Chasing the Cheapest – An Enlightening Conversation with a Smoker

I talked with a prospective client the other day who called me wanting some information about my quit smoking programs.

After a few minutes of discussing their situation and answering questions about my programs we got around to the question of price. If people come through my web sites and have read about the program that way they know the cost as I’m transparent and open about my prices.

Obviously, if they are referred to me or just pick the phone and call they may not be familiar with program costs.

This particular person had seen a hypnotist for quitting awhile before but had started up again.

There are different methods of quitting, and even different hypnosis programs out there to help smokers quit.

I only mention this because the range of prices in stop smoking programs is staggering.

I have seen one session group or private programs offered for as low as $49, and multiple session programs offered at $500 – $1,000 – quite a disparity, right?

This person who called me had seen a hypnotist for smoking cessation and paid $50.

If low cost is the bottom line for somebody then I tell them I may not be the cheapest option for them. I don’t charge $50, yet I’m also not up in the $500 range. I’m competitively-priced for the comprehensive program and experience I offer – over 9-years of offering successful smoking cessation programs.

In this instance the person shared the cost of the previous hypnotist’s program – $50 – with me as a means of bargaining down my program price. I politely refused to get into this type of discussion.

I suggested they could return to the previous hypnotist – I did this because they were comparing me to this hypnotist – and they said they hadn’t considered this and thought it a good idea. The call ended and they thanked me for my information and advice.

Let’s think about what happened here.

This individual had a price already in their mind of what it should cost to quit smoking – $50. The fact it didn’t work for them got “lost” in their mind, and rather than recognize a different but more expensive program may work better for them, they would rather consider going back and redoing a cheaper program that hadn’t up to that point worked for them.

The value they put on quitting was about the cost of a week’s cigarettes to them. At that price they could afford to give a “try.” If it doesn’t work – it’s only $50, right?

True – but think of the attitude and commitment going into the program – potentially weak on both accounts.

Here’s another way of looking at it…

What if you needed a heart operation to continue living and you had to fund it with your own money. Would you go shopping for the best price for a surgeon and choose one that was cheap but not much experience? Or seek out the most experienced heart surgeon you could afford and thereby increase your chance of success to prolong your life?

I doubt you would even think twice about getting the best you could – whatever the cost!

This article is not about criticizing other hypnotists or even smokers. But it is about mindset attitude and how it can take us down illogical decisions based on false economies.

Hypnosis is all about breaking habits to free you from the chains of smoking, weight gain, stress and anxiety, or achieving other personal goals. It does this through talking directly to your subconscious mind – and it all starts with right attitude and commitment – but definitely not the cheapest price!

Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis