It may seem like a strange time to write about client compliance as our attention is focused on the virus spreading across the globe. We are living through some trying and fearful times right now and it might be difficult to concentrate on your business. I get it – all of us are entirely focused on protecting our loved ones and watching the statistics unfold around the world.
In spite of that, or maybe as a result, you may be in need of a distraction. Or maybe you simply need a reminder that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll all be able to return to the normalcy we so crave. Until then, stay safe and healthy!
Client Compliance. Research indicates it’s one of the biggest stumbling blocks for holistic health practitioners. Keeping clients motivated and engaged long enough to complete their healing process is a challenge we all face and if we don’t know how to do that, our clients aren’t going to experience profound healing. And when clients aren’t happy with their results, they certainly won’t refer their friends and family to us.
As practitioners, we know that true healing is indeed a process that takes time – it doesn’t happen overnight. An effective protocol is typically three months, which means it’s our job to keep a client actively engaged for a full 12 weeks. In a culture that expects immediate gratification and magic bullets, this presents a huge challenge. And we ask A LOT of our clients – from making a complete dietary overhaul to ingesting a list of supplements, incorporating more movement into their lives, practicing better stress management, and improving their sleep… it’s a lot.
On the client side, we know that excitement for a new project rarely lasts longer than a few weeks. And that means our client’s enthusiasm begins to wane. You all know what I’m talking about – that point where they’re fed up with following a restrictive diet and taking fistfuls of supplements. They miss their favorite treats and are tired of following our instructions to the letter. It’s right around this point, when they hit that inevitable speed bump – that’s when they consider bailing on us.
What’s really interesting about this timing is that it typically occurs right when they start to feel better. They think they’re done and don’t need us any longer. Now, we know that’s not the case. We know that when symptoms start to clear, the client is actually only about halfway there. But if we haven’t set them up to understand this from the get go, we’ll lose them. And of course, when they go back to their old ways and stop the supplements prematurely, they’ll inevitably feel awful again and guess who they’re going to blame? You!
From a practitioner’s perspective, we, of course, think it’s all their fault. We gave them the best protocol – they just couldn’t stick it out, right? But here’s the painful truth: when clients jump ship, it’s 100% on US. We failed them, not the other way around. We didn’t properly set them up for success.
Margaret and I have years of personal experience with this scenario and have worked together to formulate several foolproof ways to keep our clients engaged throughout their entire protocol. These simple strategies – some done prior to starting with the client, some at the onset, and other techniques used during the process – will help you help them. Happy clients = Successful practitioners.
Please join us later today at 4pm PST as we share these strategies in a webinar we’re calling “Client Compliance: How To Crack The Code For This Clinical Dealbreaker”. Click here to join at 4pm PST.
In health and wholeness,
Anne and Margaret
