what happens when I say "No" to people

My coaching's not for everyone, and some people have a hard time getting that. 

They think it's just about trading services for money.

I don't work that way.

Yes, I require a significant financial commitment investment of my students. (It's a minimum investment of $5,000 to work with me and students pay up to $20,000.) 

But this opportunity will cost you more than just money. You must be ready to invest your time and energy. You must be ready to commit to this process and make it such a powerful force in your life that it will have a lasting impact into law school and beyond.

In more cases than you'd think, I have to turn students away because they're not willing to invest of themselves the dedication it takes to succeed.

Now, I promised you a story in the subject line, and I'm going to deliver.

Here's why I said "No" to one student (and his reaction):

I ask potential students to email me their answers to a list of background questions before we speak. This allow us to make the most of our time together during the call.

His answer to some questions was incomplete, and he completely skipped others with no explanation.

When I asked him to fix them, he didn't.

He failed to get back to me about our first potential appointment time, and basically said "anytime works" when I asked him to suggest a few.

So, you can imagine how frustrated I was by this point. I'd given him several chances to show what kind of student he'd be, and he'd let me down every time.

Finally, I'd had enough!

Here's what I initially wrote:

I'm going to take the option of coaching off the table for now. I only work with highly-motivated, high-performing students who are willing to invest significant time and energy in their LSAT prep. This is the 2nd opportunity I've given you to complete the questions and confirm a specific date and time.

My coaching's not for everyone, but I'll still do what I can to point you in the right direction. Just let me know what you need right now.

All the best,
Steve

His reaction (full of excuses!):

Hi Steve,

I don’t appreciate that knowing that I have adhd that you associated me with not being highly motivated and high performing. My adhd causes me to forget a lot of daily tasks.

That’s a quick assumption to make on a small number of interactions. Which as we know from the LSAT is not proper logic.

I understand that this is became a waste of you time quickly, which is quick for someone to say when they are ignorant of learning disabilities and disabling conditions.

I will no longer be wasting any of your time.

I'm sympathetic to people with all sorts of unique challenges, but ADHD isn't why I suggested he might not be highly-motivated and high-performing.

It's because of his behavior! 

(So many LSAT students get overzealous in accusing others of flaws right off the bat. But if we look at specific language, we can be more precise in evaluating the arguments and claims we come across.)

My full response:

In my experience, I do see an association between responsiveness, attention to detail, and having those attributes I mentioned. I'm understanding of the ADHD and have worked with students with challenges like this.

I didn't see responsiveness and attention to detail in your answers to the initial questions I asked, or in scheduling our free initial conversation. This leads me to believe that those may not be present in our future potential coaching sessions, or in your LSAT preparation. I work with students who are responsive and detail-oriented. They value our coaching time and LSAT preparation highly enough to find a way to make it happen.

If we were to work together, the first thing we'd do is establish a system to ensure you're giving appropriate attention to our time together and your LSAT preparation. I ask a tremendous amount of my students, and their ability to deliver on those requirements is how we make miracles happen.

Thanks for understanding.
Steve

It's ok that things didn't work out with this guy. Our expectations didn't line up, so it wasn't a good fit. Maybe there's a tutor out who will go to his house every day and babysit him to make sure he studies.

I'm not that guy, and that's not how I work.

I ask a tremendous amount of my students, and their ability to deliver on those requirements is how we make miracles happen.

If you think you might have what it takes for LSAT coaching, reach out and let me know.

-LSAT Steve

P.S. Are you taking the LSAT within the next few months? Or are you taking it 6+ months from now?

Whenever you're taking it, I'd like to know:

What's giving you the most trouble with your LSAT studying?

and 

What would you like to learn more about?

(For example, are you having a hard time getting started, and you need some advice to stay motivated? Or have you started already, but you're finding that Logical Reasoning questions make your head spin?)

Yeah, I know everyone has different areas of difficulty, but I'm going to take the most commonly mentioned topics and focus on them going forward.

Questions from students like you are what led me to write 1,000+ free articles, publish best-selling LSAT guides, and create a series of popular LSAT courses. Your feedback inspires me to keep sharing with you.

Looking forward to hearing from you!