The financial success of a personal trainer's business depends on a steady client base. The more targeted your marketing efforts, the better you will be able to attract specific clients. A valuable resource for finding new clients is health care professionals, as many of their patients' health could be enhanced through regular exercise and proper diet. It can be challenging to develop relationships with health care professionals, however, due to their packed schedules. But this investment can be very profitable in the long run, because working with health care professionals can provide you a steady stream of new clients.

It is important that you know what markets you are targeting when approaching health care professionals. Ideally, your company should have a mission statement that defines your target market as specifically as possible.

By defining your target market, you are not eliminating the opportunity to work with other clients. You are determining which clientele you would most like to serve and are developing a niche to focus your marketing efforts so that they stand out from the clutter. My company, Nutriformance, a personal training and sports nutrition consulting company in St. Louis, MO, identifies its target market as clients in their homes or facilities who need weight management, sports conditioning or post-rehabilitation.

Once you have identified your target market, you can more accurately focus your marketing efforts on the most appropriate health care professionals. Although general practitioner (GP) and internal medicine (IM) physicians typically will be valuable to reach a broad base of people, by going beyond them into more specific areas of medicine, you enhance your outreach and opportunities for success.

For instance, if you want to work with clients who are seeking weight management, in addition to approaching GPs and IMs, consult with registered dietitians, psychologists, psychiatrists and endocrinologists. This can be a difficult market because some physicians may be overwhelmed with patients who need to lose weight. They may resort to recommending gimmicky diets and weight loss drugs as a "quick fix" to satisfy some patients. Obviously, physicians who suggest these methods probably are not going to be a good referral source. You may end up either contradicting the physician or confusing the patient when you reeducate the client- leaving you frustrated and drained.

A physician who recognizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach to weight loss that includes a registered dietitian and a personal trainer to guide an exercise program is ideal for referrals to your business and conversely, to whom you will be able to refer your current clients.

For the sports conditioning market, appropriate health care professionals to target include orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, athletic trainers and chiropractors who specialize in sports therapy. Many local sports organizations or professional teams have a team doctor who treats both athletes and amateurs. Developing sports conditioning programs and marketing them to physicians by conducting a simple demonstration in their offices or inviting them to attend one of your personal training sessions can help showcase your talent and distinguish you from others.

Overlap of health care professionals exists between the sports conditioning market and post-rehabilitation, which is beneficial in establishing relationships more readily. To work with the post-rehab market, try to find local orthopedic surgeons who are well respected for their expertise in each of the following body regions: shoulder, knee, spine and foot. Talk to physical therapists and athletic trainers to identify the leading physicians. Send a letter to each physician telling him that you would like to send to him all of your clients who may injure their shoulders (or whichever body part for which you selected him).

Follow-up with a phone call to the physician's head nurse to introduce yourself and discover the best route to refer a client. After the relationship is established, ask the physician if he would be interested in offering your name as a referral post-rehab. You may even want to offer a special discount to his patients as an extra incentive. If this relationship succeeds, you have direct access to one of the best physicians in your area. Not only can this make an impression on your clients, it may expedite their appointments, thereby returning them to training more quickly. For this type of relationship to succeed, be sure that the orthopedist is willing to communicate with you and follow-up with your clients in a timely fashion.

To develop successful referral relationships, try the following.

Prepare background materials on company: Include a company fact sheet that lists your business mission statement and history, along with brief biographies of your staff and a price list or multi-session package description. Include a reference list of other health care or community professionals with whom you partner. All materials should be printed on letterhead and compiled in a glossy folder for a professional image, as health care professionals typically will discard handwritten, unprofessional information. After distributing your packets, follow up with a telephone call asking if you can stop in briefly to meet the health care professional and describe your services.

Coordinate with current clients' physicians: Your current clients' physicians are a great resource with whom to develop relationships and build referrals. You may want to include a question on your medical clearance form that inquires if the physician wants to receive information about his patient's fitness evaluation or about your company's services.

If the physician indicates interest, be sure to get your client's permission before sending fitness evaluation results. Then, immediately send the results along with your company information, writing "REQUESTED INFORMATION" on the envelope to ensure that it will reach the physician. Periodically, inquire if the physician would like an update of his patient's progress. Over time, this will help you develop relationships with local health care professionals that can turn into referrals.

Establish a medical advisory board: A medical advisory board can help provide valuable input when working with atypical or highly specialized clientele. Furthermore, having a medical advisory board for your business maximizes your credibility and commitment to excellence. Your medical advisory board should include health care professionals that specifically treat your target markets, such as a dietitian, orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, psychiatrist and endocrinologist.

You can choose how labor-intensive your medical advisory board is, but unless you are paying these individuals, your requirements should be minimal, such as having these professionals available for consultation as necessary. The advantages of a medical advisory board go both ways. You will have professionals with whom you can request expert advice and to whom you can refer your clients, and ideally, the board members will send their patients to you. You even may want to offer a complimentary fitness evaluation and personal training session to advisory board members as gratitude for their services.

Attend local seminars offered by health care professionals: The more health care professionals can educate you and the more interest you demonstrate in expanding your education, the more comfortable they will be with your skills. This is an ideal opportunity to network with local health care professionals- in a setting outside their office where they can spend more time with you. You also will distinguish yourself from other personal training services by taking time to attend health care professional lectures and enhancing your background.

Practice within your scope: To develop respect among other health care professionals (and to avoid lawsuits), it is important that you market and practice exclusively within your scope of expertise. For instance, do not indicate that you can conduct "rehabilitation". Do not advertise or perform "nutrition counseling" unless you are trained as a nutritionist or registered dietitian. Instead, say that you can refer to a qualified health professional. You will expose yourself to legal action and hinder developing relationships with other health professionals by trampling on their expertise.

Without a doubt, developing relationships with health care professionals for referrals is very time-consuming, so you must be committed to it for optimal success. If you can prove yourself to health care professionals, these relationships ultimately can be a win-win situation for both you and them.

Dale Huff, RD, CSCS, is co-owner of NutriFormance, LLC, Personal Training and Sports Nutrition based in St. Louis, MO. He is an American Council on Exercise Editorial Advisory and Media Representative, National Strength and Conditioning Association- State Director and a member of the Life Fitness Academy.