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Selling the Invisible: 4 Key Elements Needed to Promote Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

Dear Catherine,

More and more I find cosmetic patients coming to me to fix some work they had done elsewhere.

Why are they not choosing me initially? I am not the cheapest but I am fairly priced for my skill and expertise so what is going on?

I cannot imagine why cosmetic patients would risk getting sub-par results just to save money.

What am I missing?

Dr. C

Catherine’s Answer:

Dr. C,

That’s a great question. As a plastic surgeon, you’re in a tough position when it comes to promoting the invisible.

Your cosmetic surgery services are intangible. Prospective patients can’t “see, touch, feel” your product so that makes it difficult for them to decipher the quality of work they are paying for. That’s a big reason its so difficult for them to decide on you versus your competitors. There’s nothing tangible for them to compare.

Cosmetic patients also have to get past the fear of uncertainty and regret. Let’s face it – once they have a cosmetic surgical procedure performed, it cannot be undone or returned. If the procedure was not done properly or if the patient is not satisfied, they can attempt to have it redone to get the result they wanted, but the initial work cannot be erased and must be dealt with.

So, why wouldn’t a cosmetic patient choose you over others?

The reality is cosmetic patients are choosing you for so much more than just your medical degrees.

Here are 4 key elements needed to promote cosmetic surgery procedures

Product

Because your cosmetic services are invisible and do not provide prospective patients with visual clues about function, performance and benefits, you have to be creative.

The way to win over your competitors is to help patients understand what the procedure entails and its value. The procedure description should clearly state:

  • What the procedure is – what is performed
  • Why the procedure is important – the solution to their problem
  • Benefits of the procedure – time saved, reduced costs, improvements made
  • Deliverables – what the patient can expect in terms of recovery and assistance

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People

Your staff needs to have the training, tools, attitudes and image to provide exceptional service. In addition to technical skills, they have got to be patient-centric focused. That means people skills are needed for open communication with the patient so they are comfortable you are living up to their expectations. This not only streamlines the process, it also improves the value of the service the patient perceives they are getting.

Process

Well-defined processes ensure that the service is provided in a consistent manner. This is important for efficiency as well as for the perceived quality of service.

For example, your ancillary services may be performed by your staff. However, the patient often expects the service to be provided in a specific way or by a specific individual—and that can pose challenges in assigning staff, managing the process, and ensuring a consistent experience and result.

Properly documented processes also make it easier to train new staff that joins you so, they too, provide consistent services. A procedural protocol that runs smoothly is perceived as a sign of quality by the patient and cannot be taken lightly.

Physical Evidence

This last “P” deals with anything ‘tangible’ or visual. That includes your before/after photos, reviews and patient testimonials. But it goes beyond that to your image, such as your lobby, location, furniture, marketing materials, hair, shoes, jewelry, clothes, etc. It’s the details that distinguish you and help position you as the best service provider at a fair price.

Patients notice if your office is cluttered and not well maintained. Your office has to look the part and match your practice’s positioning and branding. If you want to be a high-end practice that charges more than your competitors, make sure your office shows it.

Creating patient relationships, setting appropriate expectations, and learning to represent your practice in an acceptable way (e.g., through appearance, attitude, and communications) is what encourages patients to say YES to you.

For even more strategies to make you stand out from your competitors, check out this online learning module in More Patients Academy:

What have you done to differentiate your invisible skills and expertise?
What creative ways do you promote your intangible procedures?

TESTIMONIALS

5/5
"Catherine outlined a plan that put key metrics in place, gave us a clear plan to follow throughout the year and trained our staff to increase their conversions by at least 10%. Since engaging with Catherine, I’m happy to report that revenues are up 15% over the last three months - 22% in the last month alone! I highly recommend Catherine’s consulting services to any practice looking for “best practice” additions to their operation."
Robert Sigal, MD
Robert Sigal, MD
"I have finally tapped into the most efficient way to grow my cosmetic practice and that is to “fish in the pond of my own patients”. When patients return to my practice, over 85% will purchase another service, product, or procedure. Not only was it worth over $200,000 in revenues this past year, it also reminds my patients I’m still around so they don’t wander off to my competitors. Catherine’s group has far exceeded our expectations and goals we had set up for them to achieve."
Victor Ferrari, MD
Victor Ferrari, MD
"Our consult conversions were running at 40-50%. Then we attended Catherine’s online training and implemented her strategies. They immediately increased conversion rates to 75-80%."
Anthony Corrado, MD
Anthony Corrado, MD
"I know how to run a profitable practice; however, it was not without major staff issues, inefficiencies and unproductive drama. With Catherine's guidance, I reorganized staff, set up processes for them to carry more of the workload and hold them accountable so I have more time to focus on patient care. The changes we put in place and the staff training to convert more callers and consultations will easily increase my revenues by 15% as well as save us time, money and costly mistakes. "
Evan Sorokin, MD
Evan Sorokin, MD
"Working with Catherine and her team has been very profitable. We’re only half way through the year and I’m up $200K and I’m booked out for the next 2 months even though we typically go into our slow summer months now. Her recent promotion brought in an extra $63,782 with more surgeries scheduled. I never realized how much money was sitting in my patient list but I’m a believer now!"
Robert Langdon, MD
Robert Langdon, MD
"Catherine Maley has one of the best Marketing Minds in the aesthetic industry, bar none. She understands the aesthetic patient and she also understands the challenges and frustrations we face as aesthetic surgeons. You will benefit from Catherine's tools whether you are new in practice or a seasoned professional.Turn to Catherine for guidance - she knows what she's talking about."
Edwin Williams, MD
Edwin Williams, MD
“Catherine’s Cosmetic Patient Marketing Service has been a great addition to our practice-building overall plan. While we still invest in our online presence, we also found immense value in the internal marketing efforts. We especially like that all results are tracked so we know we are getting a great return ... last year it was 1,148% and no staff time was used. That’s a much easier way to grow my cosmetic practice.”
Mark Mason, MD
Mark Mason, MD
"Catherine Maley turned our practice around. We converted more consultations in one week than we did in an entire month. Our practice went from a painful 50% no show rate to a remarkable 85% show rate. Even more impressive was our close ratio - from 35% to 80% and still increasing. We would recommend her to any practice that’s looking to not only increase their profits today, but sustain a healthy flow of income for many years to come. Thanks Catherine!"
Sam Assassa, MD
Sam Assassa, MD
"Catherine found me the best patient care coordinator I could have asked for. She worked out a payment plan that was fair to me and motivating to my coordinator. She also provided training tools to help my coordinator convert better, even though she was already experienced. The results have been phenomenal. So good, in fact, that my income increased 250% and I’m booked out for 3 months. Don’t waste any more time or money doing it yourself. Outsource to someone you trust!"
Andrew Lofman, MD
Andrew Lofman, MD
"Since we’ve been working with Catherine and her team for the past 5 months, we’ve brought in $79K in surgeries and have booked an additional 17 surgical procedures and 20 non-invasive body procedures since then. This does not include the additional new patient referrals and revenues we are seeing from the on-going nurturing of my current patient database."
Verne Weisberg, MD
Verne Weisberg, MD
"I had given my staff the goal to convert at least $35K per week in surgeries AND I gave them the tools to help which was Catherine’s Online Learning Center at More Patients Academy. They watched Catherine’s modules and implemented her strategies and converted $80K! That equaled a 2,550% ROI. Nice!"
Adam Stein, MD
Adam Stein, MD
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Catherine Maley

Catherine Maley

Catherine is a business/marketing consultant to plastic surgeons. She speaks at medical conferences all over the world on practice building, marketing and the business side of plastic surgery. Get a Free Copy of her popular book, Your Aesthetic Practice: What Your Patients Are Saying View Author Profile.

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