A coaching offer we ran doubled its client success rate by simplifying the training. Most clients had found it too complicated to act on.
A client who is not doing the work looks like a motivation problem. Before it is one, check the three things the team controls: the step, the time and the check-in.
Why do coaching clients stop doing the work?
They run out of fuel. Client success is like a car. What keeps fuel in is regular results, gamification of the process, simplification and clear action steps, plus how often someone checks in. Take one away and the client slows down.
The early weeks matter most. A client with no small win inside two weeks, 30 days at the latest, already feels down and starts thinking the program is bad. Some clients only see how much work there is after they pay, and most early refund requests start there.
How do you see who has stopped?
Put a time on every stage and track the doing. Modules finished, the work done, the technique practised: the outcome is not always measurable, but the doing is. On the Monday.com board, every client is on track or overdue against the stage they are on.
The time has to be known in advance. The video training frames it: you have this much time for this. If the training never says how long a stage should take, the overdue check-in lands as a surprise.
What do you send a client who has stopped?
A short message the same day, from the client success manager. A DM or a voice message that names the step and asks what is going on. Then help, and a clear next step to the next milestone.
Keep it short and easy. Write like a friend, professional, and never send a wall of text. Send the link to the exact video or worksheet, so the next action is one click away.
Then tell them they are late. Clients who know the timing and hear about it when they slip get things done, and the client success rate goes up.
Define the outcome, define the actions needed, build them into the video training, have people follow it and hold them to a time. And you can always track the doing: modules finished, the work done, the technique practised. The outcome is not fully measured, but the doing is.
When is the program the reason a client stopped?
When many clients stop at the same place. Counted per stage, overdue clients show the friction zone: always after stage X, people get stuck. One stuck client is a check-in; a pile of clients on one stage is a training problem.
| Where clients stop | What it usually is | What the team does |
|---|---|---|
| Week one or two | No first win yet | A 15-minute onboarding call fast, and a setup task as the first win |
| One video or step | Too complicated, or something is missing | Simplify the step, add the missing piece, send the link |
| After a missed time | The time was never in the training | Write the time into the training, then start counting |
| Right after paying | Fear of the work | A call first, then check-ins as often as possible |
Should you discount or push harder?
Neither. A discount to keep a client makes no sense, and it does nothing about the step they are stuck on. Long messages full of pressure do not get read.
What works is attention, early. New clients get up to three check-ins a week in the first 30 days, by voice message, with progress logged each time.
Watch out. A client who stops doing the work and then asks for a refund is usually scared of the work. Get on a call before any decision, and keep the goal in front of them.
Further reading: On-track rate: how to see which stage of your program is broken · Most early refund requests are fear, not failure
Diego Miescher
