Catherine-Maley-Logo - 2
Catherine-Maley-Logo - 2

BLOG

Schedule a Free Strategy Call
Using Influence to Convert Consultations Graphics

Share This Post

You don’t convert consultations or “sell” anyone on cosmetic rejuvenation and you can’t force consumers to choose you. You can only offer your services to consumers who want to look and feel better.

However, if you believe in yourself, it’s your duty to influence them to make a good decision so they get a good result and NOT regret going elsewhere for a “less than stellar” result that makes them feel worse about themselves.

Look at it this way, prospective patients are already interested in your services because they searched on the internet, found you, called you, and are now visiting you. You didn’t pull them in off the street, right?

So, I’m going to lay out ways to influence patients to help them choose you over all the others because even though patients have decided they want to make a change, that’s only half the battle.

How to Use Influence Convert Consultations into Cosmetic Procedures

Now they have to decide WHO they will make that change with. And, WHO they feel a connection with and feel they will get a great result with, for the least amount of hassle and discomfort. 

By the way, the three biggest hurdles the patient has to overcome is not just the money. It’s the fear of rearranging their face and/or body, the doubt they will get a good result, as well as procrastination that keeps them stuck in indecision. 

Prospective cosmetic patients have most likely been thinking about this for years, so it’s just plain easier for them to continue to think about it than it is to actually do something about it. 

That’s why so many of the patients are emotional. Oftentimes, they have a life shift happening that has put a fire under them to act, such as an upcoming wedding, graduation or reunion, they are suddenly single, or they are re-entering the work force or changing careers. 

That puts them in an emotional state. The more you understand the decision-making process, the better equipped you’ll be to address the tough spots and help the patient get to a yes. 

Now, there are a number of techniques you can implement to influence prospective cosmetic patients to choose you vs. the many other competitors in a very ethical and professional way. 

Here they are:

1. Pre-Frame YOU as The Best Choice BEFORE the patient meets you

Consider what a difficult decision this is for the prospective cosmetic patient to choose a service provider given the intense competition, so help them out. 

Be sure your website, credentials, copy, graphics, design, social media channels and videos give prospective patients a feel for who you are and what you stand for. 

But then you want to get logical and give patients a snapshot of your highlights that answers the question, “Why should I choose you?”.

Here’s an idea…Compile your highlights into a 1-page graphic like this one. This is your brag piece summarizing your skills, education, experience, PR and so on. 

2. Set the Intention

You want the prospective patient to understand where you are going so they can relax, because they know what to expect from you.

Your goal is to remove all their defenses so they stop guarding themselves. You do that by being authentic and real.  Here’s a great overall statement you can start with:

“Sara, my job is to make sure you get all of the information you need to make a good decision so you get the result you want. I’ll give you my professional recommendation and then leave the decision making up to you.  Sound good?”

What you have done here is taken the pressure off Sara so she can relax and think straight during her consultation with you.  

3. Watch Your Body Language

Cosmetic patients are looking for clues to say yes or no to you, so all details count. For example:

  • Smiling naturally makes you seem approachable and likable
  • Eye contact shows interest and indicates trustworthiness
  • Raising your eyebrows signals you are not a threat 
  • Showing your palms indicates you are telling the full story
  • And please do not cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets since that signals you don’t feel comfortable
convert consultations by using influence

And then watch the PATIENT’s body language.

The same rules apply to your patients. If they are smiling, looking at you, open to your recommendations and at ease, you are in good shape. 

However, if they are looking down, frowning, crossing their arms, and closed up, something is off and you want to address it before continuing. 

A simple question can make all the difference such as, “Karen, you seem uncomfortable. If you’re anxious or confused about something, let’s talk about it?”

That might be just what she needed to clear the air, address her concerns and get back into the conversation.

4. Clearly Communicate to Convert Consultations

Patients are more likely to actually hear you and agree with you when you speak concisely and clearly and have a 2-way conversation with them. 

That means no big words, medical jargon or rambling so they can’t get a word in edgewise. 
In my book Your Aesthetic Practice: What Your Patients Are Saying (that you can get on my website www.catherinemaley.com) where I interviewed patients, they mentioned several times the surgeon did all the talking and they didn’t get a word in so they didn’t feel heard. That’s something to keep in mind.

5. Use Scarcity and Urgency

We humans want what we can’t have. So, creating a real need for something or a time constraint, makes patients want it all the more than if it were abundantly available. 

Example: Have your patient coordinator meet with the patient after your exam and recommendation. She presents the quote “as if” they are moving forward and then says,

“Karen, just so you know, Dr. Smith is booked out for the next 3 months; however, if you wanted in sooner, I do have one spot left on Day/Date, does that work for you or would you prefer to wait?”

I use the word “wait” strategically since most patients don’t want to wait and they are more likely to take that one date left now, rather than to wait for months.

6. Ask “Yes or Yes” Questions

convert consultations

Nobody likes to be backed into a corner with a yes or no question. It’s too aggressive and it’s uncomfortable for the patient. 

However, you need an answer that is better than “I have to think about it” so here is a way to be subtle so you sound more professional and not “salesy”, but you get a better answer.

Have your coordinator ask a choice question. For example,

“Karen, did you want to go with the Mommy Makeover or just the tummy tuck? “ or

“Are you interested in our interest-free finance plan or would you rather use your own credit cards?” or

“Our surgical days are Mondays and Fridays. Which of those works better for you?”

When the patient chooses one or the other, they are moving forward so just keep going.

There’s a lot more to using influence ethically and professionally to convert consultations, but this is a great start. Please practice these so they come naturally to you and watch how easily your prospective patients turn into paying patients.

convert consultations with the conversions club


catherine-maley-book- 1

ORDER MY BOOK

A Complete Guide to Understanding Your Aesthetic Patient and Growing Your Aesthetic Practice. Catherine Maley, MBA went straight to the aesthetic patient to get the answers you need to succeed with your patients.

ORDER NOW

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
READ MORE
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.

More To Explore