Course, Group, or Membership: Which One Do You Actually Need?
===
[00:00:00] In the last episode, we talked about creating more than one way that clients can work with you. But once dieticians start thinking about that, the next question is usually, should I create a course? Or when do I create a course or a group program or a membership? Which happens to be the most popular question.
And I think these questions get confusing because people talk about them like they're three different ways to package the same information, but they're not. Courses, group programs, and memberships solve different problems.
So instead of starting with what should I build, I want you to start with what does the client actually need from me right now? And that question can make the decision much easier. A course makes sense when the main thing that someone needs is education. They might need information or a framework.
They need to understand what to do. For example, maybe you work with people with prediabetes, and a course would teach them what A1C [00:01:00] means and how carbohydrates affect blood sugar and how to build balanced meals, or maybe how to plan meals during a busy week. And that information can be taught in a clear sequence, and the client can work through that independently.
So if the main problem is I don't understand this yet, then a course might make sense. But here's the important part. A course works best when the problem can actually be solved or at least meaningfully improved through education and self-directed implementation. So if the client already knows what to do and still struggles to do it consistently, more information probably is not the answer.
I have to say, in my decades of experience in health and fitness, I think that most people do know more or less of what to do. They just struggle with doing it consistently, and that is where a different solution might come into play. So maybe you might be wondering when does a group program make sense?
A group program is usually better when people need help [00:02:00] applying what they've already learned, right? So they might need accountability or feedback, they might need to ask questions, and they might benefit from hearing how other people are handling similar problems. For example, imagine that an eight-week program, which is what I've taught dietitians to create when that need is present, that's a program for women who are trying to stop the cycle of restriction and overeating, for example.
And so that clientele might understand the basic nutrition information pretty quickly at that point, but actually changing the habit is gonna take practice. And so a difficult week happens, a routine gets disrupted, and they need help adjusting, and they might benefit from hearing someone else say, "I struggled with that too."
And the interaction is absolutely part of the value. So if the main problem is I understand this, but I need help applying it, a group program might be a good fit. And I think this is where dietitians, especially our clients, sometimes underestimate, what they're actually selling in a group. It's not just information delivered to several people at once.
The [00:03:00] value may be feedback, accountability, shared experience, and opportunity to troubleshoot in real time, and that's really powerful So now you might be wondering when does a membership make sense? A membership is different, again. A membership is usually about ongoing support, and there may not be a clear finish line.
The person may already know the basics, and they may already have made progress, but they want continued accountability, access, reinforcement, or community. For example, maybe a client finishes one-on-one counseling, and they don't need private sessions anymore, but they still want someone to ask questions, or they might want a monthly coaching call.
Maybe they want continued access to resources, or simply they wanna do better when they know that support is available, and that's where membership can make a lot of sense. So if the main problem is I know what I'm doing, but I want to help staying consistent over time, then a membership might be a better fit.
But the keyword is ongoing. So if the client needs clear transformation with a beginning and an endpoint, a membership might not be the strongest [00:04:00] format. You don't wanna choose based on what you think f- feels or sounds scalable, which I know is, an easier option. but that's where I see our clients getting into trouble.
So you hear that courses are scalable, that memberships create reoccurring revenue, which is true, or that groups can help you help more people at once, which is true, but that's not enough reason to actually build the offer. If your client needs feedback and accountability, a self-paced course might not solve the problem.
And if your client wants a clear transformation with a beginning and an endpoint, then an open-ended membership might just feel too vague. And if people really need individualized assessment and care, a group might not be enough. And the format has to match the type of support that people need. Otherwise, you end up building something that sounds good from a business perspective, but it's harder to sell and yet and less useful for the client.
And this is why I would not start asking what is the most scalable thing I can sell? I would ask instead, [00:05:00] what's the highest level of support that still gives this person what they genuinely need? And that's a much better business question. So a simple way to decide, here's the easiest way that I know how to think about it.
If they mainly need to learn, think course. If they mainly need to learn and apply with support, think group. And if they need to maintain and stay accountable over time, think membership. And if they need highly individualized assessment, decision-making, or clinical support, one-on-one might still be the best answer because at the end of the day, some people just prefer that, and that's okay.
It's not a perfect rule, but there are good starting points that you can look at, and it's much simpler than trying to choose based on what everyone else in the industry is selling or based on what you think can help you become more profitable One more question. What does this require from you?
there's another side of this decision that dieticians sometimes forget. What does the offer [00:06:00] require from you? A course may require more work up front, but less live delivery later. A group might require more facilitation and some live coaching and managing several people at once.
And a membership may require ongoing content, community management, or continuous access month after month. None of those models are automatically easier. They just simply require different types of support. so before you go building something, ask yourself, "Do I actually wanna deliver this?
Can I sustain the level of access that I'm promising? does this format fit the kind of business I wanna run?" Because the right offer needs to work for your client, but it also needs to work for you. So there's three actions I want you to take this week.
First action is I want you to pick one client problem. Choose one specific problem your clients regularly struggle with. Not your entire specialty, just one problem, and ask, "Do they mainly need education? Do they need help applying the information? Do they need ongoing support or individualized [00:07:00] care?" And that starts narrowing the format down pretty quickly.
Second action, I want you to look at what you repeat in sessions. Do you teach over and over again similar concepts, and what is that? And what do clients understand quickly, and what do they still struggle with even after you explain it? And what requires your direct feedback? And what could someone realistically do without you in the room?
That tells you a lot about whether the solution is education, coaching, continued accountability, or one-on-one support. Now, the third action is you don't wanna build anything yet. Before creating a course, group, or membership, I want you to finish this sentence: This offer is for someone who needs blank. Now finish this one: The reason this format is a right way to deliver that support is blank.
If you can't answer both of these questions clearly, then you probably don't need to build the offer yet
Start with the client and ask, what do they actually need from you? What do they need to learn? What do they need help applying? [00:08:00] And do they need continued support, or do they need individualized care? Then look at the business side too. What type of delivery do you actually want to sustain? And once you know those two things, the format becomes much easier to choose.
And if you want help thinking through your offers, positioning, marketing, and sales, you can find trainings and resources inside the Dietitian Boss library. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next week.
