Fellowship To New Practice Build-Out. Interview with Lauren Umstattd, MD
Hello. There is nothing easy about entering today’s crowded marketplace…
Hello, and welcome to Beauty and the Biz where we talk about the business and marketing side of plastic surgery, and how to convert more consults and callers.
I’m your host, Catherine Maley, author of Your Aesthetic Practice – What your patients are saying, as well as consultant to plastic surgeons, to get them more patients and more profits. Now, today’s episode is called “How to Convert More Consults and Callers”.
Let me be frank….
Our industry is in for some tough times ahead if the economy doesn’t bounce back soon. That can leave you feeling helpless, but it doesn’t have to.
It just means you’ll want to sharpen your skills when it comes to converting prospective patients to paid procedures so the revenues keep flowing.
You have full control over the converting skills of your staff so that’s a great place to focus.
This 8-minute video will help you discover:
Give your staff the scripts, strategies and accountability they need to get you better results.
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This is the only staff training I’m aware of that includes this much accountability to ensure you are investing in your staff, and not just handing them something and “hoping” they use it.
P.S. Here’s what others said about my training:
“The program paid for itself many times over in just the first month. The information given is quickly actionable for my staff to execute and convert. Thank You!” – Ramsen Azizi, MD – Chicago
“Within a few months of joining The Converting Club and learning from Catherine, my converting skills have doubled my conversions. And last month, I actually converted more than the other coordinator who has been here for years!” – Rana, Coordinator
“Since I joined The Converting Club, my conversions have increased by 25%. And even though we are usually slower in the summer, I used Catherine’s specific strategies and had the best month ever in July!” – Jenny, Coordinator
Now is NOT the time to take anything for granted, so make the most of every lead that comes your way. Give your staff the scripts and strategies to convert callers and consultations.
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Hello. There is nothing easy about entering today’s crowded marketplace…
Hello, and welcome to Beauty and the Biz where we…
Hello, and welcome to Beauty and the Biz where we talk…
Converting new plastic surgery leads is getting more difficult for all sorts of reasons. You most likely are paying pretty hefty monthly fees to your SEO hosting company. Now, I suggest you get together with your team and answer the following questions. How many patients do we lose each year? What would it cost us to keep those patients? This is a key factor in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
How does this cost compare with the cost of finding new patients? So, your digital marketing agency that you use, or all the directories and everyone else who’s helping you get found on the internet, um, they are sending you leads of prospective plastic surgery patients wanting your services. And that’s where the trouble starts, which doesn’t help knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So, your staff starts complaining these leads are awful, or they’re not serious about moving forward, or they’re just press shoppers. Um, these leads are wasting their time. Ever hear that? Sometimes it’s true. Some of the leads are a waste of time. When you put your message out there into the universe to millions of people, it is a craft shoot. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
What comes back to you? You have to take the good with the bad, and if you aren’t happy with the leads coming your way though, take a look at what you are doing to attract them. The quality of the leads is dependent on your branding, your marketing message, as well as the media used to attract new patient leads. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Since the goal of marketing is to attract serious plastic surgery candidates, To you and repel those who are not serious. But let’s say, you know, you’re doing a good job marketing you. You make videos explaining procedures. You post on Instagram, you answer questions online, and you pay to advertise. So why aren’t these leads you’ve spent a fortune to get not converting? Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Well, one huge reason is because of the sheer volume of marketing messages coming at prospective patients. It can be overwhelming to research cosmetic procedures. There is so much confusing and conflicting information about the downtime, the results, the pricing, and so on. And once prospective patients determine which procedure they want, they now have to select a surgeon, and that opens up a whole other huge amount of choice. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
This puts fickle consumer patients in the driver’s seat, and that’s what is leading to a waste of your valuable time and holes in your surgery schedule. But there’s more to it than that. When it comes to lead conversion, there are two deadly sins that you have full control over, but oftentimes neglect. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Bad phones and weak consultations. I am sorry to point the finger at your staff, but the good news is it’s easy to fix. So, let’s break it down. Deadly skin, number one, bad phones. Now a big mistake that’s ruining your marketing efforts is having front desk staff not able to convert callers to consultations. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So, here’s the scenario. You’ve spent a fortune redesigning your website again to ensure Google and their rules don’t ban you from the internet, and you work with a company to get your SEO in shape. So prospective patients can find you online. You’re most likely spending advertising dollars on real cell for Google AdWords, banner ads and directories, which isn’t cheap. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Um, then. You’ve conquered the world of social media. You’ve hired a team to blog for you, write content, and update your Facebook page regularly. You even assigned an internal staff person to be your social media ambassador. This is costing you time and money, but you are sure it’s helping so, The stage is set and you’re ready for new cosmetic patients and all your efforts are working. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Prospective cosmetic patients found you online. They learned enough about you, and they’re confident. You are a great choice to help them with their needs. They eagerly call your office with anticipation knowing you are a first-class practice. Only to hear doctor’s office, please hold click. And now you’re on hold or a disinterested receptionist with no enthusiasm or a friendly receptionist who doesn’t know anything. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
This was not the image or experience your callers expected. That incongruence between your image portrayed to the prospective cosmetic patient is lost when that image is not carried through to your receptionist and how they handle new callers on the phone. What a waste to lose that cash paying patient before you even got to meet them. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Do you monitor your calls for consistency? To be sure what you think is being said is actually being said. Working with practices and call centers for years, I’ve learned you can’t take anything for granted. Just when you think you’ve trained your staff. You find out they’ve went right back to their old ways. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So, it takes consistent, never-ending improvement and accountability to ensure they stay professional and on script. Now, if you need help with your phones, please visit [email protected] for a solution, and then here’s Deadly Sin number two, we consultations. Let’s say you have great front desk staff and they’re excellent at booking callers to consults. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Now the patient comes in and is greeted by that same friendly front desk person. Now, the visiting patient goes through your consultation process of completing paperwork, having photos taken, and meeting with you, the surgeon to discuss their recommendations or you know, what their pain is and what you recommend. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So far, so good. Now your patient coordinator takes over. Her job is to present the quote. Answer additional questions and book surgery, but is that what actually happens? How often do you hear from your coordinator? The would-be patients walked out the door without booking, never to be heard from again, when asked. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Your coordinator will often say things like, oh, they were just price shopping, or They can’t afford it, or We, you oversold them, and on and on, but is that really true? I guarantee at least 15% of those consults were lost due to your coordinator not being skilled and or experienced enough to convert them. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Your patient coordinator can be a game changer. For your bottom line, so please choose carefully who is representing you. Now, the art of converting consultations is a very big topic, but here are three tips to get your coordinator converting more than ever. Tip number one, bond early with a pre-consult call to pre-bond and pre-qualify. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So, the patient is more likely to say yes. Then I have to think about it, answer objections with other patient’s stories. So rather than get defensive, let your other patients answer the objections for you. So, show off your before and after photos and tell their stories. So, the prospective patient is more comfortable knowing others were just like her, and had a great experience, and she will too. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
Also, transition from presenting to converting. This is subtle, but vital to your coordinator’s success. There comes a point in the process where you need to stop presenting and ask for a decision. Most coordinators say, Do you have any other questions? And they leave it up to the patient to ramp things up. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
A professional coordinator has planned out bridges she uses to transition from presenting to converting to make it a smooth transition and easier for the patient to say yes. For example, she presents the quote and then turns to her computer and says, so Karen, let’s see what the surgery schedule looks like. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
So, you have an idea of when you can have this done. If the patient doesn’t object, she’s moving forward, so keep going. Or your coordinator can transition by saying, Karen, did you want to go with our affordable pay plan or use your own credit cards? If the patient picks one of those choices, they’re moving forward, so just go for it. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
That’s how you close or convert without being pushy. This one, converting skill executed professionally makes the difference between a 25% conversion rate and a 75% conversion rate. But like anything else in life, it’s a learned and practice skill. If your receptionist and or coordinator could use professional converting training, check out www.CatherineMaley.com for the strategies practice and accountability they need to help you grow as well as them. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
By the way, it’s a whole lot faster, easier, and cheaper to fix these two deadly sins than it is to throw even more money at advertising that doesn’t result in more plastic surgery procedures. Just saying. Something to consider in knowing how to convert more consults and callers.
The fastest way to success is to model other successful surgeons who have what you want, but you can only see their results, not the path they took to get there.
So, you continue to jump from one thing to another, hoping to find something that will work for you too. But it rarely does. So, try this shortcut instead. It’s guaranteed to move you forward. I compiled my intellectual property to grow cosmetic revenues, everything I’ve gleaned over the years into one playbook of the most successful practices and what they do to win.
Go to www.CosmeticPracticeVault.com and let’s grow your cosmetic revenues.
-End transcript for “How to Convert More Consults and Callers”.
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