praCtICe management | MArkETing STrATEgiES | Implicit brand building
The second channel for communicating a cosmetic brand to patients is implicit brand building. implicit brand building does not directly state a brand message. instead, it conveys a brand impression indirectly through the patient experience. Some examples of implicit internal brand building covered in this article include the physical office environment and customer service. The physical office
the reputation of a practice is its most
valuable asset. all care must be taken to protect and build a practice’s good name.
Without daily vigilance, a practice can develop a
environment is a vital influence on the overall patient experience. The environment can either enhance or detract from the internal marketing campaign. A practice that wants its patients to feel comfortable spending money on discretionary cosmetic procedures must pay attention to details. Cosmetic services are luxuries for most patients, and the goal of the environment is to put the patient in a state of mind that is receptive to luxury spending. The office should, above all, be clean and free of clutter. Flat surfaces should be clear of papers or debris. The décor should be updated and coordinated. Furniture should be comfortable and in good condition. ideally, the patient should ‘experience’ the ambience of the practice. Patients should ‘feel’ the brand. The interaction between staff
and patients presents additional opportunities for implicit brand building. Each employee of the practice, from providers to reception staff, should be cognisant of his/her individual contribution to patient experience. The common saying is that patients might not remember what a doctor said or did, but they will always remember how the practice made them feel. in the context of internal marketing, the goal should be to make each patient feel important — all the time. it is common, in a busy medical
practice, for staff and providers to lose focus on the patient as the constant and highest priority. reception staff may be distracted with phone calls or chart-work. Clinical staff may be focused on documentation or assisting. Providers may be caught up in the stress of running behind schedule. All members of a practice have many important jobs and
62 ❚ September 2011 |
prime-journal.com
negative reputation for being pushy with cosmetics.
worries, and no one person can be solely responsible for providing customer service. it takes a team focus on service to make a positive impression on patients for each and every step of the patient process, and it is entirely worth the extra effort. A patient who feels truly appreciated is much more likely to trust a practice with his or her cosmetic business — and may also become a source of valuable referrals.
Capturing patients who are predisposed to treatments
Identify patients who want cosmetic services The simplest and most effective way to increase cosmetic business from existing medical patients is to identify patients who are predisposed to cosmetic services. After predisposed patients have been identified, the staff and providers can address these patients’ cosmetic needs. One straightforward way to determine which medical patients have an interest in cosmetic services is simply to ask them.
Use a cosmetic interest form at check-in Each time a patient arrives for a medical appointment, the practice has an opportunity to gather valuable information. A cosmetic interest form is one way that a practice can easily (and with no guessing) determine what cosmetic products or services might be of interest to a particular patient. This form typically looks like a menu of services and products offered by the practice. The form allows the patient to indicate topics for which he/she might welcome additional discussion from the clinical or aesthetic staff. The key is to use the form effectively.
Discuss the cosmetic form with patients At the conclusion of the patient’s medical visit, a member of the staff or a provider, depending on the preferred flow of the practice in question, can discuss the patient’s cosmetic form. Here is a typical discussion:
Provider: ‘Mrs. Johnson, we have now
concluded your medical visit. Do you have any further questions about your diagnosis or treatment?’
Patient: ‘No, I think I understand
everything. Thanks for your help.’ Provider: ‘You’re welcome Mrs. Johnson. I
notice on your intake forms you mentioned that you have an interest in learning more about laser hair removal. This is a service our practice provides. Would you like to hear more about laser hair removal?’
Patient: ‘Yes — I’ve always been bothered
by the hair on my upper lip, but I didn’t know your office could help with that.’
Provider: ‘We certainly can. If you are
interested, I can go over the basics with you. Then our aesthetician can come in for a few minutes and explain your options in detail. Would you like that?’
in this example, the patient had a
predisposed interest in laser hair removal. Without the use of the cosmetic interest form, the provider would not have been aware of this interest. in addition, because the patient had indicated on her form that she wanted more information about this particular procedure, the provider should not feel awkward bringing it up at the conclusion of the medical visit. The form can act as an effective ice-breaker between patients who may be nervous about discussing cosmetic procedures, and providers who do not want to appear pushy about cosmetics.
Reputation is everything The reputation of a practice is its most valuable asset. All care must be taken to protect and build a practice’s good name. Without daily vigilance, a practice can develop a negative reputation for being pushy with cosmetics. Aggressive sales behaviour in the practice will almost certainly be reported by word of mouth to the detriment of the practice; that is, as referrals evaporate. The simplest way to avoid a pushy
reputation is to use the cosmetic interest form. A provider or cosmetic coordinator should only discuss the issues for which a patient has explicitly expressed an interest. This policy will ensure that no patient is offended by the suggestion that he or she consider a cosmetic
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76