This blog post was inspired by something that actually occurred in one of my sessions with a client. During the assessment stage of first our session my client spent time discussing what she did for a living and explaining her set up at work. The client concerned worked from home with her mother and in our session described a scenario which made me think about hypnotherapy marketing and what your business premises say about you.
For obvious reasons the client and their actual business will remain confidential but the scenario may sound familiar. This client ran a business from her home which required people to come to the house and pick up products. She described how cosy this place was and how her customers knew them so well that they would sit smoking with them around the fire and playing with their dogs. How things were very informal and that they would share each others problems and how many of their customers considered this place a home from home. This client had a romanticised picture of how great her business was and from her explanation she obviously felt her customers loved the set up as well.
Whilst my client was talking a very different picture was appearing in my mind. All I could think of was how unprofessional the set up sounded. I shuddered at the thought of dogs roaming around in the middle of business transactions and worried what the people who were afraid of dogs felt when they entered the house. I thought about the blurring of lines between their professional life and home environment and how sharing problems with your clients is not really the done thing to do. Oh and I worried about the hygiene in the house with the dogs, the clients meeting each other as there was no real appointments system and frankly I was horrified. The picture in my mind was this is amateur hour!
Hypnotherapy Marketing and Your Working Environment
This scenario is a perfect example of how a bad set up can cheapen you and your product. At worst this set up sounded like a bad drug dealing den. Who on earth is going to want to pay good money for your services or products when you are running a business without any professional premises or boundaries? Yes this client was attracting customers but only people who wanted to pay rock bottom prices because they were getting terrible service.
Now although this client was not working in the therapy industry I have experienced similar issues in our industry. I once turned up to a therapists house for a session of EFT and was led to a room which had a filthy carpet covered in fluff and odds and ends. At no point in the session did I think about the therapy I was just willing someone to get a hoover and clean the room. Talk about a distraction.
When you are marketing your hypnosis practice considering how and where you work is of huge importance as that will dictate your prices and the customers that you get. For example here are a number of places that will immediately lower your prices:
- A room at a local community centre.
- Running a business where there is no parking or transport.
- Working in a downmarket area of town.
- Having a run down and noisy premises.
- Rooms in a cheap hairdressers or nail salon.
- Working in a tower block.
Now how about the locations which will boost your prices:
- Working in a Spa or Health Farm
- Premises in the best end of town.
- Working in a doctors surgery.
- Working in a holistic health centre.
- Having rooms in the centre of the city with private parking.
Having the right location can bring you in increased revenue in most cases without you doing anything at all. That is because a good location suggests that if you can afford to practice there then you must be good. Work in a doctors practice and you are seen as legitimate by association. Work in a holistic health centre and it is possible to work with other therapists for cross referrals.
How Working in a Spa Adds $£££$$$ to Your Bottom Line
A perfect example of how the right location can boost your profits was illustrated by a client who rang me to tackle her sugar addiction. This client had previously seen a therapist in a spa who had guaranteed that he would resolve the problem and charged her a whopping £500 for the session. Now the treatment had not worked and she was looking for someone else to work with. I sat there on the phone with my mouth wide open. £500 for a treatment that did not work and all because it was being offered at a spa. Ridiculous.
Now I am not saying that you immediately start offering bogus treatments as part of your hypnotherapy marketing. What I am saying is that people are prepared to pay lots of money when they are being pampered. Spas attract people with money to spend and who want to try unusual treatments. So creating for example a group weight loss one off session for spa residents would be a great way to earn a very decent wage for a morning or afternoons work.
Every country in the world is likely to have a location where people will pay a premium for services. In London that place is Harley Street in Central London. It has supposedly the best doctors, dentists, consultants and of course therapists in the whole of the UK. People who come to see therapists in Central London expect to pay double if not triple the price of elsewhere. Get your marketing right in this location and your self employed income will be significantly more than other hypnotherapists. I have a clinic that I work out of in Harley Street and I can say that the revenue I earn at this location is significantly more than the costs I pay for this room each month.
Working From Home as a Therapist
Now at no stage am I saying that a therapist can’t work from their home. I do that as well on certain days and times of the week but if you are going to then you need to be absolutely clear on your set up.
- No animals
- Room fit for purpose
- Frontage of House looking impeccable
- Noise and distraction free.
- Everything immaculately clean.
- Have a room where people don’t have to traipse through your house.
- Professional contracts and boundaries.
- No contact with clients at home between sessions.
- No toys or washing hanging around.
- Toilet for client use smelling and looking great.
These are just some pointers to help you create a professional environment. No matter what my client thought nobody wants to arrive at a house which is looking a mess because it is informal. Informal means cheap and it is a great way of earning little money or getting your clients to never return.
So when you are thinking of hypnotherapy marketing and how you can earn a better living start to consider how you can use your location to increase your revenue. Take the time and effort to find the right clinic or rooms and they will pay for themselves ten fold.