5 Tips for Building Confidence When Working with Clients as a Health and Wellness Professional

5 Tips for Building Confidence When Working with Clients as a Health and Wellness Professional

It's no secret. When you are confident in your coaching skills, you create a sense of trust in your clients.

Confidence in health and wellness coaching may look a little different than other professions. In coaching, trust is not just about speaking clearly and precisely, making eye contact and having open body language. Building true trust as a coach requires an investment of time and energy between sessions.

In this article, we'll give you five tips on how to build real confidence in your health and wellness coaching.

Remember your journey to becoming a coach

Ultimately, remembering why you got into this business in the first place can be one of the most powerful tools.

Think about your past and the key events that motivated you to seek coaching.

Think about the obstacles you overcame to take classes, purchase materials, get your certification, and build your business.

Think of a time when you felt validated by someone who gained a better understanding of their personal health and well-being because of something you told them.

You are a coach because you believed you could become one. And now you have the opportunity to offer your knowledge and services to others – and you can make a living from it!

Admit your gaps in knowledge

It's okay not to have all the answers to complex questions your customers may ask you.

While your ego may need a hit to accept that you don't have all the answers, coming up with an answer on the fly is never a good idea. Your customers come to you because they trust you to help them make decisions and take actions that improve their health.

So if you find or guess an answer to their question, you are leading them wrong. While you may feel better in the short term knowing that you were able to address their concerns, if you misled them, they will let you know - and that's not good for your ego.

If you don't know the answer, say so as confidently as possible. Make eye contact and don't beat around the bush. You can say something like, "Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that you feel like eating strawberries is causing you trouble sleeping. To the best of my knowledge, there is no connection between strawberries and sleep disorders, but I'll look into the recent literature and get back to you as soon as I can."

By showing empathy, making eye contact andAdmit gaps in your knowledgeThen, when you follow through on your commitment, your customer gains a sense of trust in you.

If you make up an answer or a guess, your body will likely give up the lie. When people lie, they tend to speak faster, talk in circles, and avoid eye contact.

Even if it seems contradictory, admitting your limitations in knowledge and experience increases your confidence.

Write down what you need to do after the session and follow the instructions.

Research between sessions

Research between sessionsThis is a natural and necessary step after admitting that you don't know the answer to your customer's questions. Write down what you need to pay attention to after your consultation with a client and follow up on them as quickly as possible.

In general, don't wait until your next session. Talk to your customer once you have a clearer answer to their question. When you assert yourself, you not only show genuine interest in their well-being, but you also build a sense of trust.

Block out time to review your textbooks, current literature, and official guidelines for answers, then follow up with your client.

Taking time to do research between sessions is an important but often overlooked part of the coaching process. Attending sessions with freshly acquired, up-to-date information and tools related to their interests, health conditions and wellness goals can help you build your confidence before you get started.

Continue your education

As the saying goes, the more you know, the more you become aware of what you don't know. Allowing your realization of what you don't know to come to you can affect your confidence.

Make a plan to enroll in courses that can fill your knowledge gaps so you can confidently provide the support your clients need.

There are two other main benefits to continuing your education after certification.

First, the more specialized you are, the more competitive your coaching services will be.

Second, some courses can be creditedContinuing Education Points(CECs) you need to maintain your health and nutrition coaching Certification active.

Request customer reviews

Are there any clients you're really into? Ask them if they would be willing to write a short review of your services.

Chances are you will be pleasantly surprised by the results. Additionally, you can record your favorite reviews and, with your client's permission, use them to promote your services!

If you're not sure where to start, you can make a general announcement to previous customers and offer them a discount on your services or products if they leave a review.

Did you get one?not so positive review? Take it in stride. Instead of thinking of it as angry or sad, think of it as an opportunity to think about different types of customer experiences. It's important to be empathetic to your client, but also to take the opportunity to forgive yourself and learn. If it is within your means, you may even want to reach out to the customer and let them know what you plan to do to improve your services.

Main takeaways

Trust is key to building customer relationships. While eye contact, open body language, speaking clearly and precisely, and active listening are all ways to demonstrate trust during sessions, building true trust requires more time investment. Spending time between sessions taking courses, reviewing client information, and requesting reviews are some ways to build confidence in yourself as a health and wellness coach and as an entrepreneur.

Remember, confidence in coaching doesn't just mean feeling like you have the skills and knowledge to improve your clients' health and well-being. Being a confident coach also means that you are empathetic, a good listener, imperfect and open-minded.

... more about that in the next part.
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