Author Archive
Marketing to Men
Posted by: | CommentsI was interviewed by Cosmetic Surgery Times on Tips to Marketing to Men. Check out the article below.
For a Free Marketing Checklist, Visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Office Manager’s Comments about the Receptionist
Posted by: | CommentsMy last Webinar entitled, “Initial Consult to Close” talked about how important the first call into your aesthetic practice is and here are follow-up comments I received from an astute office manager at a busy practice:
“I really just wish we could lock doctors down and let them understand how important the front desk position is for usually the lowest in pay – the most in pressure.
I love our front desk and that position has always been a treasure of mine in the past and even more now as I am new in this office. They are the first to arrive ( outside of me …LOL )– last to leave – last to take a lunch if someone else is not running on time – are responsible for the schedule – however don’t hear many times the good part – or never heard when working hard to fill in gaps – the first to hear the stress when a doctor isn’t busy … responsible for all paper work – a computer system that many doctors and care providers don’t even log on to … AND THEY are always suppose to have a smile as well … it’s a lot to expect when the position is your lifeline … staff need to know that they are supported and respected NOT just a receptionist … when they are out … my JOBS go by the way side … I need her – to do my job or mine suffers as well – the doctors need her to support them … and the patients deserve a calm friendly non-stress greeting.
I don’t always agree with stressing secret shoppers – as they seem to call right when the office has 6 people checking in and out – they have no back up – the fax is not working – the printer is jammed – you have a person who has just found out they have skin cancer and their deductible is $5,000 and it is their 90 year old father with Alzheimer’s or their 17 year old son and half of his lip will be taken off and his senior year he won’t be able to play his favorite sport. The first person you should be taking care of is the person in front of you and the person TESTING you has no idea what else is going on around the person they are asking all the questions and looking for the perfect answer.
Ok I will step off my soap box … I understand how important that job is and how long it takes ( dollars & hours ) to train that position. I don’t want to replace I want to train correctly and encourage growth. It’s hard to be at the front desk – hear other staff laughing and talking with the doctor or each other and feeling like you are not a part.”
This office manager really gets it and I applaud her for caring so much about her plastic surgeon and the practice’s success.
For a Free Marketing Checklist, Visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Webinar: Consult to Close, Thursday, Feb 16th, 6 PM PST
Posted by: | CommentsJoin Catherine Maley, Author of Your Aesthetic Practice and Dr. Samir Pancholi as they lay out in detail the steps from the aesthetic patient consultation so they say YES!
Register here and see you there:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/
Customer service story gone wrong
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been in a Masters Academy of Surgeon’s Meeting for two days and wanted to unwind with a massage in this swanky hotel where we’ve been staying. A couple of hours before my appointment, I get a call from the receptionist saying the masseuse is having car trouble and will be half hour late. Ok, sure, no problem, things happen. Then I get there and all is well and I’m half way through my massage when the masseuse and I both hear someone outside the room screaming and sobbing. It was so bad, we decide the masseuse should stop my massage and investigate and she comes back and says I don’t know what’s going on but it’s the receptionist on the phone. We finish the massage which is now not that great and I go out to pay and the receptionist is calmly sitting there and I asked her if that was her I heard and what was going on (I assumed she had just heard about Whitey Houston) and she casually says, “Oh, someone was upset and then says how was your massage.” So I say it was great until I heard all the commotion and she says, “Well, working at a spa is not it’s all cracked up to be!” What The ?!*#
Then to top it off, she says she needs a different credit card and I have to go upstairs to my room to check my bank balances on my cell and run back down to tell her there’s plenty on the card so she runs it again and says, “Ok, you’re good. Thanks.”
What’s amazing is for the past 3 days, I have worked with more than 20 employees at this hotel who helped me with my meeting and this one little, young, drama queen at the end of my visit has tarnished what was otherwise a great experience. It’s reminding me how lightly some physicians treat the importance of their front desk staff. Crazy….
For a Free Marketing Checklist, Visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Catherine Interviewed During AACS Conference
Posted by: | CommentsI gave several talks at the recent AACS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas and a reporter asked to interview me about who a “preferred patient” is and how to encourage them to return and refer. Enjoy!
Little Hinges Swing Big Doors
Posted by: | CommentsAs competition heats up in 2012 for aesthetic patients, it’s time to get serious about your aesthetic services and what you offer to the world. If you are committed to crushing it this year, you must have ZERO TOLERANCE for mediocre staff, sloppy processes and lazy practices that underwhelm your patients. Aesthetic patients today won’t tolerate being treated like second class citizens. They will give their disposable income to the practice that makes them feel special.
It’s the little things that pull you out of the fray and into a “class of your own.” Let’s start with your phones. A well trained receptionist can catapult your new patient conversions when they call and get a great experience on the telephone. What defines a great experience? A phone that is answered by the third ring, by a friendly voice, by someone who can answers simple questions about the procedure and the practice and who can ask for the appointment. Start there. Fix your phones for a great 2012!
For a Free Marketing Checklist, Visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Golden Handcuffs for Your Best Patients
Posted by: | Comments2012 is going to be a challenging year for aesthetics thanks to lingering recession, Groupons, heavy competition, less Internet traffic due to the sheer number of competitors and fickle aesthetic patients who show little to no loyalty.
It is VITAL you corral your best aesthetic patients so they don’t wander off. It’s also cheaper than spending a fortune finding new patients. It’s also more fun to work with patients who know, like and trust you than total strangers who are apprehensive.
A great solution is the VIP Club Card. It builds “silent golden handcuffs” around your best patients who return often and refer their friends. These high-quality patients love feeling special and getting preferential treatment so use that to your advantage. Give them a unique VIP Club Card with perks and they’ll help you succeed in 2012.
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For a free download of Catherine’s book, Visit www.YourAestheticPracticeBook.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Blueprint for Success in 2012
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s never been more important than right now to get strategic about growing your aesthetic practice. You can’t leave anything to chance and you certainly can’t “ride out” the slow times because you’ll never get going again. The best of the best set up automatic systems to ensure a healthy and consistent flow of aesthetic patients by focusing on:
· Attracting patients
· Converting patients to say yes
· Returning patients so they don’t wander off
· Referring their friends and family
Brainstorm with your staff to creatively come up with ideas for each area. For example, how could you attract more patients? Well, you can align yourself with the high-end hair salon down the block, you can test Facebook ads, you can send out a reverse-Groupon letter to your current patients, you can have a friendly staff contest and so on.
There’s no limit to the creative ideas to grow your aesthetic practice when you think creatively.
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For a free download of Catherine’s book, Visit www.YourAestheticPracticeBook.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Holiday Gift Certificates
Posted by: | CommentsThe Holiday season is here and there’s no better time to ask for referrals strategically through gift certificates. Think about what a win-win they are: your patient is happy because you helped them finish their Holiday shopping quickly and easily; the receiver is happy because they got an unusual gift they might not have gotten for themselves; and you’re happy because you have a new patient.
The secret to gift certificates is to promote them. It’s a big secret in most offices but these don’t sell themselves. Have an eye-catching display with a sign that says, “Need a Quick Gift?,” mention them in your patient newsletters and email blasts and be sure your check-out staff asks if they would like to add a gift certificate to their day’s order before she rings them up.
Gift certificates really can be the gift that keeps on giving!
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For a free download of Catherine’s book, Visit www.YourAestheticPracticeBook.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
Promote Downtime Procedures Now
Posted by: | CommentsSince we bundle up against the cold in Winter, this is when you want to promote your higher-ticket surgical procedures. If there’s going to be bruising and swelling, your patients are more inclined to have it done when they can wear lots of clothes vs. having something done in the Summer and not being able to hide it. And, we all hibernate more during the colder months than the Summer months so use that to your advantage.
In your next newsletter, talk about what a great time it is for your patients to consider surgery now. Remind them that facelift patients can wear turtlenecks and liposuction patients can wear pants. That could be just what they needed to jump off the fence and say YES.
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For a free download of Catherine’s book, Visit www.YourAestheticPracticeBook.com or call Catherine at (877) 339-8833. Her firm specializes in creative patient attraction – conversion – retention strategies to drive aesthetic profits.
