It is a cosmetic practice game changer when you hire a patient coordinator with the right character, skills and mindset. This position cannot be taken lightly. You may think anyone can step in to do the job of a coordinator, but you would be sorely mistaken.
The right patient coordinator can take your practice revenues from “just enough to pay the bills” to a windfall every month because they know how to book cosmetic procedures!
Converting consultations is an art and trained skill. It takes the right mindset, knowledge and lots of practice to get good at confidently taking a “prospect” to a paying cosmetic patient.
I have compiled the traits of a great patient coordinator. So, do you have the right person representing you?
The Right Mindset and Attitude
The best coordinators have confidence knowing they are providing a valuable service to prospective patients who need guidance. They believe in the physician(s) they are representing, and they also believe in cosmetic rejuvenation as a gateway to personal self-fulfillment and happiness.
That means they do all they can to help the prospective patient get to a yes and they persevere in the face of resistance. They don’t see resistance as rejection; they see it as an opportunity to clear up the confusion on the patient’s side, so they also get to a yes and are happy.
Excellent People Skills
The right coordinator also has the people skills to make a prospective cosmetic patient comfortable and trusting enough to make a decision to have their cosmetic procedure with you.
They stay focused on the patient’s wants, fears and objections so they can artfully address the issues in a patient’s mind that are stopping them from moving forward. They do that by bonding with, listening to and asking questions, so the patient feels heard. Your patient will open up more because she trusts that the patient coordinator has her best interests at heart.
Skilled at Converting
Converting prospective patients to paid cosmetic patients is the number one skill needed to be a top patient coordinator. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is the difference between an okay coordinator and a conversion rock star.
This takes confidence and it takes courage.
Your patient is looking to you for guidance and isn’t going to just hand it to you. You have to ask for it in a professional and comfortable way, so the patient says yes. For example, when you are done presenting the options to the prospective patient, you transition to a strategic, open-ended question rather than a yes/no question that can trigger resistance.
So instead of asking, “Sue, do you want to do this?”, you ask, “Sue, do you want to do the series to save $400 or start with one treatment?”
When they pick one of these options, they are moving forward, and you now have a paying patient!
About the Author
Catherine Maley, MBA
Ms. Maley has been an author, speaker, consultant and trainer for the cosmetic industry since 2000. Her mission is to help cosmetic practices attract and convert more cosmetic patients via creative marketing strategies and training staff to be conversion rock stars.
Get more free resources at www.CatherineMaley.com.
