Common Mistakes Made by Plastic Surgeons and Choose The Right
Many common mistakes made by plastic surgeons cause confusion, chaos, and frustration, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
When running your plastic surgery practice, oftentimes the simplest things are the most overlooked.
However, those simple things can make a BIG impact on your bottom line.
common mistakes plastic surgeons make
You are so busy running your practice, attracting new patients and doing surgery, that it’s easy to miss what’s NOT working.
See if you are making any of these common mistakes that can derail you and your revenues:
MISTAKE #1: NOT KNOWING WHO’S REALLY ON YOUR TEAM
The team you surround yourself with can make or break your cosmetic practice – period.
Getting the right team players on board is difficult and ever-changing but vital to your success.
So, do you have the right team in place? Are they helping or hurting your practice? Read more about the most common mistakes below.
common mistakes plastic surgeons make
In my travels as a business and marketing consultant to cosmetic practices, I’ve seen a lot…
Staff is charming to the doctor and witchy to everyone else;
Patient care coordinators refer the patient to the competitor because she thought they did a better job with that procedure;
The receptionist sends the patients to the internet to buy products since they’re cheaper than those sold in their office, and it goes on and on.
So, I ask again, are you sure you have the right team in place?
If you’re not sure, here’s one thing you can do to find out…
common mistakes plastic surgeons make
Ask them to complete the “Daily Duties” form for one week.
They just need to write down every task they perform and the time it takes them to do it.
Start it Monday morning and they must have it back to you by Friday close of day.
You will learn so much from this exercise. Some staff will do a great job and be thorough, while others will hurry through it and miss many tasks, while others will actually not do it at all and tell you they were too busy.
Now you know who takes their job seriously and cares about you and the practice and who doesn’t.
MISTAKE #2: IGNORING YOUR CURRENT PATIENTS
Do you know the #1 reason patients never return to your practice?
It’s not that they didn’t like you. And it’s not that they didn’t get a good result.
common mistakes plastic surgeons make
It’s your indifference! Since you didn’t stay in touch, they most likely wandered off to your competitor who did nurture them. This is one of the biggest common mistakes I see.
Consistent communication keeps your name in front of your patients so when they’re ready, they call you rather than your competitors!
MISTAKE #3: ASSUMING YOUR PATIENTS WILL REFER
Let’s consider the value of just one of your patients.
common mistakes plastic surgeons make
Every one of your patients has, on average, around 200 people in their circle of influence.
That includes family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, hair stylists, gym buddies, etc.
Can you imagine if each of them referred only one new patient to you? That would double your patient database and revenues very quickly!
So how do you get referrals? You set up systems that happen automatically as part of your processes.
For example… Give your patients their photos!
before and after
That means you have a process in place where you are actually taking photos every time and making them available to your patients.
I guarantee they want them because I asked them in my book, “Your Aesthetic Practice/What Your Patients Are Saying”, and I learned that:
82% wanted their before/after photos
76% would have shown them to others, if only they were made available to them.
But, it’s all in the presentation. At their post-op appointment when they are the happiest with you and the most excited about their result, hand them a handwritten note card with their photos enclosed that says, “Thank you for your trust” and be sure your name, telephone number and website address are clearly visible.
By the way, this is not just for surgical procedures. I recommend using this same process for your non-surgical procedures as well.
patient gift
And, offer gift certificates and make a big deal of it. So many of you offer them, but it’s a big secret in your practice. How do you change that?
Simple. Using your own customized gift bags and tissue, set up a gorgeous display at checkout with an eye-catching sign that says “NEED A QUICK GIFT?”
It’s the timing that’s so important because they are standing there at check-out with their wallet out, credit card in hand and yes, they may need a quick gift.
Not only does that increase their order size for the day, it introduces a new patient to your practice.
MISTAKE #4: ONLY WORKING IN YOUR PRACTICE AND NOT ON YOUR PRACTICE
In today’s crazy competitive world, it’s more important than ever to get the fundamentals right.
growth funnel
That means setting up predictable systems to attract the right patients to your practice, convert the callers to appointments, convert the consultations to paid procedures, collect more testimonials and increase word-of-mouth referrals.
Just like in sports, it’s getting good at the fundamentals that wins the game – not the one fancy move – isn’t that right?
So please meet with your staff regularly to hone their skills and your processes for that constant, never-ending improvement in each area of your practice.
This is what builds your credibility, your reputation, and your revenues.
LASTLY, MISTAKE #5: NO MARKETING PLAN IN PLACE
As they say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
It costs you too much to acquire a new cosmetic patient to be sloppy about this. Here’s what I mean…
The top cosmetic practices realize it’s not one email. It’s not one Google ad. It’s not one social media post.
social media content
The secret is to regularly keep your name in front of your current patients as well as new cosmetic patients so they choose you over all the others when they are ready for cosmetic enhancement.
Because circumstances change, life changes and people change, that means those who said NO before were really just saying NOT YET OR NOT NOW, so when they are ready, they’re going to the surgeon they are most likely familiar with and hopefully that’s you.
Please put an Annual Marketing Plan in place with an action date and a staff person who is accountable for seeing to it that it gets done.
Choose The Right Doctor For Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery is a serious deal. If you are considering having cosmetic work done, only trust the hands of the most skilled and experienced surgeon. With so many doctors performing operations, it can be hard to determine which professionals are the best of the best. You should select someone who has years of experience and a large success rate. Most times professionals build a reputation. Many have before-and-after pictures that display exactly how great their work is. When it comes to your body, you want only the best results. You want no complications at all and a speedy and successful recovery. You can have these things by simply choosing the right professional.
Professionals in plastic surgery have come down a long, challenging path. Many years of rigorous study are involved in becoming an expert of the human body. This is totally necessary so that patients receive the best possible results. School, residency, and all other forms of training take lots of time and cost large sums of money. Surgeons who are invested in this long hard path are interested in one overall goal. That goal is to help other people. They want to help people to look and feel their best. Whether it is eliminating accident related deformities, or correcting natural flaws, these individuals work hard to build the looks and self-esteem of people all over the world.
If you are considering plastic surgery, there is no need to fear. Though all operations are serious, the majority is safe and provides amazing results. The first visit is called a consultation. When you first opt to have a procedure, the surgeon will take you aside and assess all of your medical history. You will be given a medical exam and the surgeon will listen to all of your needs about your body. From there it will be determined whether or not you are healthy enough to undergo the procedure. Even if you want to improve your appearance, you should not have an operation if you know that it will risk your health or life. A caring surgeon will let you know the exact limits of your body. These professionals are not only invested in your looks, but also interested in your overall wellbeing.
For many plastic surgery procedures, incisions are made into the body. Because of this, marks will be made onto the body so that the surgeon knows exactly where to make these incisions. This will ensure that no mistakes are made. A good surgeon is careful and will determine the best route that each individual should take. Each person’s body is different and has its own unique needs.