How to make your medical spa impossible to compete with.

The world is changing rapidly — you might have heard to all of the A.I. tools like ChatGPT, Bard and the rest… and what used to work for cosmetic clinics and providers in the past is no longer enough to compete in today's market.

There’s been a 63x increase in telemedicine since 2020 (Yep. Covid.) [1]. Additionally, a whopping 71% of all in-person clinical visits can now be done remotely [1]. Patient expectations have shifted too. The result is that 81% of existing patients are open to switching providers at any time[1]. Patient churn, redundant and inefficient practices, and lost revenue opportunities are killing your growth, and your practice.

With increased competition, evolving patient expectations, and the need for a unique value proposition, it's crucial to find you unfair advantage and put it to work — you need to be impossible for others to compete with.

Just because you’re unaware of the losses doesn’t make them any less real. Remember this; you can’t just be good — you have to be better than everyone else. Patients have access to everyone and all the information they need, and they will move to whomever they feel best fits them.

Finding Your Unfair Advantage

In this new healthcare landscape, there will inevitably be winners and losers. To ensure that your clinic is among the winners, you need to find your unfair advantage and learn to compete in ways that other’s can’t simply copy, and they’re working hard too. Think of it as ‘asymmetrical competition’ — the ability to redefine the playing field and the rules of the game.

Hint: It’s not going to be your IPL or laser or the lemon water or any of the bullshit that you hear from the sales reps about how they’re going to put you on their vendor website.

But you have a real problem…. you’re not actually much different.

If you’re like most providers, you’re kidding yourself. A massive 84% of clinicians believe they deliver superior patient care and experience, but only 8% of their patients agree.

While it’s most likely that your current patient care and experiences are lockstep with what they can get down the street. Your staff is similar, your offerings are largely the same, and your pricing too. The fact that you’ve got a different RF device or were the first to perform ‘whatever-treatment-you-want-to-insert-here’ for longer than your competitors is irrelevant.

Guess what; nobody cares. That’s just more marketing b.s. and you should not delude yourself based on hopeful thinking.

What does a real competitive advantage look like?

Success in this new world isn’t easy. It requires a combination of factors; exceptional patient experiences, streamlined operations, and new business models. All of these are massive opportunities for those who are smart enough to adapt and use them — especially since most clinics will be too slow to make the needed changes.

There are new technologies that provide a clear path to market dominance.

• Patient experience: Creating and automating exceptional and personalized patient experiences that go far beyond current tools to build strong patient relationships, and real loyalty.

• Productivity: Automating redundant tasks, personalize patient experiences, and build strong relationships with their patients.

• New business models: Creating new ‘hybrid’ business models that provide recurring revenue and subscriptions as well as your current services model.

There are technologies you can use do do all of these things.

Imagine your clinic where your staffs productivity is increased by 4x, and you’re increasing high-touch patient interactions by 260% (without any additional time)[3], and you’re generating recurring revenue from subscriptions (since we’re now in a subscription economy).

In this future, your clinic is more efficient, patient-focused, and ultimately, more successful.

You can’t just work harder, or do this by yourself.

Several obstacles stand in the way of achieving this vision of success for your clinic. In the past, you’ve just worked longer hours and hired more bodies, but those strategies have had diminishing returns for a while. It’s no longer a workable solutions, especially in competitive markets. This focus on manual work and care delivery forces multiple problems into your clinic:

• Time-consuming, manual tasks that prevent healthcare providers from focusing on patient care.

• Difficulty in personalizing patient experiences and building strong relationships.

• Inefficient workflows and processes that hinder overall clinic productivity.

To overcome these obstacles, you need tools that offer:

• Intelligent automation to streamline administrative tasks and optimize workflows.

• Personalization capabilities to create tailored patient experiences and foster trust.

• Advanced technology solutions, such as behavioral AI, to automate patient interactions and improve care.

Here’s what market domination actually looks like.

The reality is that dominating a market requires that you’re doing things that others can’t match. If you have unlimited funds you can simply outspend the competition and suck up all the oxygen. (When I was running clinics my average spend per clinic was $40,000 per month.)

The better way is to build a much better patient experience, but you can’t do that with your current tools or by adding aromatherapy or whatever. You actually have to deliver value that no one else can match.

Fortunately, the newest healthcare technologies that have been developed for the enterprise and clinical trials that are now available.

The best of these is Storyline.

Clinics that have adopted Storyline have experienced a 4x increase in team productivity, a 260% increase in patient interactions without additional provider burden, and a 17% increase in total revenue [3]. And 96% of patients would recommend Storyline to their primary care physician, and give it 4.9 stars.

The landscape has changed, and clinics must adapt to compete effectively. By finding your unfair advantage - which is probably going to be tech - you can build a market dominating clinic.

References

Telemedicine's growth and potential:
"Telehealth: A Quarter-Trillion-Dollar Post-COVID-19 Reality?”
Description: This article discusses the rapid growth of telemedicine and its potential to become a significant part of healthcare services post-COVID-19.
URL: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dollar-post-covid-19-reality

The changing landscape of patient expectations:
"The Healthcare Consumer of the Future: How Patient Expectations Are Changing"Description: This article outlines the evolving expectations of healthcare consumers and the factors driving these changes.URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshealth/2021/06/29/the-healthcare-consumer-of-the-future-how-patient-expectations-are-changing/?sh=1d4e40d07351

The importance of patient-centered care and relationships"The Importance of the Patient-Provider Relationship in the Digital Age"Description: This article highlights the significance of patient-provider relationships in delivering high-quality care and the role technology can play in strengthening these connections.
URL: https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.17.0556

Clinician workload and the impact on patient care:
"Physician Burnout, Interrupted"
Description: This paper discusses the issue of physician burnout, its consequences on patient care, and potential solutions to address the problem.
URL: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2003149

How To Make More Money With Fewer Patients

If you want to make more money with less patients, then this is for you...

Most clinics are missing out on massive profits because they operate on an "Á La Carte" basis. 

They're primarily selling one-off treatments, when they could be selling full treatment packages and continuity programs that deliver the best results while making them the most money....

... Of course everyone wants to sell more complete packages and get pre-payment for them, but getting patients to understand the value of combination treatment can seem like an uphill battle. 

I get it!

I struggled selling treatments Á La Carte for years. Patients are usually interested in only ONE treatment (because that's all they've had heard of) and think that’s what they need to get great results.... 

I actually thought I was doing them a favor by not "bugging them" with other options and simply gave them what they want. 

Boy, was I wrong...

The thing is, what patients want, and what they need are often completely different things! 

The challenge is getting patients to want what they need. 

One of the most effective ways to overcome this hurdle is through the art of Cosmetic Ju-Jutsu. 

Allow me to explain... 

Let’s first establish what the word “Ju-Jutsu” means: 

""Jū" can be translated to mean "gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding". "Jutsu" can be translated to mean "art" or "technique" and represents manipulating the opponent's force against themselves rather than confronting it with one's own force.” (taken from Wikipedia)

Ju-Jutsu is widely considered one of the most effective martial arts because it doesn’t rely on brute strength, and instead leverages the opponents existingforces in your favour. 

Cosmetic Ju-Jutsu works just the same... the only difference is that you're using your opponent's (the patient’s) own force to help them, not harm them. 

You see, behind every patient who comes into your clinic is a certain force, or intent, that has motivated them to take action...

It’s your job as a treatment provider to redirect this force in the most efficient manner possible in order to lead them to the best possible outcome....

For me, I always want to schedule in new patients for a paid, one hour skin analysis and consultation where I can educate them and present a complete treatment package.

Here’s an example of how I do this: 

Recently I had a 60 year old lady come in because her friend who was in my office looked great. This lady wanted filler because that’s what her friend had, not knowing the full details of her friend's complete treatment program.

In the past I would simply say this:

“Oh, you need about 3 syringes of filler in your cheeks and marionette lines, let's go ahead and book that. We can even do it today if you want.” 

This would have resulted in a quick $1800 sale for 3 syringes. Instant gratification for her and a quick sale for me, but a lost opportunity to make a bigger sale and get a better outcome.

Here’s what I say now: 

“You’re right - you absolutely need filler, and I could even get you booked in right now, but I’d be doing you a disservice because you’d be missing out on much better results....

The best thing to do here is to schedule a full hour where we can sit down and really go over your skin in detail. I have a special camera that show's you the 8 different skin aging factors, and we can also talk about all the exciting treatment technologies available to make you look your absolute best. 

By the end, you’ll be an expert on taking care of your skin and if you’re open to it, we can even put together a special treatment program customized just for you. 

The cost of this appointment is $95 right now, but we’ll turn that investment into a $100 certificate that you can put towards treatment. The only reason I charge $95 is it means you’ll actually show up. Does that seem fair?”

Patients usually laugh at the last part because they appreciate the honesty of why I’m charging for the appointment, and then about 80% agree to move forward. 

Not surprisingly, instead of purchasing 3 syringes of filler, this lady ended up purchasing a complete package that included 4 syringes of filler, Botox for her forehead lines, a series of 3 BBL treatments and a home care package.

This same scenario plays itself out on a daily basis and it’s transformed my practice. 

Whenever I see a new patient, I’m always thinking, "how can I get this patient to see the value of a paid, one hour consult? How can I get them to prepay for this appointment and make it seem like it was their idea?”

It’s important to never correct or disagree with the patient because that would be confronting them with your own force instead of redirecting theirs.

If you ever make a patient feel stupid, misinformed, or pressured, their guard will go up and you will lose.

This is the art of Cosmetic Ju-Jutsu. It takes practice because it requires the ability to read the patient and adjust your approach accordingly, but it’s absolutely worth the effort of learning.

So next time you’re tempted to blame your marketplace for not “getting it”, consider this strategy and see if you can get more patients to see the light. 

- Peter Ursel MD

How To Use Your Patients To Grow Your Medical Practice

The best marketing for your clinic is when your patients do it for you.

Word of mouth takes many forms, but it's increasingly being handled online through social networks and search engines. Patients are now researching you online before they call. They look at your reviews. They run searches with your name and "complaints", "malpractice", "lawsuits", "reviews". If you're going to compete, you have to be in the game.

To do that, you're going to need the right tools, which I'm going to show you, but you have to be convinced that they're important to buy and use or you'll just stay with what you know, so I'm going to dive in to why you need them first.

You've got a marketing problem that you didn't have before.

It wasn't long ago when you just needed to be found, and ranking high in searches drove traffic and filled your treatment rooms.

No longer.

Consumers of all types have subtly changed their decision behaviors online and are weighing buying cues much differently than just two years ago. Reviews are seen by prospects as increasingly important in their buying decisions.

That changes the playing field. (Don't believe me? Just keep reading.)

When asked, 90% of people read reviews before visiting a local business. 85% of those people relate that they trust those online reviews as much as they would a family member or trusted friend.

But it goes beyond simply making the first call to your front desk. Consumers spend 31% more money with businesses that have higher reviews than their competitors. It has nothing to do with price, the quality of service, or other metrics. It's the perception in the consumers mind that higher rated businesses are more trustworthy than those with few or negative reviews. There's a simple reason for that I'm sure you're aware of; a review is how the consumer 'felt' about the business after everything else was taken in to consideration; price, value, responsiveness... The star matrix is really a metric of satisfaction at the end result.

Just today I was looking to arrange three business lunches in the coming week. In every case it was the number of reviews and the star totals that made the decision for me.

Here was my thinking:

• Few reviews? It's too risky; there are safer choices.
• Lower star rating? Patrons weren't satisfied. Who want's to eat there?
• Negative reviews by themselves? Tricky... some people are jerks so an occasional bad review is unavoidable, but it's too risky. I'll go somewhere else.
• Negative reviews with responses? A few negatives is okay. I can trust the positive reviews more and - especially if the business has responded to the reviews - I think they take their reputation seriously. It makes me more confident that they don't want negative reviews and they work harder than others to avoid them.
• Lot's of reviews (even a few negatives) and a 4+ star rating? That's the place.

And the above is especially true for your clinic.

Think about what you would do if you were deciding between two clinics – both with 4 stars – where one clinic has 5 reviews and the other has 25.

You'll choose the one with 25 every time, and that's costing you patients if you're the clinic with only 5.
 

Do reviews really drive new patients?

Here are the results of a survey we sent out to members showing the importance and value of enlisting patients in your growth strategy. The recipients were selected from a cross-section of members to try and hit all types of clinics; dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medical spas and cosmetic clinics.

Question: What is your most effective marketing?

Yep. Number 1 and 2 - word of mouth referrals and internet searches - both fit squarely around your online patient reviews. Everything else is a very distant third.

Reviews are a primary traffic driver and trust builder:

• Reviews are free. Advertising that is completely free of cost is a rare commodity. Reviews let your patients build links to your site and drive new traffic.
• They're authentic: New prospects want to know what your existing patients think of you. Reviews let them communicate that in an authentic voice that prospects relate to.
• They build trust: 92% of Americans trust word-of-mouth more than any other form of marketing – even if they don't personally know the person... and online reviews are more trustworthy than testimonials on your site that you have complete control over.
• Improves your search rankings: Google ranks websites according to their perceived authority and their ability to provide valuable content. Customer reviews can help tell search engines that your brand is established, and when more people online are discussing your firm, Google will rank your site higher in search engine results. It also helps to add links to customer reviews on your site, because Google rewards sites that contain links to other authoritative websites.
• Lowers your bounce rate: Customer reviews help your business stand out and make visitors to your website more interested in your product or service because of the value others have had. The impact on your site’s bounce rate can be meaningful and can help to trigger higher rankings as bounce rate is arguably one of the ranking factors involved in search results.
• Previews your star ranking: Many sites that feature star rating systems will show a preview when someone does a search for your brand. This means that a person will not need to click on their page to see that your company was rated favorably, as the star level and the first few sentences will show up on the search results page. Google will sort search engine results based on the number of reviews received, giving you an advantage and an SEO boost. Your good reputation will then precede you, increasing the likelihood that a person will click through and choose you above your competitors.

Reviews are interesting in another way as well; they tell you what's important to your patients and they identify weak spots in your systems that you can address.
 

Do reviews really increase your revenue?

From the same survey, we also asked clinics how much revenue  each new patient added in just the first month. The lifetime value of each patient is dependent upon the clinic type (nonsurgical / surgical) but can be expected to be a multiple of this number.

Question: How much is a new patient worth to your clinic in the first month?

It's interesting that there's a gap here in the middle, but once I thought about it it made a lot of sense; the clinics we surveyed were fairly well divided between "medical" and "spas"... So if you're a cosmetic medical practice you're far more likely to be on the right of this graph with each new patient spending North of $2000 the first month.

Question: How many new patients does your typical client refer each year?

Okay, this is were we start to see some hope of shifting the results here to the right if you're getting on board with patient reviews and those reviews are working for you. If you're able to shift that 3 patients a year to just 4, that would equate with roughly a 20% greater delta in your yearly growth and a corresponding increase in revenue and profits. Just a small increase in the coefficient can have a dramatic effect in the end result over time.

That's what we're looking to try and do.
 

What should I do?

The short answer to "what should I do?" is - Do something. Anything. But don't do nothing.

How much less is your clinic worth to someone who wants to buy it if your reviews are negative? How much harder is it to recruit staff? How many patients are you losing that you don't know about.? Simply put, your online reviews are your brand, and an indication of patient trust and satisfaction. Reviews are what people are saying about you to others (which is what your brand is), and you can't just ignore your brand and reputation if you want to have a successful clinic or valuable asset. 

You have 3 options; you can ignore it, you can do it manually, or you can do it automatically.
 

Option 1 - Ignore my online reviews

You can't ignore it... Well, actually I guess you can. After all this is what most clinics do. They bitch and moan about someone leaving a negative review since they know it hurts their reputation, but they take no proactive actions to increase or control those reviews.)They simply float along with the status quo and hope nothing happens.

Here's what ignoring it means:

• Your competition may not ignore it, which means that they're either taking your existing market share, or they're putting you further behind while you're not even showing up to compete.
• You're reputation is uninsured: Something really damaging can happen which you won't be able to respond to.
• You're missing out on every new patient that might have been brought in. You're missing sales, word of mouth, and compounding growth. This is really where you're killing yourself long term.

Pros & Cons: The only pro to this is that it's free, but the cons are legion. If you're ignoring your reputation and new business you're damaging your clinic. Go stub your toe in penance.
 

Option 2 - Do it manaully

Yes, you can do this manually but don't be fooled that it's not a lot of work. It is, but up until now this was the best way that you could address this need and what most clinics have tried to do in some form.

Here's a simple framework of what you should be doing right now at your front desk.

• Implement operational systems at your front desk check out procedure that is followed for every single patient. (See the Ultimate Clinic Operations Blueprint)
• Every happy patient should be asked to please leave a testimonial or review on their Facebook page or on your Google Business Listing. You should ask if they would be willing to use their phone to do it right now. (You may want to add a small discount or free product gift if they're willing to do this.)
• You should contact Tea & Muffins Design to have some postcards made where patients can fill out a testimonial right there that you can use.
• You should send an email or postcard reminder soon after each appointment. (You'll want to keep track of who has already left reviews or you'll irritate your happy patients with redundant emails.)
• You should set up a number of Google Alerts to try and monitor when reviews go up so that you can respond to them.

Pros & Cons: We'll, at least you're doing something but this is time intensive and a real pain in the ass to try and manage after the first week. The opportunity cost is huge in the time invested and the "just-one-more-thing-to-try-and-manage" costs.

And there's another problem with this. Even if you're proactive and constantly ask your patients to leave reviews, they don't. 

Have you ever left a review? You have to be really motivated and it's much easier just to do nothing once you're out of the clinic.

But where there's a problem there's also an opportunity.
 

Option 2 - Do it automatically

To be an automated solution you need to have software that is both drop-dead simple to use, and gives you complete control on both Facebook and Google.

It also needs to be easy to incorporate it in to your operations, and use easy workflows; texting review requests, reputation management, notifications, tracking, permissions, and even additional patient interactions.

Here's what this software should do:

• Needs to be really simple to use: No more than entering a name and phone number. Needs to be used during check-out when patients are most willing to leave you a positive review AND any time thereafter.
• Needs to be simple for the patient. Needs to work via simple text message, not an app or download.
• Needs automatic monitoring of my reviews: I want to be notified of every review and be able to respond  in one place, not login to every review site.
• Needs accounts for each team member: I want track everyone inside the system, and their reviews.
• Send external texts: I want to be able to send text messages to my patients as followup, reminders, or just to inform them about an offer we have coming up.
• Let's patients and prospects text me: I want prospects to be able to text me directly from my Google review page or Facebook.
• Simple... Did I say that already?

Since we're aware that this is a growing need for our Members we took a look at the front-runners in this space. Here are 3 of the top business review software providers to take a look at with their user satisfaction ratings supplied by G2 Crowd.
 

Highest Rated Reputation & Review Management Software

Highest Rated Ease Of Use Reputation & Review Management Software

Ratings from G2 Crowd

As shown above, Podium is the clear winner among business review management software providers both in total user satisfaction and usability - which is critical.

so we contacted Podium and asked them to help us provide their software at a discount for our Members (you).

They agreed.

So, Podium partnered with Medical Spa MD to provide a special offer exclusively to our members which includes both a full Podium account, discounted fees, and special training for your staff in our Training Academy.

Here's a quick video I made to show you how simple it is to send a review request to your patient while they're checking out!

This is exactly how your front desk staff would use Podium when a patient is checking out, or your staff would use it from their cell phone right in the treatment room.

"Hey, would you mind me texting you a review request to give us some feedback?"

Damn that is nice!
 

Here's Podium explaining more about their software.

And about their messaging feature which allows patients who see you online to text you questions, a much easier action to take than calling and talking to someone.

Because reviews are increasingly critical for every business there are startups that are building solutions to fill the need - including using patient reviews to fill your appointment calendar, increase patient satisfaction and compound your patient referrals and word of mouth marketing.  

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Get this special offer from Podium 

Medical Spa MD Members receive a special, full service Podium account that includes: no setup fee (save $300), a 10% discount forever (save $330/year) and on-demand patient review marketing training for your entire staff ($597 value). 

This offer is not available anywhere else

How To Write (Or Fix) A Killer About Page For Your Medical Spa

What's the most important and useful page on your medical spas website? It's your about page. Your "about page" is where new patients learn why they should choose you, stick with you, and what's in it for them.

After your homepage - which is where you're trying to drive all of your traffic too and so the number are skewed - your "About" page is going to be the most visited page on your site.

People want to know who you are, what you look like, why they should trust you over your competitors, and if they should trust you with their face and body. 

Crafting Your About Page

Crafting a grade A About Page requires more than just a location, your office hours and a paragraph on how you're great. While it's not easy writing about yourself, I'm going to walk you through, step-by-step, how to squeeze the most benefit from this critical page.

1. What Value Do You Give Your Patients

This one is a biggie, which is why we're starting with it. Your About Page should be ALL about the value you provide to your patients - NOT all about how great you are. Don't squander the chance to answer the questions that your perspective patients are looking for. Yes, patients want to learn about you and your team and we'll get in to that, but the most important thing they're looking for is how YOU are going to help THEM. That's what they're going to make their buying decisions on and that's why you have a website in the first place.

2. Who Is Your Clinic For? Who Is Your Target Patient?

Who is your most profitable patient? What is your most profitable treatment? Which treatment attracts the most new patients? These are the questions you'll want to start with. Don't fall in to the trap of trying to be everything to everyone. (The cliche holds true in cosmetic medicine as it does elsewhere.) Find a a patient who is right in your sweet spot and write directly to her. Why should this patient choose you?

On the Medical Spa MD page you'll see that right up front we're speaking to clinicians who are looking for info on the business of nonsurgical cosmetic medicine. Those 3 items; nonsurgical, cosmetic, and medical providers are how we filter and segment who we're talking to. It doesn't matter where you are in the world or if you're a MD, DO, PA, NP, RN, if you're a clinician we can help you. We don't cover lotions and potions, we don't talk to patients, and we don't tuck in to invasive surgical techniques.

It's all intentional. Why? Because when the right people visit your About Page you want them to immediately recognize themselves. You want them  to know that the site was created for THEM. Anything that detracts from that central point should be included only with great hesitancy. You're looking to connect to the right people, not all of the people.

3. How You're Going To Benefit Them

Ok, you've written a few sentences geared towards your ideal audience. Now what? Most sites you'll see will begin by talking all about themselves; what medical school they graduated from, how committed to patient care they are... There is a place for a little of that but it's not the main course (it's more like the mint at the end of the meal.)

Key takeaway coming here: Patients want to know about you because of how it may relate to them!

Some ways to think about your About Page.

1. Tell a story: When you have a great story about how your clinic or medspa was built to change lives (even if they're your own), share it. Good stories humanize you and provide context and meaning to your services. Even better, good stories are 'sticky', meaning that your patients are more likely to remember them and pass them on as part of their story about your brand.
2. Be human: Most medical spas, plastic surgeons and dermatologists have pages that scream stuffy and formal. Physicians were taught to control the situation after all and formality and hierarchy provide easy to see guard rails that keep everyone in their place. I'm the expert. you're the patient. You're lucky to be seen and treated by someone as magnificent as I. Patients hate that. My advice is to step off your pedestal and use your About Page to tell the human story of you, whatever that is. Don't be afraid to pull out a misstep or mistake (as long as it's not a negative treatment outcome) like switching majors in college or making a difficult life choice. People want to be treated by other humans, not gods.
3. Skip the medical babble: Please don't use medical jargon. You may think it makes you sound super-smart to use "neuromodulators", but it really just makes your patients think you're talking down to them. People want and appreciate straight talk and clarity. Just be authentic.
4. Be unique and visually interesting: Instead of following the classic script of writing a few paragraphs about your 'mission', try something that makes it more interesting and compelling. Everyone has some photos of their blank waiting and treatment rooms. Make something interesting that demands attention and that people will remark on. Boring = death. Don't do what everyone else is doing.

Here are some example About Pages that I've included for you to take a look at. I've purposefully excluded any medical spas or clinics since much more can be learned by looking at the best About Pages rather than just those from existing practices.

Great Example About Page Examples

If you have any other suggestions from sites that I have missed please leave a comment and let me know. Even more importantly, if you don’t like one of these pages I would love to hear why not. Oh, and these are in no particular order. I just couldn’t do it.

TUMBLR - A great about page that has credibility oozing out all over the place in an interesting package. It's clever and communicates very clearly with human copy

Bentley Motors - Bentley's About Us page does an excellent job of creating that magical and illustrious vibe. They use rich professional photographs and enticing copy. The whole point of this About Us page is to get you to feel part of the experience. To draw you in to their way of thinking and acting which is, in fact, their marketing plan and branding.

Eight Hour Day - Here'a creative studio with an awesomely human about page that tells the story of the people behind the brand. They use some straightforward copy and photos that make you feel like these are people who know what they're doing and that you'd really like to work with. Hey... that's the point.

Harry's - Yep, the razor guys. They don't even call this the about page. It's "Our Story". It's clean, there's plenty of white space, it has purpose and it's well designed.

Hello Alfred - A services platform for residential buildings, Hello Alfred's about page puts the founding story front and center and tells the "why" of their business, not just the 'what'.

The Saddleback Story - Leather travel bags hand made in Mexico. Another "here's how it happened" story about page that really checks all of the boxes. It's human, compelling and relates some really interesting stories that elevate their products from expensive leather bags to a complete lifestyle.

Ok, so there are some great About Pages out there to learn from.

Take a look at your existing About Page - if you have one - and just start making it better. Change out the photo. Write some better copy. Add some white space. Your About Page is going to be the most visited page on your site. Make it great.

If you'd like us to take a look at your site's about page and provide some feedback, just contact us.

Drive New Patients With Social Media

Everyone is on mobile, if you are not online then you're missing out.  But if you are, kudos to you and keep up the good digital work. As time passes, you may need to step up your game. Thus, improve your chances of patient visits by upgrading your current digital marketing strategies in the practice. 

Social media is omnipresent, that anyone who has access to the internet can have a social media account ready. Businesses use the opportunity to go on social networking sites, to gather more consumers and study their competition. Even if competition is evident, you can make social media a companion in your business. One of the many things social media introduced is the ability to go Live. This feature allows you to do as it suggests. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has rolled out this new detail, and users (whether for personal or business purposes) have taken advantage of this feature. Going Live means you can present yourself or your practice to patients. Give them a glimpse of what your typical day is, which could make you look transparent.

Aside from investing on social media, blogging is also a great way to reach out to patients. It may be a tedious task as you may need to fill up one post with around 200 words at the minimum. Here's the thing, blogging gives you a voice. Many consumers are able to find new products through blogs. If you write about your work or your interests, people are bound to find you. Keywords will be your friend here, but use it with caution. Market your services with blogging, share your thoughts about any issue, and put your name out there.

If you are looking into reaching out with your customers, you and your practice staff can set-up an online community via groups, in lieu of an email marketing campaign that may cost you. Some examples of online communities are: Google+, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups. Encourage them to join the online community, whether it is in Facebook or LinkedIn. Of course, there should be boundaries set, and have patients engage with you and reach you for any concern. You could promote services and should avoid any spamming.

This year, you should remember these tips and keep them if they work for you. If your practice isn't on social networking sites, you could be losing revenue and patients, so sign up real soon and be part of the competitive market.

Four Ways To Motivate Your Staff

One of the best ways to prevent turnover and reduce the incidence of angry employees is through constant motivation.

While it's easy to say, "Go team!" everyday, it's not exactly motivational if you deadpan. Like any other business, staff is subject to prolonged work hours or monotonous activities which could be daunting to them. Staff motivation takes time like with trust and respect, which are both built. Here are four ways you can motivate your staff in your practice or clinic.

Create an encouraging and positive environment. This is important, because no staff would like to stay in a toxic environment and an overly-demanding and no-good boss. Constant encouragement and a good attitude will put your staff in high spirits. Whenever someone accomplishes a task, thank them and compliment them. Whenever someone makes a mistake, remind them it happens, offer any help if necessary, and still thank them for their work.

Treat them. To what? You ask. Staff dinner is a good example. Monthly bonuses are another option as well. So long as you set boundaries and it follows ethics and guidelines. Treating them occasionally would show how you appreciate their efforts and repaying them for their hard work.

Provide training. As a physician, it may be difficult to manage staff with all the procedures and appointments you are scheduled to perform and do. Thus, it is necessary to delegate procedures or therapies to your physician assistant, nurse practitioners, or aestheticians. Your employees would be thrilled if you provide them training for new devices or for management. This allows them to learn and expand their knowledge.

Remember to communicate. With everything, effective communication is key. In this situation, you can talk about any concerns within the team and resolving any issues that could hinder work. With this method, you are promoting transparency. You could schedule meetings on your free time with your staff, to talk about everything in the practice. Make certain that you regularly discuss with your staff.

There you have it! Motivating staff could boost employee morale. Motivation doesn't just happen overnight, it is a process, which could translate into a positive workplace.

Optimizing Your Clinics Email Marketing

Email marketing is a good way for businesses to engage both potential and existing customers. In 2015, email users are nearly around 2.6 billion and this is expected to exponentially increase to over 2.9 billion in the year 2019.

Emails are very useful in the business world and as well as consumers - mainly due to its use for notification consisting of online sales.

Further, survey says that 91% of consumers check their email at least daily and 55% of companies surveyed say they generate more than 10% of sales from email.

Data from the Direct Marketing Association reveal that 66% of online consumers made transactions out of an email marketing message.

Email marketing allows you to be efficient. You can save a lot of your precious time after optimizing your autoresponder sequence or your sales funnel. Automation takes over and does most of the work for you.

But first, you have to plan about the results you want to achieve when hatching plans to grow your list. Map out how email marketing can be incorporated in your overall marketing scheme.

So, how do you improve your patient interaction through email marketing?

Start with what you write as a keyword in your subject line. A study shows that those with keywords confirm, features, upgrade, magic and raffle are likely to be reported as spam so it is best to avoid them unless you were able to built up a list that really trusts you and your brand.

Make a great first impression on your new subscriber through the welcome email or the autoresponder sequence.

When do you send them?

Try sending them on days other than Tuesday and Thursday and email your customers between the hours of 2 PM and 5 PM.

MailChimp’s Email Genome Project reveals that more mails are sent on Tuesday and Thursday than any other day of the week so you might want to test sending emails on other days so you will have less competition. This will pave the way for increased inbox space and click through rates.

People are more likely to open their email between 2 PM to 5 PM, regardless of time zone, according to the Email Genome Project.

Where do you link your email?

Try sending your email traffic to a dedicated landing page because this is usually the one that has a higher conversion rate. Also, you might want to include social share buttons in your emails as this can also generate higher click through rates.

Got other email marketing advices? Share them by posting your comments below. =)

Success Factors You Should Consider in Your Practice

It is important to review also the factors in reaching success in the practice. Many researchers point out that it is crucial that physicians should know what measures success in the practice. Obviously, there are different elements to becoming successful for every physician, but this article aims to give you a brief idea how some activities could help target success.

Simple ways in reaching practice success:

• Consider your patients’ wants

• Keep your networking strategy

• Stay active on social media and websites

• Update your systems regularly

• Motivate staff and develop better customer service

Consider your patients’ wants

Many experts claim you should consider your patient’s wants. It means you’re willing to listen to your patients… of course, eventually it boils down if you want to offer that certain procedure.

Ask yourself what other treatments and procedures you can still offer. It does not necessarily mean you will do all procedures (although many suggest a physician carry out the procedure themselves); a physician can still endorse other treatments to staff, if they are well equipped and trained for the procedure.

Keep networking

Welcome new physicians in the area. Connect with old physicians you networked with in the past. Continue a good working relationship with the present doctors. You mutually help each other through referrals, and it would help grow your network, and give your practice a boost when doctors refer you.

Stay active online

While social media won’t be your strong suit, you don’t need to depend on it too much. There are other websites where you could share your expertise and connect with other doctors and patients such as LinkedIn or Zwivel.

If you do have a social media account, make sure it’s not fully promotional or marketing. Make sure you balance it out with something personal (you don’t need to divulge all about your personal life) or about the practice itself.

Update your systems and technology in the practice

To avoid any blunders, always ensure you keep everything in check. From your lasers to any software, make sure they’re always running and updated.

Motivate staff

Staff is crucial to the practice; through their help, you were able to acquire patients. You could check out our previous post here about how you can motivate staff: http://medicalspamd.com/the-blog/2016/2/2/four-ways-to-motivate-your-staff.html

Success isn’t exclusively measured by the number of your patients. You’ll continuously need to work together with your staff in the team to achieve your goals as a practice.

Cosmetic Medicine = Patient Complaints

In 2010, a Customer Experience Report showed that poor quality and rude customer service is the main reason why a customer leaves a businss. I'ts the same deal for your clinic. It is not about price, instead it all boils down to proper customer service.

Everyone's who's worked in any cosmetic practice has dealt with the overly-demanding, never happy patient, many of whom are particularly hard and abusive of your staff. The way you deal with these patients can have a pretty dramatic effect on how many headaches you have to deal with, and how productive your team is. (You'll also lighten the potential downside of any potential medical liabilities since patients who like their physicians are much less likely to sue.)

Here are some tips in dealing with irate patients and complaints in general:

Compose yourself. As Forbes puts it, Remember, the customer is not angry with you, they are displeased with the performance of your treatment or (most commonly) the quality of the service you provide. Your personal feelings are beside the point.Think about the situation positively.

Listen well. Give your complete focus to your customer, and make sure they know it. Allow your client to tell her side of the story. Do not interrupt her while he narrates his side of the story. Be an active listener.

Be emphatic. Your body language should communicate that you understand why your patient is upset. Empathize with her. Respect and understanding go a long way toward smoothing things over.

Apologize. The legitimacy of the customer's complaint does not matter. If you want to keep your patient and difuse the situation,  you will need to apologize for the problem that they have or perceive to be having. A simple and straightforward "I'm sorry" can do miracles in diffusing a customer's emotional rant.

Present a Solution. When you have the solution to the client's problem, tell her that you would correct the situation immediately. If you can't take care of it immediately, ask for your patients opinion on how she wants to address the situation. Allow her to identify what will make her happy. Work a solution together. Explain the steps that you are going to do to fix your patient's problem.

Take Action. It is important that you do what you have promised your client. This is crucial in fixing your relationship with unhappy patients. 

You can always go beyond expectations. You may also give out gift certificates or coupons to "compensate" for your client's inconvenience. You can make a follow-up call a few days later to your client to make sure that she is happy with the resolution.

Of course, experience is the best teacher. Every encounter with a client is a unique one but every experience is a great chance to improve your relationship.

Each complaint is an insight for you to improve your business better. Proper resolution of complaints will surely increase client loyalty.

Read more on:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2013/08/02/7-steps-for-dealing-with-angry-customers/

http://www.restaurantdoctor.com/articles/complaint.html#ixzz3YqYaWMQZ

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/unhappy-customers.htm

5 Ways To Turn Negative Reviews Of Your Medical Spa Around

If you're a dermatologist, plastic surgeon or medspa you've probably and you've been in business for a while, you've probably had some comments or reviews posted about you online that are less than flattering.

Cosmetic medicine seems to suffer from 'perfection expectations' more than other practices and with the advent of the internet and patients increasingly savvy use of it, it's easy for a less than perfect outcome or lapse in customer service to become a public event that's driving away new patients and tarnishing your online reputation. 

It's important to remember that even when 20% of all medical spa reviews are fake, that these are actually opportunities that you can use to both expand your reach and come across as a real person (which can actually help you considerably), but before you start penning a groveling apology let's take a look at how we can do some comment-judo and see if we can't turn these hurtful words to our advantage.

Here are 7 things that you can do turn around negative reviews of your clinic or medspa.

1. If the criticism has merit, apologize fast and accept responsibility.

We've all dropped the ball in some way. The more 'real person' and human you seem the more forgiving others are. Respond quickly and mean it, then outline what you're going to do to fix it now and in the future. Getting this right will position you as a clinician who cares rather than a defensive and patronizing jerk.

Had to wait too long to see someone? Wouldn't match the other local medspa's pricing? Couldn't use a Groupon after the expiration date? Admitting a negative has a strong psychological association with the truth, and you can use a small admission to actually increase your trustworthiness. Just be sure to do it fast, completely, and without that hint of sarcasm or patronizing tone that can often creep in.

2: Use it as real feedback and an opportunity to improve.

The worst reviews are the middling reviews of three thats that don't illicit enough emoitional response to even let you know where you're falling short. At least a one star review and an outpouring of profanity lets you know that you have a real problem that you can address rather than a festering wound that goes unnoticed but is continually costing you patients and damaging your reputation. So, if you get lampooned, take it as an opportunity to track down the real issue.

From Shmula: Henry David Thoreau said “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil for every one striking at the root.”  His statement was a commentary on the human condition but, I believe, describes quite well the state of most companies: companies launch initiatives that don’t actually attack root causes of business problems, instead their aim is on the branches — we need to pay Taiichi Ohno’s 5-Why’s a visit and remember that surgically attacking statistically validated root causes is the only way to solve problems, improve the customer experience, and improve the enterprise.

Taiichi Ohno is known to have said that “having no problems is the biggest problem of all.”  He viewed problems not as a negative but as a “Kaizen opportunity in disguise.”  Whenever problems arose, he encouraged his staff to investigate the problem at the source and to as “ask ‘why’ five times about every matter. Here's one of his favorite examples:

1. “Why did the robot stop?”
The circuit has overloaded, causing a fuse to blow.
2. “Why is the circuit overloaded?”
There was insufficient lubrication on the bearings, so they locked up.
3. “Why was there insufficient lubrication on the bearings?”
The oil pump on the robot is not circulating sufficient oil.
4. “Why is the pump not circulating sufficient oil?”
The pump intake is clogged with metal shavings.
5. “Why is the intake clogged with metal shavings?”
Because there is no filter on the pump.

The purpose here is to follow through and discover what's going wrong with your processes that can be fixed or improved. in many cases it's easy and relatively simple.

1. “Why did this patient feel the need to post a negative review?”
She was upset that she couldn't book her regular appointment for Botox.
2. “Why couldn't she book her regular Botox appointment?”
The front desk couldn't schedule her treatment at the time she requested.
3. “Why couldn't the treament be scheduled?”
The front desk software showed that there were no available appointments.
4. “Why were there no avialable appointments?”
The software won't make appointments of less than 15 minutes and won't allow double-booking.
5. “Why can't we double-book in the software?”
Because we haven't taken the time to change the settings in the software.

Perhaps that example doesn't fit you but the idea is clear. Track your issues back to the root with purpose and take care of them.

3: Overcompensate with your response.

Going overboard in your response can position you as someone who will do almost anything to please your patients. If you do it right you'll come across as one of the good guys who, even in the face of a disgruntled or angry patient, can respond with level-headed care. Using Twitter or Facebook to reach out to a (justifiably) disgruntled patient and offering them a free product, service or treatment (or more) is worth far less than it would cost for all the free advertising and congratulatory press you can get. Remember to be reasonable and don't pinch pennies or go so far overboard that it feels contrived.

If you are successful with this tactic you can reuse it across the board. Publish photos of this patient being treated in your medspa along with a few sentances and perhaps a testimonial (if you can win them back).

4: Humor always wins if it's done well.

Humor is the great equalizer that can take the sting out of any attack, especially if the attackers go overboard. Take a look at this video published by Bodyform in response to criticism on Facebook about periods being over-hyped with beauty shots.

In 2012, Bodyform received a well written complaint on their Facebook page lamenting how tampon adverts always presented an idyllic lifestyle rather than the less pleasant experience of real life... and his post was racking up likes. Instead of taking it lying down, Bodyform responded with a well-produced sarcastic apology that generated over five million views and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

5: Never leave it alone.

Any of the tactics above can work depending upon the circumstances, but the primary thing you want to do is make sure that you respond appropriately as soon as you're aware there's an issue. Any response is better than no response at all.

More reading:

• The importance of responding to all online reviews.
• Refuting negative reviews online.

The importance of responding to "ALL" Online Reviews

In this day and age of Internet “authors” almost all of us that own aesthetic practices have a new challenge to meet.  

How to deal with online reviews? We all know the impact of online reviews that are negative. In looking through over a 50 websites with reviews I found a troubling statistic. 97% of these websites only responded to negative reviews and missed out on a golden opportunity to improve their search engine ratings by responding to every review.

Let’s look at the first impact of only responding to negative reviews and that’s being put in a reactive mode that is going to almost always be defensive and will stand out like a sore thumb. I urge you to think like a patient when reading reviews and especially replies to reviews. If you were a patient and had taken time to write a positive review wouldn’t you liked to be thanked for it? Wouldn’t you like to read that the owner/physician of this practice also took their time to reply back to you?

By only replying to negative reviews we usually create a negative stream of content to and from.  In most cases that I read through, the negative review would generate 2 replies from both the poster and the owner/physician and the more post, the higher the positioning will be. Now contrast that with replying to all reviews. If you have 30 online reviews on Google and reply to all of them, you effectively have 60 reviews. 

It does not need to be lengthy. Something as simple as “Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know of your outstanding results. My team and I love what we do and look forward to seeing you again soon”. If you were a perspective patient looking for a place to visit and read how engaged the practice is with their patients, wouldn’t you be more inclined to visit a place that looks like they really, really care? Of course you would…

The other positive aspect of replying to reviews as the owner is that you can quickly bury a negative review off of page one. All it takes is the creation of and responding to 3-5 positive reviews and the 5th down negative review is now on page two. When replying to negative reviews also try and think like a perspective patient.  Try not to engage the patient unless they misrepresented their visit. Something like, “I was sorry to learn of this negative experience.  We greatly value both your treatment and our reputation.  Please email me at () with the details of what happened so I can get involved and work at trying to find a solution to this issue and thanks so much for letting us know”.  Now if you were again a perspective patient and read the owners reply, wouldn’t your image of the practice still be very high despite a negative review.

Now get to work on finding a mutually agreeable win/win solution. In most cases, you will be able to find some way to satisfy the patient. If not at least the reader will see that you tried by your initial response. If however you try and “air” the defense of the negative review online, it will usually result in an ugly exchange that will benefit no one.

So, embrace all the online pontificators. The old adage, “if you can’t beat them, join them” applies as does “silence is acceptance”. Let everyone read how much you care by replying to all reviews.

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Protect your reputation. Get new patients. Medical Spa MD Members receive a special, full service Podium account that includes: no setup fee (save $300), a 10% discount forever (save $330/year) and on-demand patient review marketing training for your entire staff ($597 value).  This offer is not available anywhere else.

How To Use CT3+V: An Equation For Creating Facial Beauty

CT3+V = A simple equation for creating or restoring facial beauty.

We all know that "Beauty" is in the eye of the beholder. When it comes to creating and restoring facial beauty, we collaborate and negotiate with our patients (and sometimes their family and friends) to optimize the result and reduce the risk by using more conservative aliqotes of different techniques and technologies. Each practitioner brings their own unique skill-set and biases to the procedure room. We (hopefully) listen to the patient requests, evaluate what the underlying structure, tolerance for downtime and discomfort, economic consequenses and duration of effect is, to be able to offer the patient a scientifically valid, safe, sensible treatment plan. Then, we present a palette of procedures, techniques and technologies to consider.

What sets successful docs with many happy patients apart from the rest of the competition is attention to detail, listening to their patients (and sifting out the unrealistic ones) and having a plan that is recreated in some form (it's never the exactly the same twice) again and again.

My equation (tool) for discussing and creating facial beauty (or re-creating a more youthful appearance) is CT3+V = Beauty... short for Color, Texture, Tone, Tightness and Volume (in proportion or re-establishing proportion)

When the patient (on request) brings pictures of their face and neck that show them in yourthful repose, it is a strong tool to build consensus of what procedures and when in the scheme of possiblities, to pursue. Compare the old photos to current digital pictures obtained in 5 views-front-quarter and side views against a solid background with decent lighting and a portrait lens. Now diagnose the changes and educate the patient on the many ways you have to enhance and revitalize the issues you uncover in a systematic manner:

Color-pigment mottling and broken blood vessels respond well to various IPL's, NdYAG's, PDL's and KTP lasers depending on the patient's heritage (Fitzpatrick or Lancer skin type);

T3 (Texture, Tone and Tightening)-decide if the issues are epidermal, dermal or sub-cutaneous and treat with chemical or laser peels, focused ultrasound or radio-frequency and remember the skin looks better when "on-stretch", so Volume and surgery fit here too.  Toxins soften the dynamic wrinkles and shape the brow, but should be delivered in a artful manner that yields a natural, rather than "done" result;

Volume-Pierre Fournier, MD (Paris) taught us that "the look of youth is full" and the current saying "size matters" comes in to play here too.  Youthful features are generally softer and rounder, age makes them more severe and hollow.  Surgery helps take the luff out of the sail or the sag out of the jowl and neck, but does not effect volume very effectively.  Volume is at least as (and maybe more) important long term.  Fat and fillers (I prefer fillers for face) are a great way to go as long as you educate the patient as to how much it will really take and offer them permanent fillers (like Artefill in the USA) that can serve them well long term, once they find the look they want to preserve.

So-with every patient: define the issues, make a mutually agreeable long term plan, track the progress with digital pictures and keep an open dialog and flexibility, so that both you and your patient achieve happiness and WOW results long term. Happy patients refer their friends. Surviving aesthetic medicine these last 15 years is no accident....it's all been done with mirrors and this equation!

Botox Training MD Special Offer

Botox Training MD has slashed their Botox training course membership for a limited time.

I'm not sure if this is just a temporary discount or a new pricing strategy but if you're in need of some botox or filler training this would be a great opportunity to snag all of this at a fantastic deal.

Check out what's included in this offer:

As A Botox Training MD Member You'll Have Access To Everything You Need To Know To Add High-Profit Botox & Dermal Filler Treatments To Your Practice:

• Hands-On Botox & Filler Training Videos: Learn how to perform all common Botox and dermal filler treatments with 11 detailed video overviews and demonstrations; Brow lifting, crows feet, gummy smile, smile lift, lower face treatments and more!
• Comprehensive Training & Resource Guides: Illustrated PDF treatment guides showing exactly how each treatment is performed and how it can be modified for the best results. Resource Guides show you where to find the best deals on products and services to grow your cosmetic practice, from legal services to marketing resources.
• Insider Secrets From Experts: 5 interviews with physician experts that are already raking in cash that give you insider info on exactly what works; marketing, consultations, up-selling, pricing and more! Our experts spill the beans on everything from perfecting your consultation, to training your staff, to exactly how to prevent unhappy patients. These interviews give you access to information you can't get ANYWHERE else and are easily worth the membership all by themselves.
• 5 Special Bonus Products: Q&A sessions, patient marketing tips, consent forms, before and after pictures for your use, and the special Ultimate Botox Guide, a 35 page patient marketing eBook to distribute to your existing or prospective clients to position yourself as the expert in your market!

• FREE Botox Marketing Mini-Course: Just ask to be notified above (you don't have to by anything) and we'll send you a free mini-course on marketing your new cosmetic services! You'll find out how to set up your legal structure, where to outsource and where to do-it-yourself, and how to train your staff. It's completely free and without any obligation!

See the training course here: Botox Training MD

Free Webinar: How To Protect Your Professional Reputation Online

Free Webinar: How To Control & OWN Your Business & Personal Reputations Online!

While I'll be teaching this for any business or professional who needs to own their own reputation, this is especially important for physicians.

Reputation management has become an incredibly hot and relevant topic with the rise of all of the review sites that are filled with flaming physician reviews. So, I'm going to be teaching a number of techniques and strategies for physicians who need to protect and control there reputations.... By the way, this is you.

Your business or medical reputation can be hijacked in seconds by a one unhappy patient, disgruntled employee or nasty competitor... but in just one hour, you'll discover exactly how to protect and OWN your personal and business reputations online without needing a phD in geek.

Here's some of what you'll learn:

• What you should NEVER do when you're flamed online (but what almost everyone does)!
• How to get negative reviews and comments removed!
• What you should do IMMEDIATELY when your reputation is attacked!
• How to make negative reviews and comments impossible to find!
• What legal options you have!
• The insider tips and tricks that the pros use to protect their own reputations!
• How to get your existing patients to give you RAVING reviews!

This is a must-see webinar for any professional or business owner.

Thanks to Ryan over at Frontdesk for putting these together and getting everyone on board.