Capturing Patients’
Enthusiasm
May 2002
No doubt if you’ve bought a laser, you’re probably gearing up to provide some type of cosmetic procedure for your patients. But just acquiring the laser isn’t enough. Growing an out-of-pocket-pay aesthetic practice is not a build-it-and-they-will-come type of proposition.
You should run this area of your practice like a business. One doctor told me that you have to think of it almost as if you just put a Starbucks in your office. Another doctor referred to his laser hair removal service as having “a very sophisticated barber shop.”
Now, don’t get me wrong: I fully understand that many of you are turned off about the whole idea of “running a business” and that you find it distasteful. However, to be successful you don’t need to hard-sell patients. Instead, educate them in a positive manner that encourages them to want to learn more about a procedure. In other words, get them curious and enthusiastic about what you do, how you do it and why you’re the best person to do it.
Sounds simple, right? Why not? You currently educate patients on a regular basis about their medical conditions. Why not also educate them about elective procedures for which they could very well have an interest?
Some of the most successful practices I consult with do this very well in a variety of ways. Here, I’ll share some of their “secrets to success” in hopes that the information will give you some good ideas, as well.
What the Most Successful Practices Do Well
The most successful practices incorporate a front-to back-office plan. Here’s a look at what some highly successful practices do to get patients interested:
Offer targeted waiting room educational materials. Success doesn’t come by only placing some brochures in the waiting room and assuming patients will notice them. Yes, brochures are necessary, but they’re the minimum and only a small part of the educational process. I can’t tell you how many waiting rooms I’ve walked into where I know the doctor is offering a cosmetic procedure and there aren’t even brochures or other information around to inform patients about it. Don’t assume that your patients know you offer a procedure. The fact is, a patient could be sitting in your waiting room reading the newspaper and getting interest in an ad that says “1/2 off hair removal” and not even know that you offer such a procedure. Many dermatologists fall short and lose the patient to their competition because they assume that patients know they’re the expert and that they offer such procedures.
Definitely highlight the appropriate brochures in a special area of the waiting room to make sure patients know you offer hair removal, wrinkle reduction, vein treatments and more. A customized brochure is the best choice. You could include a message from yourself explaining why you’re offering the procedure, why you chose the equipment you did, and what special qualifications enable you to perform the procedure safely, etc. Of course, you’d want to emphasize to patients why your specialized background as a skin care specialist is beneficial to them when performing aesthetic procedures compared with other doctors of various specialties who are offering the same procedures.
Develop an informative video. Another effective way to get patients asking about your cosmetic services is to create your own video. Describe the services you offer, put the information on a looped tape and play it all day in the waiting room.
I was told by a group of busy dermatologists that this was the most effective thing they’d ever done for increasing their volume of cosmetic services.
In addition to brochures and a video, provide patients who are calling the with additional information. Purchase an on-hold message to educate listeners about the practice’s services.
Expand your patient history form. To help identify potential patients for aesthetic procedures and start a dialogue with them, consider adding a couple of questions to the patient history form to ask patients if they’d be interested in treating their wrinkles, leg veins, acne scars and more.
Educate your front-office staff. Your receptionist needs to convey a basic knowledge of the procedures you offer at the very least. Again, I’ve visited numerous practices where I know a doctor is offering a service, but when I question the front-office staff they know nothing about the procedure. I’ve often seen them turn around and ask other employees, “Do we perform laser hair removal?” in offices where I know the doctor does.
If they’re aware of what you offer and are aware of patients’ success stories, they’ll naturally become enthusiastic and share this with others.
Don’t assume that patients won’t want to pay out of pocket for procedures. I recall one incident that perfectly illustrates this. I was in rural Louisiana getting ready to set up a microdermabrasion system for a doctor and train his staff. As I waited in the lobby, a patient asked me what was in the box. I explained the basics of microdermabrasion, and I could see her becoming quite interested. I asked if she thought microdermabrasion might be a procedure that patients in a small town would seek.
This was her answer, “Honey, last year my husband bought a bass boat. This will be my bass boat, and I’m signing up as soon as it’s ready.” Two weeks later when I returned to the practice to see how things were going, they had about 50 patients scheduled.
I’ve often found that the same patient who complains about a $20 co-pay thinks nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on an elective aesthetic procedure.
Find out what your competition is doing. Look to see what other doctors in the area are advertising and marketing. Then, educate your staff about how your equipment and procedures are more effective, faster, safer, etc.
Consider compensating your staff for an increase in revenue. Many doctors I know take a percentage of profits each quarter and split it up among the staff (2% to 5% is typical). This will help keep them motivated and enthusiastic when talking to patients. You don’t want the staff to hard-sell patients but rather inform and encourage them. Usually, the front-office staff will pique patients’ interests and then refer the patient to the appropriate person in the practice who will further educate patients. Consider writing a script for that person to follow when answering questions over the phone.
Meet with your staff monthly. Find out what kinds of questions patients are asking and how the staff is responding to them. Role play these questions with the staff, if necessary, to make them feel more comfortable.
Keep track of your aesthetic patients. Most successful doctors keep track of how many procedures were performed and which ones were most popular. It’s a good idea to keep a separate database of aesthetic patients. Track how many contacts were made with these patients and how many translated into actual procedures. Patients you’ve treated in the past for cosmetic procedures are the best ones to go to when adding new services to enhance this part of your practice.
Consider hiring a full-time consultant. A group of doctors I know hired a consultant with a sales background full time to consult with interested patients. Her conversation rate was close to 80%. Hiring the consultant freed the doctors to focus on more important things while still putting the patient in the hands of a competent person who knowledgeably discussed the options.
If you have someone to fulfill this role in your practice, then by the time of treatment the patient is educated and understands exactly how the procedure will be performed, the possible side effects, etc. You won’t need to spend extra time with the patient explaining whether the procedure will hurt, how long it will take, how long recovery time will be, and more.
Offer complementary treatments. The doctors who are most successful offer synergistic treatments. For example, they’ll offer microdermabrasion and also Botox injections. Patients will cross over. A patient undergoes one aesthetic procedure and starts to notice other areas that need “fixing.” I liken the analogy to remodeling your house. Once you fix up one room, you start to notice how the other rooms need improving.
Competition Is Growing
The fact is that there’s a whole lot of competition out there, and it’s growing. But that shouldn’t stop you from offering patients aesthetic treatment options.
Don’t hesitate to offer free treatment to a prospective patient so he or she can experience and understand how and why it works. A doctor I know paid off his $20,000 microdermabrasion system in 3 months by giving many candidates a free initial treatment. He told me that about 90% of these patients went on to schedule a series of treatments.
You need to make your patients so comfortable and well informed that they won’t consider undergoing treatments anywhere else. When offering aesthetic procedures, remember the Walt Disney rule of success: “Do what you do so well that people will want to come back and do it again and bring a friend.”
No doubt if you’ve bought a laser, you’re probably gearing up to provide some type of cosmetic procedure for your patients. But just acquiring the laser isn’t enough. Growing an out-of-pocket-pay aesthetic practice is not a build-it-and-they-will-come type of proposition.
You should run this area of your practice like a business. One doctor told me that you have to think of it almost as if you just put a Starbucks in your office. Another doctor referred to his laser hair removal service as having “a very sophisticated barber shop.”
Now, don’t get me wrong: I fully understand that many of you are turned off about the whole idea of “running a business” and that you find it distasteful. However, to be successful you don’t need to hard-sell patients. Instead, educate them in a positive manner that encourages them to want to learn more about a procedure. In other words, get them curious and enthusiastic about what you do, how you do it and why you’re the best person to do it.
Sounds simple, right? Why not? You currently educate patients on a regular basis about their medical conditions. Why not also educate them about elective procedures for which they could very well have an interest?
Some of the most successful practices I consult with do this very well in a variety of ways. Here, I’ll share some of their “secrets to success” in hopes that the information will give you some good ideas, as well.
What the Most Successful Practices Do Well
The most successful practices incorporate a front-to back-office plan. Here’s a look at what some highly successful practices do to get patients interested:
Offer targeted waiting room educational materials. Success doesn’t come by only placing some brochures in the waiting room and assuming patients will notice them. Yes, brochures are necessary, but they’re the minimum and only a small part of the educational process. I can’t tell you how many waiting rooms I’ve walked into where I know the doctor is offering a cosmetic procedure and there aren’t even brochures or other information around to inform patients about it. Don’t assume that your patients know you offer a procedure. The fact is, a patient could be sitting in your waiting room reading the newspaper and getting interest in an ad that says “1/2 off hair removal” and not even know that you offer such a procedure. Many dermatologists fall short and lose the patient to their competition because they assume that patients know they’re the expert and that they offer such procedures.
Definitely highlight the appropriate brochures in a special area of the waiting room to make sure patients know you offer hair removal, wrinkle reduction, vein treatments and more. A customized brochure is the best choice. You could include a message from yourself explaining why you’re offering the procedure, why you chose the equipment you did, and what special qualifications enable you to perform the procedure safely, etc. Of course, you’d want to emphasize to patients why your specialized background as a skin care specialist is beneficial to them when performing aesthetic procedures compared with other doctors of various specialties who are offering the same procedures.
Develop an informative video. Another effective way to get patients asking about your cosmetic services is to create your own video. Describe the services you offer, put the information on a looped tape and play it all day in the waiting room.
I was told by a group of busy dermatologists that this was the most effective thing they’d ever done for increasing their volume of cosmetic services.
In addition to brochures and a video, provide patients who are calling the with additional information. Purchase an on-hold message to educate listeners about the practice’s services.
Expand your patient history form. To help identify potential patients for aesthetic procedures and start a dialogue with them, consider adding a couple of questions to the patient history form to ask patients if they’d be interested in treating their wrinkles, leg veins, acne scars and more.
Educate your front-office staff. Your receptionist needs to convey a basic knowledge of the procedures you offer at the very least. Again, I’ve visited numerous practices where I know a doctor is offering a service, but when I question the front-office staff they know nothing about the procedure. I’ve often seen them turn around and ask other employees, “Do we perform laser hair removal?” in offices where I know the doctor does.
If they’re aware of what you offer and are aware of patients’ success stories, they’ll naturally become enthusiastic and share this with others.
Don’t assume that patients won’t want to pay out of pocket for procedures. I recall one incident that perfectly illustrates this. I was in rural Louisiana getting ready to set up a microdermabrasion system for a doctor and train his staff. As I waited in the lobby, a patient asked me what was in the box. I explained the basics of microdermabrasion, and I could see her becoming quite interested. I asked if she thought microdermabrasion might be a procedure that patients in a small town would seek.
This was her answer, “Honey, last year my husband bought a bass boat. This will be my bass boat, and I’m signing up as soon as it’s ready.” Two weeks later when I returned to the practice to see how things were going, they had about 50 patients scheduled.
I’ve often found that the same patient who complains about a $20 co-pay thinks nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on an elective aesthetic procedure.
Find out what your competition is doing. Look to see what other doctors in the area are advertising and marketing. Then, educate your staff about how your equipment and procedures are more effective, faster, safer, etc.
Consider compensating your staff for an increase in revenue. Many doctors I know take a percentage of profits each quarter and split it up among the staff (2% to 5% is typical). This will help keep them motivated and enthusiastic when talking to patients. You don’t want the staff to hard-sell patients but rather inform and encourage them. Usually, the front-office staff will pique patients’ interests and then refer the patient to the appropriate person in the practice who will further educate patients. Consider writing a script for that person to follow when answering questions over the phone.
Meet with your staff monthly. Find out what kinds of questions patients are asking and how the staff is responding to them. Role play these questions with the staff, if necessary, to make them feel more comfortable.
Keep track of your aesthetic patients. Most successful doctors keep track of how many procedures were performed and which ones were most popular. It’s a good idea to keep a separate database of aesthetic patients. Track how many contacts were made with these patients and how many translated into actual procedures. Patients you’ve treated in the past for cosmetic procedures are the best ones to go to when adding new services to enhance this part of your practice.
Consider hiring a full-time consultant. A group of doctors I know hired a consultant with a sales background full time to consult with interested patients. Her conversation rate was close to 80%. Hiring the consultant freed the doctors to focus on more important things while still putting the patient in the hands of a competent person who knowledgeably discussed the options.
If you have someone to fulfill this role in your practice, then by the time of treatment the patient is educated and understands exactly how the procedure will be performed, the possible side effects, etc. You won’t need to spend extra time with the patient explaining whether the procedure will hurt, how long it will take, how long recovery time will be, and more.
Offer complementary treatments. The doctors who are most successful offer synergistic treatments. For example, they’ll offer microdermabrasion and also Botox injections. Patients will cross over. A patient undergoes one aesthetic procedure and starts to notice other areas that need “fixing.” I liken the analogy to remodeling your house. Once you fix up one room, you start to notice how the other rooms need improving.
Competition Is Growing
The fact is that there’s a whole lot of competition out there, and it’s growing. But that shouldn’t stop you from offering patients aesthetic treatment options.
Don’t hesitate to offer free treatment to a prospective patient so he or she can experience and understand how and why it works. A doctor I know paid off his $20,000 microdermabrasion system in 3 months by giving many candidates a free initial treatment. He told me that about 90% of these patients went on to schedule a series of treatments.
You need to make your patients so comfortable and well informed that they won’t consider undergoing treatments anywhere else. When offering aesthetic procedures, remember the Walt Disney rule of success: “Do what you do so well that people will want to come back and do it again and bring a friend.”
No doubt if you’ve bought a laser, you’re probably gearing up to provide some type of cosmetic procedure for your patients. But just acquiring the laser isn’t enough. Growing an out-of-pocket-pay aesthetic practice is not a build-it-and-they-will-come type of proposition.
You should run this area of your practice like a business. One doctor told me that you have to think of it almost as if you just put a Starbucks in your office. Another doctor referred to his laser hair removal service as having “a very sophisticated barber shop.”
Now, don’t get me wrong: I fully understand that many of you are turned off about the whole idea of “running a business” and that you find it distasteful. However, to be successful you don’t need to hard-sell patients. Instead, educate them in a positive manner that encourages them to want to learn more about a procedure. In other words, get them curious and enthusiastic about what you do, how you do it and why you’re the best person to do it.
Sounds simple, right? Why not? You currently educate patients on a regular basis about their medical conditions. Why not also educate them about elective procedures for which they could very well have an interest?
Some of the most successful practices I consult with do this very well in a variety of ways. Here, I’ll share some of their “secrets to success” in hopes that the information will give you some good ideas, as well.
What the Most Successful Practices Do Well
The most successful practices incorporate a front-to back-office plan. Here’s a look at what some highly successful practices do to get patients interested:
Offer targeted waiting room educational materials. Success doesn’t come by only placing some brochures in the waiting room and assuming patients will notice them. Yes, brochures are necessary, but they’re the minimum and only a small part of the educational process. I can’t tell you how many waiting rooms I’ve walked into where I know the doctor is offering a cosmetic procedure and there aren’t even brochures or other information around to inform patients about it. Don’t assume that your patients know you offer a procedure. The fact is, a patient could be sitting in your waiting room reading the newspaper and getting interest in an ad that says “1/2 off hair removal” and not even know that you offer such a procedure. Many dermatologists fall short and lose the patient to their competition because they assume that patients know they’re the expert and that they offer such procedures.
Definitely highlight the appropriate brochures in a special area of the waiting room to make sure patients know you offer hair removal, wrinkle reduction, vein treatments and more. A customized brochure is the best choice. You could include a message from yourself explaining why you’re offering the procedure, why you chose the equipment you did, and what special qualifications enable you to perform the procedure safely, etc. Of course, you’d want to emphasize to patients why your specialized background as a skin care specialist is beneficial to them when performing aesthetic procedures compared with other doctors of various specialties who are offering the same procedures.
Develop an informative video. Another effective way to get patients asking about your cosmetic services is to create your own video. Describe the services you offer, put the information on a looped tape and play it all day in the waiting room.
I was told by a group of busy dermatologists that this was the most effective thing they’d ever done for increasing their volume of cosmetic services.
In addition to brochures and a video, provide patients who are calling the with additional information. Purchase an on-hold message to educate listeners about the practice’s services.
Expand your patient history form. To help identify potential patients for aesthetic procedures and start a dialogue with them, consider adding a couple of questions to the patient history form to ask patients if they’d be interested in treating their wrinkles, leg veins, acne scars and more.
Educate your front-office staff. Your receptionist needs to convey a basic knowledge of the procedures you offer at the very least. Again, I’ve visited numerous practices where I know a doctor is offering a service, but when I question the front-office staff they know nothing about the procedure. I’ve often seen them turn around and ask other employees, “Do we perform laser hair removal?” in offices where I know the doctor does.
If they’re aware of what you offer and are aware of patients’ success stories, they’ll naturally become enthusiastic and share this with others.
Don’t assume that patients won’t want to pay out of pocket for procedures. I recall one incident that perfectly illustrates this. I was in rural Louisiana getting ready to set up a microdermabrasion system for a doctor and train his staff. As I waited in the lobby, a patient asked me what was in the box. I explained the basics of microdermabrasion, and I could see her becoming quite interested. I asked if she thought microdermabrasion might be a procedure that patients in a small town would seek.
This was her answer, “Honey, last year my husband bought a bass boat. This will be my bass boat, and I’m signing up as soon as it’s ready.” Two weeks later when I returned to the practice to see how things were going, they had about 50 patients scheduled.
I’ve often found that the same patient who complains about a $20 co-pay thinks nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on an elective aesthetic procedure.
Find out what your competition is doing. Look to see what other doctors in the area are advertising and marketing. Then, educate your staff about how your equipment and procedures are more effective, faster, safer, etc.
Consider compensating your staff for an increase in revenue. Many doctors I know take a percentage of profits each quarter and split it up among the staff (2% to 5% is typical). This will help keep them motivated and enthusiastic when talking to patients. You don’t want the staff to hard-sell patients but rather inform and encourage them. Usually, the front-office staff will pique patients’ interests and then refer the patient to the appropriate person in the practice who will further educate patients. Consider writing a script for that person to follow when answering questions over the phone.
Meet with your staff monthly. Find out what kinds of questions patients are asking and how the staff is responding to them. Role play these questions with the staff, if necessary, to make them feel more comfortable.
Keep track of your aesthetic patients. Most successful doctors keep track of how many procedures were performed and which ones were most popular. It’s a good idea to keep a separate database of aesthetic patients. Track how many contacts were made with these patients and how many translated into actual procedures. Patients you’ve treated in the past for cosmetic procedures are the best ones to go to when adding new services to enhance this part of your practice.
Consider hiring a full-time consultant. A group of doctors I know hired a consultant with a sales background full time to consult with interested patients. Her conversation rate was close to 80%. Hiring the consultant freed the doctors to focus on more important things while still putting the patient in the hands of a competent person who knowledgeably discussed the options.
If you have someone to fulfill this role in your practice, then by the time of treatment the patient is educated and understands exactly how the procedure will be performed, the possible side effects, etc. You won’t need to spend extra time with the patient explaining whether the procedure will hurt, how long it will take, how long recovery time will be, and more.
Offer complementary treatments. The doctors who are most successful offer synergistic treatments. For example, they’ll offer microdermabrasion and also Botox injections. Patients will cross over. A patient undergoes one aesthetic procedure and starts to notice other areas that need “fixing.” I liken the analogy to remodeling your house. Once you fix up one room, you start to notice how the other rooms need improving.
Competition Is Growing
The fact is that there’s a whole lot of competition out there, and it’s growing. But that shouldn’t stop you from offering patients aesthetic treatment options.
Don’t hesitate to offer free treatment to a prospective patient so he or she can experience and understand how and why it works. A doctor I know paid off his $20,000 microdermabrasion system in 3 months by giving many candidates a free initial treatment. He told me that about 90% of these patients went on to schedule a series of treatments.
You need to make your patients so comfortable and well informed that they won’t consider undergoing treatments anywhere else. When offering aesthetic procedures, remember the Walt Disney rule of success: “Do what you do so well that people will want to come back and do it again and bring a friend.”
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