Dance Studio Owners Understand You Cannot Please Everyone
                     Dance Studio Owners Understand: You Can’t Please Everyone! 
Yes, this is an old saying! BUT it appears that many 
Dance Studio Owners do not really apply this important 
life fact. In business, it is vital to help you stay even 
keeled and to keep stress levels in check. Remember if 
your customers are not happy, you won’t be happy.
After running a successful dance studio for 34+ years, I 
can assure you that over the years we have had many 
customers who love and appreciate all that we have 
done and also some who do not. Upon further 
investigation. I have found that most of the unhappy 
folks are pretty much just unhappy people to start with. 
Now that doesn’t mean we haven’t dropped the ball 
occasionally. Then again, there is probably not a 
business in the world that hasn’t done something that 
has annoyed a customer here and there. Another thing 
to consider is the bigger your studio is the greater the 
chance that someone will not be happy about 
something. We are blessed to have a large school so 
along with that comes the increased chance that a 
customer will not be satisfied.
One thing we have developed is a very clear and 
concise message that all of our staff and faculty 
understand and promote. Once your customers know 
how you operate there is less of a chance that 
someone may be unclear as to what your studio 
stands for and what it doesn’t. Let’s face it, one size 
does not fit all! Some people will not be a good fit for 
your studio and that is ok. As a matter of fact, you 
may even want to consider giving the customer who 
is a pain in the neck a gift certificate to the studio 
down the street from your school! All kidding aside, 
you need to set clear boundaries and set reasonable 
expectations in everything your customers will 
experience at your studio. Most folks will follow your 
lead. And that can be good or bad. Your dance studio 
environment will dictate which one it will be.
Top 4 tips to remember when 
dealing with an unhappy 
customer…
1.      Decide how customer complaints will be handled before they actually happen. This is very important. I 
recommend that you do not just let anyone come in and occupy your time with a complaint without setting up 
an appointment ahead of time. Your time is valuable so make sure you set boundaries as to when and how 
you will meet unhappy customers. Set time limits for these meetings and try to keep them short.
2.      I personally do not like texting or emailing a response to issues and I advise my clients in the DTW 
Studio Owner VIP program to ONLY deal with issues face to face. Otherwise, this can go back and forth 
forever and words can be misinterpreted and the problem can escalate into something bigger than it has to be. 
Here’s how I recommend you respond to all complaints sent in to you via phone, email or text.  Explain that 
you are concerned about their issue and would like to set up a time for them to come in. Make sure the time is 
convenient for you as well.
3.      Don’t let things linger on for days on end without some kind of mutually agreed upon solution. If you 
dropped the ball don’t be afraid to say so. You can apologize and find a good way to move on. One thing I 
have found is that if I thank a customer for bringing something to our attention and let them know that we 
value their feedback, even if it isn’t what we want to hear, most customers will like the fact that you value 
what they had to say and that you will use it to make your business better moving forward.
4.      If someone is really unhappy and is not going to let go of what they are mad about, it is best to give 
them a refund and ask them to leave. Through the years, when we have gotten rid of the bad apples it has 
always been like a breath of fresh air. Again, keep in mind, you can’t please everyone. And if you have a 
really unhappy customer, chances are they are making you unhappy as well. So sometimes the best thing to 
do is to bring them in and let them know that you feel that your studio is not the best fit for them. Tell them 
you appreciate them being a customer but that you don’t want them to be in a place where they won’t be 
happy.