When your new business or practice is just starting out, the
likelihood is that you won’t have thousands of pounds to spend
on press and marketing. You’ll need to think of creative ways of
communicating with your patients and client base organically, without
influencers, ad campaigns or magazine spreads. One of the most
important and under-utilised forms of patient retention is engaging
current patients and guiding them towards aesthetic procedures that
they may not have tried yet which could be beneficial for them. This
can apply to your current aesthetic patients who may only come in for
the odd facial, but could benefit from having other treatments such
as injectables. For practitioners who already have a private practice
focusing on a different healthcare area, such as dentistry, you may
be able to open the eyes of these patients to delve into the world of
cosmetic procedures.
All medical practitioners have the skills needed to be successful, but
we often overlook the soft skills needed to really push our businesses.
For example, good communication, listening and confident self-promotion are so important. These skills are brilliant combatants to the
self-doubt many practitioners feel when trying to steer their existing
patients towards aesthetics.
Setting the tone and managing expectations
The patient journey begins way before they step into the treatment
room. This is the case for both new patients and dental patients who
we are trying to transition into becoming aesthetics patients. Every
patient will arrive at your practice with an expectation, so how you
manage or influence this will either help or hinder
you. In order to set yourself up for an effective
consultation you need to begin by setting the
patient’s expectation. As practitioners we don’t
want to be overpromising and under-delivering, but
we also don’t want to be misdirecting our patients
and confusing them. Setting and managing patient
expectations will have a huge impact on your overall
success.
The best way to set expectations is to ensure
continuity from the first contact. When a patient
makes first contact, walk them through exactly what
you’ll discuss in your consultation, let them know a
little bit about you and your areas of special interest.
As an example, for dentists, telling your patient that
your cosmetic dentistry consultation will contain an
assessment of their teeth and their face prepares
them for the type of discussions that you’ll be having,
and gives them time to digest the information before
they’re in the treatment room. It also gives the
patient a chance to decide whether you are the type
of clinician they want or not.
For practitioners looking to encourage their patients
into trying other treatments in your offering, the clarity
and a willingness to share information fosters trust
and ensures that the relationship between patient
and clinician is robust. Patients with whom you have
built a strong relationship are more willing to open
up to you, and explore the potential of getting other
treatments. Similarly, meeting expectations means
happy patients, and happy patients are more likely to
return for further treatments and tell their friends and
family about their experience.
A comprehensive consultation
When a patient steps into the treatment room it’s tempting to focus
only on what they expressed was their primary concern when booking
the appointment. At the Smileworks Aesthetics Hub, we teach that
asking the right questions is integral to a successful consultation.
Moving away from selling
and into educating the
patient shows them the
problem and allows them to
explore the situation
Instead of the typical introductory rigidity speaking about the
specific area of concern the patient has outlined when booking the
appointment, start off by simply saying something like ‘What brings
you here today?’
Open and non-leading questions and making the interaction about
them allows the patient to feel comfortable from the outset. You’ll be
surprised by how much a shift in language can change the direction
of a consultation. This question allows them to lead the conversation
and share more about why they’ve really come to see you. You can
determine whether it’s a very specific concern like ‘I have dark circles
under my eyes’ – which may not be as effective for selling them on
other aesthetic treatments – or a more generalised problem such as
‘I feel like I look very tired all the time’, which is a patient telling you it
may not just be their eyes they are concerned about. This invites you
to plan comprehensively. By sharing aspects of themselves which
they’re unhappy with, they’re asking you for solutions to make them
feel better. This is the first step in building your discussion about
aesthetics and what treatments may benefit them.
Patients with whom
you have built a strong
relationship are more
willing to open up to
you about, and explore
the potential of, other
treatments
Another question that invites sharing and a good jumping off point for
aesthetics is ‘When you look in the mirror, how do you feel?’ It’s not
specifically asking ‘How do you feel about your face?’, a question that
could cause the patient to clam up. ‘How do you feel?’ is gentle but it
often hits the crux of the matter, the real reason why they’re seeking
treatment. It lets patients know that it’s okay to share the difficult
thoughts and feelings that they’ve been having, and allows you, the
practitioner, to listen to what they’re really saying. Opening a dialogue
and learning to actually listen to what your patients are saying instead
of asking closed questions from a list shows them that you are ready
to work collaboratively with them in their journey. In my experience,
open questions lead to a talking patient.
Using co-diagnosis
Co-diagnosis is about sharing the decision-making process with
your patient and reaching a treatment plan with them. This may
sound obvious to you, but consultations are still often paternalistic or
authoritarian, where the clinician is rather prescriptive about proposed
treatment. Co-diagnosis works in a three-step way to guide the patient
through their discussions, explorations and engaging them in their
treatment plan.
The first step is to recognise the problem together with the patient.
Then, discussing options for treatment in a non-biased way,
remembering to explain what happens if they do nothing and thirdly,
highlighting the benefits of having treatment and how the results can
expect to look and feel. Incorporating this means assessments look
more structured and you’re delivering consistency with a patient who
feels in control. Most clinicians think they are doing this already, but
really incorporating co-diagnosis is more nuanced than just coming
up with multiple options and giving them select treatment plans to
choose from. It’s about integrating exploration and choice and letting
them discover options whilst you act as their guide.
Taking clinical pictures isn’t anything new, whether they’re used for
social media, for portfolios or for medical records, but few practitioners
actually use them with the patient. In my experience, this is one
of the most powerful ways of converting patients into trying new
treatments. Photographs, rather than mirrors, nudge the patient away
from the subjective and towards an objective view of what is really
there. Patients often become fixated on one part of their reflection,
while their pictures somewhat neutralise this and the chance of you
both seeing the same thing increases as the patient can become
a little bit more removed and critical, seeing the bigger picture with
you. When looking at the photos with the patient, ask them ‘What
do you see?’ Instead of immediately noting all of the problem areas
for them. This will engage them with the process, so they feel in
control, more confident and less embarrassed when you come to a
treatment conclusion.
The trick is to keep them constantly in the loop as you work your way
through the different elements of their face, making sure they don’t
feel lost or like you’re talking about something that is too complicated.
The more accessible you make the consultation, the more
collaborative it feels. Was it your idea or was it theirs? Moving away
from selling and into educating the patient shows them the problem
and allows them to explore the situation. Before you know it, they are
asking for the solutions themselves.
Modifying your approach
A comprehensive examination means comprehensive treatment,
which results in a comprehensive outcome. Fail to do the first, and
the rest won’t happen. Get it right, and you have a trusting patient
who always follows your lead. Of course, some people may not be
open to extra aesthetic treatments, but some might be, and they
could be too shy to ask about them or unsure what exactly it is they
should be asking. It’s our job to let patients know their options and
it’s up to them to choose from them; you’ll be doing both you and
your patient a disservice to skirt around it for fear of offending them.
Executing these skills isn’t something anybody can do. It takes
time, practice and training. It also needs the courage to step
outside of your comfort zone. However, if you are someone who
is persistent, hardworking and ready to take this step towards
incorporating facial aesthetics into your treatment portfolio then
you will be rewarded tenfold.
