In this episode of The Dietitian Success Podcast, Krista Kolodziejzyk outlines a step-by-step dietitian discovery call template, including: what to say, how to keep the call within 15 minutes, a structure to follow and how to book more clients in an authentic, non-spammy way.
Links:
- Check out the DSC Nutrition Counseling & Coaching Certificate here, where we provide discovery call templates and scripts
- Click here for a FREE Business Planning Workbook
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Sign up to receive access to the form and note templates, including:
- Both adult and pediatric intake forms
- An initial and follow chart note template
- 24-hour recall and three-day food record templates
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Episode Transcript:
Welcome to the Dietitian Success Podcast. Here at Dietitian Success Center, we’re all about making it easier for you to build your confidence and expertise. Whether you’re a dietitian or a dietetic student, we’ve got something for you. I’m Krista, your host and the founder of DSC. Now, are you ready to ditch the imposter syndrome and join our incredible, vibrant community?
If so, let’s jump in.
Happy Thursday and welcome to a new episode of the Dietitian Success Podcast. Today, I thought I would do an episode talking all about discovery calls and what that process can look like should look like just some best practices because. I know that discovery calls can be super nerve-wracking, especially when you’re just getting started with them. There’s a lot going on. We want to make a good impression. We don’t really know sometimes how to talk about our services in the right way without being pushy. It feels really awkward to even, bring up things like price, for example. You may not have a set plan in terms of what to say. So I totally get it.
I remember my first discovery call when I first started doing more one-on-one business coaching. I had no plan at all. It was a hot mess. It lasted for. About an hour. No clear plan. I thought, okay. I guess I’ll just ask them questions about their business. But I had no idea what to do after that. And this call ended up with me, just providing them with a whole bunch of free business advice. Which was great for them and that’s totally fine. But they didn’t end up booking with me because we had such an in-depth chat on the call. And and I didn’t even talk about my services because I was just too nervous. I had no idea how to transition the conversation into actually talking about what I had to offer and nevermind. Wasn’t going to even mention price. That just sounded terrifying to me. So anyways, since then have refined the discovery call process. To be something that I think works really well. In terms of feeling good. Being efficient, but also feeling good and being efficient and effective. That’s, what’s important to. But, and like I said, feeling really good to not feeling like you’re being pushy or salesy or whatever. I just despise those types of tactics. And I think that they’re very unnecessary because I always feel like there’s a way to do things. That make everybody involved, feel a hundred percent comfortable. And I think sometimes some of those more aggressive. Salesy type tactics that are often taught in the business and marketing world are just not that. And at least they don’t resonate that way with me. Anyways. Now this process that I’m going to walk you through today is going to. Really focus on. Okay. What’s the strategy for how to keep a call on time? Typically discovery calls about 15 minutes. That’s it. So within that 15 minutes, how do you actually get the information that you need from the perspective client? So are they a good fit for what you have to offer? How do you answer any questions that they have? How do you actually walk through what you have to offer? And then finish off with next steps. And. The lessons from this in this podcast episode are actually taken from our nutrition counseling and coaching certificate, which we just launched in September, 2023. Just depending on when you are listening to this podcast episode, we currently just finished up enrollment, but we do have a wait list that will be open in between enrollment periods.
So we’re planning on opening. The program backup in February, 2024. So just depending on when you’re listening to this, the link for the waitlist, the link with all of the information about the program pricing, all of that stuff is in the description of this episode. And in that program, we provide you with a full on script. So like a word for word, if you want to use it,
Or if you just want to, see different ways of wording things, how do you phrase a certain question? How do you transition. Too, from talking about the client to talking about your program, all of those different things you can take inspiration from that script that we’ve provided you, that template that you’ve we’ve provided you. To use in your own practice. And then we’ve also given you an example of what that script can look like in real life. So it’s like a transcript of a discovery call, so both awesome resources that you can find in the counseling and coaching certificate. Okay. So first off, What is a discovery call. So I’ll talk about what is a discovery call. Do you have to offer discovery call and then we’ll walk through the four phases of a discovery of an effective discovery call. What is a discovery call? So generally, if you are a practitioner in more of a private practice or entrepreneur you’ll setting you may offer something called a discovery call. Some other people call it things like a meet and greet clarity call, et cetera. Essentially the intent of this call is part to understanding whether the client is a good fit for you and your services, and then part sales. And I say it, I say sales in quotations. Because you. I think you’ll see, as we walk through this process. Selling your program can be done in a really authentic, non spammy. Very natural way. And typically discovery calls are going to be booked by a perspective client. Who’s interested in your services, they’re free. And generally they last for about 15 minutes. It just depends on the practitioner and their preferences and might be conducted over the phone. Or via an online tool like zoom, for example. So do you have to offer discovery calls? No, you do not. It is totally up to you. Now, I think you just have to ask your question. Ask yourself the question. Is it important to you to get to know someone before working with them? So typically a discovery call might be done if you have a longer term program. So let’s say that you are going to be working with somebody for multiple months, multiple sessions. You probably want to get to know them a little bit before agreeing to that relationship, just to make sure that what they want is actually aligned with what you have to offer. If your program is a bigger investment. The client’s probably going to want to talk to you first. And then maybe two, if you’re niched in a really specific area. So you want to make sure that somebody’s needs are actually aligned with what you have to offer. Let’s say that you have a program that’s really dedicated to people who are wanting to implement low-FODMAP from start to finish. And so you want to make sure that people coming into the program are a good fit for fi for low FODMAP. Maybe meet certain diagnostic criteria first. They haven’t tried it before, et cetera. Are there certain criteria that you want somebody to meet? In order to make sure that they’re going to get the best. Get the most out of your program and they’re going to be successful. So again, that’s totally up to you. Some people also prefer to do this in more of an application, an online application form. But truly there’s really no better way to build that rapport and be able to communicate. Effectively about what you have to offer then actually talking to somebody about it, now often discovery calls are not offered. If you are somebody who, works with a wide variety of clients, maybe for shorter durations. Oftentimes insurance-based practices don’t necessarily offer discovery calls, somebody. Just to make it really easy for people, they find you online or through their insurance provider, or they book a session with you. It’s just easy peasy. If you are comfortable working with. Over a wide variety of clients too. It doesn’t really matter to you who comes through the door. You will work with them. You have a lot of experience in a lot of different areas. And it’s also important to note too. Like it, even in this situation you can do, you could do like a little mini discovery. Where before someone can book a call with you or book a their first session with you. Maybe there’s a couple of questions that they have to answer. A couple of screening related questions, just to make sure that they’re the right fit before you send them the booking link. There can be a lot of. A lot of different variations of this process. So it’s really just up to you and what you feel like is going to make the most sense. You can also start by offering discovery calls and then discontinue them over time. That’s totally fine. There’s no rules here. Okay so let’s talk through the four phases of a discovery call.
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Okay. So phase one of the discovery call. Well, first the four phases are one introduction to get to know them. Three share about your services and then for solidify next steps. So number one, the introduction, the intent here is to help the perspective client feel comfortable. And built rapport. So during this introduction, you’re going to introduce yourself. You’re going to thank them for their time. And then you’re going to outline the discovery call. So what exactly is going to be covered? During this 15 minute session. And I really feel like this is so essential and we often forget to do this. And the reason why it’s so essential is because I am a firm believer that that makes the person on the other end, feel more at ease, feel more comfortable. I think oftentimes in these situations, we want someone to take control and take the lead. And I really feel like that’s your job as the person who is running the discovery call. So let them know. What to expect from the call, you know, let them know that the call is expected to be 15 minutes. You can say something like my aim is to understand your nutritional goals and concerns better. To explain how I might be able to help to answer any questions you may have about my services. It’s cetera, right? It just helps to set the stage for what to expect during this discovery call with the client. And then they know to, like, there will be time for them to ask questions. And, and again, I just think it makes somebody feel so much more comfortable when they know what to expect in front of them. So that’s step one is doing a solid introduction. Step two is getting to know the client. So the intent here is to answer the question. Are they a good fit for your services or should you perhaps refer to someone else? So, you know, how do you initiate this conversation? So you could say something like, after you’ve done your introduction, you could say something like, let’s start by talking about you. Can you tell me a little bit more about your current nutritional concerns? And what motivated you to reach out to me or a dietitian or whatever type of practitioner you are. And then you can also say too, and this is something I would always do is have just like a notebook in front of me. And what? Just jot down some notes. As they’re talking, but it can be great. It can be helpful to actually state that up front so that somebody doesn’t think that you’re just like, not paying attention to what they have to say. So you could say something like, and if it’s okay with you, I’m just going to jot down a couple of notes as you’re talking. And so what kind of notes are you taking as they’re talking? Well, we don’t need anything super extensive. It’s really just, if somebody is. If there’s any key. Pain points that really stick out for you. Those are important things to jot down because these are things. That we want to refer back to when we’re talking about our program. So, for example, if somebody brings up the pain point of, and a pain point is just anything that somebody is struggling with. So, and they tend to be pain points tend to be emotion, emotional in nature. So for example, if somebody is expresses that they’re feeling overwhelmed when they go to the grocery store, you know, this is a very real pain point that can be specifically linked back to your services. So then when you go to talk about your services, You can say it. Maybe you wrote down overwhelm with grocery shopping. You know, you can say, Hey, these are all the resources that I can provide you in order to help reduce that overwhelm. When you go to the grocery store. This then links the, your services to their challenges. And that at the end of the day is sales. Right? We are. Showcasing to somebody how our services. Can help them overcome their challenges. This is an example of how do we sell in a really authentic feel-good way. So that’s step two is getting to know the individual. Step three is then. Okay. So now that we know them, we have to share about our services. And this is the intent here is to showcase how your services can address their challenges. And again, this is where more of the sales piece comes in. Now super important point here. We’re not trying to convince someone to sign up for our services. You know, authentic sales means that we are simply explaining to someone. How our services can help them accomplish their goals and address their challenges. That’s really what it boils down to. And I think there’s a lot of not. You know, just not feel good sales tactics that are often promoted in the business and marketing space. You know, you may hear about individuals in that sales and marketing space that provide recommendations for techniques on like, how do you push a client to sign up on a discovery call? I do not believe in that approach. That’s not the approach that I teach personally. You know, at DSE we’re firm believers, that if you’ve done your job of explaining how your services match up to a client’s needs. They’re going to sign up for your services at a time when they’re ready to do so. Maybe it’s not directly on that call. Maybe they need a little bit at a time. That is okay. That should be okay. And so, you know, one of the things here too, as we’re talking about our services is to have some sort of a visual aid to go along with it. I do like to do a video call for a discovery call for the opportunity to be able to share your screen. And actually, you know, showcase what it is you have to offer. And so what I suggest is actually creating a PDF document that, and you’d just do this in Canva. We actually do give you a template. In the DSE nutrition plus business membership you know, having a template. Having a guy that walks through, you know, what is someone gonna learn when they work with you? What exactly do they get and pricing as well? And I think the reason why this is so important is because it almost gives you a bit of a script to be able to speak to so that you don’t have to freestyle it. You don’t have to just try and remember everything you were going to say about your services. And it also prompts you to talk about price too, which can be really difficult. I’m also a huge proponent with regards to transparency around pricing. You know, I think that’s important to just share that information on the call. We all want to know that information. And so, you know, I never want to be. Sticker shocked when I have this great call with somebody and then they say, okay, great. I’ll send you pricing information after. And you’re like, whoa, what the heck? Right. So I think it’s a good idea to just sort of be transparent and upfront about that. And so how you can transition. Into this section of the discovery call is saying something like, you know, thank you so much for sharing. Some of your nutritional goals, some of your nutritional concerns. Now if it’s okay with you, I’m actually going to share my screen and I’m going to walk you through my program. Or I’m going to walk you through my offer and all chat through some of the different things that you get and how it might help you overcome some of your challenges. And you can feel free to ask me any questions that you have as I’m reviewing. And so you can say something like that, just to sort of bridge that section between getting to know the client and actually sharing about your services.
Okay. So then you’ve walked through your services, then what do you do? Well, then we want to wrap up the call by solidifying. What are the next steps? This can be a little bit, you know, awkward. If you don’t go in with a plan of what you’re going to say. Right, because sometimes like, you’ll just finish talking about your, your services and then, okay. Do you have any questions? And maybe the person will say, ah, no. And then you’re both sort of sitting there thinking, okay, so then we, what do we do now? Right. Which we don’t, we don’t want, we want to avoid that at all costs. So in terms of the next steps, again, this is sort of an opportunity for you to take charge of the conversation for you to lead the conversation. So you could say something like, you know, okay, great. Now, in terms of next steps, if you feel ready, we can schedule your first session in the calendar. Or if you’d like some time to think about it, that’s absolutely no problem. You can let me know how you’d like to proceed via email. That’s such a great way to be able to give somebody two different options. And they feel comfortable choosing either option. Right. So we want to validate, Hey, if you want some time to think about it, that’s totally no problem. You know, you just let me know via email and you can set a deadline on that. So you can say, you know, if you could just let me know via email by Friday end of day, whether you’d like to proceed, that would be great. Otherwise I will open up the slot to somebody else. You can say something like that, just so that you, you get a little bit of a deadline in place. And again, I just think that this piece is really important, but at the same time, too, just to circle back, we also want to give somebody an opportunity to take action if they want to. Right. So like, if they’re, if they’re like, yeah. Okay, cool. No, I’m great. This is perfect. I’m excited for this because oftentimes a lot of times when somebody gets to a discovery call, There, you know, they’ve maybe already gone through enough nurturing that like, they’re ready. This is just sort of their final step of getting to know you. They’re ready to say yes. And so we also want to give them that option if they are there. Now I remember once I had someone on a discovery call. Like I was the person, I was the perspective client and it was somebody who was I was doing a discovery call with somebody who was doing, who would do like our website design. And I remember she, I can’t remember the exact language that they used. But said something like you know, Okay. Great. Are you ready to provide a deposit today? At the end of the call. And I was like Oh, like, it just was so uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to say. And that just made me feel so achy. And again, this is just an example of like what we, don’t what I believe we do not want to do in practice. We don’t want somebody feeling like they’re being put on the spot to make a decision. Again, you’re going to hear conflicting information about this in the business education business, coaching world. This is just my, my approach. I’m so much more of a proponent of let’s just make people feel comfortable. And when somebody feels comfortable, then they build trust. And that is such an important factor. In them than wanting to work with you in whatever. The way that you are. In whatever services you are offering. So yeah, that’s pretty much the just you know, and then if somebody, depending on what they choose to do. You close it out, you thank them for your time. You send them a follow-up email. I often will actually send the, if somebody doesn’t book right on the call, I’ll send the PDF. To them that we reviewed with all the information about the program, just so that they have everything. Available to them. All right. So just to summarize the four phases of the discovery call intro, get to know them, share about your services solidify next steps. And again, I think that this is a tactic you can use that can be super powerful. A great way to relationship, build a great way to convert and book more individuals without being aggressive without being pushy, without being. Quote, unquote salesy. All right. So I hope that that was a helpful episode for you. All of the links referred to in this episode will be shared in the description. Otherwise I hope you have an awesome week and I will see you next Thursday.
