You can spend thousands on cutting edge marketing, but it will mean nothing if you don’t answer the phone! Each client that calls should hang up the phone with confidence in your abilities, appreciation of you listening to them, and a better understanding of hypnosis. Here are my top tips for phone conversations:
Take Control of the Call
“How much and how many sessions?” This is one of the most common questions you’ll hear from prospective clients. Many of these people are just shopping around for the best rates and quickest results, without having an understanding of what they’re really buying. In a previous blog post I cover the topic that you are not selling hypnosis, you are selling results to your client, so before answering any questions about costs and sessions, take the time to get to know the client’s situation and ask what they are looking for help with. You are doing yourself and your client a disservice if you don’t take the opportunity to talk about what you do. And most clients don’t know what to ask when reaching out for hypnosis — they’re trying to compare you to traditional therapists and it’s your job to explain how hypnosis is different.
By getting to know the client first, you’ll also get a pretty good understanding of if they are truly ready for service or not. You’ll get concerned family members calling for loved ones that aren’t ready to change, you’ll get some clients that are just plain nasty to the core, some clients only want you to magic away their problems, and some people just want to prove hypnosis doesn’t work. By stating, “Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, but at this time I don’t think you’re quite ready for the work required for hypnosis,” this weeds out the clients that are not truly looking to change, and can also motivate the clients on the fence that are feeling some reluctance to jump at the opportunity and want to commit to service. We are creating trust by only offering to work with people we feel are truly ready for hypnosis because they know we don’t want to waste their time and money.
Listen to and Love Your Client
Once you’re able to discuss your client’s issue a little, then you’ll be able to discuss the number of sessions and cost. If the client questions that they’ve seen cheaper, or faster offers around, let them know that you get results. 5-PATH is designed to be a hypnosis system that can evolve and adapt to almost every individualized issue. You may get 5 different weight loss clients that all want the same goal of losing weight, but each will have a completely different root issue that has conditioned them into their bad habits. Tell your client you have confidence that you can help them, and by the time you mention the price, they’re feeling trusting and supported by you so it can be less shocking.
Many of our clients are calling us from a space of hurt, fear, or anger, and it is our responsibility to make sure they feel heard. Don’t take things personally, and always look for a way to love your client. If you create judgements too quickly, you could be preventing yourself from giving them the proper support. Some of your clients may be criminals, abusers, or other serious offenders, but they are coming to you to heal and it is important you take the time to find something to love in the client to cultivate an environment of success.
Being a Salesperson
Many hypnotists come into the profession with a “servants heart,” or a desire to offer cheaper service in hopes they can help more people. But you are running a business, and it is important to learn how to be self sufficient in your business. You’ll be a better hypnotist if you’re financially secured and not worried about living paycheck to paycheck. Any profits you make don’t need to feel like greedy Scrooge McDuck filling his vault, but they become another opportunity to help others. If you make enough, you have the ability to publish a book, conduct a class, get a professional recording, or expand your practice to include other hypnotists. Your success is based on your clients success, and your clients success is based on your success - it’s a wheel that depends on a balance, so don’t let the scales shift to not supporting yourself enough.
If you’re nervous about the phone, write yourself a script for your most common phone calls so that you have an easy reference each time you talk to a potential client. I started with scripts for weight loss, anxiety, and a few others until I got enough practice to confidently conduct calls off the top of my head. By having bullet points ready for your common questions, you’ll feel more confident in your conversation if you get lost or anxious, and your client will feel more confidence in you being able to share information. We want to give the client as much information as we can while ensuring their success is our number one priority.
To summarize:
Take control of the call
Love and listen to your client
Be a salesperson
