The truth about new cosmetic patient leads is that there is nothing fast, easy, or cheap about them for plastic surgeons today.

While you do have many options to get noticed from your Internet efforts, new plastic surgery leads are going to cost you either time or money….or both. For example,

➢ You redesign your plastic surgery Website (again), so it’s state-of-the-art. That cost you $10K-$50K.

➢ But now you need to pay your Website folks at least $1K per month to maintain and host it.

➢ Then you add another $1K = $2K per month to continually “SEO” it so you can get found when prospective cosmetic surgery patients google terms such as “breast aug” or “facelift.”

➢ However, if it’s true, SEO is dead. You need relevant, consistent, and informative content that is valuable to your viewers and compels them to click over to your website to learn more, so you outsource your blogging and articles, and that’s another $1K – $5K per month.

➢ Social Media and videos are typically separate from content, so you add another $1K per month to outsource that,

BUT, there’s a huge drawback to all of the above efforts. It takes time to build up your credibility, exposure, and authority status for prospective plastic surgery patients to know about you. How much time? Months and years, but you’re impatient for results so….

….you skip all of that and just “Pay to Play” by throwing money at Google Adwords to run plastic surgery lead ads and hope prospective plastic surgery patients click on your ad that costs you $5-$100 PER CLICK. This route can cost you $5K – $250K per month depending on how competitive your area is and how much your competitors are willing to outbid you.

So you spend a bucket load of money to get incoming leads, and the question is……

“What happens next?”

I THINK YOU’LL BE SHOCKED AT THE STATS FOR COSMETIC PATIENT LEAD FOLLOW UP:

– 48% NEVER Follow Up

– Average First Follow Up is 72 Hours Later

– The likelihood of contacting a prospective patient decreasing 10X between 5-10 minutes

– Chances increase 900% if the prospective patient is contacted in the first 10 minutes

How crazy is it to spend a fortune on lead generation but not spend any (or enough) time on the back-end process?

How frustrating is it to throw money at plastic surgery patient lead generation that should be building your practice but you’re not sure if it’s a good investment or a waste of money and staff time?

WHY DO SO MANY PRACTICES FAIL AT COSMETIC LEAD GENERATION FOLLOW-UP?

The truth about new cosmetic patient leads is that your staff may not be following upon them. When I ask staff why they don’t follow up on plastic surgery leads, here’s what they tell me:

• Too many leads

• Don’t know what to say

• No concise plan

• Not Required

• Not organized

• Afraid of rejection

• Social Training (don’t be pushy)

• No commitment to excellence

Let me be blunt here. These excuses are costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars but you don’t see it because it’s the invisible No’s you are getting from bad management of leads.

You have got to see new cosmetic patient leads through in a systematic way, or they fall through the cracks, and you just pour more money into the top of the bucket only to have it flow out of the holes at the bottom of the bucket.

My Advice: Fix Your Leaky Bucket!

3 WAYS TO TURN YOUR PLASTIC SURGERY LEADS INTO PAYING PATIENTS

There’s a huge opportunity for those practices that follow up consistently, strategically, and professionally.

Did you know that only 3% of prospective patients searching the Internet are actually ready to move forward NOW?

That means you’ve got to be there when the patient is ready, and you stand out as the best solution FIRST – before your competitors jump into the ring. Here’s how:

#1) Call-to-Action Options

Be convenient to do business with. Patients come in all shapes, sizes, and generations. Let them communicate the way they are most comfortable communicating.

Some patients want to pick up the phone and call you, so have your phone number on EVERY page of your website;

Other patients want to text you so provide a text number;

Still, others want to email you so provide a personal email; And some prospective patients will fill out your web form but don’t ask for too much on this first encounter. Stick with the basics on your opt-in Web form:

• Name

• Cell phone

• Email

• Procedure interested in

#2) Collapse Time

The 1st to follow up has a 248% greater chance of converting that lead vs. the 2nd or 3rd who followed up.

Be in a hurry to help, so you are the first one there when patients are ready.

That means getting a practice cell phone that is manned by staff live from, let’s say, 7 am – 11 pm and an app that alerts you when someone fills out your Website form or calls your practice after these hours so you can respond first thing in the morning.

Better yet, auto-text them immediately to let them know you received their request, and you’ll get back to them first thing in the morning.

Even better, you will get back to them, but in the meantime, here’s a link to check out your YouTube videos to get to know you better, and you look forward to speaking with them first thing in the morning.

The bonding process begins the second they reach out to you, so use today’s technology to make it happen.

#3) Follow Up Scripts for Hot Leads

Does your staff know what to say when following up on incoming cosmetic patient leads that lead to booking a consult? If not, this should help….

Staff needs to “mind their mindset.”

Don’t treat this call as a “sales” call.

Treat it as a “customer service” call.

Said another way, you are NOT SELLING. You are SERVICING a prospective cosmetic surgery patient who wants to look good and feel great.

Remember, this prospective patient found you on the Internet, checked you out, and reached out to you. That’s a massive step towards a surgical procedure, so be prepared to handle it professionally.

Ask questions and listen during that initial call. For example,

“Hi, this is Sue from Dr. X’s office. I am calling you back about your recent inquiry and wanted to see how I can help you. What questions can I answer for you?”

Now listen to what they want and learn why they want it. Let them talk! The more they talk, the more you learn, and the more comfortable they get with you.

Here are other questions to help you bond with the cosmetic surgery patient caller:

– What do you want exactly?

– How long has this bothered you?

– Why do you want it NOW?

– Has anyone you know had it done? If so, what was their experience like?

– Have you done much research?

– What’s most important to you when choosing a surgeon?

Now give them a couple of dates/times they can visit with you and let them pick one.

Easy Breezy.

So, the truth about new cosmetic patient leads is that it takes work to turn them into paid procedures.

Give your patient coordinator the training they need to convert more leads.