Archive for Successful Strategies
Attract New Patients by Networking
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you align with another business owner and they introduce you to their patients or customers as their aesthetic expert, you get instant credibility with a whole new group of prospective patients who already trust you through your association with someone else they already trust.
However, before you approach others, be sure to prepare an answer to the question they will be asking themselves which is, “What’s in it for me if I share my clients with you?” Be sure you set this up as a win-win relationship because this can be a double-edged sword. Your alliances can sing your praises or cut you to the quick if they feel like they were used by you so be sure they get as much from this alliance as you do.
Tip: Set up a win-win relationship with your strategic alliances so they introduce their high-value clients to you.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Set Up System for Referrals
Posted by: | CommentsIf 70% of your new aesthetic patients are not coming from current patient referrals, shame on you.
Today’s fragmented media outlets have your preferred patients scattered all over the universe so there’s no easy way to get to them so you have to spend way more money trying to be everywhere they are – very expensive, tiring and ineffective.
Truly successful aesthetic practices know that word-of-mouth referrals are the life blood of their practice and well worth the effort.
The majority of patients I interviewed for my book, Your Aesthetic Practice, told me they would have referred you to others if they were only asked.
You cannot take patient referrals lightly.
Set up systems to help ensure your patients brag about you to their friends and family.
And, then by all means, thank your patients through personal thank you calls, thank you note cards and thank you gifts.
Your patients must feel appreciated and encouraged to refer to you because behavior that is rewarded is repeated.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Use the Right Media and Time to Communicate
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever spent a lot of money on mass advertising like newspapers, magazines, radio and TV and not been happy with your results? There was and is an art to it but that’s quickly becoming mute since media is dramatically changing.
Aesthetic patients no longer flock to their local newspaper, their local news station and their favorite radio station for news. Thanks to media fragmentation, your aesthetic patients now have hundreds and thousands of choices where to go for information.
How in the world can you reach new patients when they are EVERYWHERE – and Nowhere?
They jump from website to website, TV to cable, radio to satellite, magazines to etc. You do not have enough time, money and patience to be everywhere these patients are so you must be much more strategic in today’s divisive media world.
Direct Mail Makes a Come-Back
Direct Mail is fast becoming the cheaper way to communicate with your patients in a personal way that will get a better response than an impersonal ad or a mention in a magazine.
For the price of an envelope and stamp, you can get your patient’s undivided attention (for at least 5 seconds) when she is rifling through her pile of mail. You simply cannot get that kind of 1-on-1 attention anywhere else.
Hot Button Times to Communicate with Aesthetic Patients
There are certain times of the year your aesthetic patients will most want to hear from you. They are most likely to want to do something special for themselves during these times so use these as opportunities to reach out in a personal way to help them celebrate.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Increase The Amount A Patient Spends With You
Posted by: | CommentsYou are leaving money on the table if your patients don’t realize everything you offer.
Pareto’s 80/20 Rule tells us that 20% of your current patient database will give you 80% of your revenues. They would buy more from you if given the chance. They have the interest and the financial wherewithal to want a lot of your services.
I guarantee if they don’t buy from you, they will buy from someone else…the aesthetic surgeon/physician/med spa down the street or around the corner or at Sephora or the department store cosmetic counter, etc.
Have strategies in place so you never hear, “I didn’t know you offered that” and then had it done by your competitor or they bought elsewhere.
An aesthetic patient who is interested in one procedure, treatment or product to look better is most assuredly interested in other procedures, treatments and products that do the same.
In addition to that, if they were interested in treating one body part, they will be interested in treating their other body parts.
And an aesthetic patient is typically never satisfied. Not BDD dissatisfied but definitely open to the next improvement so when you rejuvenate one concern she had, she will often turn her attention to the next concern she has. She might not have even noticed that concern while she was obsessing about that one thing that bothered her, but now that you addressed it, she will move on and that is a huge opportunity for you.
Tip: 20% of your aesthetic patients would buy much more from you if given the chance. 5% of those would buy even more.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Target Higher-Value Patients
Posted by: | CommentsNot everyone will be able to afford your aesthetic services like before so it’s a good strategy to focus on those patients who are least likely to be affected by changes in the economy and last affected by changes in the economy.
So, one of your strategies should be to target your older, more mature patients who are more affluent versus your younger patients. That’s just obvious because your mature patients have more concerns such as wrinkles, crepe skin, sagging body parts and sun damage. They are also more likely to have the financial wherewithal to afford your services.
The affluent, mature patient will appreciate the quality of service you provide. They will notice, applaud and react favorably to your commitment to them and to being better than your competitors.
But remember, these higher-value patients want to be respected, they expect competence, and they want no hassle and no tension from their service providers. They can afford and are willing to pay for the best information, the best products, the highest level of competence and the best professional service available.
And, they too, are affected by social pressures. Many of these high-end patients are experiencing new phases in their lives such as:
- New job or job layoff
- New marriage or suddenly single
- Upcoming life events, etc.
The point is there are millions of Americans, especially 76 million Baby Boomers, who will do what they need to in order to enjoy a full, active life while looking and feeling good doing it.
By the way, this group of people will see the biggest transference of wealth in history in way of inheritance.
Tip: Identify who your high-end (mature and affluent) patients are and then focus 80% of your efforts on them.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Be Easy To Do Business With
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s important NOT to project your assumptions on your patients and not to spend their money for them. You never know someone’s financial wherewithal so keep your options open.
An aesthetic patient may have the cash but may not want to use it – especially during uncertain times or they may not have all the cash and need an easy-pay alternative.
If you don’t offer your patients an easy way to pay for your services because the finance company charges you a fee, you are getting 100% of nothing! The patient is not going to wait until they have the cash. They will go to your competitor to see if they are willing to help them get what they want now rather than wait. Now you lose not only that patient and the revenues from that procedure but you also lose their future revenues and those of their friends.
When you offer financial alternatives, it can change the mindset of the aesthetic patient. Because now the patient is thinking HOW to move forward rather than IF they should move forward.
Work with a vendor like CareCredit to put together great patient pay plans that are easy on your wallet as well as your patient’s.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Aesthetic Patient’s Feelings About Their Experience with You
Posted by: | CommentsYou have (or had) patients who feel they were not treated right by your receptionist, a staff person or you. It could have been something benign such as your receptionist did not acknowledge the patient when they first walked in the door and it could be something more serious such as they believe they got a mediocre or bad result and have lost trust in you.
On the one hand, aesthetic patients have elephant memories. They may be prone to holding grudges if they are treated badly in your practice or if they “perceive” they were treated badly.
Frankly, your patient’s perception is your reality so you have to deal with their emotions. Please remember this:
Aesthetic patients won’t remember what you told them.
Aesthetic patients won’t remember what you showed them.
Aesthetic patients will remember how you made them feel.
On the other hand, patients can be quick to forgive IF they feel you value them and want to make them happy. That could mean you simply reconnect with them or it may mean you show significant remorse so they know you understand how they feel.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth It
Obviously, the best thing you can do is to avoid bad feelings with your patients so you don’t lose them. You want to have the friendliest and most informative receptionist answering your telephones. You want to employ staff that bonds quickly with the patients and knows how to direct the patient to a decision to choose you over your competitors. You personally want to connect with the patient so they like, trust and believe in your recommendations.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Why Aesthetic Patients Say No
Posted by: | CommentsFrankly, there are really only three reasons why aesthetic patients say no to you:
#1: They want aesthetic rejuvenation but reject your proposed way of getting it
#2: It could be price or they don’t have the ability to pay
#3: Distrust: They want rejuvenation, they accept your way of getting it but they don’t believe in you
This last one, distrust, is at least 25% of your lost consultations. The good news is you can do much to improve that percentage.
You really are in the trust business and through effective communications before, during and after the patient experience, you can greatly increase trust. Here are strategies to help:
- -Mail your patient information packet ahead of time. Fill it up with your PR pieces, pro-bono work, Meet the Doctor, procedure FAQ’s, patient photos/testimonials and a handwritten note from you
- -Have your prospective patient watch your personal, introductory video from you welcoming them to your practice
- -Allow time for them to peruse your patient photo/testimonial books, patient education videos and get a tour of your office
- -Do skin analysis and computer imaging so the patient can “see” her concerns very clearly
- -Listen to the patient’s wants, needs, fears and expectations. Have a conversation rather than a presentation
- -Follow up with a personal handwritten note or telephone call telling the patient you look forward to getting to know them better
The more professionalism, patient interaction and interest you show for the patient, the more likely they are to choose you over all the others.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
Address ALL of Your Aesthetic Patient’s Needs
Posted by: | CommentsSo many of my surgeon clients only see patients as surgical prospects. So, they spend tons of time, money and effort going after one surgery and continually looking for new patients for more 1-surgery prospects.
What a waste! An aesthetic patient who wants to look good and feel good is interested in all sorts of aesthetic enhancement – not just one surgery one time. And, I know for a fact (and from personal experience) that if you correct something that bothers an aesthetic patient, they will most likely move on to the next concern they have.
Aesthetic patients have endless needs and time is on your side. If they want to look and feel good today, they will continue to want to look and feel good tomorrow, next week, next year and year after year. They don’t just stop wanting aesthetic enhancement so if they disappear from your practice, you should know they most likely went to your competitor who was staying in touch with them, educating them and giving them compelling reasons to visit.
Please rethink the average value of one surgical patient because the surgical procedure was only the tip of the iceberg.
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For more Free tips and videos, visit www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com. Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying and her firm offers everything you need to succeed in aesthetic medicine. You can call Catherine at (877) 339-8833 or email her at info@CosmeticImageMarketing.com.
