One of the greatest private practice trends of 2017 was a surge of nutrition and wellness practitioners offering their services as packages. Creating packages for your nutrition private practice is a great way to draw in a client and keep them coming back.

We’re not saying there’s anything wrong with offering your counseling services a-la-carte, but a package will help your clients commit to what you already know: healthy habits don’t happen overnight.

When clients have the option to buy a package, they’ll purchase not just one session, but a plan to work towards their goals over the course of a few weeks or months.

This isn’t just great for business, but it’s better for their outcomes too.

Let’s look at what you should include when creating packages for your nutrition private practice:

Differentiate between your initial consultation and follow-up sessions

No matter how you structure your sessions (and we have some ideas below), it’s important to clearly outline the types of sessions that are included in your packages.

Initial consultations typically take much longer than the follow-up sessions. Your first encounter with a client requires more time for you to get to know each other and get acquainted with their nutrition goals.

Decide up-front how long your initial sessions will be. Many nutrition and wellness providers will take an hour for an initial consult and then 30 or 45 minutes for follow-up sessions.

Most practitioners also charge less for follow up sessions. Follow up sessions typically take less time, so a price drop could sway your client to keep scheduling sessions.

Show your client exactly what they’re buying

Be sure to add details in your package description. Answer the question: what will a session with you entail?

Here’s a great example: “6 Weeks to a New You In the New Year” with one-on-one nutrition coaching! This package includes:

• 1 60-minute initial evaluation
• 5 30-minute follow up sessions with nutrition education to help you meet your goals
• In-between session support via Healthie app

Other details to think about including are:

• Meal planning
• Supermarket tours
• Mindful eating strategies

Consider creating monthly packages

Monthly packages are a great tool for managing your practice. Instead of purchasing follow-up sessions as they go, clients can purchase a monthly package that includes a set number of follow up sessions.

But how many sessions do you include each month? That depends on what you feel is most appropriate. Some practitioners prefer to speak with their clients weekly, while others prefer to offer just 1-2 sessions monthly. The number of sessions you include each month is what feels most appropriate for you and your line of work.

Monthly packages can either include a few follow-up sessions or an initial consultation plus follow-up sessions. Healthie can help you organize these sessions across your calendar, and even build out client messaging to stay in touch with patients in-between sessions.

Pro tip: Increase your value even further by grouping monthly packages together. For example, offer clients a discount for purchasing your services in bulk, with a 3- or 6-month commitment.

Plus, did you know that you can create automated recurring payments in Healthie?

Create a premium package

For experienced providers, business coach and registered dietitian Lesli Bitel suggests crafting a premium package. Premium packages often include something special you’re offering your clients, such as a supermarket tour or meal plan.

We often see premium packages with a heftier price tag for your clients, so be sure you can deliver on what you’re promising! One way to easily add to your offerings is to coordinate with clients on food, lifestyle, symptom, and activity journaling.

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Optional add-ons or additional services

With packages, you can sell other services or related products, like cooking or personal training sessions, right alongside regular sessions. Some practitioners offer additional services like grocery store tours where you can directly walk your client through food shopping strategies.

Even more, some of our providers use Healthie’s client-facing platform as an add-on and will charge extra to allow clients to engage in our features like picture-based food logging and daily support.

Check out some other ways Healthie community members leverage Healthie to boost their practice revenue.

Combination packages

Add-ons will open the door to combination packages. Combination packages add 1 or 2 popular additional service options to a monthly package. It provides your clients with more options and an easy way to purchase your services.

Looking for more help on putting together your own packages for your private practice?