Cosmetic patient coordinator training. You may not realize how insanely difficult it is to get an internet stranger to buy your services. First, they need to become aware of you. Then research you enough to feel compelled to contact you, then meet you and then say yes to you and hand over their credit card.
A lot happens between each of those stages, but especially at the converting stage when your would-be patient is at the pivotal moment of saying yes or….
”I have to think about it and call you back.”
First, we want to be sure you have the right person in the position to be your patient coordinator, since this is a key role. They act as the primary liaison between prospective cosmetic patients and the surgeon.
Their primary focus of the coordinator is to create a comfortable patient journey from initial inquiry all the way through post-surgery follow up to ensure patient satisfaction.
The most successful patient coordinators have certain traits such as a great attitude, likeable, great people skills, compassionate, confident and an inner drive to be their best.
What Does a Patient Coordinator Do?
The coordinator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Consultation Scheduling and Management: Patient coordinators handle inquiries, schedule consultations, and prepare patients for their meetings with the surgeon. They provide essential information on the surgeon, procedures, scheduling and general practice policies.
Administrative and Financial Assistance: Patient coordinators manage patient records, assist with financing options, and ensure that all administrative aspects of a patient’s experience are handled smoothly.
Sales and Conversion: A major part of a coordinator’s role is to build rapport with patients, understand their goals, and effectively communicate how the practice’s services meet those needs. They should be skilled at converting consultation leads into scheduled surgeries by working withh the patient to understand their concerns, fears and motivation for wanting surgery, while also discussing financing options, and the surgical scheduling process.
Basically, the coordinator is essential to cosmetic patient satisfaction, practice efficiency and revenues generation.
What is the Difference Between a Surgical Coordinator and a Patient Coordinator?
These roles mean different things in different practices. Typically, they are differentiated by the responsibilities expected such as:
A Surgical Coordinator primarily manages the administrative and logistical aspects of surgical cases. They schedule surgeries, coordinate pre- and post-operative care, and act as the point of contact for surgical patients, often liaising with the surgical team to ensure a seamless experience.
A Cosmetic Patient Coordinator, on the other hand, focuses on consultations, sales, and patient relationship-building. They guide patients through cosmetic treatment options, answer questions about surgical cosmetic procedures, and convert inquiries into booked procedures. Their role is more sales-oriented, emphasizing patient satisfaction, education, and practice revenue growth.
Cosmetic patient coordinator training tips
A professionally trained coordinator would NOT set herself up for failure by letting the prospective patient say, ”I have to think about it and call you back”.
She would use proven strategies to not only avoid this from happening but to methodically prepare the prospective patient to say yes instead.
But here’s what I see in many practices….
Too many coordinators have been placed in the role with no sales training.
Sure, they are nice people and may look the part and have been educated on your procedures and processes.
However, they don’t have the mindset, sales methods or structure to convert more often.
And just because your coordinator has been on the job for years doesn’t mean she’s a professional living up to her potential.
Without professional training, she’s actually working with one arm behind her back and not able to give you the best results you both want.
For example, see if your plastic surgery patient coordinator has these attributes:
Patient Coordinator’s Mindset and Attitude
A patient coordinator must love serving people. She must be curious about others and helping them get what they want. She is open and friendly with a ready smile, great eye contact, and has a confidant air that puts strangers at ease quickly.
Doesn’t see her role as “selling” but rather as “serving” the public to help them make a good decision.
Her money mindset is also solid. She appreciates your skill and expertise and calmly explains why you charge what you charge without apologizing for it.
Coordinator Builds Rapport
A professionally trained coordinator listens and learns.
She acts as the patient’s aesthetic advisor to help them through their journey, so they are
comfortable every step of the way.
Builds rapport by asking strategic questions to help her bond with the patient.
These questions also help her get to know the prospective patient’s preconceived beliefs, expectations, and hot buttons to better gauge where the patient is coming from emotionally, physically, and financially.
Coordinator Promotes the Surgeon as the BEST Choice
The right coordinator knows how to strategically build you up BEFORE the patient consultation, so the patient is 70% more likely to say yes during their visit.
The right coordinator also “drinks the Kool-Aid”. She loves the plastic surgery industry.
She’s fascinated with the transformations that happen with your patients and wants that for new prospective patients who visit you.
She partakes in the services herself and has no qualms about people spending money to enhance their appearance and confidence.
She is your biggest fan and knows how to brag about you using presentation tools, so the would-be patient also sees you as the best choice.
Coordinator Knows How to Present
The trained coordinator knows how to use verbal cheerleading to present the quote, so the patient understands all that goes into it.
She confidently articulates the process, so the patient is comfortable with the steps that follow
and reiterates the benefits of choosing you and your practice.
The coordinator checks in with the patient throughout her presentation to be sure the patient is following along and still engaged.
Coordinator Knows How to Convert
The professionally trained coordinator knows there is a pivotal point when she stops presenting and asks for the decision in a smooth way that makes it comfortable for the patient to say yes.
And, if the patient does have questions or objections, the coordinator calmly addresses them and asks for the decision again using a different angle.
So, how did your patient coordinator stack up?
Does it sound like you have a professionally trained coordinator representing you to the best of her ability?
The point of all this is to remind you that there are nuances to everything.
For example, there are nuances to surgical techniques that make all the difference in your outcomes and the same goes for converting consultations.
Without knowing these small nuances in the process of converting consultations could be holding her back from greater results.
If you believe your coordinator could benefit from cosmetic patient coordinator training, please check out The Converting Academy for coordinators at my website where I professionally train coordinators to convert more consultations professionally and confidently.
