4 Ways to Educate Your Patients About the Services You Offer
How to Sell More Services in Your Dermatology Practice
You wish you were performing more procedures or selling more products. And it's not that you don't have a full schedule but your patients aren't utilizing all that you offer until now. How to sell more without selling a thing.
Train your medical staff to discuss relevant products and services with patients upon checkout
Nurses, techs, and administrative staff are your secret weapons for getting information in the right hands.
As a physician, you have limited time with each patient to discuss their medical and cosmetic concerns. It’s not feasible to tell patients about every product and procedure that’s related to their skin concerns because
it would be a barrage of information for the patient —too much to take in
it might be off-putting, coming across as salesy
there’s just not enough time to detail them all
Training your staff on the optimal time to suggest and explain products or procedures is critical. As the nurse is discharging a patient in the exam room or as a patient is checking out, the medical assistant could tell the patient about 1-2 of their favorite products or mention promos.
People like to know what other products and services a business can provide them.
After all, they will buy a similar item somewhere else, and why not let it be from you. It’s very convenient.
As a doctor, when you make recommendations for products or services, you probably stop yourself short of sharing for fear of looking pushy.
Having your staff discuss product or treatment benefits in the course of normal conversation reinforces the suggestions you’ve made. Plus, patients feel less guarded when they receive recommendations from people they think have nothing to gain from the sale.
Your true intent is to provide your patients with the best care and resources, and you can’t do that if they don’t know what you offer.
Share news and available treatments on social media
Social media is another version of your virtual storefront. While you may wonder who is following along with your account or if it’s even making an impact, one thing’s for sure, utilizing another outlet to showcase the products and services you offer is a smart move.
In 2020 more than 3.6 billion people were using social media. If that number seems so vast that you’re not sure how your practice fits in, let’s look at it like this. Pew Research suggests 7 in 10 Americans use social media to interact with each other, learn about news, share information and entertainment.
And what’s even more interesting is that it’s not just young people anymore. By 2020 almost 50% of adults age 65+ and up say they use at least one social media account.
So while your chances of catching the eye of older generation patients on social continue to increase, your online presence is guaranteed to be spreading to the fingertips of the younger generations that you want to start a relationship with. Young to middle-aged acne patients become your laser and light patients, they then become neuromodulator and filler patients, moving on to sclerotherapy, skin cancer removal, and so on.
So if you’re running a promo, be sure to let your social community know. Everyone wants a deal, especially when the product or treatment comes with a premium price tag.
Send a monthly newsletter sharing the latest practice news and promotions
Weekly emails are ideal because consistency builds relationships. Even monthly newsletters keep your practice top of mind for your patients.
And many of the treatments you offer are no longer found only in the derm office, meaning the competition is heating up.
It gives you an upper edge if you’re actively reaching out to your customer base because when it’s time to buy, it’s you they think of.
Email is a direct connection to your audience, and you can send them relevant practice and treatment info, highlighting products and promotions.
An email with promotional offers or procedure highlights is enough to spark interest and get people’s minds brewing on the topic. Some are ready to purchase or book right away and others now know where to come when the time is right. Plus, not sure about your friends but mine, if I mention I’m thinking about a product or service and they have a recommendation to share, they always do.
Make short videos discussing procedures you know would benefit your patient population if they only knew more about it
Video is an excellent opportunity to reach another audience. Not all people like to read or scroll to consume their information, and sometimes video is just more accessible.
Additionally, videos are a great way to showcase underrepresented, misunderstood treatments. Video tutorials can simplify complicated concepts and help alleviate concerns, and it’s an opportunity to have a more personal interaction and answer common questions patients have.
If a (potential) patient watches your video to learn about a procedure, and they finish feeling more confident and informed, the likelihood that they’ll choose you to perform it is high.
Only you do what you do. Your personality, care, attention to detail, expertise, etc., weigh heavily on how a patient chooses their dermatologist.
Give it a go and let them know. Get on my list DigitalMarketingForDerm and get more ideas on how you or your staff can help grow your brand. After all, when people buy, they like to buy from people they know and trust. Wouldn’t you? See you in the inbox.