How to Get New Doula Clients

By Sarah Juliusson | December 5, 2016

Many years ago my dear husband took an advanced networking and business skills training. He was looking to translate his international non-profit skills into a new sector, and find effective ways to communicate his worth to potential employers. He was gifted with an incredibly simple, but invaluable teaching that has been of tremendous value on my own path as a childbirth educator, birth doula, and now website designer.

The secret to new doula clients?

They Want You To Be Good

Here's the deal>>>

When a trusted friend or care provider mentions your name as a good fit for them the first thought of your potential doula clients is something like "Great! We trust their opinion. We can't wait to meet her."

When a family finds your website online while searching for help and they like what they see, your potential doula clients are thinking: "Great! We think she may be the right one for our needs. We certainly hope so!"

When they hear your knock on the front door as you arrive for a free initial doula client consultation, they take a deep breath before they open the door and think "Oh I hope she's perfect for us."

Again... They Want You To Be Good

I want you to really let that sink in. When potential doula clients first interact with you their overwhelming hope is that you will be the right fit for their needs. They are not talking with you with judgment or distrust. They have reached out because they truly hope you will be the practitioner that can best can help them.

how to get new doula clients

Your Best Strategy for New Doula Clients

So what does this secret that mean for you?

1 If you struggle at all with confidence, I find this bit of perspective helpful to shift the dialogue in your head from fear of rejection to anticipation of connection. That's what they are hoping for!
2 This may be an "interview" that could result in a paid job for you, but for the family it's much more than that. They are looking to feel a deeper connection and trust - meet them there - knowing that the first layer of connection has already been established simply by the act of them reaching out to you.
3 As you design your website and your client on-boarding materials, consider how you can set up multiple positive "clues" and signals for potential clients about the value of your care so that by the time that you actually meet they are already a few steps closer to hiring you! These might include free giveaways of key interest to your ideal client, beautiful client testimonials, or the inclusion of artistic elements in your communications such as poetry or images that would help you stand out.

More than anything the families seeking your care want to find their ideal care team so that they can stop searching and simply enjoy getting the support they need. Your job is to meet them there, helping them to 100% recognize you as that ideal fit.

Want more resources on finding new doula clients?

>> Blog Post: Questions For the Doula Interview
>> Blog Post: Tips for Doula & Midwife Interviews with Prospective Clients

Posted in Doula Business Tips