Whether you are a NASM Nutrition Certified Coach or a nutrition professional looking to expand your coaching business, it is important to know how to attract more clients and build a successful coaching business. Regardless of your nutritional niche, it is important to note that simply having the experience and education is not enough to create a successful coaching business. Equally important is knowing how to grow and build interest in the services provided. There are a variety of ways to do this and listed below are eight steps to get started. However, please note that each of these steps take time and require practice through repetition, as they help you reaffirm your belief and ability to reach your goals successfully. If you are promoting yourself as a nutrition coach who is looking for clients, it is essential to know what is unique about your approach as a coach, or the unique specialty that you are concentrating on. If you are unsure what this is, it is important to take a step back and outline your ideal client. Ask yourself the following questions: Who are you looking to offer your services to? What does your ideal client care about and what are their pain points? How are your unique offerings the right fit for them? These might be hard questions to answer initially but taking the time to explore and understand these details for your business will allow for impactful and purposeful marketing. It also allows you to make sure you are reaching out to the right individuals to grow your clientele. Once you know your ideal client and unique approach, the next step is creating an elevator pitch for what you do. It is one thing to know it for yourself, but another when it comes to being able to articulate it to others. An elevator pitch is a brief introduction, often 30 seconds, that highlights a few key points and helps others know exactly what you do and what you are selling. Ideally, it should highlight who you are as a Nutrition coach, key points about your unique services and approach, and the specific population you are helping. The goal of an elevator pitch is to gain interest and curiosity from others, and clearly articulate what you do confidently.8 Steps to Land More Clients as a Nutrition Coach:
#1 Understand Your Ideal Client and Unique Approach
#2 Practice Your Elevator Pitch
#3 Leverage Your Relationships
Once you have an established and well-practiced elevator pitch, it is critical to share this with others and leverage the relationships in your life. Do not be afraid to use your elevator pitch, even modified, in different settings and conversations.
Those you are talking with might not be your ideal client or be the ones purchasing your services, but they might know someone who might be interested. Just by having conversations and sharing your elevator pitch with your network, you could grow interest and investment in your services. Networking is a strong tool to leverage as you look to grow your clientele.
#4 Add Value to Marketing
When you market yourself as a coach in an email newsletter, blog, or newsfeed post, you mustn't be just selling your services. It is also essential to show your value in the content you are creating and sharing with others. One way to do this is to provide education in your blog articles and newsletters so that people grow to appreciate and value your experience and guidance.
If they value your experience and trust you as a nutrition expert, they can be more likely to purchase coaching services from you when they feel they need it. For example, if your email newsletter gets sent weekly, consider a weekly nutrition tip and recipe. Also, consider adding in personalized stories and anecdotes to help your network feel connected to you and your services.
#5 Include Call to Actions in Your Marketing
Adding value to marketing materials might not be enough. It is important to add in call to actions in all marketing materials. After you share nutritional knowledge or provide insight into what you do as a nutrition coach, consider adding in call to actions.
In other words, steps that individuals reading your content can do immediately to get engaged. Examples include, “Email now to get started”, “Take advantage of a free 30-minute consultation today”, or “Buy now to get 10% off”. In all your marketing materials, make sure that you provide actual steps people can take now while doing your best to make it simple and easy for the client.
#6 Ask for Testimonials from Your Clients
The goal of a coach is to see positive behavioral change and growth in a client through one-on-one sessions, etc. When you see and know that your services are making a difference, do not be afraid to ask for testimonials from your clients.
However, it is important to honor and respect your client’s comfort level and privacy. Consequently, make sure you are sharing the testimonials as marketing material only after gaining an understanding of their comfort level and permission to do so.
If they are uncomfortable sharing their name, ask if you can share the testimonial as coming from an anonymous client. Being able to showcase the positive difference you have had on others can be the tipping point for others in deciding to purchase your services.
#7 Ask for Referrals From Your Clients
Like the previous step, it is also important to not be afraid to ask for referrals from your clients. Your clients might know someone who could benefit from your services, and the nudge they get from being asked might lead them to share when they might have not done so otherwise
To be most successful with this suggestion, it is recommended to choose clients with whom you have the strongest relationship. Often these same clients are the ones that have the strongest buy-in to the services you offer and the value you bring to the table.
#8 Stay Positive
The most important tip as you work to grow clientele for your nutrition coaching business is to not get discouraged, especially if it takes time to build. Gaining new coaching clients is a process that utilizes a variety of steps. The best you can do is staying mindful to the steps outlined and continuing to practice them through repetition over time. Stay positive and motivated by focusing on the value that you bring as a coach and the services that you have to offer. Reading through member testimonials is a great way to remind yourself of the value you bring. In addition, playing close attention to the positive impact you are having on your clients’ lives is equally motivating.
In Summary
To summarize, these steps are designed and proven to help coaches attract more clients in their journey to building a successful and lucrative coaching business.
Nutrition is a broad career field and nutrition professionals work in a variety of settings including hospitals, public health and community systems, corporate wellness programs, private practice, etc. There are also varying degrees of certifications and positions available in the nutrition field including that of registered dietician, nutritionist, or certified nutrition coach. There are lot of opportunities to explore, grow, and challenge yourself throughout your career. Additional benefits range from being able to make a positive difference in an individual’s life to cultivating positive behavioral changes across communities and organizations. Nutrition plays a critical role in enhancing wellbeing, promoting health, and preventing diseases which means the work done can be a powerful agent of change. Given the broad reach of nutritional field, there are not only various populations a coach can choose to help, but also various ways by which they can create a service niche.
For more information on this topic, check out our NASM-CNC page.
