Marketing the Hypnosis is a Big Mistake

Too many hypnosis practitioners make the mistake of thinking that marketing is about selling the session.  So, naturally, they try to promote the hypnosis. They think that this will get them more clients.  It won’t.

You see this a lot.  Business cards with a menu of problems that hypnosis can help with.  And websites with a menu of issues that hypnosis can help with.  And it’s all about the hypnosis being the solution. 

Hypnosis is not the solution.  You are.  

But people won’t know this about you if you focus on promoting the hypnosis.   The reason I know this is because that’s what I did.   I listed all the problems that hypnosis can help a person to get rid of.  And it’s because I had accepted the belief that hypnosis is the answer.

I threw gobs of money at marketing the hypnosis.  It turned out to be a colossal waste because it didn’t get me more clients.  My mistake was failing to recognize a simple fact.  

People don’t pay for hypnosis – they pay for results.  

Most people don’t know anything about hypnosis.  And very few people are actually looking for hypnosis.  But almost everyone has a problem they need help resolving.  And you might just be the answer they’ve been looking for. So focus on that.

If you can offer them a way out of the problem they’re going to want to know more about you.  So ask yourself – who is that person with that problem that you can help with?  How are you the answer they’ve been looking for?  That’s how to promote yourself and your healing practice.

The way to get more hypnosis clients is to realize that hypnosis is not the answer – you are.  And then speak to that one person with that one problem that you are confident you can help with.  Not the menu of issues that hypnosis can supposedly help with.

The biggest problem with menu-marketing is that it doesn’t speak to anyone in particular.  So it doesn’t get anyone’s attention.  To attract clients to you, you need to get their attention.  

If you try to be all things to all people, you’ll get nobody. 

The one thing that will get their attention is the results you can offer. That’s what people are looking for.  Real results that last.  So you need to feel confident in your ability to get consistent results working with real clients and real problems.

The way to do that is to focus on getting the right kinds of clients for you.  The clients you can be successful with are a fit for your level of knowledge and skill.

These are the clients who will give you your best chance to deliver on your promise of results.  And your results will attract more clients to you.  Simple, right?

So focus on the one thing that you know you can be successful with.   And speak to that.  Not a menu of problems.  Just that one thing.  And speak to that one person you’re most likely to be successful working with.

I specialize in regression-to-cause hypnosis.  So my focus is on emotional problems.  My ideal client is a person who is struggling with uncomfortable feelings.  It might be a person with anxiety or fear.  Or anger or depression or guilt.  It might even be an issue that has strong emotions connected to it.   That’s the person I can get the best results working with.  

A person who is struggling with an emotional problem knows who they are.  And usually it’s not until they’ve tried everything else that they decide to turn to hypnosis.  So these tend to be highly motivated clients which makes them great clients to work with.

I wasted far too much money trying to sell the hypnosis.  

But when I started making it about the client’s problem, and how I could help them get rid of that problem, I started to get more clients.  And I discovered something very important …

When you focus on a specific issue that interests you, you can carve out a niche for yourself that is very rewarding.  And people will gladly pay you a premium fee if you can help them to get a lasting result.

You’ll attract clients who will help you hone your skills and develop your expertise.  And when you focus on something that really interests you’ll invest in learning more.  And this will help you to grow your knowledge and skill.  

You'll get really good at that one thing. As you continue to grow your knowledge and skill, you’ll start to get known for getting results with that one thing.  And you’ll begin to attract clients that can really benefit from your help.  

They’ll come to you through referral.  

That’s the best way to grow your healing practice.  So having a clear message about who your ideal client is, and how you can help them, gives you a way to establish yourself as an expert at something.  And that will attract more clients to you.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you’ve limited yourself to just that one thing.  When you’re recognized as a expert in your field, people are going to call you up and ask you if you can help them with other issues.  So you’ll still have a variety of issues to work with.  

By positioning yourself as an expert, you’ll be able to charge more for your services.   So you won’t need as many clients to make a living.  Nice, right?  

So that’s it.

Just remember – hypnosis is not the answer.  You are.  So don’t throw away any more of your hard-earned cash on marketing that doesn’t work.  Most people aren’t looking for hypnosis.  They’re looking for a solution to a problem.  So don’t focus on the hypnosis. 

The problem with making it all about the hypnosis is that it just makes you another voice in the market place.  You might just be the solution they’ve been looking for. But they won’t know that if you don’t get their attention.  

It won’t matter how loud you shout.  Or how impressive your marketing is.  No one will pay any attention if you’re not speaking to them.  It’s like when a car alarm goes off in the neighborhood.  If it’s not your car it’s not your problem, right? And if it’s not your problem … what do you do?  Nothing.   

So how many clients do you think that approach will get you?  

Z-E-R-O. 

The place to begin is to think about your ideal client. 

1. Who is that one person that’s just the right fit for you?  
2. What problem do they have that you know you can help with?  
3. What makes you the best choice for that person with that problem? 

Focus on that.