To be successful, you have to believe in your own abilities and convey that belief to potential clients. 

Hypnotherapy is not religion and it certainly is not charity. Few hypnotherapists get wealthy, but those who have developed competence and expertise deserve to make a reasonable living at it. Ask, and ye shall receive. 

How you feel about money determines whether you attract it or push it away. If you fear money, you push it away. If you love money… well, loving may not be enough. Loving can lead to hoarding, a fear that you will lose what you have. Loving can lead to greed, fearing that others have more than you. Loving can lead to Wanting, a fear of somehow being deprived, that you are not living as well as you should.

We deal with such fears every day in hypnotherapy. The challenge is to identify similar fears in yourself.

Money reflects the energy that attracts it. If you are miserly and poor in spirit no amount of money will ever produce happiness. In contrast, a generally positive outlook can see that basic Needs are met with relatively little money.

What does it really mean to be rich? If you have a healthy relationship with money, you are rich when you have as much as you need, and some to share. Money is just a number. 

Money is just a number? How can that be!? The value represented by any given amount of money is highly personal. 

While at the University, I became aware that many students lacked basic financial skills. They overextended themselves and were stressed by money. So I introduced the concept of Financial Health in one of my courses. I began one day by asking students how much money they really needed to be happy. One student said, "I need $100,000.” I asked in return, "And if you had $100,000 what would you do with it?" 

"I would pay my bills and have some left over for myself."

"And that would make you happy?"

"Yes, that would make me very happy."

"And what if God intended for you to have $1 million? Would you still be happy with the $100,000?"

Sadly, most people aspire to an arbitrary measure of wealth without considering how they might earn it and what it would mean should they actually acquire it. Few realize that money creates as many problems as it solves.  

Objectively, money is a medium of exchange. It represents value, but has no value in itself. In fact, the rising cost of copper means that the cost of producing a single penny is more than one cent. And in the modern world of credit cards, money is being reduced to a series of 0’s and 1’s in a computer, with no physical transaction.

Subjectively, money is a measure of status, self-worth, and success. Money allows for valuation (price, cost, fees, etc.), but also influences values (“I want that because the real or assumed cost confers status”). In other words, the cost of a Jaguar or Mercedes is justified due to advanced engineering and more costly materials, but the real value for most owners is the opportunity to show off their good fortune.

To say one places Needs ahead of Wants is not to say one wants nothing. Accurate discernment determines Needs to be real necessities, without which one might experience a diminished state of health—physical, mental or spiritual. Wants refer to desires that exceed basic Needs. For example, one needs air, water and food to survive. One further needs shelter, a sense of belonging, love and hope to thrive. 

Placing Needs first makes it easier to appreciate any Wants that are acquired. But there is no security in placing Wants first, if it means that basic Needs go unmet.  

There is no harm in Wanting a Mercedes-Benz car. But its designation as a “luxury vehicle” means it exceeds a Need for basic transportation that can be just as easily met with a Chevy Malibu. Both cars get you from point A to point B. 

Someone predisposed to placing Wants ahead of Needs will justify their Mercedes, despite the considerable debt it incurs. On the other hand, if you actually have the means, owning such a vehicle simply reflects your effort or good fortune. 

Money can be vested with either positive or negative energy. The difficulty is in striking a balance between real and perceived economic needs. 

Wishing for more than basic Needs raises the question of what you are willing and capable of doing to achieve what you Want, without sacrificing those Needs. Your feelings about money determine the values, importance, priorities, and urgency you exercise in seeking it. Investing positive energy in your financial affairs makes it easier to justify the accumulation of training, experience, and credentials that contribute to eventual success. Success, in this case, refers to the ability to achieve your Wants without sacrificing your Needs.

That is not to suggest that hypnotherapy should follow suit. But, when there are hypnotherapists who virtually give their services away, it makes it harder for others to charge reasonable fees. And that is what this article is really about. Hypnotherapy requires training and expertise, and clients should expect to pay for the benefit of that expertise. Hypnotherapists who charge minimal fees are, in essence, saying, "I am not worthy of more" when, in reality, they are.

Professional preparation places you in a position to price your services according to your competency. Pricing is also influenced by location, facilities, & position; but do not underestimate the importance of personal credibility. You have to believe in yourself before potential clients can believe in you. That requires a willingness and ability to convey your competency via effective self-promotion. 

“Selling” infers that a client is subtly coerced into making an unnecessary purchase, for the benefit of the Seller, you. This is a sticky point for many alternative healers. One, that there is subtle coercion. Two, that the service is interpreted as risky, unproven, or voodoo, and therefore either unnecessary or a waste of money.

A more generous interpretation of "selling" is to subtly convince a client that a purchase is in their best interest. Again, in order to be convincing, you have to believe in it yourself. If you have convinced yourself that no one will pay what your services are worth, then it could be that your service is worth exactly what you receive.

Be realistic. Examine your abilities. What level of benefit can you really provide to clients? Then do some market research to find out what other modalities cost. They are your competition. But cost is only one element of that competition. Compare and contrast hypnotherapy with those modalities. In most cases, hypnotherapy is quicker, less inconvenient, and more flexible. If you establish those as multiple, positive points of value, money becomes less of an issue. At that point, the issue is trust. 

The budding trust relationship between a hypnotherapist and client requires that a client be guided to “buy” into hypnotherapy. That makes the discussion less about money and more about the importance and urgency of changes the client can anticipate. Stated another way, it is better that you create an opportunity for a client to buy, than for you to sell. Make it a matter of value.   

Don’t sell yourself short. But don’t sell a client a bill of goods. Confidence and competence allow you to charge a fee consistent with the service you provide, and to convince potential clients they are worthy of deriving benefit from that service. 

Once you establish a positive relationship with money yourself, you will be better prepared to deal with your clients’ money relationships. The time spent selling your services is an opportunity to give value to potential clients. One way to do that is to examine the client's relationship with money, providing some education along the way. 

Every client’s definition of Value is different, but there are commonalities you can use to make a convincing case for your hypnotherapy services.

Make hypnotherapy relevant to the client’s issues. Do not do any therapy until you get paid; but, let's say a potential client has called to inquire about your services. Let them do the talking. Get an initial idea of what issues they may be facing. Then speak directly to those issues. Resist the temptation to claim that hypnotherapy can solve all manner of ills. This client is interested only in their own issues. If you address those issues, and have a couple stories that support the efficacy of hypnotherapy in dealing with those issues, that is the beginning of a trust relationship.

Assure the client of your best work (without making guarantees). This may be a good time to mention your training and credentials, or direct them to your web page or other promotional materials. Testimonials are also helpful. 

Enlist the client’s cooperation and collaboration in the change process. This is in direct contrast to most medical science, but contributes to the trust relationship by sharing responsibility for success or failure of the process. It is also a good time to educate the client about how hypnosis works, and what they can experience after their work with you.

Listen to, validate and address client questions, concerns, etc. For many, hypnotherapy will be an entirely new experience. They need to know that their concerns are not unreasonable or unfounded, and that you will work with compassion and understanding. Your answers and explanations also contribute to a sense of your expertise. 

Throughout the initial conversation, continuously remind yourself that your service can be of benefit to the client, but they have to ask. They have to be convinced that not only are you skilled, but that you are skilled in the way that can address their needs. They have to be convinced that hypnotherapy will work for them.

Create value and give them a chance to buy. It can be a simple, "From what I have told you, do you think hypnotherapy is the right thing for you?" Then ask if they are ready to book an appointment.

If they begin to express concerns about money, which is common upon hearing the fee, be prepared to advocate for your services based on Needs as opposed to Wants. In other words, if hypnotherapy is something they really need, you have to help them discriminate it from what they want. Actually, that is the basis of this entire conversation, to emphasize the client’s Needs. If they cannot get past what they Want, hypnotherapy cannot work for them.

For example, a common response is, "I can't afford it." That is a misleading statement. What they really mean is that they choose to spend their money on other things. Many feel unworthy of spending money on themselves, on their Needs. So your task is to convince them that they are worthy and that, for them, hypnotherapy is a Need that supersedes other things they merely Want. 

Education continues as you explain how getting what they Need will put them in a better position to subsequently strive toward what they Want. 

If the client persists in insisting they can't afford it, it simply means they are not ready. In that case, you have to bless them and let them go; with the hope that you have presented a sufficiently convincing case that when they are ready they will return.

What this really means is putting your own Needs first. Anyone who is unwilling to sacrifice some portion of their own relative treasure is not ready and cannot be helped. To sacrifice your own Needs to serve their Wants is a waste of their money and your time. 

Do not push money away by being professionally timid. A healthy relationship with money attracts it, and allows you to be the professional you aspire to be.