the Free Online Hypnosis Community
How NOT to succeed in the hypnotherapy biz!
There are a couple of really basic things that have become personal and professional annoyances for me and I wanted to share them with you.
1. Undercharge for your services. This is always a mistake. undercharging for your services is and inference to both your potential clients and to your own inner sub-consciouses mind. It says, I am not worth it. Fee setting is based on two factors. One is scientific. What is the going rate in your area. and secondly, emotional pricing. (not your emotions mind you, your potential clients) Remember you are competing not with other hypnotists, but with other people offering other modalities to help the same population you serve.
2. Give your services away for free. This is absolutely the worst thing to do, not just for yourself, but for every other hypnotherapist out there. It makes hypnosis seem hobby like, unprofessional and not worth the investment. By all means, give talks, demonstrations, write articles etc...and sure, give those away for free...(introductory talks....not workshops....they are not free)
If there is a special population you want to give a discount to or offer some volunteer time at a local church or organization, then sure, why not.
3. Use your cell phone as your business phone and pick it up when ever and where ever you are and answering with "hello"....Cell phones are convenient, (when they work) however, there is often background noise and the whole thing is just very unprofessional and often unpleasant.
4. Have miss matched unprofessional business cards and business materials. That just screams professional doesn't it?
5. Become a licensed something or other. This is nothing more than a positive prediction. The facts are that even licenced professionals who are in private practice have trouble making a living.
When you are thinking about this subject. Please ask yourself the following, what difference will this really make. If you can build a successful cash practice and keep insurance companies ( you know the little men in the gray suits that really don't care about you or your patients) so much the better. There are many extremely successful practitioners of hypnosis and hypnotherapy who don't have a license in another profession.
License does not equal better or safer. Remember it is not the title or the license that makes the difference, the difference is what you bring to your profession.
6. let people bargain and negotiate your prices. People ask me this all the time and my answer is basically. "Sure, what part of my services shall I leave out?"
7. Give your home phone number away and tell clients to call you anytime. They will!
8. Wait to let people know about you and your work until your website is done.
9. Speaking of websites....flash intros...WHO HAS TIME FOR THIS CRAP??????? You have 7 seconds to let people know how you can help them....don't waste it with flash intros.
( I could go on and on about websites but lets leave that for another time.)
10. look like you just woke up. There is an old saying, "Dress for success" Blue jeans, t-shirts, pony tails on men????? Hello. What are you telling the world. By all means, find your own style, but above all, look professional.
Prospective clients want to be taken seriously, they want their problems to be taken seriously; so take yourself and your profession seriously and act accordingly.
Well that is my rant today.
1. Undercharge for your services. This is always a mistake. undercharging for your services is and inference to both your potential clients and to your own inner sub-consciouses mind. It says, I am not worth it. Fee setting is based on two factors. One is scientific. What is the going rate in your area. and secondly, emotional pricing. (not your emotions mind you, your potential clients) Remember you are competing not with other hypnotists, but with other people offering other modalities to help the same population you serve.
2. Give your services away for free. This is absolutely the worst thing to do, not just for yourself, but for every other hypnotherapist out there. It makes hypnosis seem hobby like, unprofessional and not worth the investment. By all means, give talks, demonstrations, write articles etc...and sure, give those away for free...(introductory talks....not workshops....they are not free)
If there is a special population you want to give a discount to or offer some volunteer time at a local church or organization, then sure, why not.
3. Use your cell phone as your business phone and pick it up when ever and where ever you are and answering with "hello"....Cell phones are convenient, (when they work) however, there is often background noise and the whole thing is just very unprofessional and often unpleasant.
4. Have miss matched unprofessional business cards and business materials. That just screams professional doesn't it?
5. Become a licensed something or other. This is nothing more than a positive prediction. The facts are that even licenced professionals who are in private practice have trouble making a living.
When you are thinking about this subject. Please ask yourself the following, what difference will this really make. If you can build a successful cash practice and keep insurance companies ( you know the little men in the gray suits that really don't care about you or your patients) so much the better. There are many extremely successful practitioners of hypnosis and hypnotherapy who don't have a license in another profession.
License does not equal better or safer. Remember it is not the title or the license that makes the difference, the difference is what you bring to your profession.
6. let people bargain and negotiate your prices. People ask me this all the time and my answer is basically. "Sure, what part of my services shall I leave out?"
7. Give your home phone number away and tell clients to call you anytime. They will!
8. Wait to let people know about you and your work until your website is done.
9. Speaking of websites....flash intros...WHO HAS TIME FOR THIS CRAP??????? You have 7 seconds to let people know how you can help them....don't waste it with flash intros.
( I could go on and on about websites but lets leave that for another time.)
10. look like you just woke up. There is an old saying, "Dress for success" Blue jeans, t-shirts, pony tails on men????? Hello. What are you telling the world. By all means, find your own style, but above all, look professional.
Prospective clients want to be taken seriously, they want their problems to be taken seriously; so take yourself and your profession seriously and act accordingly.
Well that is my rant today.
Tags: hypnosis, profession
14 Comments
-
Comment by Eric G. Schneider on April 28, 2008 at 6:29am - You got it!!!
-
Comment by Michael Duguay on April 29, 2008 at 3:31am - You bring very valid points to minds. I look forward to reading more form you.
-
Comment by Katherine Zimmerman on April 29, 2008 at 5:07am
-
Great rant Eric! I tell my students much of this when we have our business weekend. I might just print this out as another voice reinforcing what I tell them.
I esp. like #6. Just yesterday a lady asked if I had a sliding scale for her since she would be driving 40 miles if she booked an appointment. Nope. No sliding scale. No discounts. Just high quality work. The question I hear most often from prospective clients is, "What would you charge me for 'something like that'?"
Katherine Zimmerman
-
Comment by Eric G. Schneider on April 29, 2008 at 5:36am
- I am so glad you are enjoying my rants...and I am looking forward to bringing you more!!! The good news is that they are NOT in short supply (my rants that is!)
-
Comment by Angela Iozzia on April 29, 2008 at 11:15am -
This is a fabulous list!! Keep them coming. We can all learn something here, even if they are reminders. We sometimes forget, or let poverty conciousness sneak in.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Angela
-
Comment by James Hazlerig on May 15, 2008 at 8:22am -
Good rant with lots of very solid advice. I'd love to hear what you have to add about websites--perhaps that could be the subject of a future rant.
One point to disagree on, though: No matter what you think of the man or his methods, Cal Banyan's ponytail hasn't gotten in the way of his business success. Yes, it's important to be clean and well-groomed--but let's not obsess on details.
-
Comment by Steve Garf on May 20, 2008 at 10:58am - I agree with all those points also! And I was going to bring it up but James beat me to it; Cal Banyan has a ponytail and it doesn't make him seem more or less professional --- just food for thought.
-
Comment by GIL BOYNE on May 20, 2008 at 2:04pm
-
When I was just getting established in the Los Angeles area, (1954) there bwere very few bhypnotists.
One man advertised in the classified section of the LA times, "'Hypnosis Sessions $20"'. When people would call me and I told them my fee was $50, they would reference the $20 and I would ask them "'Do you want the cheapest service or the best?"
A'nother time a client asked if I had a rate for seniors. I gave her a discount after observing that she was not wearing diamond rings or expensive jewelry. On her third session, as she was leaving, the next client came into the witing room and said to her, "'Well Hello Miriam, I haven't seen you since that wonderful tour of Europe when we first met"' When the client came into the office.she said, There's a lady that is filthy rich. Texas oil money you know"'
Gil Boyne
-
Comment by Eric G. Schneider on May 21, 2008 at 3:38am
-
Hehehehe...lol.
Well there it is. Thank you so much for your comments Gil! Here is a wonderful lesson in why it is so important NOT to discount fees.
So...in 1954 you were charging 50 bucks huh....hmmm...I wonder then what fees should be in 2007??????
By the by, are you currently in Philly?
- 1
- 2
Add a Comment
You need to be a member of HypnoThoughts.com to add comments!
Sign in
Chat
Loading Chat...
Featured Advertising
Latest Activity
11 minutes ago 
36 minutes ago 
36 minutes ago 
40 minutes ago 
44 minutes ago 
49 minutes ago 
49 minutes ago © 2008 Created by Scott Sandland, C.Ht. Scott is not responsible for the information or opinions shared on HypnoThoughts or the actions of its members.
I'm not talking about a dog-and-pony show where you have to buy someone's system or franchise, but honest to goodness education that people can integrate into their practice.
Until then, keep these rants coming.
-Scott Sandland