Before you hang out your shingle, it's a good idea to be prepared. There's a lot of preparation involved in launching any professional practice. And it's important that you cover as many of the predictable bases as possible before you start. You'll have plenty of things to do "by the seat of your pants" after you open your doors.

Here are some things you should consider having ready before you talk to your first client:

Prepare a List of Services. Don't make your professional services a secret... let everybody know what you can do for them. Consider making a "Services Provided" sheet that you can hand to prospective clients. Include the name of the service, a brief description, the benefit, and how you determine your fees. Position your logo and contact information on the form. >Know the answer to every question your client may ask. Make sure you know the answers to your client's questions before they are asked and attempt to answer them before they have to ask you. This communicates to the client that you've done this before. It also shows that you're interested in educating the client. Your preparation and confidence help you pass every little test with flying colors. It helps you earn the client's confidence. You wouldn't do business with someone you didn't have faith in and your clients won't either. Take at tip from the Boy Scouts... be prepared.

Have your credentials and qualifications ready. Some of your potential clients are going to have to be convinced you're qualified to provide the services you're offering. It's normally best to start off explaining to your clients what your qualifications are. Consider a one-page summary of your qualifications that you can hand to the client. Include years of experience, education levels, proficiencies in software and the tools of the trade, seminars, professional memberships and affiliations, etc.

Know how long it takes you to perform any of your services. Don't ever hem and haw in front of a client and guess at how long it will take for you to do any straight-forward task... doing so will make you look like you've never done it before. Instill confidence - not caution.

Have all your handouts ready and provide them as needed. Having professionally prepared handouts ready let's your client know that you're a well-prepared and organized professional. If she asks you your qualifications, hand her your qualifications sheet. (Make sure you use high quality stationery and include your logo and contact information.) If she asks you what services you provide, hand her a Services Provided sheet. If she asks you how you want her dietary recall formatted, hand her an Intake Diary sheet (your software should be able to print this for you). Do this just a few times and your client will never doubt your readiness again.

Have Client Questionnaires ready in case you need them. Although it is generally desirable to collect client information during an interview and measurement consultation, there may be a time when the client simply doesn't have the time. No problem. Just hand her a professionally prepared Client Questionnaire that collects everything you need. Your software should be able to generate these for you.

Have Intake Diaries ready for your clients. Don't make your clients record their intakes on a napkin. Give them a form that they can simply fill in. This increases the probability that you'll get the information you're looking for. Look for a software package that will generate these for you (and allow you to edit them and save them in case you don't like the format provided).

Have a sample Initial Assessment Report handy. The beauty of a software-created Assessment Report is that it looks like you gave up your evening to produce it.... but in actuality, it takes only two clicks: one to select the client's name and another to generate the report. If your client is hesitant about having you prepare one for her, show her a sample report prepared for a fictitious client. When they see your in-depth multi-page report, they'll want one too.

Have a sample Exercise Calorie Expenditures Report handy. This software-generated report indicates the client's name and body weight at the top. (Actually, at the very top of this report is your logo, your contact information, and possibly your face.) It then shows a chart that shows how many calories your client will burn in performing any of over 80 exercises and activities for 30 minutes. When you tell a client she needs to burn 300 calories a day Monday through Friday, 500 calories on Saturday, and to rest on Sunday, the normal response is "Okay, when do I start?" But immediately afterwards, they ask "What do I have to do to burn 300 calories?" This report shows them eighty-five ways to reach their daily goal. And the variety will help your client stay interested in the program. Variety... spice of life... all that good stuff.

Explain how you work. With local clients, you will probably meet with the client and gather information from her. This could be her body fat measurement, her body weight history for the last two weeks, her intake record for the past three days, her Client Questionnaire, etc. After this first meeting, the client leaves. You will process the information she left for you and prepare a report and perhaps some verbal recommendations. To deliver the report, you may have her return to your office. Explain this to your client so she is clear on how you work. Position this type of professional service as two consultations plus the service performed. This helps the client see that they are getting more from you than just a report.... they also get one-on-one advise and encouragement.

Make sure all of the reports and printouts your clients need are available on your web site. Make it easy for people to do business with you. If your client needs to print a new Intake Diary page, she should be able to go to your web site and simply print one on demand. Consider posting an Adobe PDF (Portable Document File) file for your form - that way, your client will print exactly what you would print for them. (Using a PDF file requires the user to have the free Acrobat reader, but it is a free download from Adobe.com.) If she wants to save money by submitting her Assessment Report information online, she should be able to surf your site and do it. Doing an assessment report online saves both of you and your client time... you may consider offering a discount for work submitted online. Your time is valuable enough to not spend it asking questions and writing down answers. And besides, this gives your clients additional reasons for visiting your web site.

One of the biggest growth areas for nutrition and fitness professionals is the World Wide Web. And for many, it's the perfect way to start a home-based business. The expenses are relatively low. You can project as large an image as you are capable of. You are advertising 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And you have the opportunity to form associations (links) with thousands of other web-based companies. These are but a few of the reasons you should consider a web presence.