JACKSONVILLE, FL. — A 41-year-old sales executive, dressed in a three piece suit and comfortably stretched out on a reclining chair, listens to the hypnotist’s soothing voice during one of six $35.00 per half-hour sessions:

“From this day forward, you are utilizing for yourself a policy of ‘do it now.’ You won’t have the slightest tendency to procrastinate or put things off, but rather will accomplish things well ahead of schedule. From this you will get a great sense of freedom as well as additional achievement and accomplishment.”

“I see about 400 salespeople a year,” claims Jane McClain, a licensed ethical hypnotist who established her practice in Jacksonville in 1974. “The bad economy requires salespeople to deal with increased stress and tension,” she explains. “Hypnosis is not only an excellent method to reduce stress. More importantly, it takes away some of the roadblocks on the way to sales success.”

What was once considered an obscure science is now put to use successfully to reduce weight, stop smoking, help witnesses remember accurate details of a crime or even to eliminate the pain involved in minor surgery such as tooth extraction.

Personal Selling Power’s Suzy Sutton interviewed Jane McClain to find out how hypnosis can help salespeople increase their performance.

PSP: Are there any particular problems that salespeople want to eliminate with your help?

McClain: Oh, yes. In fact, there are three. The first is overcoming cold-call reluctance. This includes the fear of the unknown and the fear of rejection. The second is overcoming procrastination. The third is managing insecurity and increasing confidence. For example, I may see someone who appears very confident and self-assured, but soon it turns out that the salesperson wants to learn how to feel confident…and stop faking it.

PSP: How do you help salespeople deal with these classic problems?

McClain: Well, first we need to earn the client’s trust and confidence. They learn from the beginning what hypnosis is and what it is not. The first appointment requires one hour. I need this time to discuss their goals, their particular situation and history of problems. Also, I want to give the client as much information about the process of hypnosis as I can.

PSP: Jane, what is hypnosis?

McClain: Hypnosis is essentially an altered state of consciousness in which the individual will accept beneficial, or what we call acceptable suggestions. The altered state of consciousness does not mean that the person becomes unconscious or falls asleep. It’s a deep relaxation combined with positive suggestions. It’s a very comfortable and pleasant experience.

PSP: Why do you suppose people are afraid of hypnosis?

McClain: People are afraid of the unknown. Or the fear of losing control. They remain afraid until they experience hypnosis and discover the many benefits it has to offer.

PSP: What are some of the results you have seen in your practice?

McClain: For one thing…habit patterns change, sometimes quite dramatically….like better time management, increased self-confidence, better sleep, or memory improvement. I’ve seen many salespeople rise to the top, sometimes in an unbelievably short time. Or I’ve seen high achievers – who thought they’d reached a plateau – open up and expand to higher levels of achievement.

PSP: Who can be hypnotized?

McClain: Any intelligent individual who has the desire to be. That is where the little “catch” comes in. You see, anyone who says, “No one is going to hypnotize me,” has simply told the truth. All hypnosis is essentially self-hypnosis. In essence, I do not hypnotize anyone. We only provide the means, the direction, to guide them.

PSP: You mentioned self-hypnosis. Do you train your clients to do this?

McClain: That is our objective. Everyone who comes to me is taught self-hypnosis so that they may continue to progress and not fall back into the same undesirable habits.

PSP: Is it difficult to learn self-hypnosis?

McClain: Not at all. It’s like developing a talent and an ability which everyone possesses. It’s no more difficult than learning to drive a car. At first it’s a slow and tedious process, and then, very soon, everything becomes automatic…you don’t even think about it.

PSP: Are the results as good for someone who has no habits to break, but simply wants to improve in their work or career?

McClain: The results are in direct proportion to the desire of the individual. It is much easier when someone has the desire to increase his or her sales, to increase confidence in speaking before groups…if the desire is really great, we achieve excellent results.

PSP: What do you mean by excellent results?

McClain: Two years ago, I had a client who went into a new field of selling. He had a great desire to reach his sales goals and also wanted to develop enough confidence to speak at the company’s national convention. He learned self-hypnosis and became one of the top sales producers within weeks. Also, he was invited to address their regional sales meeting and, based on this success, he received an invitation to speak at the national convention the following year.

PSP: That’s almost a miracle!

McClain: He thinks so! He has developed into one of the finest people I know.

PSP: Is hypnosis dangerous in any instance?

McClain: Generally speaking, hypnosis is no more dangerous than normal sleep. Let’s say that the hypnotist would be unable to continue the session for some reason, then the client would naturally regain a normal state of consciousness. The worst thing that could happen, if the person happens to be exceptionally tired, is that he or she might drift off into sleep for a few minutes and then awaken normally.

PSP: How about your suggestions, can they be harmful to an individual?

McClain: Remember, there is a difference between ethical hypnosis and hypnosis used in entertainment. An entertainer could get someone to eat an onion by suggesting it was a delicious apple. Ethical hypnosis is divorced from usage for shows and for negative results. The suggestions must all be positive…they must be well worded, even the voice inflection is important to reach acceptance on the part of the individual.”

PSP: Are you a member of a professional society?

McClain: Yes. I am affiliated with the Association to Advance Ethical Hypnosis. It was formed in 1955, and in 1958, the American Medical Association officially accepted the use of hypnotism as a tool in the healing arts.

PSP: You’ve now practiced for over eight years. Did people have doubts about your activity?

McClain: Oh, yes. I encountered a lot of resistance during the first couple of years. My name wouldn’t appear in the telephone directory for the first two-and-a-half-years. Allegedly due to some mistake. Many people were opposed to what I was doing.

PSP: How did you gain acceptance?

McClain: I looked for speaking engagements to educate civic, religious, business and educational groups. Slowly, I gained the confidence of the clientele and people started to see the positive results. I earned the trust of the medical community and now I get many calls from physicians to assist with special problems.

PSP: Jane, how did you get into this field?

McClain: I had suffered from severe migraine headaches for many years. I remember taking the strongest pain killer when it was suddenly taken off the market. At the time, I met Joe B. McCawley, he taught hypnosis in a certified school for professional hypnotists. He also had his private practice. I went to see him when my neurologist was unable to relieve my headaches. My headaches went away and I became deeply interested in the field of hypnosis. I had some background in the medical field, so it was natural for me to want to help others as I had been helped. I was the first woman to open a private practice as an ethical hypnotist in this part of the country.

PSP: What is it that you like about being a hypnotist?

McClain: To see positive changes in people, to help them reach their goals, to see their minds and capabilities expand. It’s a wonderful experience to see people open up and bloom before your eyes. Not too long ago, I had a client who felt like an absolute nothing, a total failure. After only several weeks other people expressed their surprise about his visibly increased self-confidence. He got promoted and is now very successful in his new job. Or take another example. Recently I worked with an oral surgeon. I hypnotized the individual while the surgeon removed four impacted wisdom teeth – without anesthetics!

PSP: It sounds like the applications are limitless. Do you think it would be possible for a salesperson to hypnotize a client?

McClain: For what purpose? If the client does not want to buy, then hypnosis won’t help much. I see no point in manipulating a client. I do see a point in demonstrating a positive influence through self-confidence and enthusiasm. I see more sense in using self-hypnosis to build that confidence, the enthusiasm and the positive attitude. I feel the best way to influence others is to bring out the best in yourself.

PSP: What are some of the positive suggestions that you use with salespeople who want to improve their level of confidence?

McClain: That depends on the client. You see, it is important that the client agrees and accepts the suggestion in order for it to become reality. Sometimes we work together on the phrasing to fit the client’s needs.

PSP: Do you mean that the same suggestion can produce different results in different people?

McClain: Some people prefer visual images, others have little ability to visualize, so we have to adjust the suggestion to the client’s abilities and preferences. For example, for someone who has good visual capabilities, first I would use relaxing pictures to achieve the state of deep relaxation, then I would use a suggestion such as: “From this day forward, you are relaxed and calm and confident. Yet strong, vibrant, alert and capable, doing your best, knowing that it is excellent and feeling good about yourself.”

PSP: What kind of follow-up do you provide?

McClain: Most salespeople come with a specific problem. When it is solved, they don’t need me any more. If someone wants to get more coaching, or wants to work in a different area, we handle that individually with the client.

PSP: Do you have a final word for salespeople who will be reading this interview?

McClain: Yes, I do. I’d like to tell salespeople that they have not even begun to recognize their unlimited potential…hypnosis is a safe and effective way to stretch beyond self-imposed limitations.

PSP: Thank you.