Marketing

Fee compensation

Photography

Constantinos Laskarides DMD, DDS, PharmD, FICD ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Assoc iate Professor , TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Attending Surgeon, TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER

Diplomate, Amer ican Board of Oral & Maxi l lo fac ia l Surgery

Fe l low, Amer ican Assoc iat ion of Oral & Maxi l lo fac ia l Surgeons

Fe l low, Amer ican Col lege of Oral & Maxi l lo fac ia l Surgeons

Marketing Basics

Strategy development

Articulate goals

Define target audience

Study tactics of competitors

Branding

Consistent unique image

Practice logo

Avoid web design templates

Marketing Basics

Staff training

Information on services

Handling online inquiries

Phone inquiry

Start of selling process, not the consultation

Handle basic questions

Keep caller engaged

Handling consents, before and after photos

Portray the practice (most important sales agent)

Doctor should never discuss / negotiate fees

Finance options

What are “Best

Practices”

1. Optimal product knowledge

• our lecture material

• Keep updated

2. Optimal patient knowledge

• How to identify patients

• How to recruit, convert, and retain patients

3. Optimal office management

• Staff training

• Aesthetic office environment

4. Optimal practice success factors

• Direct Marketing Tools

The 3 Tenets of Best Practices

Recruiting Patients so that they make an

initial appointment

Converting

Retaining

Potential patients into actual

scheduled patients that accept

treatment plans

Patients for ongoing treatment

Recruiting Patients: AID

Assess interest level and areas of concern

Inform patients about functional + esthetic treatment options available

Decide when they can come for an appointment and personal assessment

Converting Patients: CARE

Communicate with patients

Acknowledge patient concerns

Respond to patient’s need for information

Educate and obtain

Retaining Patients: STAY

Set realistic expectations for treatment

• lines may not be completely eliminated

Treatment assessments, if necessary

• First-time patients may return for a treatment assessment after a

few weeks

Always make a follow-up appointment

You (the doctor) is the reason patients return

The Telephone is usually the patient’s

first contact

15-second rule

• People decide if they like you

or not in the first 15 seconds

The majority of patients who decide to

seek care elsewhere did so because of

staff discourtesy

First Thing First: Handling the Patient’s Inquiry PEERS

Positive Contact

Explore

Educate

Respond

Schedule

“Well, thank you so much for calling us because it is really important to understand

how BOTOX works and how that relates to patient satisfaction”

First, it is important for you to understand BOTOX is administrated in units. BOTOX

has been used safely to treat millions of people wordwide. The most common side

effects are………

“Is there a reason you are interested in BOTOX?”

BOTOX is a simple, non surgical procedure that, within days, relaxes muscles in

adults for up to 4 months

“Does that all make sense to you?”

Important: Keep it conversational (if objection is present go to

LAER)

“What day could you come in for a consultation?”

Using the LAER Method for

Objections:

Listen to the

Objection:

Acknowledge:

Explore

Respond

Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond

“If I use BOTOX will I lose facial expressions?”

“I can understand your concern with losing your facial

expressions”

“May I ask you where you heard about changes in facial

expressions with BOTOX?”

“For most patients it is a natural appearance. Your

wrinkles between your brows may improve, but BOTOX

will not radically change your facial appearance.”

BOTOX Consumer Language

USE WHY

“Purified

Protein”

“Body friendly”

“Minimal

Discomfort”

Helps alleviate concerns about what

BOTOX is

Comforts patients, helping them

realize that the treatment is

reversible and does not effect the

rest of the body

Eases concerns that treatment may

be too painful

How to discuss Botox with

patients

“how much do I need”

• Nobody “needs” it

• How much does the patient require to get the desired result and

• How much money are they prepared to budget to maintain this result

• Relatively conservative the first time

• Pt should expect a touch –up

• Help the pt decide on a realistic and affordable plan for a sustainable

result

How to discuss Botox with

patients

STAFF

• Answer a question with a question

• Engage in conversation vs answer questions

• Credential your injector

• Educate, Educate, Educate

Knowledge translates to power, loyalty and trust

• Be able to comfortable talk about BTA and the benefits to the

patient

• Ask to schedule the consultation

• Make them feel important

Patient reservations

Cost: it’s just not inexpensive

Pain: EMLA, other topicals, ice

“Injecting poison” / botulism: trace amounts, no

permanent untoward effects in over 10 years

Pricing

Per unit

The fairest pricing structure

Best way to compare treatments

Each pt will require different amounts

Some pts will wish to be more or less aggressive

More efficient way to run office expenses

Less “free Botox” for disgruntled pts

Marketing

Internal

• Office brochures

Displays

• hard copy

• video

External

• Print

• Radio

• TV

• Internet

• Social media The Latest Trend is Media Fragmentation

Patient education seminars

Social Media

Networks

• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

• Only for social discussion, not giving advice or

soliciting patients

• Must monitor them

Sharing

• YouTube, Flickr

• Content not monitored, fairly unregulated

Blogs

• Must always keep up to date

Wikis

• No control of where and to what your info is

linked

Common advertising mistakes

1. Not being different

2. Not targeting your audience with the right media outlets

• target patient base: know where they live, their age, their income, and their

life style.

3. Not using a strong headline

• Has to hit immediately the right note. If the headline grabs them, they want

to know more.

4. Not using strong emotional component

• Use emotions to generate interested

• Don’t just advertise your skills

• Emotional hot buttons

Look good, be approved of by others,

Be recognized as someone special,

Still matter,

Get revenge,

Make someone jealous,

Continue to win in the sibling rivalry, and so on.

Common advertising mistakes

5. Not offering proof

Clues against skepticism

Credentials

Testimonials ★

Logos of associations

Special certifications

Photographs (before & after) ★ ★ Check with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State regulations

6. Not including an irresistible reason to respond (call to action)

• Offer a free book, e-book, or special report

• Educating readers about solutions to their particular concerns (collect their

contact information so you can follow up)

• Offer a free gift with purchase or free patient financing

7. No sense of urgency

• Patient acts immediately (life gets in the way)

• Stating when your special offer expires

• Limiting the offer until supplies last

• Limiting the offer to the first 10 respondents.

Common advertising mistakes

8. Not tracking your results

• How many inquiries did you get

• Of those inquiries, how many were you able to book for appointments

• Of those appointments, how many actually came in for a consultation

• Of those consultations, how many signed up for procedures

• What did the advertising cost

• What were the revenues collected

• Did you make money, lose money, or break even

Documentation

Consent forms

Detailed treatment mapping

Photography

Video clips

Keep track of Botox follow-up

Send reminders (have pt determine the way)

Photography (standardized)

Documentation (medical records, insurance carrier, legal

needs)

Planning

Self assessment and modification of technique

Presentations, publications

Marketing & advertizing

Variables

Lighting

Camera

Exposure

Focal length

White balance

Patient positioning

Camera

Digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR)

5 megapixels or higher

Exposure

Avoid auto

Aperture: f/16. (series of test shots to select your aperture for a

given set-up)

Shutter speed: 1/60 seconds (standard flash sync speed)

ISO setting: 200

Aperture: controls the amount of light that passes through the lens

Shutter speed: determines the length of time the light is hitting the sensor

ISO setting: controls sensitivity of the camera sensor to light

studio

Dedicated space

Medium blue background

Non-reflective material

Patient sits 2-3 feet from it

Minimize ambient light

Patient:

• no hats, eyeglasses, jewelry,

scarves

• dark shade clothing

• hair pulled away

• make-up light

• Frankfort horizontal

Lighting

Lighting

White Balance

Tells the camera which combination of red, green and blue should be

perceived as pure white

Set to auto or flash

standard views

Keep everything uniform and consistent between pre-op and post-op