How to Be the Dietitian Clients Never Want to Leave: 7 Retention Tips That Actually Work

Ever wonder how some private practice dietitians manage to keep their clients coming back for months, sometimes even years?

It’s not just luck, insurance, or being a good listener… It’s about delivering value every single time your client logs on or walks in the door.

And that value may be in the form of offering personalized nutrition advice, holding a space for a client to vent, or simply making them feel heard. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into thinking the only way you provide value is by the information about nutrition you provide… It’s actually so much more than that.

That value may also be in the form of how the dietitian keeps the client coming back… from leveraging recurring appointments to keeping in touch between sessions to preventing clients from getting lost to follow up.

In this article, I’m breaking down real, actionable retention tips that actually work- not just basic “build rapport” advice, but creative strategies that’ll help you become the go-to dietitian your clients never ever want to leave.

🎓 Did this intro make you excited? Then, RSVP to join me live or watch the replay of my retention masterclass:
How to Be the Dietitian Clients Never Want to Leave: Retention Tips That Actually Work
📅 Tuesday, May 27th | 🕙 10–11:30 AM CST | 💻 Virtual | 💰 $30 | FREE for first time guests using code #FIRSTTIMER and Dietitian Business Network members

First: Why Client Retention Matters

Did you know it costs 5x more to land a new client than to retain a current one?

Yep. Ouch.

Retention isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s a game-changer for growing, maintaining, and scaling your practice. Here’s why:

💸 The cost of acquisition adds up: Let’s say the average client session brings in $150/hour. So, if you spend 1-2 hours marketing, networking, or onboarding to land a new client, you’re essentially “spending” $150–$300 of your time just to break even (and dilute your hourly rate).

📉 New clients require more unpaid prep time: Compared to a follow-up, a new client may take 2-3x longer to prep for, meaning more non-billable hours for you (or your dietitians that you pay).

🔁 Retention fuels sustainable revenue: Let’s say you retain a client for 10 sessions over the course of a year. At $150/session, that’s $1,500 in revenue. Now imagine you retain 10 clients for 10 sessions… that’s $15,000. Compare that to booking 10 new clients for just one session each- you’re making the same effort but earning only $1,500.

⏳ You scale faster with stable revenue: Retained clients fill your calendar with ease, freeing up marketing time and smoothing your cash flow. That kind of consistency makes it easier to hire help, invest in growth, and avoid burnout.

📈 Retention boosts referrals: Long-term clients are more likely to refer others, leading to low-cost, high-quality client acquisition. One happy client could bring in 2-3 new clients… a potential $4,500+ value if those referrals each stay for 10 sessions.

Improving your client retention can increase your profits and your ability to scale your practice significantly! And not to mention, a retained client typically means a happy client! And a happy client means a happy dietitian! 😃

Tip #1: Be an awesome private practice dietitian

Let’s start with the obvious. You can have the best marketing, the fanciest EMR, and the most aesthetically pleasing handouts- but none of it matters if you’re not an awesome private practice RD.

In my dietitian business coaching program and graduate-level course on how to launch a private practice, I’ve polled over 50 dietitians and RD2Be’s on what makes a successful private practice dietitian. Here’s what they said:

• Relatability and friendliness

• Lived experience

• Strong communication skills (knowing your audience)

• Confidence

• The overall experience (a smooth, supportive onboarding experience)

• Expertise

• Passion (like, real-deal, show-up-every-week excited)

• Resilience when things don’t go according to plan

• Being a freaking awesome private practice dietitian
  

Being an awesome dietitian doesn’t mean being perfect or the best dietitian ever. It means showing up with care, consistency, and clarity for your clients. So, let’s dive deeper into how to be a freaking awesome private practice dietitian, so that you (or your dietitians) can retain them…

Tip #2: Know & own your philosophies

Personally, I am obsessed with and see positive results with my clients when I practice from a lens of Intuitive Eating, Motivational Interviewing, and Weight Inclusive Care. 

Do you have to be an advocate of those philosophies to be an awesome private practice dietitian? No. 

But, do you have to be an advocate on something? Yes. 

Whether it’s a certain approach, belief, practice, or philosophy, being grounded in passion in an area makes you better at how you provide care for your clients.

Tip #3: Know & own your nutrition counseling process

You can have the best marketing strategies, the most inviting office, be in-network with all the insurance networks- but if you don’t have a solid nutrition counseling process, none of those matters. You have to have a structure, foundation, and flow to your sessions.

A solid session structure = a better experience for you and your client. If you’re winging every session, it’s hard to build momentum- and even harder for your client to feel like they’re making progress or getting value from the sessions.

In the masterclass, I’m sharing the exact session flow I teach inside the Dietitian Business Network to help dietitians deliver value every time. Your process doesn’t have to be rigid, but it does need to be intentional.

Tip #4: Ask really freggin’ good questions 

Clients don’t want a nutrition lecture. They want to feel heard, understood, and gently challenged. 

That’s where your questions come in. Ask the right ones, and your client will feel like you get them, even if they’ve never been able to explain it to anyone else.

Creative questions that allow them to think past the obvious answer, allow them the chance to really think about how they got here, and help them find the answers themselves are the gold ones. Here’s some of my favorite questions:

• If you had a time machine, what would you do differently?

• If you’re best friend said that, what would you tell them?

• On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you can reach this goal? Spoiler alert - if it’s less than a 7, make the goal easier

• “Set point” is a weight that your body tends to stabilize around once your eating and exercise habits are normal. What do you think your set point is? When was the last time you weighed this? For how long?

Tip #5: Always have ideas of what to talk about

One of my go-to hacks for retention? Add a “Future Topics” section to your chart notes.

Every session, jot down ideas for what you could cover next. Whether it’s simply something you didn’t get to this session, or ideas for future sessions.

It not only gives you a running list of ideas of things to talk about, but also can serve as a reminder to your clients that there’s always something worth coming back for.

Here’s an example from my own client’s “future topics” section:

• Menopause & metabolism: podcast example

• Gut health: probiotics/prebiotics

• Cholesterol MNT

• Energy management: how to balance blood sugars and create energizing meals

• Eating out strategies

• Review positive ESP screen

Tip #6: Get creative in sessions

Retention isn’t just about rebooking appointments - it’s about building a relationship and making sessions feel valuable, personal, and worth showing up for every time. Here's how to keep clients engaged and coming back:

1. Make it interactive: If a client says, “I don’t have any groceries and don’t know what to make for dinner,” don’t just talk about ideas, get hands-on.

👉 Ask them to walk you over to their pantry or fridge on camera.

👉 Create a grocery list or brainstorm meal ideas together using what they already have.

👉 Pull up a menu for a local restaurant and plan out their take-out order

One client loved this so much, she started booking weekly appointments just to plan meals live with me.

2. Adapt to the client’s energy: Got a teen who’s checked out, annoyed, or clearly not in the mood to talk about food? Don’t force the session. Instead, focus on building trust in ways other than food talk, like:

👉 Play a quick game

👉 Make friendship bracelets

👉 Draw or doodle while you chat

These small shifts create a safe, judgment-free space, which helps your client open up in future sessions.

3. Don’t stick to the script: Session value doesn’t always come from rigid education or following a plan to the letter. Flexibility shows clients you’re meeting them where they are- and that keeps them coming back.

Tip #7: Leave the porch light on

Sometimes clients ghost. Sometimes they pause. Sometimes life just… life’s. But that doesn’t mean they’re gone forever- or that your connection is over. Here’s how to keep the relationship warm without pressure when a session isn’t booked:

1. Don’t take the silence personally: Clients stop showing up for all kinds of reasons- overwhelm, finances, shame, life transitions. It’s usually not about you. Your job? Stay empathetic and compassionate towards them.

2. Plant seeds, don’t force growth: Instead of nudging with guilt or urgency, gently remind them you’re still here.
👉 Send a “thinking of you” email
👉 Drop a helpful resource
👉 Wish them well on a holiday or birthday
You’re simply letting them know the door’s open without pressure to book.

3. Keep the light on: Make it easy for clients to come back when they’re ready. Use language like:

• “Whenever you’re ready, I’m here.” 

• “You’re always welcome back.”

• “My door is always open.”

That kind of openness creates psychological safety, and trust me, clients remember it. A warm exit makes for a much easier return.

Tip #8: Follow up (yes, even between sessions)

Retention doesn’t just happen when a follow-up is booked. It’s the touchpoints between sessions that keep you top-of-mind, build trust, and remind clients you’re still rooting for them.

Here’s how to nurture the relationship between visits:

1. Stay connected with content: This keeps your expertise in their world, even when they’re not on your schedule.

👉 Add clients to your newsletter (with permission).
👉 Encourage them to follow you on social media where you post helpful, relevant tips.

2. Send a personal check-in: A short email like:

“Hey, just thinking of you- how’s the meal prep [or insert last nutrition goal] going?”
or
“Saw something that reminded me of our convo last session- wanted to share!”
can make a huge impact. It says: You matter even when you’re not an “active” client.

3. Create a re-engagement system: Keep a simple list of inactive clients and check in every few months. A quick “Hey, how’s it going?” email can reignite a conversation or get them back on the schedule when the time is right. Don’t lose your client to follow up.

Bottom line: Little touches = big impact. Show them you care, even “off the clock”- and you’ll become the dietitian they never want to leave.

Want More? Come to the Retention Masterclass

If you’re nodding your head, taking notes, or thinking, I needed this yesterday- you’ll love my upcoming masterclass. We’ll dive even deeper into these tips, plus review actual strategies (like recurring appointments!) and tackle the biggest client retention challenges dietitians face inside the masterclass, like:

• The disconnect between what clients want and what you actually offer

• When seeing a dietitian isn’t enough for a client to make change

• When clients know they need to change, but aren’t prioritizing it

• When they cancel after a few sessions because “now’s not the right time”

• When clients expect you to do everything for them

• When they don’t follow through, don’t meet goals, or always have an excuse

• When you get stuck in the endless cycle of reschedules

• That classic all-or-nothing mindset

• Unrealistic expectations

• Quick-fix thinking

• …and yep, even ghosting 👻
  

We’re going there- and giving you real strategies to handle it all with confidence.

Ready to Become the Dietitian Clients Never Want to Leave?

💡 How to Be the Dietitian Clients Never Want to Leave
🗓 Tuesday, May 27

🕙 10–11:30 AM CST

💻 Virtual

💰 $30 or FREE for first-time guests using code #FIRSTTIMER and Dietitian Business Network members

We’ll go deeper into:

• The #1 mindset shift that changed my client retention overnight

• Session structure that balances education, empathy, and energy

• What to do when a client ghosts you (or wants you to do everything)

• How to handle reschedules, “I’ll think about it” types, and chronic non-goal-setters

🎟 Save your seat here: maggythedietitian.com/events