Advice needed on keeping clients coming

January 18, 2008

I would appreciate several responses on this one. I don't have any

problems with getting the clients, but getting them to stick it out is

another thing. They all start out very excited and ready to go. They

come in each session talking about the changes that are occurring in

their lives or, in the case of parents, the changes that they are

noticing in their child. I always explain from the beginning that the

changes will occur over time and that NF is a commitment. However,

after 2 or 3 months, the honeymoon seems to be over. They start

wanting to know how many more sessions and how can they know the

changes will be permanent, etc. Behavioral changes, changes in the way

they feel, etc don't seem to be enough of a motivator for many (not

all). Parents especially seem to want this info since they are not

experincing the changes themselves. They seem to want hard evidence

and a final date for completion. I can show them trend reports and

research all day, but that doesn't seem to matter.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Jane

January 18, 2008

Jane,

Two to three months is 8-13 weeks, probably 15-30 sessions. For adult clients those are not unrealistic numbers of sessions to complete training--depending on the issue. For kids it might be a bit short for a lasting change, but that also depends on the client.

Any honeymoon that lasts for 2-3 months is a pretty darned long honeymoon in my book! My suggestion would be to be much more specific at the front end. We used to tell parents that to achieve change that would last generally required 35-50 sessions. That gave them a number to plan on. If you just say " stick to it " , but not what exactly that might mean, it can sound pretty daunting.

I also believe that it makes for more successful outcome if you focus on shorter term. I used to run the mile in high school. Thinking about running a mile in under 4:50 was overwhelming. But I could focus on running a quarter in under :73--and I could track whether I was hitting my targets along the way, which was motivating. I always like to book clients in 10-session blocks (with the understanding that 40 sessions was reasonable for a kid). At the end of each ten we'd sit down and review and congratulate and re-commit to the same or new objectives. The blocks were prepaid (for a discount over the standard per-session fee), so once the decision was made to go another 10, no decisions were required for another 5 weeks.

Finally, when you get to 30 sessions or thereabouts, start stretching them out to one a week, then one every two weeks, with the idea being to see if the changes were holding between sessions or not. If they are, there's no need to continue training.

Have you followed up with any of these parents who saw such great early changes and stopped after 2-3 months? Have the effects lasted? If so, and if they are happy with the results, then I would say, " take credit for the wonderful work you've done--and the client and family have done--and move on. " That's what you are aiming for anyway, isn't it?

pete

I would appreciate several responses on this one. I don't have any problems with getting the clients, but getting them to stick it out is another thing. They all start out very excited and ready to go. They come in each session talking about the changes that are occurring in their lives or, in the case of parents, the changes that they are noticing in their child. I always explain from the beginning that the

changes will occur over time and that NF is a commitment. However, after 2 or 3 months, the honeymoon seems to be over. They start wanting to know how many more sessions and how can they know the changes will be permanent, etc. Behavioral changes, changes in the way they feel, etc don't seem to be enough of a motivator for many (not all). Parents especially seem to want this info since they are not experincing the changes themselves. They seem to want hard evidence

and a final date for completion. I can show them trend reports and research all day, but that doesn't seem to matter. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

.. -- Van Deusen

pvdtlc@...http://www.brain-trainer.com305/433-3160The Learning Curve, Inc.

January 19, 2008

How much are you charging per session?

From: braintrainer [mailto:braintrainer ] On Behalf Of Van Deusen

Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008

3:05 PM

To: braintrainer

Subject: Re: Advice

needed on keeping clients coming

Jane,

Two to three months is 8-13 weeks, probably 15-30 sessions. For

adult clients those are not unrealistic numbers of sessions to complete

training--depending on the issue. For kids it might be a bit short for a

lasting change, but that also depends on the client.

Any honeymoon that lasts for 2-3 months is a pretty darned long

honeymoon in my book! My suggestion would be to be much more specific at

the front end. We used to tell parents that to achieve change that would

last generally required 35-50 sessions. That gave them a number to plan

on. If you just say " stick to it " , but not what exactly that

might mean, it can sound pretty daunting.

I also believe that it makes for more successful outcome if you focus

on shorter term. I used to run the mile in high school. Thinking

about running a mile in under 4:50 was overwhelming. But I could focus on

running a quarter in under :73--and I could track whether I was hitting my

targets along the way, which was motivating. I always like to book

clients in 10-session blocks (with the understanding that 40 sessions was

reasonable for a kid). At the end of each ten we'd sit down

and review and congratulate and re-commit to the same or new

objectives. The blocks were prepaid (for a discount over the standard

per-session fee), so once the decision was made to go another 10, no decisions

were required for another 5 weeks.

Finally, when you get to 30 sessions or thereabouts, start stretching

them out to one a week, then one every two weeks, with the idea being to see if

the changes were holding between sessions or not. If they are, there's no

need to continue training.

Have you followed up with any of these parents who saw such great early

changes and stopped after 2-3 months? Have the effects lasted? If

so, and if they are happy with the results, then I would say, " take credit

for the wonderful work you've done--and the client and family have done--and

move on. " That's what you are aiming for anyway, isn't it?

pete

On Jan 18, 2008 4:46 PM, janearave <darave@....com>

wrote:

I would appreciate several responses on this one. I

don't have any