When it comes to providing a positive service experience, the dictum “the customer is always right” usually makes sense.  But especially for expertise-driven service businesses, it is critical to differentiate between managing the service experience (e.g., responsiveness, fixing problems, staff friendliness) and the content of the service itself.  For example, a physician shouldn’t agree to an unnecessary operation simply because their patient desires it — though the physician and their staff should always be pleasant and efficient.  A driving instructor shouldn’t allow their student to drive recklessly simply because the student wants to — though the instructor should always be supportive and give instructions politely.  A good service experience and saying “NO” are not incompatible.  Indeed, you need and fully expect experts that you hire to tell you “NO” when required in their judgment, whether or not you want to hear it.

So why is the word “NO” so completely absent in commercial weight loss programs?