the reason I know whether my clients are successful, is because I offer a money back guarantee for smoking cessation when done in person.

and

I have only had to give the money back twice.

and

I tell people they can come back anytime and no one has ever taken me up on that, that’s how I know they are non-smokers

and

I don’t do follow-up for clients, they are non-smokers

Without actual longterm feedback, where you ask them specifically about the services and the success . . . it is naive to assume that lack of revisits or claims on the guarantee proves the services have worked.

Guarantees, money back or otherwise, do not ensure success. Just because someone has not asked for their money back does not prove that a person is successful. They could be successful, but they could also be avoiding any further contact with someone they believe to be an inept therapist or snake oil salesman who will try to hit them for more sessions and fees.

If there is no follow-up . . . over long periods, not just the moment they walk out of the office or even one year . . . then the success rates are suspect.

As has been pointed out, more trade offices are now prosecuting hypnotherapists with grandiose claims of success. If you say you are 95% successful as many here have said they are, then you must now be able to back those claims up with better evidence than “well, they didn’t ask for their money back” or “they didn’t complain about the services” . . . it is a sad fact that a large number of people don’t ask for their money back and most will not complain about poor services in this regard (other than to their friends and family after the fact), rather, they will merely avoid any further contact with the therapist or any other therapist in future.

Some hypnotists will say that they don’t collect follow-up data because they’re in the business of helping people, not collecting data and it doesn’t really server their interests to devote the time to it. Sure, in a way, but you’re wrong. You can do simple success data collection as part of your longterm marketing . . . contacting folks a year later to enquire how they are doing shows you care about them, the contact is also a way for you to stay present in their mind and for those who wish to make a pitch for further issues can say “since you’ve been so successful with this, if there is anything else I can help you with, please feel free to let me know” or some such.

In any case . . . make certain your success rates are based upon real success, not just wishful thinking.

Just some random thoughts. Take them or leave them.

All the best,
Brian