Aesthetic medicine is competitive! Service is everything and clients expect the highest quality consistent service. Cosmetic procedures are ‘elective’—no one is going to “die from lack of Botox” even those clients who think they might (wrinkle emergency anyone?). Since cosmetic procedures are clearly ‘luxury’ services, finding the right employee to offer your clients ‘concierge’ style treatment is paramount in retaining their business for years to come.
As a someone who’s spent years as both a client and a provider in our industry, like everyone else my expectations are high. As a provider my clients would often tell me they felt ‘intimidated’ steeping into an aesthetics practice and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people mention that staff members of Medspa and surgical practices were ‘cold, unfriendly, distant, unapproachable’ when someone came in for a consult. Invariably this meant they would choose to go elsewhere for service. So why do some practices stand-out enough to gain repeat clients while others flounder? Follow the below tips to attract a concierge-style staff member and watch your client retention rates soar!
1. Track it: measure your conversion rates both in converting phone/email/IM inquiries to booking a consult and from a consult to booking of a procedure. What are the ‘closing-rates’ for each procedure. Measuring conversion rates will give you an indication of what treatments are resonating with your client base. Less than stellar conversions? Ask yourself where the ‘fall-off’ is. Do you have a new staff member answering phones who’s not familiar with the different service options and therefore stumbling in answering basic questions? Make sure they educate themselves by reading procedure brochures, meeting with other staff members about their experience receiving a certain treatment, reading reviews on Real-Self and other social media and testing out treatments themselves (if they’re up for it). Are you a multi-disciplinary office (dentist, walk-in G.P. offering cosmetic treatments, etc) that has one person answering the phone for multiple businesses? Generally asking staff to wear too many hats at once backfires. A client calling in for a Botox appointment generally isn’t going to appreciate being put on hold 10 mins so the receptionist can address a walk-in dad concerned over little Johnny’s cold. Separate the two roles and watch your conversions improve. Is your pricing competitive? If you do charge a premium for your services, are you communicating that you offer a distinct differential from your competitors during the consult to justify higher pricing? Here’s where ‘tooting your own horn’ isn’t only ok, its critical in assisting your clients receiving all the information they need to make an ‘informed decision’.
2. Sufficient Time for Consults: Are staff members provided adequate time to perform an initial introduction, have a discussion of their designation and background, make a sound clinical assessment during the consult, answer questions and come up with a treatment plan that will satisfy a discerning client? If you’re rushing staff and booking consults every 15 mins so that they’re barely able to say “hello” let alone listen to what could be a long list of client concerns your conversion rates will reflect this and you’ll start to notice a pattern. Concierge style service requires adequate assessment & treatment time. Its no accident that written on my vision board is the phrase “take your time…listen”, people want to ‘be heard’. No one likes to feel rushed, not staff and certainly not your clients expecting a luxury-style experience.
3. Network, Network and then…Network some more: staff turnover in this field is high, over reliance on scare tactics such as aggressive non-compete clauses to keep staff rarely work, the real key is to maintain a vast network of qualified individuals in your area that can be contacted if a staff member must be terminated or leaves to take work elsewhere. Remember, potential team members all see the revolving door practices hiring every few months for the same role – and it’s a red flag – so work hard to retain your staff and protect your HR Brand. When you do need to hire, be discreet! Advertising can back fire. This is where using a recruiter can help. We can post jobs anonymously and have a vast network of contacts with qualified professionals allowing us to reach out discreetly and only expose your practice when we have a serious candidate. ‘Image is everything’, or so they say. Build your HR image by networking through social media and in-person: there are many aesthetic device companies that host dinner & education events-you could go home with a new state-of the-art laser and contacts for several aesthetic professionals that you think could be a good fit for your business. The bottom line is whether leveraging our recruiting services or doing the networking yourself, it must be done if you expect to maintain concierge style service.
4. Consistency: people enjoy familiarity, it makes them feel comfortable. Many aesthetic patients prefer seeing one person for the duration of their treatments. If they’ve purchased a laser hair removal package thinking that they will receive treatment from one clinician only to find a different person performing their treatments at each visit it can be difficult as loyalty is built on trust and trust is built on consistency. If you want loyal clients who continue to frequent your practice above the competition, respect the client’s need for ‘Consistency of Care’ and strive to make it a priority in your business.
5. Competitive Compensation: we’ve blogged about this before but it bears repeating, offering competitive compensation packages (which should include market salary ranges for the designation and depth of experience you seek as well as any bonus, healthcare benefits, paid education etc) will assist to not only attract exceptional employees to your practice but also in retaining them long-term. If you are unsure of what a competitive range for the position you are seeking to fill, researching on sites like ‘Glassdoor’ can be helpful (although they gear towards the traditional medical fields and stats will have to be extrapolated for the medical aesthetics field), or ask us as we have the benefit of understanding comp ranges specifically for aesthetic positions throughout America.
6. Set the Tone: If you have expectations that your employees should show up to work promptly, and polished with a positive mindset then as the owner/director/manager it is up to you to lead by example. Establish a method of interacting with staff and clients that you would like others to emulate and ensure that you are consistent in your practice of those methods. Great leaders lead by example, ‘Know the way, go the way, show the way” (John C. Maxwell). Respect is gained when staff members feel you have the integrity to ‘practice what you preach’.
7. Real World Meetings: social media is great for consistent communication, but nothing takes the place of regular face to face staff meetings to help build rapport. Staff meetings are a great way to address client comments/questions/concerns and share experiences with other teammates- These can be held in a coffee shop, staff lunchroom, boardroom-the point is to have them, regularly: “Team work makes the dream work” as they say.
Focusing on the above tips will help you create and implement strategies that solidify your HR Brand, resulting in top-quality professionals clamoring to work for you!
For recruiting assistance in the field of aesthetic medicine Contact Us.
Recruiting North America Wide! Aesthetic MD/PA/NP/RN/LE/Sales/Practice Managers & more! Seeking a career in aesthetic medicine? Resumes to info@thebeautyagentoncall.com with the subject line 'resume' OnCall Medical Aesthetics Recruiting 'Beautifully Staffed' www.thebeautyagentoncall.com info@thebeautyagentoncall.com (866) 886-3335
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