Build on Your Successes
By · CommentsThe fastest and easiest way to increase your revenues is to replicate your successes again and again.
Go through your database and study your accounts receivable carefully. You’ll see certain pockets of positive results that you can get more of, if you simply put some effort into promoting them. The point is to play off your home runs to then get more of them.
Look for trends. Which are your most popular procedures performed? Which procedures are the most profitable (taking into account how much of your own time is involved)?
Study your patient demographics. You will see trends in age, gender, marital status, home ownership, children, education level, occupation and income. You’re not judging these folks. You’re simply learning the type of patient who is most likely to be attracted to you for certain procedures.
By the way, if you don’t like the trends you come up with, you need to change your marketing to attract who you do want as your preferred patient.
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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.
Plastic Surgery Marketing Tip
By · CommentsAesthetic patients have emotional times of the year when they care most about their appearance.
It’s their Birthday! There’s nothing like a looming birthday to make aesthetic patients feel their age and want to do something to turn back the clock. They also want to look on their special day since there’s a good chance they’re getting together with family and friends and taking photographs and videos.
Take advantage of this opportunity. Weeks before their birthday, send them a heart-felt birthday greeting with a gift card to experience your age-defying procedures, treatments and products. They will love you for it. They may even tell a few friends. This is effective, feel-good marketing at its best.
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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.
Answer the Phone!
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I gave a talk at the AAFPRS Fall Meeting at Moscone Center in San Francisco this past weekend to the assistants, office managers and patient coordinators. The talk was entitled, “Mystery Call Critiques: What You Need to Hear.”
Since we offer mystery shopping to our clients, I was able to bring examples of good calls and not-so-good calls. My staff and I are still surprised at how many offices take their telephones so lightly. They either don’t answer in a friendly tone, don’t answer at all because they’re at lunch or don’t bother to ask us any questions to bond with us.
Did you know if you lose just one aesthetic patient per day and that patient was worth $2,000 to you (very low by the way), that adds up to $528,000 PER YEAR?! Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it worth it to you to make your phones a priority? The prospective patients you spend so much time, money and effort getting to call you is wasted if they never get past your phones.
Give yourself a raise by giving your receptionist scripting and protocol so she knows how to professionally bond with the caller and ask for the appointment. It’s well worth a half-million dollars.
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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.
Where Are Your New Patients Coming From?
By · CommentsHere’s a 1-minute video with an exercise to determine where your big-ticket procedures are coming from. Hint: The answer is in the data so watch this, do the quick exercise and let me know what you find out:
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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.
Good Job Cross-Promoting Aesthetic Services
By · CommentsI recently had a Botox and wrinkle filler session with a plastic surgeon. He was great and I looked better, so all was well. But, that evening I did develop some bruising – that didn’t really surprise me, but what did surprise me was an email I got minutes later. His nurse, whom I met briefly while I was there, emailed me and offered to do a quick laser procedure to help minimize my bruising if I had any. How great is that? I called her and ran back in for my little laser procedure and my bruising is significantly better. Now I know about her and her laser procedures – and I plan on going back for more! What a great way to show you care and promote ALL of your aesthetic services.
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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.
Cosmetic Surgery Demand is Booming
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I recently read that 1 out of 5 Baby Boomers polled said they have or would consider having cosmetic surgery. So I did some math: 20% of 76,000,000 Baby Boomers = 19,000,000 people (of which I am one) who are open to cosmetic surgery. That’s a lot of prospective patients!
And here’s more good news. Those 19,000,000 Baby Boomers are going to continue aging so they will need your services again and again. Be sure to offer minimally-invasive procedures and surgical procedures since many will start out small and eventually want surgery. Then they will want to maintain their surgical procedure with injectables and lasers. Like I always say, “You have patients with endless needs. Take care of them for a lifetime – not one time.”
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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.
* Photo Courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net
How to Doctor Your Social Media (Webinar Thursday)
By · CommentsI have a special guest on my next Webinar on Thursday at 6 pm Pacific/ 9 pm Eastern.
It’s Jeff Frentzen, Editor of PSP: Plastic Surgery Practice and he’s going to explain the strategies of Social Media for the Aesthetic Physician.
Jeff’s presentation will include Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging and I’ll talk about getting new patients using Facebook advertising. We’ll both show step-by-step slides to show how easy it can be. See you there.
Title: How to Doctor Your Social Media
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM PDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/118623442
Aesthetic Patients Come in All Shapes and Sizes
By · CommentsIt’s more important than ever for patients to see themselves in your materials. Patients need to quickly feel as if you know them, you understand them and you’ve helped others just like them.
For example, if Sally is a 57-year old white professional who wants a face lift, it’s best she see other 57-year old white professional patients who had a face lift. It’s even better if you have a 57-year old patient coordinator who you performed a face lift on so she can show her scars (or lack of) in person.
Or, if Cindy is a 30-year old Hispanic young lady with two kids who wants a Mommy Makeover, it’s best she speak with and sees patient photos of other 30-year old Hispanic young ladies with kids who had a Mommy Makeover and couldn’t be happier.
More “matching” strategies include:
- Have different Websites for different procedures
- Show a variety of demographics on your websites
- Show the prospective patient before/after photos that match their demographics
- Any staff person who matches a demographic and has had the specific procedure done should talk to the prospective patient about their own experience.
The point is, the more you can match your message to your market, the more successful you’ll be.
The Human Side of Plastic Surgery Patients
By · CommentsWhen a prospective surgical patient takes the time to:
Stop what they’re doing,
Pick up the phone & make an appointment,
Block time out of their busy schedule,
Hassle with traffic,
Fight apprehension of meeting you for the first time, and struggle with the discomfort of talking about a body part they are uncomfortable with -
That’s someone who has emotional needs to fill.
Mainly they’re not feeling good about themselves so they believe looking good will make them feel good, which is true.
They’re looking for confidence and you can give them a big dose of it by treating them like they are special, by listening to them and by assuring them you understand how they feel and you can make it better.
Because as much as this is about surgical skill, it’s much more about feelings and addressing them so patients choose you over all the others.
Are Fickle Aesthetic Patients Driving You Crazy?
By · CommentsNo shows? Looky-Loos? Price Shoppers? What’s happened to aesthetic patients?
Boy, have times changed. Aesthetic patients today are looking around, shopping around, hanging around and not saying YES like they used to. Why?
A big reason is because the supply and demand has changed dramatically. Years ago, you had one or two choices; now you have hundreds. That means the patients are in the driver seat because they have a plethora of suppliers to choose from.
So, what are you to do? The fastest, easiest and cheapest thing for you to fight this “fickle patient syndrome” do is to KEEP the patients who somehow found their way to you. Treat them well by staying on time, being nice to them and giving them a good result.
Do NOT let these valuable patients wander off to your competitor because then you’ll need to spend even more time, money and effort trying to attract another one.
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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.
