How Do We Build A Good Referral Relationship?
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Kaely Harrod 00:04
Welcome to doula Tips and Tits. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaely Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born 12 nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, La Leche League Leader, and a doula coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business, it is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey. I cannot believe that the day that this episode comes out is the last week of June 2023. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the year of 2023 is flying by. And maybe that just makes me old that I think that and every year I'm like, oh, it's already June. But seriously, y'all, it's almost July. That's just I don't know how to feel about it. So that is not what our episode is about today. Welcome to this last week of June 2023. We are going to start into a super exciting series in July, that I've kind of hinted at here and there. I'm super, super excited about it. Because I love having guests on the podcast. And this series is full of guests. So the guest list for this series is long and exciting, because they're all different sorts of providers, who I personally refer to or the types of providers that I want doulas to be able and ready and willing to refer to. So today the question is, how do we build a good referral relationship? Now, I want to kind of dive into this a little bit, in part because I talk a lot about the referral relationship for clients and for like building relationships so that you are referred to et cetera. But I think it's equally important to, to have a relationship with folks so that you can send quality referrals to your clients. Because the reality is that in pregnancy, in birth and postpartum, there's a lot happening. And it's a lot of work to find a provider, that's a good quality provider. Now, it's possible that you're listening to this episode from a more remote location, not like DC, where you don't have hundreds of people to choose from, in some of these professions, right. So like massage therapy options are vast in DC, right. And so part of what we want to do here, in a city like DC, or, you know, Chicago, New York, like bigger cities, San Francisco, you know, is have a referral network, in order that our clients don't have to do the work of kind of weeding through everybody to try to find someone who's actually good and high quality, right? Or who's like comes highly recommended, or is a provider who is like a small business owner, right, like things that matter in terms of sustainability and equity and things like that. So I want you to think about that, in terms of curating a list that is helpful to your clients to not have to Google and search through things. And also, I think it's really important to know, who other doulas trust and why they trust them. And and the reason I say that is that there is inequity in all arenas, right. And so one thing that you want to be really cautious of as a doula is that you're not just referring to people based on nothing, right? Like, if I send a link to my clients, that is, you know, a random, I'm trying to think of a referral that I don't always have, well, let's say, my massage therapy referrals are too far from them. And so I'm just like, literally googling massage therapists near wherever my client lives. And then I'm looking at reviews for them. So I might say, hey, this person looks like they can really highly recommended. I don't personally know them. I don't personally know anyone who knows them. So I'm sort of giving them the sense that like, this is someone I know and trust is someone that I found for you on Google, right? Like I literally looked them up online. Now I did a little bit of that work for you. But it's not like someone I've personally been to or my clients really love or anything like that. On the other hand, when I do have a referral, that's like I've had a dozen clients take this class. So they really love this class, or I have like four or five people who see this therapist and they really love her. Or, you know, I personally get massages from this massage therapist, and they are amazing. Those kinds of referrals are very beneficial to both the professional that you're referring to, but also for your clients to to know that they can trust the quality of person that you're sending them to. That means you don't want to just randomly Google someone and be like, Oh, I highly recommend this random massage therapist. And then have your clients have a terrible experience there and then be like, Why do you recommend them, you know, so I want you to be cautious about it. But if you're just starting out, then it's possible that you might be listening to this and thinking like, this is a little overwhelming, Kaley, because I don't know where to start, right. Like, I don't have a referral network like this. And I would say a big thing to start researching is folks that do come pretty highly recommended. I, one of my business pillars, one of my business, like core beliefs is equity and helping to actively work against inequity. So I really specifically look for providers of color. And I look for small businesses, I look for providers that are in marginalized communities. So that I can refer to businesses that continue the work of equity, right. That's my own personal part of my business pillar. And so that's a part of my business that comes into the referral process for me. But that also means I'm really intentional about who I'm building relationships with and where I'm looking for referrals, when I'm starting out to make sure that I'm not just curating a list of other white people or other businesses that are really successful, or like franchises like those sorts of places, I do sometimes referred to right. And I'm not avoiding referring to people who aren't people of color. But obviously, I also want to be very intentional about that piece of it. So for me, that's very important. If you're someone who serves primarily folks who speak a particular language, and it's, you know, maybe a less common language in this, the place that you live, then you may want to do some digging into referrals, who also have providers who also speak that language so that you can kind of curate a list that's like, Hey, if you're, if you're a person who speaks this language and needs this language and a provider, here is a list of people that I've kind of worked to put together so that you don't have to, okay, so I don't want you to be discouraged if you're listening to this, and you're new, and you're not sure where to start with a referral list. Because I do think that just even starting yourself during the journey of googling different things is really important. Now, part of what you're gonna get from the July series is, what kinds of providers should even be on that list. So kind of stay tuned for that. And then you'll also hear from them directly, when and how they want doulas to refer clients to them so that you have some context around it as well. So you can kind of say, oh, that pain that you're having, that's a great thing to go to a physical therapist for or that's a great thing to get a massage for. Hey, what have you ever thought about chiropractic care? And so that's also part of what that series should help you with. Okay, so stay tuned for all that excitement in July. And until then, I will talk to you soon. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula Tips and Tips podcast. If you learned something today, or had an aha moment we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Herat doula, so we can celebrate alongside you. If you found this podcast helpful. We would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app that helps other doulas find us as we do this work together. This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment it is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around
Doulas need a network of providers to refer their clients to. There are many service and medical providers who can and should be included in the pregnancy, birth and postpartum process. It is important for doulas to have a good network not only for their client’s sake but also for themselves!
The month of July is going to be full of provider interviews that are highlighting how and when to refer to various providers. So stay tuned to hear from some of my favorite folks including chiropractors, a sleep coach, a Lactation consultant, Massage Therapist, etc.
If you live in a big city like DC part of what you are doing by having a referral network is helping your clients avoid just googling and slogging through the hundreds of options available! That means you want to be intentional about who you are sending and not just sending a random link to a random business.
If I send a link to my clients, that is a random business I make sure to tell them that. And so I'm just like, literally googling massage therapists near wherever my client lives. And then I'm looking at reviews for them. So I might say, “hey, this person looks like they come really highly recommended. BUT I don't personally know them. I don't personally know anyone who knows them.”
I highlight the things I look for in providers below:
Key Things I Consider:
Reputation with other providers
Equity (referring to Black owned businesses for instance)
Personal knowledge/experience
Other client experience or knowledge
Cost/Insurance options
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Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
