized for the visits she’d missed. I gave her a second chance, and she hasn’t missed one since. Clear standards, set kindly, tend to land as respect rather than rejection.

That same standards-first instinct runs through everything here. It’s why we put our promises in writing and stand behind our work , and it traces back to the books that shaped how we built the practice in the first place. Setting a standard is the easy part. Keeping it — sometimes by saying no — is what makes it mean something.

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Yenile Pinto

Read the full article on American Express →