Archive for Aesthetic Patients
Price Plaques
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visited a world-renowned plastic surgeon that didn’t play the price game with his aesthetic patients. He caters to the affluent patient who cares more about his skills and expertise than getting a great deal.
He displays these plaques so visiting patients see them as they walk in. They help set the tone for pricing.
One says:
It is unwise to pay too much,
But it is worse to pay too little
When you pay too much,
You lose money – that is all
When you pay too little
You sometimes lose everything
Because the thing you bought
Was incapable of doing the thing
It was bought to do
The common law of business balance
Prohibits paying a little and
Getting a lot – it cannot be done
If you deal with the lowest bidder,
It is well to add something
For the risk you run,
And if you do that
You will have enough to pay
For something better
- John Ruskin
The other plaque says:
There is hardly anything in the world
That some man can’t make a little
Worse and well a little cheaper,
And the people who consider price
Only are this man’s lawful prey
- John Ruskin
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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.
Are You Catering to Silly Sally or Serious Sara?
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Silly Sally is that ridiculous Groupon aesthetic patient who wants the world for nothing. She responds to price only and then complains when she doesn’t get the service and results she is demanding. And, since she came for price, she leaves you for price.
Serious Sara, on the other hand, is the more affluent patient who cares more about service and results and is willing to pay a fair price for your skills and experience. She most likely found you through her girlfriend because she turns to her friends and family for possible solutions rather than fumbling around on the Internet for a deal.
I will take 1 Serious Sara over 5 Silly Sallys any day!
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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.
Why is the Aesthetic Patient is REALLY in Your Office
Posted by: | CommentsYou want to do everything you can to learn why the new patient is there to see you because here’s a hint: There’s a chance there’s more to their answer then originally stated.
If you and your staff bond with the new patient and let them talk, they may tell you the real reason they are there and the circumstances involved. I guarantee – it’s often not the price but something else you would never know unless they told you and they will only tell you if they feel a connection to you.
Here’s a real life example of a patient coordinator story told to me:
The patient coordinator was told by the new patient during her initial consultation that her hair stylist referred her to Dr. Smith because he was the best and his office was close by. The back story was that the patient learned her husband was going to divorce her so she desperately needed to use up the $20,000 limit on her credit card before he shut the credit card down. This consultation had nothing to do with price, competition, shopping around or negotiations – but you would never know that unless you bond with and make the prospective patient comfortable enough to open up to you.
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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.
Lay-a-Way Program Helps Conversions
Posted by: | CommentsThis weekend, I attended a conference where a very smart (and rich) guy was talking about the economic indicators for the next 4 years. Without going into the depressing and scary statistics about unemployment, the prolonged housing crisis, and government unrest, it looks like we are not going to see better times for awhile.
The good news is if you know that, you can adapt accordingly, so here’s an idea: Offer your big-ticket aesthetic procedures on the lay-a-way plan. Patients can put money down today to lock in their commitment and then make payments to you up until their surgery date. You can even decide on a monthly amount you will automatically charge their credit card.
While this may seem like a hassle or too much work, it’s well worth it if you have prospective patients who want what you offer but can’t afford it or don’t want to spend their money all up front.
This way, the patient stays loyal to you, they are grateful you gave them a way to get what they want and you have a patient on the books rather than a prospective patient who visits other practices to see if they’ll help them.
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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.
Guarantee Surgery – Wha-Wha-WHAT???
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s a pretty good chance you don’t guarantee your surgeries so please hear me out.
Consumers in general are skeptical. Patients are even more so since they want to know they’ll get a good result and they won’t have buyer’s remorse. They don’t know whom to trust and often have a tough decision to make between several practices. So how can you stand out?
Offer something your competitors don’t and watch your conversions grow. Offer a guarantee they will be happy with their result or you’ll throw in a revision for up to one year. However, put parameters around it. They must adhere to your directions, show up for their appointments and agree to communicate.
You probably do this anyway if a patient is unhappy so offer it up front to take away their fear of making a mistake by going with you versus someone else. And it tells your prospective patient you’re confident in your ability and that builds their trust in you.
So even if 1 out of 100 take advantage of it and you lose a little money, you’ll get 10x more conversions and 10x more profits by offering something unique. Try it!
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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?
Posted 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.
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
The Human Side of Plastic Surgery Patients
Posted 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.
Feel-Good Marketing Works
Posted by: | CommentsAlmost every plastic surgery website I visit talks about how caring and compassionate the doctor is and how their main concern is for the patient.
Yet, patients tell me about how they were treated curtly, the doctor didn’t listen to them, they felt rushed, their questions weren’t answered and on and on.
Use that to your advantage. Answer your phones better than your competitors do. Treat your visiting patients better than your competitors do. Devise built-in “touch points” to reach out to your patients throughout the year in a feel-good, thoughtful way.
You’ll stand out big time from your competitors and make a huge impression on your patients who will return and refer.
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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.
