Sep 28, 2026 · 15 min · 9 segments
What happens when you have policies in your practice but don’t actually follow them? I learned that lesson after ignoring my own first-time client prepayment policy and ending up in an empty treatment…
Heather HammellHost
Have you ever noticed that happening to you? Have you ever taken a call like that? But I had this noticing and this awareness of this, but I went ahead and I booked them anyway.
They didn't call and I could not fill the slot because the slot was already happening by the time I realized that they were not coming in.
sat there in that empty treatment room and a completely preventable loss of time and income, right? Like I could have prevented that if I had followed my policies.
I was mostly mad at myself because I had a standard in my practice that first-time clients prepay for at least their first appointment.
I had let the discomfort of asking for the prepayment in the moment override the system that I had built when I was thinking clearly, right? Just in that moment of taking down the appointment information.
And on top of that, I had to deal with the shame and disappointment and the anger that I was having at this client who honestly, I had given every opportunity to do exactly what they did.
Have you ever noticed that happening to you? Have you ever taken a call like that? But I had this noticing and this awareness of this, but I went ahead and I booked them anyway.
They didn't call and I could not fill the slot because the slot was already happening by the time I realized that they were not coming in.
sat there in that empty treatment room and a completely preventable loss of time and income, right? Like I could have prevented that if I had followed my policies.
I was mostly mad at myself because I had a standard in my practice that first-time clients prepay for at least their first appointment.
I had let the discomfort of asking for the prepayment in the moment override the system that I had built when I was thinking clearly, right? Just in that moment of taking down the appointment information.
And on top of that, I had to deal with the shame and disappointment and the anger that I was having at this client who honestly, I had given every opportunity to do exactly what they did.
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