Stage Hypnosis Business & Marketing

The Business of Stage Hypnosis

! e Best of the Stage Hypnosis Center

Volume 1

Geoff Ronning & Chris Frolic

THE BUSINESS OF STAGE HYPNOSIS ! e Best of the Stage Hypnosis Center© MMIX by Geo! Ronning

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form electric or mechanical without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

First published in 2009.

For more information visit http://www.StageHypnosisCenter.com

ISBN 1448697379Printed in the United States of America

For Wendy. Everyday I love you more. GRFor my boys. CF

Comments about Authors Geo! Ronning and Chris Frolic

I’ve been a hypnotist for more then forty years, and I still learn new things from Geo! rey Ronning, Geo! ’s words are pure gold!

Rick Allen, Ohio

Geo! Ronning is not only a great hypnotist—he’s also an excellent teacher and has a complete comprehension of the ‘business of show business’. Without him, many would still be standing on the side-line—thanks to Geo! we are playing the game, making our dreams come true!

Leon West, South Africa

Geo! is an amazing instructor and resource on all things hypnotic! He has helped me throughout my entire career, from training to fol-low-up advice and direction. I truly owe my success to him and the Stage Hypnosis Center!

John Raven, Pennsylvania

Geo! is a consummate professional that is truly a master in the world of stage hypnosis. He is a treasured resource for stage hypnotists in-ternationally and a role model for all. Geo! is sincere in his desire to further the craft of hypnosis and ensure that his students succeed. He walks the walk and talks the talk, sharing his vast experiences in his teachings. His products are gold. You can be assured that you are getting the best in any product that Geo! has authored. His guidance has changed my life.

Dr. Scott Styles, Canada

Chris Frolic’s phenomenal success as a comedy stage hypnotist is un-surpassed His story is one to be studied by stage hypnotists every-where.

Bill Mogolov, Iowa

Meeting and working with Geo! Ronning has been one of the high-lights of my life. I am forever grateful for his impact on the quality of my performance as well as the increased income from his sharing his knowledge of marketing.

Ronnie Baras, Maryland

Chris Frolic is an inspiration for those of us who want to make a liv-ing in stage hypnosis He went from virtually nothing to full time in record time his advice is priceless to any performer.

Jesse Lewis, Saskatchewan

Geo! enables each and every one of us to be the person we want to be, and most importantly, become unbelievably successful along the way." ank you for making my dreams come true.

Paul Rheaume, Missouri

Geo! Ronning is the master promoter and entertainer with insights that even the most experienced stage performers are listening too. While Geo! has created the preeminent destination (stagehypnosis-center.com) for aspiring AND professional stage hypnotists—it is the community forum itself that is the most valuable resource for the new and experienced alike. And Chris Frolic stands out among this group. As I was getting started with my own stage career, it is Chris’s story that was the most memorable and real for me. His sense of humor and willingness to tell it all compels me follow his story to this day.

Tobin Slaven, Maine

!! !!The Business of Stage Hypnosis!! !!!!

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 7Chris Frolic 7 Geo" rey Ronning 8

SECTION ONE: PERFORMANCE ARTICLES 113 Simple Ways to Improve Your Hypnosis Show 12# e American Idol Lesson for Stage Hypnotists 14How to Get Even the Most Stubborn Audiences to Volunteer

for Your Stage Hypnosis Show—Part 1 16How to Get Even the Most Stubborn Audiences to Volunteer

for Your Stage Hypnosis Show—Part 2 19All About Hypnotic Show Pre-Tests 22Quick Tip: How to Boost Your Ability to Hypnotize

Anyone, Immediately! 25Performance of Stage Hypnosis 26Most Important Part of a Successful Show 30Show Leads 30How to Protect Yourself from Hypnotic Show Lawsuits 33Simple Steps to Create Successful Callback Stage Hypnosis Suggestions 363 Ways to Make Your Performance more Powerful 38Four Items that May Save Your Next Show 40Stage Names? Fake, Real or Something Else 43How to Avoid First Show Pitfalls and be a Successful Stage Hypnotist

from the Get-Go 45How to Solve Every Induction Problem You May Encounter 47No Volunteers 50“Great Show! But from Now On We Will Go With Karaoke” 52How to Rock a Room; What Stars Know that We Don’t 54You’re the Devil! 57# e Zone 59What a Stinker of a Show 61Quick Tips for Successful Radio Station Appearances 62Story from the Front Lines 65

!!!! !!The Business of Stage Hypnosis!!

A Situation to Laugh About Now 66" e One Minute Guide to the Stage Hypnosis Field 67Lessons from a Rock Star 69How to Brand Your Stage Hypnosis Show 70When to Have Your Hypnosis Show Volunteers Open their Eyes? 73Everything will be Great, Just as Soon as I Bomb! 76" e Simple Man’s Guide Improve Your Show Today, Tomorrow

and Everyday—NEW 77A Bullet Proof Vest—Mandatory Stage Hypnotist Equipment? 80Boosting Your Show’s Success with Smart Pre-Show Music Programming 82How I Joined the “Free Haircut” Club! 84How to Handle “Walk-O# s”—NEW 86

SECTION TWO: BOOKING STRATEGIES 87" e Five Minute Guide to Becoming a Profi table (or more profi table)

Part Time or Full Time Stage Hypnotist 88How to Get Bookings with Entertainment Agencies! 92Advertising Options: " e Yellow Pages 95" e E# ective Stage Hypnosis O$ ce 98A Simple Way to Generate Hypnosis Profi ts that You Can Start to

Duplicate in Under 25 Minutes—Part 1 101A Simple Way to Generate Hypnosis Profi ts that You Can Start to

Duplicate in Under 25 Minutes—Part 2 104A Simple Way to Generate Hypnosis Profi ts that You Can Start to

Duplicate in Under 25 Minutes—Part 3 107How to Avoid Entertainment Contract Disputes 110" e Easy Way to Book Corporate Shows 113Finding Corporate Clients to Book You 119How to Contact Clients to Get Show Bookings 124" e 3 Keys to Getting More Stage Hypnosis Shows from Every Client 128How to Immediately Charge Higher Show Fees 130How to Book a Hypnosis Show Tour for Fun and Profi t 133Finding Agencies Online that can Give You Shows 1363 Mandatory Rules for Stage Hypnotists Working with Agents 139How to Find Agencies that Can Book You 141" e Key to Eliminating All Objections when Booking Your


Stage Hypnosis Show 144Operation Quick Start: How to Always Have a Steady Stream of

Bookings—Even When You Don’t 147How to Eliminate Bad Customers Gracefully 149To Have an Online Video or Not 153You are Sitting on a Treasure Chest 155How to Immediately Increase Your Business by 20% with Zero Cost 157On the Brink of a Career, 6 Rules to take you from Failure to

Success in the Corporate Stage Hypnosis Industry 160No-Brainer Strategy! 162Successful Headshots 165Direct Marketing Secrets to Book a Massive Amount of Stage

Hypnosis School Shows—Part 1 169Direct Marketing Secrets to Book a Massive Amount of Stage

Hypnosis School Shows—Part 2 172Fundraising Secret 174" e Shockingly Easy Way to Instantly Add Cash to the Bottom Line,

Stability to Your Future and Diversity to Your Business! 176How to Book Several Extra Shows Every Year— Without Failure

or Rejection 179Why Should I Take Your Show? 181Stage Hypnotist Pop Quiz; Nothing Happens Until… 183Strategies for Having a Cash Cow Stage Hypnosis Business 185" e $120,000.00 a Year Agents Plan 187Get Press the Easy Way 190Triggers of Success for Agency Bookings 193" e Single Biggest Opportunity of the Week 196Booking Power; A Real Life Example of Booking Strategy! 198" e Way to a Secure, Reliable Stage Hypnosis Business

(if that is your type of thing) 201Analysis: Easy Show Bookings 203How Many Schools Should be in Your Prospect List to Create a

Landslide of Show Bookings 205How to Build a Secure, Stable Stage Hypnosis Business Fast 207How to Use Agents to Get Bookings 209


One of My Simple Strategies that Pays Big Dividends 211" e Five Easy Steps to Appear in the Media Now, to Book More

Shows Today! 214Opportunities at Every Corner by " inking Like a Marine 217Sometimes You Have To " row " e Little Ones Back 219Stage Hypnotist School Booking Tip from Chris Frolic’s

“Black Ops” Tool Chest 221Easy Niche that is Begging for Your Stage Hypnosis Show Even

if You Have no Promo, Testimonials or References 223" e Secret to Maximizing Your Singles’ Bookings 225How to Find Singles Clubs in Your Area that Want to Book

Your Hypnosis Show Now! 227Digging for Gold at the Public Library 229Why I Don’t Concern Myself with Bottom Feeders (and how you

can do the same) 231Don’t waste time, land the big gigs with your own “Glengarry” leads 234

SECTION THREE: BOR/EXTRA INCOME 237" e Simple Way to Sell More Products at Your Stage Hypnosis

Show or Lecture 238How to Create Hypnosis Products (or My BOR Studio) 241When, Where and Why to O# er BOR 244Wow…Untapped Market that is Poised for Big Success for any

Stage Hypnotist 247Become a Smokin’ Celebrity 250Explosive Opportunity for Stage Hypnotist 252Trend Alert for HHP 255Trend Alert: Big Picture for HHP 258Push Button Instant Press for Hypnotists 261Knockout Strategy: " e Super Secret Place " at Buys TONS of

Our BOR Products that Nobody Knows About 262Year End Consideration that May Be Worth Tens of " ousands

of Dollars to You 264How to Get a Cash Grab of $9386.00 in 14 Days 266How to Get a Cash Grab of $9386.00 in Two Weeks—Part 2 268Bookings from Heaven 270


" e Four Characteristics of Fast Selling BOR Products for the Stage Hypnotist 272

How to Easily Add $12,000.00 to this Years Bottom line in Your Stage Hypnosis Business 274

" e 3 " ings You Must Know About Your Business 276Maximize and Minimize to Profi t Sky High 278How to Simplify Your Stage Hypnosis Business and Make it

More Profi table 280How to Leverage Your Past Stage Hypnosis Activities to Increase

your Business, TODAY 282SECTION FOUR: BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY 285

Eleven Rules for Uncommon Stage Hypnosis Success—Part 1 286Eleven Rules for Uncommon Stage Hypnosis Success—Part 2 289Eleven Rules for Uncommon Stage Hypnosis Success—Part 3 292Snap, Crackle and Pop 2956 Success Lessons from a Lifetime of Experience 298Brief History of the Entertainment Field and Why It Matters to You 302" e State of the Entertainment Industry and the Impact

it has on You 304Priorities of a Successful Stage Hypnotist 307Four Most Important People to a Successful and Profi table Radio

Interview for Entertainers 309How to Set Profi table Goals for Your Stage Hypnosis Business 312Quick, Free tool to Find " ieves on the Net who are Stealing

Your Promo 317Simple Way to Speed up Success 319Give Yourself a Raise 320Which are YOU? 323Your Hypnotic Future 324Groundhog Day is the Hypnotists Way 327" e Most Important Time of Year 328Success Secrets for Next Year (my experience watching people

succeed and fail) 330" e New Years Income Boost (can you double your income?) 332" e Big Drive 335


" e Elvis Rule 337Easy Money 338Quick Quiz to Boost Your Stage Hypnosis Business 340How One of the Richest Men in History Succeeded (before he

lost his mind) 342Set Your Watch for Success 344Five Ways to Increase Your Productivity, Profi ts and Stage

Hypnosis Success 348She Who Writes the Check Makes the Rules 351Hot Stories of Stage Hypnosis Success 353What is Your Metaphor? 355Long Term, You’re Sunk (when this happens) 358What Scares You? 360Is Your Future " is Bad? Maybe Even Worse? Lets Hope Not 362" e Final Drive to Make Your Stage Hypnosis Dreams a Reality 365" e Ticking Time Bomb in Your Stage Hypnosis Business 367Punch the Numbers and Grow Your Business Dramatically 37010 First Year Lessons for Big Success for Stage Hypnotists—NEW 372Know When to Double Down 376

INDEX 377

Chris FrolicI can’t remember how I fi rst came across the Stage Hypnosis Cen-ter, but it certainly was a serendipitous chain of events that lead me there. I was like any of you, someone interested in stage hypnosis and the possibility of a new career. A few weeks later I found myself in Las Vegas for his renowned training and met Geo! Ronning for the fi rst time. It would be the start of the best education I’d ever receive in my life.

In a short amount of time I went from stage hypnosis newbie to a national performer, appearing on several television programs and meeting and exceeding my fi nancial goals.

" e articles presented in this book are a big part of my success. I don’t think a book like this has ever been produced. You won’t fi nd anything on how to hypnotize someone, but real applicable tips to make you and your hypnosis career a bigger success than before you read it.

Some of the tips in this book have been hugely profi table to me and I’ll give you an example of one.

INTRODUCTION


!"#$%&#%'()*%)%+#,-. made me believe that going on tours isn’t the ex-clusive domain of the David Copperfi elds and AC/DCs of the world. " at an unknown hypnotist can do very well for himself with some modest goals. I booked my fi rst successful tour only a few months into my hypnosis career. Today I’ve made many tens of thousands of dollars and dozens of bookings because of that article. I’m totally serious. If not for reading that one article the seed never would have been planted in my head and I never would have thought it would have been a realistic goal. " at article is just one of hundreds fea-tured in this book.

I’m honored at being able to present this compilation of some of the articles from Geo# Ronning of the Stage Hypnosis Center, as well as some of my own from lessons I’ve learned along the way.

I hope you too can take some inspiration and make my achieve-ments look amateur. " e tools are before you. I look forward to hearing about your success.

"#$%&

Geo! rey RonningWhen the idea arose for this book I was very excited. As I review the contents I’m ecstatic. I know I should probably be humble and down play it but I’m not going too. I’m amazed at the content.

Inside is a combination of content from the StageHypnosis-Center.com and some brand new items that are just being released for the fi rst time. And while I think the content is excellent it is not without its errors. I considered going back over each one and mak-ing the corrections to improve the grammar, etc. I then decided against it.

You see, 20% of the net profi ts of this book go to support the following two non-profi t organizations:

!! !!!Introduction!! !!!!

" e Jason Foundation, Inc" e Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is an educational organization dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth suicide.

Geneva Centre for Autism FoundationGeneva Centre is dedicated to empowering individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their families, to fully partici-pate in their communities.

So, while on one hand I would rather have spent some big bucks on an editor to make this perfect (and hide my mistakes). On the other hand I thought retaining the original content mistakes and all, and donating the maximum amount of money far outweighed the benefi ts of tweaking the content.

Besides that, it stands as a reminder that what we do—we im-prove at. Frankly some of my early writings are pretty poor. But you can see article-by-article improvement in my written communica-tions. I think that is cool. I bet I’m really good in about another 4 books.

But the bottom line is I hope you get far more from the book than what you invested. I hope your ROI is astronomical. Peace and love to everyone… but more to our better clients than anyone else. !

I will see you at the StageHypnosisCenter.com,

GEOFF

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!"!!! !!The Business of Stage Hypnosis!!

3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Hypnosis ShowGeo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

Contrary to what many think, the hypnosis is not the show. When you are doing a stage hypnosis show, you are in the business of show, not the business of hypnosis.

Clients do not hire us to watch us hypnotize, we are hired to en-tertain. Many people get this wrong! And their audiences and shows su# er. Here are 3 simple considerations that will immediately im-prove any hypnosis show:

Your InductionAsk yourself:

Is your induction reasonably fast?Is it entertaining for the audience? Is it theatrically satisfying?

If not you should consider getting a new show induction. $ e days of using a PR ( Progressive Relaxation) and doing a long, drawn out induction are over. Realize your induction is part of your show, and give the people what they want—entertainment from the start.

Your Blocking Blocking are the movements on stage. We analyze videos from per-formers from literally around the world, and if there is one thing I see more than anything else it is improper blocking, which usu-ally shows up in the form of pacing. In fact, if the majority of stage hypnotists would stop pacing, it would immediately, substantially improve the quality of their show.

If you are pacing onstage, plant your feet and move consciously, with purpose and notice your show quality improve. You will relax

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!! !!Section One: Performance Articles!! !!!!"

the audience, direct the attention of the audience and make their experience as an audience richer and more rewarding.

Your Character DevelopmentAre you interesting? Does the audience care about you? Have you shared with the audience the aspects of your character that will make them care about you?

You don’t fi nd a “real police o# cer” on the television show “CSI” and you won’t fi nd a “actual doctor” on “ER.” What you will fi nd is an actor playing the part so that viewers care about them, their chal-lenges and their story.

$ at is what you must deliver to your audiences. You cannot just be well versed in hypnosis, but also theatre.

A poorly skilled hypnotist, with good theatre skill, will always

out perform the most knowledgeable hypnotist, with limited drama skills.

You cannot be a “ hypnotist” on stage—you must be an enter-tainer, doing hypnosis. Consider the three keys above, and regard-less of how successful you are currently, your show will improve.


How to Get Even the Most Stubborn Audiences to Volunteer for Your Stage Hypnosis Show—Part 1Geo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

I don’t know one full time professional hypnotist who has not at one time or another, called for volunteers and looked out into the audience to see nothing but frozen bodies, especially in the corpo-rate sector.

Sure it is piece of cake to get volunteers at a school or fair, but other times, it can be a little challenging. Particularly if you are play-ing to very conservative groups who are image conscious. # ose are the groups I’m referring to.

A couple of weeks ago we played to a group of banking execu-tives. # ere were about sixty people, in a very sterile environment (a hoity toity museum). # ey had fl own in from all over the country and did not know each other. # e average age was about 55. # ose are the types of groups I’m talking about!

# ose are the fun shows, the ones that give you a sense of satis-faction. I’ll take a fi re alarm in the middle of my induction any day over the “another average show without challenges.”

So, in this series lets talk about getting volunteers under di$ cult situations. I’m going to share with you some of our techniques so that you can insure that you have volunteers for your show!

!

! e Beginning Could Be a Good Place to StartIf you are having trouble getting volunteers, ask yourself: Why isn’t the audience coming up to volunteer? When you really consider it, there are very few reasons. # e majority of them being that your audience is:

scared of being embarrasseduncomfortable with the other people in the audiencelacking trust in you

•••


not fully understanding hypnosisafraid of being hypnotizedturned o# by YOU

In most of the shows I have seen where hypnotists have trouble getting volunteers, it is the last reason that is to blame! Not all, but typically the hypnotist has created the di$ culty for himself. Of course they would never admit it, but that is why it will happen again.

Analyze your show. In your performance you should begin with a “ pre-talk.” In these couple of minutes, you have to gain the audi-ences trust and tell them about hypnosis and what can be expected when they are in the trance state. It is best if it is done in an enter-taining fashion.

Humor Starts Your Show CorrectlyMany people recommend against humor in the pre-talk, but we have found that using humor in the pre-talk is most e# ective. Making people laugh puts them at ease, and they are more open to listening to what you have to say.

In addition, I fi gure since we are hired to entertain, and I was not there to sing or dance, humor is a good direction to head. At least it beats that third rate, Community College psychology / hypnosis lec-ture. % en again, may rendition of Ricky Martins “She Bang” would beat that!

You are Nothing Without RapportDo you have rapport with your audience? Do they like you? Do they connect with you? If they do not, you are in deep trouble. You need to be able to develop rapport with each audience you work. Or only work with those audiences you can develop rapport with.

If you have a hatred of corporate America, and that shows, it is probably a bad place for you to work. If you think everyone in bars

•••


is a drunk and a low life, bars may not be the best place for you to work. You must get rapport.

It is hard to sail against the wind, so why not turn the boat around and harness it the power it o# ers. Get rapport with your audiences and you can ride it for as far as you desire.

If you don’t know how to get rapport with audiences, or struggle to get rapport, study rapport development tools. You are nothing without rapport, and everything with it.

Music Gets Your Feet and Heart to SingWe have found it is important to have some music playing while people are coming up, something light and fun seems to work best.

It is also important to have music that is appropriate for the spe-cifi c audience. $ ere is not one song that is the magical song. You want something that fi ts your show and your audience. Something that is preferably from the last thirty years.

So it is best to have several songs that you can choose from, and select the most advantageous song for that specifi c group.

Why is music so powerful? Because music acts as a sound bar-rier between the hypnotist and the audience, so the audience can confer with each other on volunteering. In addition, music is a natu-ral anchor, so it immediately can change the states your audience is experiencing and inspire and motivate them to volunteer.

Now that you have a number of selections of music, have ana-lyzed your pre-talk and polished your rapport skills, in the next ar-ticle we will look at the sneaky ways we have come up with the beat the hesitant volunteer issue.


How to Get Even the Most Stubborn Audiences to Volunteer for Your Stage Hypnosis Show—Part 2Geo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

One of the common nightmares of stage hypnotists is that you call for volunteers, and no one stirs. In part two of this series we are going to discuss some of the techniques you can use to get even the most stubborn crowds to volunteer.

Don’t Walk the PlankIn the case of no volunteers the fi rst thing you must do is not let your audience see you sweat. # e only person who knows this is not the standard way the show goes is you. No one else knows. You must act as if this is standard show process. Act as if it is completely natural for people to be apprehensive (remember the importance of rapport?)

If the audience senses any situation that is outside of your con-trol, you are in serious trouble, mutiny style. Stay calm, stand tall and be confi dent. If being confi dent is not an option, you need to at least act confi dent. To exhibit anything less will cause a show mu-tiny and you don’t deserve the treatment suitable for Captain Bligh.

Never Cajole or Beg# e fi rst thing many people want to do is begin to cajoling peo-

ple into doing a show by saying things like, “If I don’t get X number of volunteers there is no show!” or begging, “please come up, I promise you will like it, pretty please…” Psychology tells us is a huge mistake. Never cajole or beg anyone to come on your stage. Even if it seems like a last resort, this is a terrible idea.

It has two important e$ ects:

You Eliminate the SincereIn every audience you have sincere participants. If you start to

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beg or cajole people, you immediately hinder the sincerely interested in volunteering. # ey immediately begin to internally question,“Why isn’t anyone else interested?” and speculate, “! ere must be something wrong if I’m the only person interested in volunteering.”

# is is obviously not a valuable mindset you want to create.

You Invite Trouble to Your StageIf in your begging or cajoling you get people up on your stage

who are insincere, then those participants will be weak anyhow. So in your e$ orts to get a show going, you will be getting it started, at the cost of how your show runs.

So now you have taken even those people who would come to the stage on their own and given them good reason to remain in the audience, and you have swapped them for people who are going to be detrimental to your show. Clearly this is a poor exchange.

Remove Yourself from the Volunteers PathIf the bodies aren’t moving in your direction, don’t go into a panic. Immediately move yourself to a position that is not in the path to the stage. If you are on a stage, move yourself so that you are not near the stairs. If you are performing on a dance fl oor, move yourself so that you are in a non-intimidating place and so that the major aisles to the performance area are free and clear.

Often times people think just the opposite; they think if they stand on stage and welcome people to the stage (shake hands, etc.), it will improve the situation. # e opposite e$ ect is actually true; it is detrimental to getting volunteers.

If that is Not Enough, Remove Yourself from the Performance Area CompletelyIf after opening up the paths to the stage, people are still not volun-teering, continue with your patter and clear the stage (performance

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space) completely. Walk out into the audience and around the room. Have fun with people in a light, non-confrontational manner. While you are doing this, participants will begin to take the stage. You just have to give up control of the stage territory.

In the EndYou dictate the show, not your audience. Be smart, be prepared and understand this is a audience participation show. You must work with them, not against them. You have the expertise; you now know many methods of getting volunteers even in the most di# cult of cir-cumstances. Will this solve every problem you ever run up against? No, but it will solve the majority. $ at is all we can ask, in a legiti-mate hypnosis show.


Stage Names? Fake, Real or Something Else…Geo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

# ere are whole industries devoted to the naming of products. As a performer, like it or not, you are a product. In this article we are going to consider the three main points of whether you should use a stage name or not.

# is article o$ ers my biased view of stage names. Assuming you don’t want to be called a one word name like other mega stars, such as Cher, Madonna, etc., perhaps you will fi nd this article valuable.

My perspective is that of a full time professional who is looking to create wealth, not making my priority to become famous. Many people look to establish a fl ashy, theatrical name, and while there is no wrong or right way to go, I would rather see you create a name in the industry that you can live with, that will support you in multiple venues, over the course of a full career.

While you are considering your “stage name” here are three rules that should help you.

1) Eliminate Negative Connotations Some names have negative or questionable connotations. In those cases you would be best served to change your name to something more neutral. People do judge you based on your name and while you can go overboard making yourself too “vanilla neutral,” you would also foolish to use a name that instantly was identifi ed with negative situations or questionable people.

2) Your MarketYour market should dictate your name. Each market has di$ erent needs. A name that is appropriate in one market could be totally inappropriate in another. Analyze the market you are working and determine a name that is appealing and does not confl ict with…

!!!!! !!The Business of Stage Hypnosis!!

3) Your Long Term GoalsYour future should be one of the dictating factors of your stage name. If you are currently working bar shows and your stage name is Hypno “Wild Man” Jones, then your name maybe fi ne.

But if in the future you are thinking about doing a stress seminar for corporations or doing shows for high schools, then obviously that name will hinder you, and probably even eliminate you from working most any type of conservative show, and certainly any edu-cational program.

If a stage name is more appropriate, then I would not hesitate to use one. If your birth name is fi ne, use that.

My real name is Geo" rey Ronning, and it has also been my stage name for years. For the markets I work it is a good match. I want my show to sound “safe” and “ corporate” like. I want my name to be ap-propriate for entertainment and educational programs.

In addition, having my name be “formal” makes me sound like many of the other organizations these clients are already hiring: Ar-thur Andersen, Deloitte Touche, Ernst & Young, etc.

# e big question for yourself: Where do you want your career to take you, and what will the e" ect of your name have on your career? Choose a name that supports your future, one that does not detract from it, and that satisfi es your current market interests.

A name will never make your career, but it can kill it.


How to Brand Your Stage Hypnosis ShowGeo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

Branding is a component of marketing, yet most stage hyp-notists never bother to think about it, much less learn marketing strategies. Here is how you should approach branding for your show business.

! e One Minute Guide to Building a BrandChoose one of these:

(insert your name here) Worlds Greatest Hypnotist! (insert your name here) Worlds Funniest Hypnotist! (insert your name here) Worlds Fastest Hypnotist!

Done. Joke people, that is a JOKE!

! e IssueBack in the old days, a performers skill was often his “brand.”

Many stage hypnotists, mentalists, etc. never had to do any branding because there was literally no one else in their business. Today that has changed, but only slightly. But that slight change comes predominately from the internet, and as you are probably aware, most stage hypnotists on the internet are not professionals, so the impact is really a false one, but an impact none the less.

So, I’m actually really surprised at the number of older perform-ers that never had to deal with marketing and branding issues in the past that now see this as some sort of competition issue. It is not, it is a business issue. Of course this attitude is not limited to the older performers only, it also a# ects younger performers that don’t know any better.

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Please Pass the Stage Hypnotist If you choose to brand yourself by your skill (Stage Hypnotist) then obviously you are placing yourself in a commodity category. If you brand yourself as a singular entity, you be the guy (or gal)! At that point money because a secondary issue, so assuming you are performing for money, it would be smart to pay attention to your branding. # at be business 101.

What is Branding? Branding is the way you:

LookAnswer the phoneArrive DressTalk Your vocabulary Poise And support materials

I purposely put support materials last. Most people that do branding leave everything else out and think they are branding when they develop a set of sales materials that communicate who they are, what their show is about and creates the image of them and the ex-perience they deliver. But that is the smallest aspect of branding.

You see you could have the most expensive, fanciest promo package on the planet, but if you hand deliver it in a beat up pick up, walk in while wearing a Sears suit and extend a grubby hand with cracked skin to shake their hand, it does not matter what sort of promo package you hand them. # ey will never equate you as the Hypnotist to the Wealthy. It won't happen.

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Once You Can Fake Sincerity You Got it MadeIs a famous line, but few can do it. I recommend you not fake any-thing in your career! I recommend you be an authentic person that delivers results beyond the norm! Anyone can be average. What’s the fun in being that? I recommend you analyze who you are, what markets you work and create an authentic brand(s) that you can 100% deliver on and that is attractive to your market.

Make the brand appealing to the most profi table end of your market and never forget, everything you say and all ways you be-have are constantly building your image and creating your brand, and ultimately, it is your brand that is fi xed into the minds of your clients and prospects. It is far better that the brand be a function of conscious choice, rather than the end result of half hazard thinking and the 50% o# rack.

Go big, think beyond the norms and seek to create the most profi table, most engaging, most entertaining, most successful brand you can. Doing any less is shortchanging yourself, your loved ones and your clients!

!"#!!! !!The Business of Stage Hypnosis!!

How to Immediately Charge Higher Show FeesGeo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

Do you want to charge more money for your show? Do you want to have a more profi table business? Do you want a more secure and predictable income either full or part time? In this article we are going to tell you how you can immediately charge a higher show fee, and do so with no resistance from your clients.

Determine How Much You Want to Make$ e fi rst step is decide how much more income you desire from your show business. Lets say you are currently doing 85 shows a year and you want to make an additional $15,000.00 next year.

It all comes down to simple mathematics: on average you want to generate an additional, average of $187.00 per show. $ at is easy!

Easy Income Generating StrategyNow that we know the amount we want to increase our total income and we have the dollar per show increase, it is time to construct the strategy that will allow us to achieve that goal.

$ e easiest way to increase your per show profi ts is to o% er your clientele more purchase options.

$ ere are numerous options that you can o% er your clientele and you are only limited by your imagination to what you can create.

$ e options may be in: show lengthperformance piecescustomizationallied componentsetc.

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!! !!Section two: Booking Strategies!! !!!!"!

You may have an educational hypnosis audio program that each person in your corporate audience receives, you may have a cus-tomization option for a routine or a set of routines that is available at an added cost, you may have an added cost for a longer show, or an added fee for any other option or options that you create that add value for your clients.

! e Worlds Worst QuestionOne of the worst questions entertainers ask when booking shows is the “what is your budget” question. # e client knows the entertainer is just fi shing, trying to fi gure out what they can charge (albeit in a ugly, unsophisticated manner). It makes the client distrustful, breaks rapport and forces them to be defensive and probably in most cases, lie.

People do not want to put all their cards on the table in any negotiation. If you attempt to force them to do so, it is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately many entertainers work this way!

! e Incredible Expanding Show FeeInstead of you determining the budget amount you want the client to spend—let your clients spend the amount they desire.

By o$ ering a series of value added options, the client will spend the amount they need, choosing the options that are most appealing to them, and rarely do they spend less than budgeted, but typically spending more.

# is strategy basically allows you to o$ er your show in a pricing structure that will expend with each individual clients situation.

No budget questions, no prying, just a helpful series of options that the clients will select themselves to fi ll their needs, and that will allow you to expand your show fee to their maximum amount with no client resistance.


Putting it in to PlayObviously you will not increase the fee of every show. Some clients will not want your options and will not have the additional budget, and that is fi ne.

But you will certainly increase your average show fee and in-crease your total dollars generated, and do so easily and quickly with this strategy.

!! !!Section two: Booking Strategies!! !!!!"!

Why Should I Take Your Show?Geo! rey Ronning, CH, CI

!

Anytime this occurs with any customer we slam the door and lock them out. Avoiding these types of people will make your life easier and your business more rewarding. As a stage hypnotists we come in personal contact with prospects everyday, about every four months a prospect will say: “Why should I go with you over someone else?”

# at is not often, to be sure, and statistically irrelevant, but I have been thinking about it today, I have decided to analyze this question…

Wrestling is not my BusinessFirst let me state that as a stage hypnotist (as in any business) you should articulate your distinctions, but from a historical perspective I can tell you that while I can certainly articulate my distinctions, answering this specifi c question is typically a waste of time.

I fi nd people who ask this specifi c question to characteristically be poor prospects, more interested in “confrontations” than doing business, more interested in “challenging” than creating solutions.

Articulate Distinctive Value in Print and by ActionYou should articulate your value in print and by your actions, doing it by conversation with each individual prospect is a waste of time. I think a true prospect is more inclined to gather information, weigh value, and then move forward based on the value you provide versus their needs.

In talking it over with Wendy we both agreed that this question has historically been a sign of unsatisfying work to come. And these are the exact prospects we avoid.


Big Surprise… I May Not Be the Best for ! em$ at fact of the matter is I don’t know if they should use me; there is no one size fi ts all option, no perfect solution. It all depends on their individual needs. How anyone can ask me this question about their needs is ridiculous. Before I could answer this question there are a number of things I need to know. Asking me to answer that question at the outset is like eating your fi sh before it is caught—it doesn’t make any sense.

We have found that people who ask this specifi c question are, at best, unrewarding to deal with, and more often than not, a waste a time. We only want to deal with people who are approaching a task as potential partners for mutual gain, not “tough sells.”

$ at is why we don’t deal with these people.

Respond in Like$ e next time someone asks you, “Why should I use you over some-one else?” I recommend you say: “Why should I book your show over someone else’s?”

Just as the customer has the right to do business with those they desire, we have the right to not do business with those we detest.

Life is too short to deal with anyone but those you choose.

!! !!Section two: Booking Strategies!! !!!!"#

Opportunities at Every Corner by ! inking Like a Marine Chris Frolic

!

Just last week I was at my local Kinko’s photocopying some posters when I looked across the street at a bar in my neighborhood. $ ere was a sign up for a Sunday comedy night, and it crossed my mind to go speak to them about a show. $ at made me realize that I look at the world through di% erent eyes than I once did.

Now when I’m out anywhere, I’m always spotting new opportu-nities for a hypnotist. $ ey really are endless.

Making of a Marine$ at reminded me of an excerpt of a book I read in my high school English class a long time ago called “$ e Making of a Marine”. It was the story of a Vietnam-era soldier’s training.

I can vividly recall one particular passage when the author talk-ed about his fi rst trip back home, and on the bus ride as he looked at the passing countryside. He no longer looked at it as that, but be-cause of his training his mind now was always thinking about mili-tary tactics. How he would lead an assault on that same countryside, where were the best defensive positions, how to engage an invisible enemy.

Now when I travel, I apply this same “Marine” mindset. A busi-ness district in a small community takes on a whole new meaning. It’s no longer quaint, but full of potential shows. A bar on the corner, a service club hall down the street, a hotel with a banquet facility, a nightclub that features bands. $ is is one particular town I’m think-ing of and I translated it into 4 additional bookings.

I wasn’t born into this mindset, it came over time through frequent application over the last several months, and there’s defi nitely a mental wall you have to break through before the world opens up to you.


But once you do, and you begin to look through the world with your “Hypnotist Marine” eyes, there’s a never ending list of oppor-tunities out there for you.

Challenge YourselfChallenge yourself today to see how many you can spot during your day, and then do it again tomorrow, and continue every day after that.

You don’t have to necessarily book all of these places, but the exercise will help you fi nd those real gems when you least expect to. You’ll roll your eyes at anyone ever saying “there’s no work out there” forever after.


10 First Year Lessons for Big Success for Stage Hypnotists—NEWChris Folic

!

I just realized September the 9th is an interesting date. Some of you may have a copy of “$ e Chris Frolic Story”, or keep on top of my postings on the SHC forum, and it was one year ago on Septem-ber 9th that I started a thread about a pivotal point in my career. $ at was scoring my fi rst bar show, and everything after came as a result from that. It was exactly a year ago that I kicked things into full-gear and haven’t looked back since.

Its been an incredible year, fi lled with amazing accomplish-ments, as well as a lot of hard work. To mark this occasion I thought I’d share some lessons that I’ve learned along the way. $ ey’re pre-sented in no particular order, just some things that come to mind.

I never concerned myself with the competition.$ is might go counter to everyone out there, but it was some-

thing I felt was highly e% ective for me personally. I went into a ma-jor metropolitan market fi lled with a ton of hypnotists, including other notable SHC members. I never looked at a single competitor website, requested promo covertly from anyone, collected tapes or anything else like that. I was single-minded on o% ering the best pro-gram I could, and it was best to keep my mind clear. To this day I still haven’t done any of that, and probably won’t bother.

I didn’t reinvent the wheel.When I talk about not letting people infl uence me, there was

one notable exception, and that’s the proven systems that Geo% has developed here at the SHC. If I was going to follow someone, it might as well be (in my humble opinion) the best.

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!! !!Section four: Business Philosophy!! !!!!"!

I did what Geo! told me to.To me this seems logical. I trust in the fact that Geo# knows

this business better than I do, so why would I pay him for all his products and mentoring if I was going to have it go in one ear and out the other? Some of the most di$ cult tasks Geo# asked me to do were in the very beginning, and those were the ones that reaped the most rewards.

I didn’t let early failures bring me down.My success may seem meteoric, but I wasn’t exactly printing

money at the start. % ere were many postcard mailings that didn’t get the results I had hoped for, leads would go cold and my conver-sion rate was pretty lousy, but I never let that stop me.

I doubled my e! orts when things weren’t working out the way I wanted.% is ties into #4. % ere were some times, especially before my

school campaign started to work for me, that I began to run out of money and didn’t quite know what to do next. I can think of a couple of times where I wasn’t sure if I could a# ord another mailing. But I knew if I let that moment beat me, the business would die right then and there. So I bit the bullet and things started to turn around.

I considered myself a “pro” from the get-go.Even before I walked into the Vegas training, in my mind I knew

I was going to be a professional stage hypnotist. I never wavered from that thinking.

I read every post on the SHC forum and used some nuggets in there to make me a ton of money.I would spend each day going back in time in the forum and

reviewing old threads until I had read all of them. % ere were some

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unbelievable golden nuggets just sitting there for the taking. Two in particular that come to mind single-handedly shot me into orbit when I implemented them. I didn’t have the skills or tools to use them initially, but when I did they were waiting for me.

Failure was never an option.I came into this after winding down my previous business of

10 years. I had little money, and if I couldn’t make it work I don’t know what I would have done with myself. Someone people might have thought that going the “safe” route of a regular job makes more sense, but I knew in my heart that if I did that the dream would die with it. So even though I have a family to support and it would have been easy to “do the grownup thing” and go punch a clock, it was never a consideration.

I spent little money on things I didn’t absolutely need for the business.I’ve observed a lot people going on a spending spree while start-

ing their new hypnosis business, buying things they think are essen-tial. $ e reality is the only thing that’s essential is to go out there and start making money! And that doesn’t take much to do at all.

! ere’s a reason why I haven’t spoken about my hypnosis show at all on this list.$ e “show” part of this business is the frosting on the cake, but

the “business” is where you’ll need to spend your time and energy. Without it, there is no show. Well, maybe the occasional one but not the kind of success we all dream about.

I probably could have easily written 50 lessons as there’s so much more to refl ect on, but for now I will wrap this up. As with any of my articles, I hope some of this may be of help and inspire others out there. I don’t think there was anything particularly remarkable

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Excerpted from The Business of Stage Hypnosis Volume 1

For the complete version of this 388 page book or to read reviews go to:

http://www.stagehypnosiscenter.com/products/item211.cfm(above link has best price) or Amazon.com

For more free resources on stage hypnosis visit:

StageHypnosisCenter.com

!! !!Section four: Business Philosophy!! !!!!"#

about anything I’ve done, yet most people won’t take those neces-sary steps. I look forward to continuing to update the SHC on my progress and sharing further experiences in upcoming articles.

Excerpted from The Business of Stage Hypnosis Volume 1

For the complete version of this 388 page book or to read reviews go to:

http://www.stagehypnosiscenter.com/products/item211.cfm(above link has best price) or Amazon.com

For more free resources on stage hypnosis visit:

StageHypnosisCenter.com

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Stage Hypnosis Business & Marketing