With my 5 shifts to cosmetic patients on demand, you just don’t need the aggravation of spending more on advertising to attract a bunch of poor-quality leads that waste you and your staff’s time when they don’t show up or don’t say yes to your services because they want to price shop some more.
Make these 5 shifts to cosmetic patients on demand to grow a steady stream of predictable revenues and lock out your competitors and make it impossible for them to steal your patients away because your patients are loyal to you and see you as the ONLY choice…
When you shift your thinking from a “One and Done” money grab event to a “Patients for Life” mindset, you win the long game. So instead of thinking about your own bottom line and what’s best for you, you think about what is best for your patients.
This shift in thinking changes your perspective as well as your attitude. You now see and treat patients as family and friends. They see your practice as a friendly haven. They trust you and your staff to take great care of them.
They reciprocate by growing your revenues for you by returning to YOU rather than your competitors. And by referring their friends, family, gym buddies, coworkers and neighbors.
And by giving you great online reviews that thousands of other potential patients see online. And by sharing you on their own social media platforms so THEIR followers get to know you and contact you because they’re ready for your services.
Think of your cosmetic patients as your lifeblood to all you want in life… such as a fulfilling livelihood that affords you a comfortable lifestyle that supports your family, your interests and your financial future.
Stop discounting! You don’t need to advertise specials to attract new patients because all you will attract are the WRONG patients who nickel and dime you to death.
So rather than discount, set higher standards for great customer service and processes, so your patients have a WOW patient experience every time that they gladly pay for.
And, then mirror behavior you want from those very patients because there is NO escaping cause-and-effect.
If you want patients to stop negotiating and gladly pay your FAIR prices—YOU stop negotiating and pay fair prices. And, if you want agreeable patients who are a pleasure to work with, be agreeable and be sure your staff be the same.
The traditional “hope & pray” method of attracting new patients is to spend a ton of money on lots of different marketing channels and then you hope it’s money well spent and pray you get business from it.
The better way is to implement a loyalty/ rewards system that turns your existing patients into your raving fans. That increases their lifetime value, while they build your practice for you by returning, referring, reviewing, and sharing you on social media.
Because of intense competition, the Internet, and social media, it has gotten increasingly more difficult, technical, confusing and time-consuming to attract new patients. So, retention has become the most direct route to more revenues.
It costs 7X more to attract new patients than to retain existing patients, and loyal patients spend 67% more. Also, the average new patient conversion rate is 5%–20%, while the average existing patient converts at a whopping 70–90%. (Sources: SEMrush and ProfitWell)
This is how you leverage your time with your preferred patients who are worth 10X more to you, and you stop wasting your time with those who nickel-and-dime you and then bolt for the next special deal from your competitors.
Everyone should have a mentor or “counsel” that gives them new ideas, perspectives, and a plan to uplevel their growth and provide accountability.
Frankly, you need experienced counsel who can show you the shortcuts. Just like you invested in becoming a surgeon and learning from the best, you invest in marketing experts because trying to do it without proper counsel is crazy. The point is, don’t go it alone.
Making these simple shifts will surge your revenues using the resources you already have, without advertising or discounting your services, while simultaneously increasing the number of patient visits, referrals, reviews and shares on social media.
Catherine Maley, MBA is a cosmetic practice consultant, speaker, trainer, blogger and podcaster. Her popular book, “Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying” is read and studied by plastic surgeons and their staff all over the world.
She and her team specialize in growing plastic surgery practices using creative patient attraction, conversion, follow up and retention strategies as well as staff training to turn team members into converting rock stars.
Click below to read “5 Shifts to Cosmetic Patients on Demand” in its original format in Aesthetic Society News, SUMMER 2023, volume 27, number 3.
