How to Improve Your Client Retention Metrics for Your Nutrition Business

Having your own private nutrition business is incredibly rewarding as a Registered Dietitian. You can pursue your passion for nutrition using the methods you believe in and only help the people you feel led to serve. Plus, with an online business you can live where you want, work when you want, and make what you want. You are in control! There’s nothing more fulfilling than embarking on the entrepreneurial journey as a RD.

However, I’d be lying to you if I said that growing a private practice wasn’t without pain points. Of course there are challenges when building a successful business! One of the biggest difficulties is finding new dreamy clients and learning how to keep them. That second part we sometimes forget about, but it’s equally important to retain your clients as it is to find them. 

So, today, I’m going to be breaking down how to improve client retention with your nutrition business! Here’s what you need to know: 

How to Improve Your Client Retention Metrics for Your Nutrition Business

You can have brilliant marketing strategies and a long client waitlist, but if you can’t retain your clients, you’ll always be struggling to level-up your business. Research tells us it costs 5 - 10 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain existing customers. This is why it’s important to employ customer retention strategies from the start! It’ll help you with increased revenue and referrals more than any other business tip!

What Is Client Retention?

Client retention in terms of a nutrition business is the ability to keep clients enrolled in your services long-term. Or, at least, you maintain a good relationship with them, so they return to use your services time and time again. A “client retention rate” refers to how well you keep your dreamy clients engaged and satisfied. When this number is high, it shows you have curated a base of loyal clients who believe in you and your business! 

What Is A Good Client Retention Rate For Nutrition Businesses?

A good customer retention rate for a nutrition business is between 60-70% (however, 80% is a great goal!) That means that your dreamy clients should be sticking with you for at least 1-3 years, which is the average customer lifespan for this industry. As you know, when healing someone naturally, permanent results can take some time, so it’s essential we keep our clients with us until they reach their goals. In order to do that, you need to up those retention rates, so they see the full fruit of what you have to offer! 

Data may not be your favorite thing as an RD, but I recommend you try your best to keep track of your client retention rates and average customer lifespan. That way, you can identify things that may be preventing your private practice from becoming the thriving business of your dreams! Beyond retention rates, track your repeat purchase rates, customer lifetime value (CLV), and your total number of customers over the duration of your business. 

To help you calculate these numbers, work to improve them, and hit your business goals, consider hiring a Dietitian Business Coach like me! I can help you work out the data, determine what may be holding you back, and develop a strategy for growing your practice. Not only am I well-versed in business, but I understand the nuances of the nutrition industry and the process of building a private nutrition practice! Yes, I’m a business coach, but I’m also an RD who spent years working in my own private practice. If you’re ready to take the step, apply to work with me. 

How to Increase Client Retention Metrics for Your Nutrition Business 

Personalize your approach to each client. 

One of the best ways to help a client see that you’re a valuable part of their journey is to personalize your approach to their healing. Of course, you can have your pre-established program, but there should be a customization-based element to your services as well! After all, no client is the same, even within the same niche. Take time to really tailor your approach to each person, so they feel heard, seen, understood, and well taken care of.

Offer a range of services to get clients through all stages of healing. 

A “problem” with client retention as a Registered Dietitian is that the goal eventually is to graduate your clients from your program. Of course, this isn’t really a problem, because we want our dreamy clients to heal and reach their goals, but it can impact business growth if you’re good at your job! 

To help balance the natural graduation of clients and your need to retain clients, consider adding additional services that will take clients through different stages of their journey. Identify areas of need in your niche beyond the high-touch programming you have in the beginning. For example, maybe you start by meeting weekly with a client on weight management, but once they hit their goals, you meet with them only once a month to help them with meal planning and grocery shopping. Or, maybe once your client graduates your base programming, they have the option to join an accountability group class to maintain their new habits. The point is, get creative and see how you can serve your dreamy clients long-term. 

Implement a helpful membership program. 

Membership programs can be great for small businesses, because they provide consistent and predictable income. If your subscription is valuable enough, having a membership program available for your clients can keep them with you for years after your session ends. What this membership includes depends on your niche, but you’ll have to provide new content or resources monthly to maintain the value for your dreamy clients. 

Enhance the client experience with engaging software or apps. 

Modern technology offers a lot of ways to stay engaged with clients and give them an even better experience. Find apps and software to help them visualize their progress, manage their healing, or track their progress. You could use something like That Clean Life to create and share meal plans, Practice Better for follow-up communication, Nutritionist Pro for diet analysis, or something else more specific to your niche! Do some exploring to find one that may work for your clients. 

Provide additional value through workshops, resources, blog posts, and other content.

Your regular sessions with your clients are the most important part of your practice, of course, but there’s more you can do to engage them between meetings! Try engaging your dreamy client with additional content and resources like workshops, printables, blog posts, and more. This will help them integrate further into your programming and see you more and more as an essential element of their health!

Incentivize long-term commitments. 

Ever been somewhere with a punch card? It’s a small way businesses honor loyal customers and get people coming back again and again! Brainstorm something you could do to incentivize those who have committed to you long term in a similar way. You could create a loyalty program, offer referral discounts, host exclusive events, or even just send personalized gifts. The smallest gesture will show clients you care about them and make them want to stick with you! 

Engage with your clients on social media or other platforms. 

Whether you use social media channels, blog post comments sections, or email chains, if your clients reach out with questions, comments, or concerns, RESPOND! Engage with any interaction to show your dreamy clients that they are the number one priority. If they’re already clients, you may not be inclined to engage with them as much as your client leads, but you need to remember that client retention is just as important as drawing in new people. Make sure your clients know that you love and respect them by engaging with them on your chosen communication channel. 

Focus on building meaningful relationships with your clients. 

Above all, the best client retention strategy is just to be great at what you do. Nutrition is already highly personal, so when you meet with your clients you naturally develop a deep connection with your clients. Just taking the time to provide the best service will build long-term relationships that will translate to good client retention rates, positive word-of-mouth marketing, and a truly impactful practice. Just be you, show your client your passion, and change the world like you’re called to do! 

Use these strategies to boost your client retention metrics! 

Focusing on maintaining clients while attracting new ones is a smart business strategy. It’s much cheaper and less time consuming to keep your current clients around, rather than always trying to bring in the new while losing the old. So, make sure you discuss with your Dietitian Business Coach your plan for raising your client retention rate and start implementing your strategies right away. I see a thriving practice in your future!

For more on running an online private practice, head to my blog! And, if you don’t yet have a Dietitian Business Coach, take this quiz to see if the service is right for you. I’d love to work with you!