As a health coach, you can become an expert in multiple areas: nutrition, behavior change psychology, fitness and athletic performance, stress management and recovery, and more.
However, no matter how many certifications you earn, you’ll invariably encounter clients with progress-blocking problems you don’t have the skills, training, expertise, or legal right to solve.
Here’s the thing…
You may not be an expert at fixing marriages, treating GERD, or counseling someone with an eating disorder, but someone else is.
Here’s where a healthy referral network comes in.
By connecting your client with such a person, you get to stay within your scope of practice, give welcome business to respected colleagues, and help your client solve their problem.
(Total. Supercoach. Move.)
All of our certification programs include sections devoted to teaching coaches how to build robust referral networks of professionals skilled at solving common client problems.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to do that—by exploring the top mistakes we see coaches make. Avoid them, and you’ll be able to refer out with confidence.
A referral network is a list of supplementary professionals, businesses, and resources that benefit clients.
Your network might include local or virtual:
To confidently refer clients to skilled practitioners with excellent reputations, you’ll want to do some legwork. That brings us to the top mistakes to avoid.
For recently certified health coaches, the task “create a referral network” can double as a procrastination tool, says PN’s Director of Community Engagement Kate Solovieva.
Rather than take on clients, these coaches search for an increasing number of professionals, valiantly trying to be prepared for every potential referral situation. Yet, as much as they continue to work on it, their list is never “complete.”
That’s because…
“We can’t be prepared for everything,” says Solovieva.
Take on clients as soon as you’re certified.
Yes! That might sound scary, but the best way to figure out your “gaps” is to begin your practice, and see where your clients actually need help beyond what you can offer.
Add folks to your referral network over time as you:
Use the following resource list as inspiration.
Resource | Name | Website | Contact information |
Acupuncturist | |||
Chiropractor | |||
Cooking class | |||
Cycling, hiking, walking, or running club | |||
Exercise physiologist | |||
Coach who specializes in plant-based diets / pre- or post-natal fitness / other coaching niche you don’t cater to | |||
Marriage / family counselor | |||
Massage therapist | |||
Meal delivery service | |||
Mental health professional | |||
Orthopedist | |||
Pelvic floor therapist | |||
Primary care physician | |||
Physiotherapist | |||
Registered dietitian | |||
Stress management class | |||
Other |
As we mentioned above, you’ll never be able to anticipate every referral or client question ahead of time—and that’s okay.
This is especially true if you coach virtually with clients worldwide.
(You might know three fantastic massage therapists where you live in Toronto, Canada, but that knowledge won’t help if your client is based in Wellington, New Zealand.)
Similarly, some professionals or resources might work for some clients, but not others.
(You might, for example, know of several meal delivery options, yet none are suitable for that plant-based client who’s on a strict gluten-free diet.)
Learn how to help clients find the professionals and resources they need.
You might:
Reaching out to a stranger requires some bravery. You have to put yourself out there, explain who you are and what your motives are, and risk being ignored or turned down.
This is where many coaches get stuck, says Toni Bauer, PN’s Director of Coaching and Education Operations.
As a result, many coaches may put off the conversation.
Turn networking into a challenge. Coach Solovieva calls it “Operation 100.”
To ease yourself into the challenge, draft your elevator pitch, suggests Bauer.
Don’t overthink this. Your pitch doesn’t have to be a multi-page persuasive essay. Nor does it have to contain magical talking points. Just be yourself.
As you work on your elevator pitch, use the examples below for inspiration.
“I’m a health coach who works with corporate executives. However, some of my clients would benefit from someone with your expertise. I would like to recommend you to my clients as those needs arise. Are you open to that?”
Or:
“I’m a health coach who works with athletes. Occasionally, my clients need guidance that I can’t always provide. I admire the work you’re doing, and I’d love to be able to refer people to you. If you’re open to that, could we have a quick 15- or 20-minute meeting to discuss what that arrangement would look like?”
Or simply:
“I’m a health coach and I’m building a referral list of practitioners. I would love to refer clients to you. Are you taking new patients right now?”
If you use LinkedIn, then you’ve likely been on the receiving end of old-school cold sales tactics. We’re talking direct messages from strangers who clearly haven’t read anything on your profile and know nothing about you.
These spammy messages are as welcome as a stranger who sidles up to you at a bar and says, “So, wanna come back to my place?”
We’re not here to discourage you from using cold outreach. It has a place. However, to increase your response rate, we’d like to introduce you to a rarely used technique.
Get to know people before making an online ask, suggests Coach Solovieva.
Follow them, read their content, download and consume their free resources, comment on their posts, congratulate them on career wins, and become a part of their online life.
Do that, and people will remember you. More of them will respond to your messages, too. Plus, the intel you gather by forming a relationship will help you avoid…
How do you ensure you refer clients to compassionate professionals who truly know what they’re doing?
It involves more than checking someone’s website or social media profile.
If you only look at someone’s website or social media posts, “You’re just vetting their confidence and copywriting skills,” says Solovieva. “If we’re fortunate, confidence and copywriting go hand in hand with ability, but not always.”
Try out their services. Take someone’s yoga or Zumba class. Book a massage. Ask a medical professional to look at your creaky knee.
That way, you can see the professional in action.
If you’re thinking, ‘I don’t need some of the services my clients need!’ you’ve got a couple of options:
When you recommend a professional you’ve personally vetted, it’s natural to want your client to take action.
However, despite your hard work, some clients just won’t make an appointment with the professional in question—and that’s okay.
“Let your clients be adults,” says Coach Bauer.
Clients have their reasons. Maybe their insurance won’t cover the service in question. Or, maybe they decided to see someone else.
“It’s not your responsibility for the relationships to be perfect or to flourish,“ says Bauer.
Some coaches fear referrals because they see them as “giving business away.”
In reality, however, when you refer clients to solid pros, your clients simply feel like you have their back. (Which means they’ll be more likely to refer friends and family to you.)
Plus, when you send business towards another respected colleague, it also puts you on their radar for a cross-referral.
It’s good for your clients, good for business, and good for your community of health pros at large.
You can help people build sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits that will significantly improve their physical and mental health—while you make a great living doing what you love. We’ll show you how.
If you’d like to learn more, consider the PN Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification.
The post How to build a referral network with confidence appeared first on Precision Nutrition.
Source: Health1