Most plastic surgery staff do NOT know how to follow up AFTER the consult, and that’s why their conversion rates are low.

Let’s face it….It’s easier to only focus on the patients who moved forward with their surgery and never on the ones who said no or just never said yes.

Your staff will tell you they don’t like to push prospective patients who haven’t decided, and they will add that it makes you look desperate, hoping you agree, so they don’t have to do it!

Here’s a typical scenario:

Hmmm….

You thought you had a great consultation with your prospective patient, Sara.

She seemed to get along well with your staff. You thought you had a good consultation with her because she asked a lot of questions, and you had a good connection…at least you thought you did.

So you meet with your coordinator later that day and learn that Sara ended up saying, “I gotta think about it,” and walked out the door.

Then you find out later in the week that your coordinator emailed Sara, but she hasn’t heard back, so Sara is dropped in the “dead leads” file.

You move on to the next consultation that you hope converts, and the cycle continues…

WHY DIDN’T THE CONSULT BOOK?

Since cosmetic rejuvenation is a very personal as well as an emotional decision, there are all sorts of reasons why the prospective cosmetic patient didn’t book….

– Maybe the downtime was too much for them.

– Maybe the reality of surgery and general anesthesia scared them away.

– Maybe they couldn’t afford it or didn’t have a way to comfortably pay for it.

Or, maybe they got the bad news that morning and weren’t in the right mind frame. Or a dozen other benign things could have happened that had nothing to do with you.

It could have had everything to do with their frame of mind at the time that prevented them from moving forward.

The point is people change, their moods change, and their circumstances change, so you can never assume anything.

The patient’s reluctance to connect with you after the consultation could just be a simple, “Not Now” or “Not Yet.” You just don’t know.

HOW TO FOLLOW UP AFTER THE CONSULT?

If the prospective patient can’t or won’t make a decision during the consultation or says they have to think about it, don’t push. For whatever reason, they are just not ready to book.

So rather than hope they call you back when they ARE ready, here’s a really effective proactive strategy to get you closer to the finish line:

Hold something back in the consultation that your patient coordinator can follow up with when you reach out later.

Example #1: Competition

Let’s say, Sara, the prospective patient wants a Mommy Makeover. She mentions at the end of her consultation with your coordinator that she’ll be going on three more consults to do her due diligence and you happen to be her first visit. Ugh!

Your coordinator can now email Sara your “Checklist of Questions to Ask the Surgeon During Your Mommy Makeover Consultation.”

Now fill the checklist with questions you can say yes to that your competitors may not be able to; i.e., you have performed an above-average number of Mommy Makeovers, etc.

And, fill it with patient stories and photos of OTHER Mommy Makeover patients just like them who have had the procedure. Add their contact information or at least an invitation to set your happy and satisfied patients up to talk with Sara about their experience.

Now your coordinator calls Sara and says:

“Hi Sara, it’s Kim from Dr. Smith’s office. It was so great to meet you the other day. I know you’re thinking it over, and I had an idea that may help. I thought of a special checklist Dr. Smith wrote about Mommy Makeovers that would help you get the most from the consultations you’re going on. I just emailed it over to you, so please take a look and let me know if it’s helpful to you. Ok?

Example #2: Finance

Let’s say Sara told you she needs to think about it because it’s a lot of money and she’s not sure it’s worth it. She did mention she wants to use her own credit card because she thinks the cosmetic finance company fees are too high.

So, knowing that, you call Sara the next day or two and say,

“Hi Sara, it’s Kim from Dr. Smith’s office. It was so great to meet you the other day. I know you’re thinking it over, and I have some news that night help. Our finance company just introduced a 0% Interest Pay Plan, so you can have what you want now without you using your own credit card.

How does that sound?

But now, you need to zip it and listen. Let Sara tell you what she thinks of that. It might be just what she needed to move forward.

Or, if it doesn’t budge her and she’s not excited about the new information, at least you have a better feel for where’s she’s at, and you’ll want to try other strategies.

To get more proven, “Follow-Up AFTER the Consult” strategies,

Join me at The Converting Club for Coordinators to discover:

– What you can do to get the prospective patient to take your follow-up phone calls or call you back excited to speak with you;

– The number of times you should follow-up before you become pesky and ruin the new relationship you have with the prospective patient;

– What the prospective patient wants from you to help them decide if they should choose you or your competitor and so much more.

Once your staff learns how to follow up AFTER the consult, you’ll see your conversion rates increase. And your staff grow as a professional representing you.