Hypnosis – How Much?

When a person calls to inquire about your services, most of the time they’re going to ask “how much?”  You do not want to answer that question.   At least, not right away.  It’s too soon to be answer the question of “how much?” 

“How much?” is simply the wrong question.  

Asking “how much?” or “how many sessions” is irrelevant until you have qualified them as your client.  And to qualify a person as your client you need to know more about them.  So, you need to take charge of the conversation and guide the caller into having a conversation with you.

When you’re just starting out, it’s a temptation to try to sell a person a session right away.  So, you’re likely to take the bait and answer the question of how much. Most of the time that won’t get you clients.

It’s a common mistake.  

After all, you just want to get warm bodies into your hypnosis chair so you can use all your shiny new tools, right?  But it’s a mistake.  The reason it’s a mistake is this.  You can’t afford to work with just anyone.  Not everyone who calls you is going to be the right client for you.  And it’s up to you to assess whether or not you’re a fit.

You need clients you can be successful with.  That’s what’s going to grow your knowledge and skill and confidence.  And if you don’t qualify your clients you’re going to have problems in your sessions. If you don’t get the right clients for you, you’re going to get in over your head.  And you’ll struggle to get results.  That can cost you your most valuable asset in sessions - your confidence. 

You need to feel confident in your sessions.  And you need to feel confident in your abilities to be able to go out and promote yourself and your services.  So really get this – you can’t be all things to all people. You can’t afford to work with everyone.  The reason you qualify your clients is so that you can be successful in your sessions.  That requires a relationship.

Hypnotherapy requires a relationship.  That’s what you’re qualifying a person for – a therapeutic relationship.   So what needs to happen first is to have a conversation to determine whether or not you’re a fit for one another. 

It’s just like dating.  

When a person is attracted to you they pick up the phone and call you.  That’s your client attraction system.  The purpose of the call is to have a conversation. So you get together for a coffee.  You’re just having a conversation so that you can get to know each other a little better, and find out whether or not you’re a fit. If you’re a fit, this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.  That’s when you schedule your first date together.  That’s the first session.

This is ultimately where your first conversation with a potential client is leading into.  But you won’t know if you want to date a person until you’ve had that initial conversation. So when a person asks, “How much?” realize it’s too soon to be discussing your fee.  

Take charge of the conversation.  

The way to take charge of the conversation is to treat it like an interview.  You don’t know this person.  And they don’t know you.  So use this first conversation as a way to establish rapport and get to know a little more about the caller.  

Think of it this way.  The caller is applying for the position of being your client.  And you don’t work with just anyone.  Right?  You can’t be all things to all people.  And you want to deliver the best results possible.  So your objective in that initial conversation is to guide a person through a process that allows you to assess whether or not you’re a fit for one another.

While you’re getting to know each other a little better, you can accomplish 3 very important objectives.  You can:

1. Qualify your client
2. Help them to feel more comfortable with you
3. Educate them about how you can help.

Nice, right?

This is the beginning of the therapeutic relationship.  It doesn’t begin in the first session.  It begins with your first contact with a potential client.  During this call you’re laying the groundwork for a healing relationship.  It might have started out with a question of “how much?”  But the more you engage a person in conversation the more invested they become in continuing the relationship.

When that happens there will be a shift.  They’ll go from “How much?” to “How soon can I get in?”  The next logical step then becomes booking the session.