Building a Referral Network: 6 Mistakes to Avoid

Everyone needs a team.

As a health coach, you can become an expert in many areas: nutrition, behavior change psychology, fitness and athletic performance, stress management and recovery, and more.

However, no matter how many certifications you earn, you will always encounter clients with progress-blocking problems that you don’t have the skills, training, expertise, or legal right to solve.

Here’s the thing…

You may not be an expert in fixing marriages, treating GERD, or counseling someone with an eating disorder, but someone else is.

This is where a healthy referral network comes in.

By connecting your client with such a person, you can stay within your scope of practice, welcome work to respected colleagues, and help your customer solve their problem.

(Total. Supercoach. Move.)

All of our certification programs include modules dedicated to teaching coaches how to build strong referral networks of professionals skilled in solving common client problems.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to do that — by exploring the top mistakes we see coaches doing. Avoid them and you’ll be able to report them with confidence.

First, what is a referral network?

A referral network is a list of complementary professionals, businesses and resources that benefit clients.

Your network may include local or virtual:

• Doctors, psychologists, registered dietitians, and other professionals with the training and credentials to help clients with problems outside your scope of practice. (For an in-depth refresher, see Field of Practice Worksheet.)
• Fellow health coaches and personal trainers with deep knowledge in an area outside of your expertise. (For example, maybe a client is interested in learning yoga, but you have no idea how to do sun salutations.)
• Workshops, fitness groups, webinars, food services, and other resources that support clients along their behavior change journey.

To confidently refer clients to qualified professionals with excellent reputations, you’ll need to do some legwork. This brings us to the top mistakes to avoid.

Mistake #1: You build your network before starting your business.

For newly certified health coaches, the task of “building a referral network” can double as a procrastination tool, says PN Director of Community Engagement Kate Solovieva.

Instead of taking on clients, these coaches seek out a growing number of professionals, valiantly trying to be prepared for every potential referral situation. However, while they continue to work on it, their list is never “complete”.

This because…

“We can’t be prepared for everything,” says Solovieva.

The solution

Take on clients once you’re certified.

Yes! This may sound scary, but the best way to figure out your “gaps” is to start your practice and see where your clients really need help beyond what you can offer.

Add people to your referral network over time as:

• Connect with professionals on LinkedIn and other virtual networking sites
• Lean on peer networks (like Precision Nutrition Facebook communities)
• Network with members of your local Chamber of Commerce
• Talk to family, friends and clients about professionals and resources they love
• Attend health conferences and other local events where a variety of health professionals tend to gather
• Search (and try!) providers based on your own health needs

Mistake #2: Assuming your referral list will cover all customer needs.

As we mentioned above, you’ll never be able to predict every referral or customer question in advance—and that’s okay.

This is especially true if you are training virtually with clients around the world.

(You may 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.)

Likewise, some professionals or resources may work for some clients but not for others.

(For example, you may know of many meal delivery options, but none are suitable for this plant-based client on a strict gluten-free diet.)

The solution

Learn how to help clients find the professionals and resources they need.

You can:

• Ask customers to describe their preferences. (Do they prefer to work with a certain gender? Do they want to meet in person or online? Do they like the eagerness and creativity of a younger professional or the “seen-it-all” wisdom of a more experienced professional?)
• Spend a coaching session online searching for potential professionals and services together.
• Encourage customers to contact three professionals, ask questions and use what they learn to choose a winner.

Mistake #3: You let social awkwardness derail networking opportunities.

Approaching a stranger takes some bravery. You have to put yourself out there, explain who you are and what your motivations are, and risk being ignored or rejected.

This is where many coaches get stuck, says Toni Bauer, PN’s Director of Coaching and Training Operations.

As a result, many coaches may put off the conversation.

The solution

Turn networking into a challenge. Coach Solovieva calls it “Operation 100”.

• Aim to contact 100 professionals over 12 months.
• Work towards your goal every week for about 20 minutes.
• Follow up with each non-responder once or twice.
• Instead of expecting a “yes” from every person you approach, understand that only about 10 percent of people will reach out to you.

To ease yourself into the challenge, plan your elevator pitch, suggests Bauer.

Don’t overthink this. Your outline does not have to be a multi-page persuasive essay. Nor does it need to contain magical talking points. Just be yourself.

Mistake #4: You are using dated persuasion tactics.

If you’re using LinkedIn, then you’ve probably used old-fashioned cold sales tactics. We’re talking about direct messages from strangers who clearly haven’t read anything in your profile and know nothing about you.

These spam messages are as welcome as a stranger sitting next to you at a bar and saying, “So, do you want to come back to my house?”

We’re not here to discourage you from using a cold approach. It has a place. However, to increase your response rate, we would like to introduce you to a rarely used technique.

The solution

Get to know people before you ask an online questionsuggests Coach Solovieva.

Follow them, read their content, download and consume their free resources, comment on their posts, congratulate them on their career wins, and be a part of their online life.

I am doing that, and people will remember you. More of them will reply to your messages too. Additionally, the information you gather by building a relationship will help you avoid…

Mistake #5: Not checking referrals personally.

How do you ensure you’re referring clients to compassionate professionals who really know what they’re doing?

It involves more than checking someone’s website or social media profile.

If you just look at someone’s website or social media posts, “You’re just checking their confidence and their copywriting skills,” says Solovieva. “If we’re lucky, confidence and copywriting go hand in hand with skill, but not always.”

The solution

Try their services. Take someone’s yoga or Zumba class. Book a massage. Have a medical professional look at your creaky knee.

This way, you can see the professional in action.

If you’re thinking, “I don’t need some of the services my clients need!” you have a few options:

• Offer to pay a practitioner to meet with you for 30 to 60 minutes so you can ask a few questions, understand their treatment philosophy, and chat about referring clients to them.
• Interact with people in local social media communities like NextDoor.com. Ask team members if they have seen a professional and, if so, if they would recommend the person.

Mistake #6: Selling clients too hard on your referrals.

When you recommend a professional you’ve personally vetted, it’s natural to want your customer to take action.

However, despite your hard work, some clients just won’t make an appointment with said professional—and that’s okay.

“Let your clients be adults,” says Coach Bauer.

Customers have their reasons. Their insurance may not cover the service in question. Or, maybe they decided to see someone else.

“It’s not your responsibility to make relationships perfect or flourish,” says Bauer.

A circle of support

Some coaches fear referrals because they see them as “giving away business.”

In reality, however, when you refer clients to solid professionals, your clients simply feel like you have their back. (Means they will do it they are more likely to refer friends and family you.)

Plus, when you send business to another respected colleague, it also counts you on their radar for referral.

It’s good for your customers, good for business, and good for your community of healthcare professionals at large.

If you are a coach or want to be…

You can help people build viable eating and lifestyle habits that will significantly improve their physical and mental health—while making a great living doing what you love. We’ll show you how.

If you want to know more, think about it Level 1 PN Nutritional Coaching Certification.