When meeting with a prospective client for the first time, you want to obtain as much information as you can about them so you can:
- Effectively help them find solutions to their pain points
- Guide them in achieving their goals – in a manner that works best for them and for you
However, knowing exactly what questions to ask during a nutrition consultation to help facilitate these processes can be challenging for you, and if done wrong, it can also be confusing and overwhelming for your client.
In this blog, we listed some important questions you should be asking your prospects during their initial nutrition consultation – but probably aren’t – yet!
Their answers will help you develop a game plan to move forward and coach them toward their goals. You will also gain valuable information that will help you with future consultations and with your marketing strategy.
Notice that these questions are all open-ended. This will prompt your prospects to provide you with more details, which is always valuable when you’re trying to determine how to best help someone improve their life.
With close-ended questions that typically require a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, you might not get the type of information or the specificity that you actually need.
1. Why did you decide to meet with me today? And why did you choose me?
These questions might seem pretty obvious at first, but they are your opportunity to really dig in and find out what your prospect’s pain points are and what they really want to achieve.
Of course, it helps you to know why they selected you to help them – were they referred to you, do they follow you on social media, did they find you through an online search?
In the event that they aren’t sure about why they picked you, review your background with them, along with your method of working with clients – this will solidify the reason they chose you in their own mind.
During the initial consultation, ask your prospects why they picked you to help them. This will make them confirm their choice (to themselves) and no longer question whether you are the right choice or not. #marketing… Click To Tweet
2. What has worked for you in the past? And what hasn’t worked?
Get the exact blueprint of what they have tried in the past to resolve their pain points, and what has – or hasn’t – worked.
If they were successful with a certain strategy in the past, there is a good chance that it will work again. No need to reinvent the wheel!
If they know it worked for them before, you probably won’t need to convince them to do it again, either. On the flip side, just because something has not been successful previously doesn’t necessarily mean that it wouldn’t work this time. This is where you will have to use your coaching knowledge to know what the right approach will be for this person.
People come to you with a history or successes and failures. Find out what that history is exactly so you can build upon it, instead of starting from scratch each time. #consulting #nutritionbusiness #marketing #holisticnutrition Click To Tweet
3. What do you think needs to change in order for you to reach your goals?
Find out what their vision is, and what path they see themselves taking moving forward.
In many instances, they usually know exactly what they need to do to reach their goals (nutritional changes, lifestyle changes, habits, etc.). What you need to do is coach them one step at a time and hold them accountable for sticking to and implementing these changes.
Get your prospect to explain what THEY would do, if they were in charge of the transformation. Most times, they just need someone (you!) to break down difficult steps and help them implement important changes. #coaching… Click To Tweet
4. What obstacles could prevent you from meeting your goals, and what can you do to avoid them?
There will always be obstacles that get in the way of clients meeting their goals. The best way to ensure success is to preemptively explore these possibilities with the client.
Your job is to help them find ways to work around these barriers. It might even be possible to elaborate strategies that would help remove them all together.
Once the obstacles have been revealed and solutions have been formulated, the journey will look a lot less daunting to you and your clients.
Don't wait for problems to arise. Tackle them ahead of time so that when they are encountered, A solution has already been outlined. #coaching #nutritionbusiness #holisticnutrition Click To Tweet
5. Who do you count as being part of your support system? Who will be by your side?
Without a positive support system in place (e.g. family, friends or an accountability partner), it could be more challenging for your client to be successful in meeting their goals.
It is important to be surrounded by positive and encouraging people when making deep changes in one’s life. Ensuring that your client knows who to turn to during more difficult times can often mean the difference between failure and success.
Who will be there to support your client when you're not around? A close friend or a family member, perhaps? Always make sure that your client knows who they can turn to in times of need #support #coaching #nutritionbusiness Click To Tweet
6. If you look one year into the future, what needs to have changed for you to be truly happy with the outcome of your transformation?
Get them to connect emotionally with their future self – find out where they would like to be one year from now, in as much detail as possible.
Provide a big enough incentive for them to want to do what is necessary for them to succeed. The more specific they are about what they want to see happening for themselves, the better.
By answering those important questions, your prospect has already sketched out the path that needs to be followed. All you have to do now is formulate the plan with slightly more specifics, while maintaining the backbone that was provided to you.
By using this strategy, you will greatly increase the chances that your client sticks to the plan. If you were to just tell them what to do without getting their perspective first, you have no way of knowing if they will feel compelled to take on this journey with you.
Now that you know how to rock every consult, it’s time to take your practice to the next level!
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Sean is the co-founder of the Hub, a dedicated Personal Trainer and an Entrepreneur at heart. Passionate about all thing nutrition and fitness, he takes care of the HNH website, the community, and most of the laundry around the house. In his spare time, Sean loves building websites and writing about all things fitness, business, and marketing.
