Archive for Catherine Maley
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.
Is Botox a Commodity?
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In my recent travels to AZ, I ran across this sign for Walk-In Botox at a medi-spa right off the main street.
This is what you’re competing with nowadays. On the one hand, this seems tacky, doesn’t it? On the other hand, from the patient perspective, this is really convenient and easy IF they get a good result.
Botox does have a tendency to fit into the “impulse” category if the Patient has been doing it for awhile and like their results. However, it can be a nightmare if they inject too much or it gives you a droopy eye or it doesn’t take well and you have to go back and do it again (so much for time-savings and convenience).
If you don’t want to play this game, be sure your patients know the pitfalls of “Mall Botox”. They might just get what they pay for and that’s not usually what they wanted.
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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.
Reinvent Yourself
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You’re NEVER too old to evolve. While it takes courage, time, commitment and new thinking, it’s vital if you want to stay relevant to your preferred aesthetic patients.
If you don’t want to be seen as “Old School” stop doing things like boring name-recognition ads, yellow page ads and radio spots. Embrace the new media channels such as blogging, killer interactive Website, YouTube Videos, Twitter and you must have your own FaceBook Fan Page.
I’m not suggesting you drop everything to learn social media but do either outsource it to someone who specializes in it or turn the job over to your staff who love this new world. If you do it right, the world opens up to you and your audience is endless and viral.
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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.
Google Online Patient Reviews
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As a plastic surgeon or cosmetic physician, why do you care about Google Reviews? Here are several reasons:
- Because 70% of new patients are trusting online reviews they read just behind a family/friend referral (Source: Nielsen Company and ComSource).
- Because reviews often get ranked above organic listings (especially with the public’s insatiable appetite for aesthetic rejuvenation)
- Because you’ll have a better chance of “googlers” searching and clicking on your listing with the 5-Stars lit up
- Because it helps your other SEO efforts
Suffice it to say, this is an area to spend time, money and energy to set up a strategic process to get more Google patient online reviews but how? Here are simple strategies to get you started:
Sign Up for Google Places
It’s free, it’s easy and you need to do it immediately if you haven’t already. Just be sure the address and local telephone number you add to your Google Places listing matches the address and telephone numbers on your Website EXACTLY.
Add Location Based Keywords
Be descriptive about your services and location that match the same keywords you use in your websites. For example, use “liposuction” and “Atlanta” throughout your listing since they will show up in bold letters if, indeed, that’s what the “googler” typed in as their key words.
Add Photos/Videos to Your Listing
Since Google uses Universal Search to include images, videos and place listings, take advantage of that and include personality pieces showing off you, you with patients, you with staff, your office, etc. And be sure to add keyword rich “alt text” to your photos to identify them.
Ask Your Patients to Write Reviews
Now what? You ASK your patients to write reviews but you do it professionally and strategically. First, you give them awesome customer service so they are ecstatic and want to do it. Then you ask them if they have a great visit with you. Now you ask them to do you a favor a write a review. And you give them simple instructions you’re prepared for them to follow to make it fast and easy for them to say wonderful things about you.
To get a Copy of 7 Simple Steps to Creating a Google Review Handout to Create Raving Patient Reviews Online, go to www.AestheticProfits.com to watch the entire Webinar. The Handout is free when you join us. Or call (877) 339-8833.
The Friendly Skies are Mean
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My staff and I were coming back from a software conference held in Phoenix and we got a great education on how NOT TO handle customer service.
We were already off to a bad start when we couldn’t get a simple direct flight from Phoenix to San Francisco, even though United and Continental recently merged. You’d think they would have so many planes and flights to choose from but no dice.
So, we’re forced to fly from Phoenix to LA on US Airways and then catch a connecting flight with United to SF. So far, so good UNTIL we get to LA and are instructed to leave the airport, grab a shuttle and go to a new terminal for United. There is no shuttle in sight so we hoof it on foot across the street, through a parking garage, back over a street, back through security AGAIN, up an escalator and a very long walk through the airport with at least 4 turns involved.
Even if we were world-class sprinters, we could not have made this connection. We get to the gate and were curtly informed we have missed the flight and she cannot help us and go to the customer service counter. There we are greeted with more sour pusses, NO APOLOGY and additional flack because I wanted to get upgraded and in a very snide voice, the rep says, “Why would you get upgraded?” and I said, “because I’m 1K” and now she sees that’s true but it didn’t get any better and still no apology.
We get a later flight and head over to the Red Carpet Club where we should feel at home and now we’re greeted by the this huge line, no smiles and more waiting while we have to pull out a boarding pass, the club card and an ID so you feel like you’re trying to get access to the Pentagon.
Now my assistant needs to use the bathroom bad since she’s needed to since this debacle started over 1 hour ago and is stopped by the cleaning lady who says she needs to wait for 2 minutes.
I honestly don’t see how airlines expect to stay in business with this crappy service, crappy attitudes, worn-down planes, waiting lines and a just plain miserable experience that takes any fun out of this yet costs you dearly to participate.
If I did business like this, I wouldn’t have a business.
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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 Opened For Business?
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My stove was acting up and I received a postcard from an appliance store in my area so it was the perfect time for me to look into replacing it. However, what should have taken me about 1 hour to do has drawn out to a 2-month project.
I first went to the website on the postcard and had trouble navigating so I called the 800# they listed and I had to call twice because I was told to leave a message and nobody called me back. When I did get through, I was transferred but the call got dropped. So I decided to visit instead. I drove over on a Sunday because I’m super busy during the week and Sunday was the only day I had available and, sure enough, they’re closed on Sunday!
I’ve never tried so hard to give a company money and I hope you’re easier to do business with than they’ve been.
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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.
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.
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!
