As a busy practitioner, consultations are part of your daily routine. But do you struggle with your conversion rates, and wonder where you might be missing the boat when it comes to this point within the consultation?
One of the most effective tools I have found to combat this is role-play. A role-play approach forces you (and your staff) to put on the “patient hat” and see things from their perspective.
The goal is for you and your entire team to be able to clearly, concisely and consistently communicate and articulate what sets you, the provider, as well as your practice, apart from the competition.
Thus, credentialing and creating your unique value proposition (UVP) are invaluable tools that will help you market your practice.
Creating your unique value proposition
Prospective patients are simply buyers who want to know the answer to this question, “What’s in it for me? How do your products or services solve my problem and improve my situation? What specific benefits do you deliver or offer? Why should I choose your practice or provider over another? What differentiates you from the competition?”
When you purchase something big or important, don’t you want to know that the sales person hears you, understands what your needs are, and/or what your hesitations might be?
Patients are similar. They typically have some hesitation that something could go wrong, or questions about how good you are, or how much experience you have performing the procedure they want.
What the patient wants is simple: emotional reassurance that they are making the right decision by choosing you.
Creating a clear, consistent message around your UVP and explaining your credentials, not only reassures your patients, but can also take the guesswork out of promoting your practice. Getting your entire team on the same page and delivering the same message will further enhance your brand and help to convert more consultations into paying services.
The importance of credentialing
In a competitive and commoditized marketplace, credentialing is your time to shine. It is your opportunity to display your knowledge, education and expertise, and why patients should trust and choose you.
Ideally this should be apparent on your website. The message should be consistent for your staff answering the phones. In fact, every member of your staff should be able to:
● Explain the various services and products you offer
● Communicate how many years you have been in business, what the practice specialty is, the various providers and their level of experience in aesthetics, and any special training you might have that separates you from the others.
● Confidently be able to explain what makes your practice stand out and unique.
I have found that sometimes practitioners feel awkward about credentialing because in some respects they feel like they are bragging, or they don’t want to talk about themselves. Or, they feel like they are too busy to fit it in.
One of the challenges I hear most consistently when I am conducting sales trainings is, “Terri, we want to do this, but we don’t know what to say. We need a script to follow so we can have a consistent message.”
Based on this need, we created a step-by-step formula for you to establish your own UVP and an exact credentialing script you can tailor to your practice.
There are two aspects of credentialing – credentialing your practitioner and credentialing your practice.
Your team should be able to answer the following questions when communicating information to prospective patients about your practitioner:
● Who will be performing the consultations and treatments? Will it be an MD, NP, PA or RN?
● How many years of experience do they have?
● How many years in aesthetics?
● Has he/she received any special training? PDO threads, butt lift, treating ethnic skin, etc.?
● What range of procedures does the provider perform or specialize in?
● Is he/she known as a trainer or educator?
● Is he/she recognized by any manufacturer for his/her volume of work?
● Has he/she been published or is he/she a speaker on this procedure?
Your team should be able to answer the following questions when communicating information to prospective patients about your practice:
● How many years has the practice been in business?
● How many providers do you have?
● What is the practice’s specialty/specialties?
● Is there anything different/special about the location or environment?
● Is the practice recognized by any manufacturer for its volume of work (Diamond, Platinum Plus, etc.)?
By knowing the credentials behind your providers and practice, you are forming the basis for your unique value proposition.
I am here to help your practice thrive, so please take advantage of my step by step guide to Credentialing and Creating Your Unique Value Proposition, which can be found on my website: www.terrirossconsulting.com.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: [email protected].
About the Author:
Terri Ross
Ms. Ross is the founder and CEO of Terri Ross Consulting, which offers services to evaluate practice processes and recommend strategies to optimize revenues and business performance. She brings more than 20 years of corporate global sales and management experience in the medical device industry, along with a vast knowledge of the plastic surgery and aesthetic space to help launch, grow, or scale medical spas or cosmetic surgery practices. She has achieved multiple awards and is a recognized leader in the aesthetic field. Ms. Ross works closely with aesthetic practices, and uses her wealth of experience in plastic surgery management to develop systems and processes that will make businesses more efficient and more profitable.
