The Recipe to Increasing Client Adherence
Clients having difficulty following the game plan?
It’s frustrating, right?
And a lot of times, it very much so is on the client (we’re coaching adults, right?)
BUT… sometimes it’s on YOU as a coach (especially if this is happening to a large percentage of your roster).
Are you communicating clearly? Are you authoritative? Are you giving up on them?
While the ball is in our clients court, this is 1:1 coaching and YOU as a coach still need to be apart of.
Here are my top 5 tips to increasing client adherence:
BE CLEAR FROM THE START
From the beginning (like on the sales call), let your client know what you’re thinking and WHY. Be clear with them. Don’t tiptoe around things because you’re afraid of how they’ll receive it. If you have a plan for someone else’s health, let them know! For example, if you have a client that is wanting to lose weight, but has been eating 1500 calories for 3 years and needs to reverse diet, explain this to them! Most people are either unaware of what a reverse diet is OR are afraid of doing one. Give your clients a timeline (can be flexible) and explain the benefits. Do this with WHATEVER the game plan is, so they don’t feel lost along the way. Being clear will not only give your client piece of mind, but will also get them to be more bought on.
GIVE DETAILED CHECK-INS
This can be hard if your client doesn’t give much in their check-ins, but remember that they’re still paying you. Ask questions, give insight, pull what you can out of them, remind them that the more they give, the more you can give. If they aren’t adhering to certain things, dive into it on their check-ins, so they know what to do instead. Your clients don’t know what they don’t know and they want to LEARN, so help them do so!
GIVE MORE TOUCH POINTS
If your clients continue to “fall off track”, they may need more accountability (especially in the beginning). If you’re only doing weekly check-ins via email/text, upgrade to voice memo or better yet, Loom (or something similar). If you’re already doing Looms, add a mid-week text check-in. Adding in a monthly 15-minute Zoom is even better. This has been a game changer for my clients - I’ve found that not only are they more adherent, but there’s way less miscommunications AND way more buy in from the clients who take advantage of this. Remember that online coaching is still fairly new to many people. Without the in-person accountability, things can slip to the wayside for many clients. Giving them more touch points than just weekly check-ins shows that you care about their success just as much as they do.
ACTUALLY GET TO KNOW THEM
Actually give a damn about your clients! Tell them happy birthday, happy wedding anniversary, ask how their kids’ birthday party went over the weekend. We know so much about our clients’ life, it’s only fair that we should actually care about them! Plus, if you feel close and connected to someone, you’re more likely to respect them. If your clients respect you, they’ll be much more likely to stick to the game plan you deliver them.
KEEP IT CONSTRUCTIVE, BUT FUN
If your client isn’t having fun, they won’t be adherent. If you yell at your client every time they “mess up”, they won’t be adherent (and you probably won’t know about it, either). As an example, I had a client who did this basic program with a cringy coach who didn’t let her drink caffeine (without any explanation as to why). One day, my client was having a tough day, was feel drained, and decided to drink a cup of coffee. She felt bad after and decided to tell her coach. What did her coach do? Berated her. “Why would you even pay me as your coach and do this program if you aren’t going to follow it?” So what did she do after that? Just stopped following the plan. Why is it worth it to listen to a coach who is just going to get mad for one small slip up? Then she hired me as her coach. The point is, clients aren’t going to respond by berating or feeling dumb for doing something. If it happens once, give feedback. Happens twice, give more feedback. Happens three times? Discuss what’s going on, then consider simplifying the game plan. Make it more doable and more enjoyable for your client. Instead of berating, give constructive feedback. Instead of a bland, basic plan, make it FUN for your client! You wouldn’t play a sport that felt boring to you, would you? So why would you expect clients to do workouts that are boring to them?
The point is, coaching should be fun and collaborative. Be clear in your communication and show up for your clients. Be the coach that YOU would want to hire. Respect your coaching enough to go the extra mile. I promise it’ll make a difference and your clients will feel it, too.
