Booking Clients - Presenting Your Availability

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Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on August 1, 2011 at 2:59pm

I always expain to clients (breifly) that the most important thing is that they make their own 'clear and committed decision to be a non smoker'  and if that is that is what they decide to do, then hypnosis can make it a lot easier to stick to that decision.

Beyond that I do not challenge them to prove that they are committed. 

 

I explain a few other things regarding length of session, cost ect. and then they ask about making an apointment.

I then ask if there is a particular day, or time of day that is best for them.

 

They say a preferable day, or a preferable time of day, and I then suggest an appointment time that will suit their preference.  

 

No subterfuge. No pretense of having a busy diary, no unnecessary screening .  

Screening out clients, might be good for the ego of the therapist, but is not good for the client.  they have took the trouble to ring up, probably after a lot of deliberation... they are often clumsy in the way they ask thier questions, as it is the first time they have done this sort of thing... I am not going to penalize them for this, or undermine their efforts by telling them they are not ready..

I get very few people who have rang who do not then make the appointment.

 

The clarification of their decision/motivation and all the other stuff that makes the treatment work, is done in the actual appointment.  

 

I have a high level of success, and most clients come by referral from ex clients.

 

Similar process with other issues. (I know this thread is not just about smoking)

 

Love and hugs,

 

Lawrie shaw

.    

 

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Netterville on August 1, 2011 at 3:11pm

Fable (or Lawrie if you're in mod-mode),

 

Quick question: Is your success rate the same for the referrals as for non-referrals appointments?

 

The reason I ask is that I've heard referrals make the best clients because they come in with the mindset that it's going to work already (i.e. you don't really need to convince them that hypnosis can solve their issue).

 

I realize that you may not track your success rate with that amount of granularity but was curious if you had a feel for whether or not it made any difference.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on August 1, 2011 at 4:45pm

Hi Kelly,

 

I think that Fable signs off as Fable when he is acting as a moderator and signs off as Lawire on his personal/professional posts, but I could be wrong...

 

I find recommendations from doctors and/or friends and family do seem to help people get more out of their sessions because they already expect to be helped and it seems to be easier to excite their imaginations...

Kelly Netterville said:

Fable (or Lawrie if you're in mod-mode),

 

Quick question: Is your success rate the same for the referrals as for non-referrals appointments?

 

The reason I ask is that I've heard referrals make the best clients because they come in with the mindset that it's going to work already (i.e. you don't really need to convince them that hypnosis can solve their issue).

 

I realize that you may not track your success rate with that amount of granularity but was curious if you had a feel for whether or not it made any difference.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on August 1, 2011 at 5:14pm

Here's a true sample of a phone call I had yesterday, which was Sunday:

"Hi, this is ____, a friend of (former client). I wondered, do you work on Sundays?"

Now, I could have answered, no, because I was just about to leave for the golf course and couldn't possibly take this client on such short notice, but instead I answered, "Sometimes, if it's important."

To which followed a relieved silence and then the conversation ensued about the caller's desire to quit smoking and the client's ability to meet next Sunday. One time was offered by the client and I suggested a different one, which was accepted.

Throughout the conversation, I maintained that the client was important; that I valued the decision to quit smoking and was willing to do whatever it took to help that happen...including working on Sunday. Hey, I can golf on Friday!

I think it's due to this type of approach that somewhere around 99% of my telephone inquiries result in bookings. Really.

 

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Netterville on August 1, 2011 at 5:29pm

Ah, thanks Michael. I remembered seeing him make the distinction in another discussion but, now that you mention it, I think you're right and I got names/roles backwards.

 

It does make sense that seeing someone you know have good results from hypnosis would be an excellent 'convincer'.

 

Kelly 

Michael Ellner said:

Hi Kelly,

 

I think that Fable signs off as Fable when he is acting as a moderator and signs off as Lawire on his personal/professional posts, but I could be wrong...

 

I find recommendations from doctors and/or friends and family do seem to help people get more out of their sessions because they already expect to be helped and it seems to be easier to excite their imaginations...

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Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on August 1, 2011 at 6:08pm

Many callers actually tell me that they are sure that I can help them because I helped some one that they know and if I was able to help so and so do what-ever they just knew that I could help them. Showing up and going through the ritual sealed the deal, but they were more than1/2 there before they scheduled their appointments...  I also get great "waiting room buzz" and that wating room buzz seems to really be good for setting clients up for success. 

Kelly Netterville said:

 

It does make sense that seeing someone you know have good results from hypnosis would be an excellent 'convincer'.

 

Kelly 

 

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Hanover on August 1, 2011 at 6:16pm

Thank you, John, and you're welcome, Zack.  :)

 

Studies have shown that the more options you present to a prospect, the less often they make a purchase decision and instead go for "none of the above." My rule of thumb when I write sales copy is to offer no more than two ways to respond (phone and email, or phone and web, etc.)

 

Same with setting appointment times. If you're booked for 3 hours on Tuesday, 2 hours on Friday and zero hours on Wednesday, do YOURSELF a favor and offer times on Tuesday and Friday until those days are full, then start booking other days. Why force yourself to commute to the office on Wednesday unless someone can't come any other day?

 

Yes, in theory, you may have appointment times available every day of the week. But telling your prospect that doesn't help them. If neither of the two times you offer work for them, they'll tell you and you can offer another time.

 

And check out how I worded it..."Which of those times can you BOOK NOW?"

 

Kathleen Hanover

Marketing and PR Opinionist

 

 

 

 

Zack Randel said:

Great! Thanks for much for sharing Kathleen!

Zack

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Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on August 1, 2011 at 9:27pm

Kelly Netterville said:

Fable (or Lawrie if you're in mod-mode),

 

Quick question: Is your success rate the same for the referrals as for non-referrals appointments?

 

The reason I ask is that I've heard referrals make the best clients because they come in with the mindset that it's going to work already (i.e. you don't really need to convince them that hypnosis can solve their issue).

 

I realize that you may not track your success rate with that amount of granularity but was curious if you had a feel for whether or not it made any difference.

 

Thanks,

Kelly

 

 

Good question Kelly,
And of course you are correct that I do not track clients with great granularity. But clients reffering me to their friends is a good way of tracking.

Again you are right with people who have been referred to me by ex clients who are clearly happy with the treatment, the work is already half done. It means that I often can do a lot less work with these people, to achieve the same results.
So without doing accurate research, I imagine that the success rate is the same, but I do less work, and have more fun achieving that.

I am currently enjoying a long string of smoking clients, due to one woman, who came to see me a couple of months back. She is a hub of her community, and one by one I am getting most of her frends and their friends.
Each time on seeing them off at the door, I say, "give my regards to xxxx and tell them I am proud of them."

Success breeds success.


Love and hugs,

Lawrie

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Permalink Reply by Cory O on August 2, 2011 at 5:49am

Here's another little tidbit I can offer to the discussion.  I used to sell cars.  One of the managers at the car dealership was certified as an instructor by one of those large sales training organizations.  I can't remember which one, but he was specifically hired for this reason by the owner.  Apparently, it's a very famous school.

 

One thing he told us is to never, ever make appointments on the hour.  Why? Because studies have shown that people tend to forget appointment times made on the hour a much higher percentage of the time.

 

So...our sales script was something like this:

 

Me: I think the car you called about meets your needs.  Let's set up an appointment for you to come and drive it to make sure.

 

Client: OK.

 

Me: I have appointments available at 11:45 or 2:15 today. Which one of those slots works best for you?

 

Client: 2:15.

 

Me: OK, great. I'll put you in my appointment book for 2:15 and have the car ready for you.

 

Now, I realize that most modern scheduling software reeeeeeally likes booking appointments on the hour and half hour, but memory-wise, clients have a much better memory for off-time appointments than they do with anything ending in zero.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsay Shepherd on August 2, 2011 at 6:43am

I would like to take this discussion a little further - I opened my business full time at the start of this year and am pleased to say it has been going brilliantly. In the early months I didn't really have to worry about fitting in further appointments for my clients as I had plenty of slots available. Now though I am really busy and have been wondering about scheduling the clients next appointment.

If say they are booked in for 3pm on a Wednesday and they are going to have more than one session,  before you meet for the first session, do you pencil same time for the following  week or just go ahead and book that slot it if another client wants it, so first client has to fit in with what you have left? I am pencilling in bookings for 2 or 3 session at the moment, today though I have had a bit of a time fitting in a new client! 

Great problem to have, but I wonder what others do?

 

 

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