So you’ve done a great job with your marketing and now you find yourself scheduling prenatal interviews with potential clients!

Are you wondering, “What do I ask on my prenatal interviews?”

Even though a prenatal interview with a potential client is technically a chance for them to get to know you and learn more about your services, I think one of the best things you can do is let them do all the talking.

Listen more than you talk throughout the whole interview.

Let them experience what it’s like to have a doula who listens, values their thoughts and opinions and doesn’t overtake the situation with a lot of talking or advice.

Ask open-ended questions and show that you are truly listening to their answers.

We all want to be heard. Especially during pregnancy as we’re changing SO MUCH not only physically but emotionally as well. And then our OBs rush through our lists of questions and only spend 7 minutes with us.

So do the opposite.

Not only does this give your potential client a chance to see what it’s like to experience the feeling of you holding space for them, it also gives you some great insight into their hopes and fears for their birth and/or postpartum experience.

Here’s my top 3 questions to ask on your doula interviews:

“I don’t know how much you know about the role of a doula. Do you want to jump to your questions or I can start by running through my spiel?” Save time by meeting your clients where they’re at. Find out where they are on the “doula spectrum”. Do they have only a very rough idea about the role of a doula, or are they super clear and just want to learn about your personal style?
“What are your main concerns for your birth and/or postpartum period?” Sometimes these answers are surprising! We can make assumptions that lead to an unhappy or frustrating client/doula relationship. For instance, you might assume that they’re hiring you to have an unmedicated birth. When in reality, their main goal is that the mother-in-law doesn’t get anywhere near the room. Or the partner faints at the site of blood and they want to make sure they have support. You just never know! And if you find out from the get-go what their main goals are, it’s so much easier to support them in having the birth or postpartum experience that they’re hoping for.
“What kind of support do you anticipate needing? What intrigued you about hiring a doula?” Reaaaaallly listen to the answer. You can glean so much from what they say. Set yourself up for success in that you focus on these areas in your work. As soon as you are alone again after the meeting, write down as much as you can about their answers. Refer back to your notes before you start working with them.

The answers to these three questions give you such a great base of knowledge to start from after they hire you!

Doula Interview Tips - What to ask on the Prenatal Interview