Archive for Aesthetic Marketing
Tips to Avoiding Unhappy Patients – Tip #6 and 7
Posted by: | CommentsTip #6 Give them a good result
Give your patient the best result possible – one that you are proud of and would have done on your own family member. If you can’t, have a back-up strategy to come as close as possible.
Tip #7 Be open and receptive to negative feedback
No matter how careful you are or how much you prepare the patient, somebody will be unhappy – that’s life. Don’t hide from or ignore this patient because they will not go away. Simply have a process in place to address the unhappy patient.
If they are being unreasonable, it’s best to do whatever you can to appease them and then excuse them from your practice. Given today’s Internet social media outlets, you don’t need the negativity and bad exposure from patients passing along negative comments about you.
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Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying. She is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing and has a team that provides done-for-you and ready-made marketing tools, staff training products and consulting services to drive aesthetic profits. Visit Catherine and www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call her at (877) 339-8833.
Tips to Avoiding Unhappy Patients – Tip #5
Posted by: | CommentsTip #5 Impress and Solidify Their Trust in You
If a patient sees that you have many other happy patients who trust and love you, they are less likely to be unhappy with their own result.
Its human nature to identify with others just like them so they will make a connection that says, “If others like Dr. Smith, I like Dr. Smith.” So here are a few points to help enhance your positive image with patients:
● Frame your degrees and promote in your consulting room.
● Have a “Meet the Doctor” sheet to include your education, skills and expertise framed to reiterate why you are a good choice. Display additional PR pieces if available.
● Have a flat panel monitor on the wall the visiting patient can watch:
- -3 D patient-education videos of the procedures they are interested in
- - a welcome video from you telling them you look forward to meeting them urging them to be comfortable, candid and open so, together, you can come to a satisfactory decision
- - videos of patient testimonials telling them how happy they are with their result and with you.
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Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying. She is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing and has a team that provides done-for-you and ready-made marketing tools, staff training products and consulting services to drive aesthetic profits. Visit Catherine and www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call her at (877) 339-8833.
Tips to Avoiding Unhappy Patients – Tip #4
Posted by: | CommentsTip #4 Know the Risks
There’s a saying that says,
If you tell them ahead of time, it’s an explanation
But if you tell them afterwards, it’s an excuse
Set the expected downtime and results by using simple statistics such as, “4 out of of my patients return to work within one week” or “We have had 98% success rate”. That way, if they don’t get a satisfactory result, they will recollect there was a small chance they would be that 1 out of 5 or the 2%.
Another good procedure to follow is to have the patient read out loud each point on your consent form and initial it. Their retention will be better and they are more likely to recall doing remember reading about that risk.
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Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying. She is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing and has a team that provides done-for-you and ready-made marketing tools, staff training products and consulting services to drive aesthetic profits. Visit Catherine and www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call her at (877) 339-8833.
Tips to Avoiding Unhappy Patients – Tip #3
Posted by: | CommentsTip #3 Set realistic expectations
Use every tool possible to clearly explain the outcome this patient can expect from you in a way they will most likely understand. Patients learn through hearing, touching, seeing, feeling so use as many of their senses as possible to help the patient comprehend what is possible for them in their particular situation. For example, try any of the following:
- - Provide a detailed, easy-to-understand report about the procedure.
- - Display patient testimonials in story form describing what their concern was, what you did for them and how they feel now.
- - Digital Photo Frames full of before/after patient photos of good/great/exceptional results.
- - Use a variety of patient ages, ethnicities and skin type of demographics so the patient can identify with certain patients just like them.
- - Display testimonial album filled with patient surveys, notes, accolades and emails thanking you for helping them look and feel better.
By the way, I learned in my book that the more photos patients see, the more credible and experienced the physician seemed to the patient.
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Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying. She is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing and has a team that provides done-for-you and ready-made marketing tools, staff training products and consulting services to drive aesthetic profits. Visit Catherine and www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call her at (877) 339-8833.
Tips to Avoiding Unhappy Patients – Tip #2
Posted by: | CommentsTip #2 Give them a WOW patient experience every time.
Patient relations are the key to aesthetic medicine. Every patient who calls your office and walks through your door must enjoy the experience – every single time. They need to be happy they connected with you and comfortable enough to move forward.
Rapport-building is crucial. They want to feel a bond with you and know you care about them first as a person, second as a patient. Do everything possible to make these patients feel welcomed, special and significant. Here are some key points to remember:
- Answer the telephone with enthusiasm and interest.
- Greet the visiting patient warmly using eye contact, an open smile and a friendly handshake.
- Use the patient’s name and welcome them or welcome them back to the practice.
- Offer them refreshments and be sure they move through each step in your process comfortably.
By the way, you never want the patient to feel rushed through the process or pressured in any way since that can come back to bite you.
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Catherine Maley, MBA is Author of Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying. She is President of Cosmetic Image Marketing and has a team that provides done-for-you and ready-made marketing tools, staff training products and consulting services to drive aesthetic profits. Visit Catherine and www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or call her at (877) 339-8833.
Even Men Are Getting in On the Cosmetic Surgery Action, Part 3
Posted by: | CommentsMore and more men these days are turning to cosmetic surgery. The value of looking good, being fit and staying competitive has increased all the more.
Thanks to the media, society now believes everyone must be young, smart, fit, rich and good looking. This is causing angst among some men, similar to that which women have felt for a long time.
Marketers today are targeting men for beauty and grooming products like never before. The fact that men want a youthful appearance just like a woman does, now carries far less of a stigma.
Male celebrities having plastic surgery also helps to understand and accept it. People have drifted away from the shame and secrecy associated with plastic surgery, toward the status it portrays. Tom Cruise’s rhinoplasty and Michael Douglas’ facelift are just two examples of actors openly admitting to plastic surgery. Although other actors have had cosmetic procedures, most have not admitted to it. Much of society today feels that if celebrities have plastic surgery, it must be the right thing to do. It sparks male envy to keep up.
This can also lead to male narcissism. Men now have the products, time and money to be infatuated with their appearance and lifestyle. It is hard to determine whether men demanded these new products or if marketers persuaded men they needed to be more concerned with their appearance. Regardless, marketers are taking advantage of this growing demographic. The reasons should not be a surprise: money and revenue.
Men, just like women, seek youth through a vast array of wrinkle creams, cosmetics and other skin care products. Some use hair dye to cover hints of gray, and teeth whitener products to brighten their smiles. Others depend on vitamins and supplements as the elixirs of anti-aging. Still others take more extreme measures such as plastic surgery, striving to turn back time and remain forever young. Both men and women are turning toward cosmetic surgery and Botox as the solution to aging. Women have received much more negative press for undergoing plastic surgery than men have. Marketers promise their products and services will eliminate unpleasant features. Therefore, men and women are more than willing to use these items for the status symbol of youth.
Times are changing, and men are evolving.
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Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.
Even Men Are Getting in On the Cosmetic Surgery Action, Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsA growing number of men are realizing the value of looking good, being fit and staying competitive. They are turning to cosmetic surgery for a youthful appearance that’s increasingly important in all areas of life today.
One of these areas is relationships, where pressure is mounting for men to be attractive. Men are competitive by nature, and looking their best is now becoming one way to stay sexually competitive.
Equality of the sexes is redefining what others are willing to accept. Women want more from men than they did in the past. They are looking for fulfillment, not just a paycheck from a man. Because women now make their own money, they’re no longer settling for less.
Not all men are alike. Depending on their stage in life, they’ll have different reasons for considering aesthetic enhancement. For example:
- -Some young men are dating for the first time and would feel more confident without big ears or breasts.
- -Some married men want to stay attractive to their spouse, especially if she takes pride in her own looks.
- -Some men are divorced and need confidence to start dating again.
- -Some men have long been single, like it this way, and want to hang onto their looks for years to come.
- -Gay men are looking to attract other gay men.
All of these scenarios lead men to seek aesthetic enhancement, to rejuvenate, repair or remove unwanted features of their face and body.
Not long ago, old age meant wisdom and respect. The younger looked up to the older for guidance. Now, however, it can feel more like a death sentence to look old.
Men are under more pressure to look and perform better. Attitudes are shifting quickly. As rules have changed, men have come to realize the same social pressures as women to look their best. Society has become obsessed with youth, vitality, health and winning.
As such, times are changing, and men are evolving.
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Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.
Don’t Let the Lazy Days of Summer Melt Your Profits Part 3 of 3
Posted by: | CommentsMore Strategies for You to Get Through a Profitable Summer
Summer Skin Series
Let your skin care staff do the heavy lifting during the summer while you sit back and relax. Have them conduct Summer Fun Events in your office for small groups of patients and their friends. They learn about cool ways to have beautiful skin during the hot days of summer.
Your staff can demonstrate peels and microdermasion, they can explain how to change makeup for summer tans, how to protect skin from the harmful effects of the sun, etc. Your vendors would love to help with this so get them involved.
You can be available afterwards to field any questions or to just be available for 1-on-1 time with patients who want to say hello to you. This could be just what they needed to seriously reconsider that surgery and book it for the fall.
Take Advantage of the Summer Slow Down
Every day I hear doctors and staff complain that they have no time to get anything done. A slow period can be a blessing in disguise; a time when you can catch up on all the training, planning, and cleaning that can’t get done during busy months.
If things quiet down in your office during the summer months, this is the perfect time for you and your staff to “sharpen your saw”. Hold staff training sessions and go over phone skills, patient relations protocols and procedural FAQ’s. Do role-playing and fun contests to help them learn pertinent information. Brainstorm with your entire team how you can be even better with your processes so your patients get that WOW experience during and in between visits.
Or, use this slow time to clean, organize files, throw out unnecessary storage boxes, repaint and anything else that normally doesn’t get done because you are so busy. If you decide to do a renovation, that can be a great reason to contact your patients in late summer, early fall and invite them to see the new ‘face’ of your practice.
Network
Since other businesses are often slow through summer, it’s a great time to connect or reconnect with them. Pool your resources to email and mail co-marketing pieces to both of your databases to cross-sell each other’s services. Include very exclusive Sizzlin’ Summer Special Offers that are only good for a very limited time.
Spread the Word
Spread your message by starting broadly. Add new in-house signage, mention it on your phone greeting, explain it in your next email message and design an eye-catching banner for your Website.
Conclusion
Use these lazy days of summer to catapult your revenues, your relationships with your patients and your resolve to have the best trained staff ever! And don’t forget your sunscreen!
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Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.
Don’t Let the Lazy Days of Summer Melt Your Profits Part 2 of 3
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s Talk Summer Surge Strategies
First, decide on your message. Honesty is always the best policy so your message might include the fact that the slow summer months give your patients more 1-on-1 time with you.
Offer complimentary consultations along with a computer analysis session, a facial or microdermabrasion treatment and a sunscreen product. Bundle it all for an attractive price and give it a theme – Your Summer Skin Kit, or Summer Beauty Bundle
Once you have your message, find your audience. One popular summer audience is teachers and professionals that have the summer off or have a major summer slowdown. You could also use the summer as an opportunity to connect with anybody who came in for a surgical consultation but didn’t book.
You have your message, you have your audience, all you have to do now is create and send. Write a thoughtful letter that speaks directly to your audience. Again, think honest and enticing. For example:
“Things slow down around here in the Summer so I have a more flexible schedule than I do any other time of the year. If you have your surgery done this Summer or before August 31, you are entitled to (INSERT SPECIAL OFFER). “
As long as you give them a logical reason for why you are doing something special, that could be just what they needed to jump off the fence and move forward with you. Keep in mind, the offer needs to be something worthwhile. You know what I mean because you get offers all the time in the mail, via email, etc. When you see 10% off, is that exciting? Not at all. So make it good, you don’t want to take the time to send a letter just to make your potential patients lose interest.
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Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.
Don’t Let the Lazy Days of Summer Melt Your Profits Part 1 of 3
Posted by: | CommentsSummer is heating up but your phones don’t have to cool down if you put creative strategies in place to keep your patients coming back throughout the summer and the entire year.
Just because your practice surgeries may slow down during the summer months, doesn’t mean your patients are necessarily on hiatus from ALL aesthetic enhancement – just some of it.
The good news is your aesthetic patients want to look good now and next month and next season. While they may not be interested in some of your services now because they are in a bathing suit and shorts for the next three months, they could very well be interested in other treatments and procedures that would keep them looking great on their vacation and at family barbecues.
Granted, summer is not the perfect time for your patients to clamor for surgery. Now that the weather is nice, they are not dying to hide away at home to recover from liposuction surgery. They want to be outside, playing in shorts and bathing suits.
So while they may be holding off on body surgical procedures, they have plenty of other concerns they want to address during this season.
Injectables are Hot!
No matter what the weather, aesthetic patients always need a touch up on their Botox and fillers. Weddings, summer cook-outs, weekends at the country club, friend and family get-togethers are all motivators for your patients to want to smooth their sun-squints, fill in their facial lines and plump up their lips.
The beauty of these minimally-invasive procedures is you can have them done anytime with minimal or zero downtime so they don’t interfere with your patients’ busy summer schedules. It will not only keep your patients looking good, it will also give you an opportunity to spend more time with them. That will help solidify your relationship with them so they return to you for more extensive when the timing is right.
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Get Your FREE Marketing Checklist on www.CosmeticImageMarketing.com and see how you compare to top aesthetic practices. Catherine’s firm specializes in attracting cash-paying patients to a medical practice using PR, advertising and creative marketing strategies. Catherine can also be reached at (877) 339-8833.
