I have recently gotten a number of requests from quote websites asking for cost estimates for hypnotherapy work. In a coupe such cases, I put in replies asking for more information before I could say anything about the work needed. Both sites charge a nominal fee (about two to three dollars) to reply to the quote request. It's a pretty small fee and it's how they make their money so I certainly can't complain about that. It will be interesting to see how this works out.
In both cases the request was something to the effect of "Help, I need hypnosis..." There was minimal info about what the issue was, the severity of the problem or the surrounding details of the person's life. In the earlier case I eventually gave my rate for the first session, with the caveat that we would have to plan from there. So far I haven't heard back and it's been a few days. In the other case, the person simply left me an annoyed-sounding message repeating her request to 'send me a quote, just like the other guy did.'
At Explore with Hypnosis, I have been experimenting with using quote sites to meet future clients with specific needs where I may be specifically suited to help. This is some of my first experience with quote sites and I'm still evaluating their effectiveness. I had heard a little bit about them earlier, and I have talked with a the owners of a couple of them. Their energy and intent is admirable. To a person, they are wonderful entrepreneurs. Yet from what I have seen so far, I seriously wonder how effective such a system is for the custom heart-centered healing work we do as hypnotherapists.
Imagine if you were an auto repair technician getting a quote request for repair work on a car, "Help, my car is broken, how much will it cost?"
"What's wrong with it?" you might ask.
"I don't know, just give me a quote. The other guy did, why can't you?"
To me, this sounds like a 'no-bid' situation. I wish 'the other guy' luck...
First off, would you want to hire an auto technician who promised to fix your car for a particular cost without even knowing what was wrong with it? Small differences in the details of the problem can mean tremendous differences in the amount of effort required to resolve it. Would you trust a doctor who promised to cure your illness for a fixed amount, without even knowing the details of the problem? Would you trust an outdoors guide who promised you a low fixed rate to lead you through a trackless wilderness?
On quote sites, the emphasis is on finding a good or service at minimum cost. Like finding the cheapest auto repair, the cheapest roofer, etc. Yet, it doesn't tell you much about the practitioners providing the quotes. A practitioner with 15-plus years of experience is going to charge more than one right out of certification school. Yet this difference in experience doesn't show up very clearly in a purely price-based estimate.
Furthermore, is someone who is bidding down their price to the lowest common denominator really the person you want to trust with deep subconscious issues? In many cases of hypnotherapy work, clients are facing significant and very unique problems. To solve them, the solution probably needs to be unique as well.
To be most effective, hypnotherapy needs to be client centered. It needs to address the client's specific issues, rather than be one-size-fits-all. If you want to get cheap hypnosis you can attend a quit-smoking seminar at a hotel, go to the half-price hypnotist, or buy a self-hypnosis CD. Any of these can give you a feel for what hypnosis is like and you will probably find it an interesting experience. Then, when you want quality hypnotherapy work centered around your specific needs, please contact me. I'll be honored to help you with your healing. life-changing and/or problem-solving goals.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how these quote sites work out. Experimenting is always interesting and revealing. And who knows, the universe has a wonderful way of connecting people, especially at a time of greatest need. So let's just see what happens here in the realm of quotes and questions.
