February 26, 2024
Shifting “Upselling” to “Upping-Results”
I have taught my sales training course to thousands of plastic surgery and medical aesthetic practices across the country both onsite and virtually. Time and time again, one of the biggest areas of missed opportunity for revenue is the failure to develop long-term treatment plans for clients.
Treatment plans help build long-term retention and increase the client’s lifetime value. They provide clients with solutions, options, and possibilities to yield the best results.
I hear a lot from providers that they don’t want to appear pushy, salesy, or feel uncomfortable about the “upsell,” so they focus only on the problem the client specifically comes in for. Most often, it is our own bias getting in the way. I’ve heard excuses such as, “Patients won’t spend the extra money.” Or “They are not going to buy it; It is not what they came here for.” Or “They can’t afford that.”
That is not up to you to judge or decide. Your only obligation is to inform the client of all their options and possibilities for the best outcomes. It is up to THEM to decide. If we don’t see and believe in the value of what we recommend, how will they?
I want to encourage you to shift your mindset away from “Upselling” to “Upping Results.” Here’s why:
- Short-term and symptom-focused treatments may work but won’t build long-term patient retention.
- Combining different modalities over multiple visits provides the patient with a better outcome and strengthens the relationship and trust with the provider (or in the case of plastic surgery, pre-op preparations and post-op care).
- You’ll gain opportunities to cross-promote by using combination treatments, which will yield more revenue (revenue for skincare is typically at 100% markup).
When patients have their skincare built into their treatment plan, they will:
- Use the best products for their skin that you know will yield the best possible outcomes.
- Be more likely to practice home care compliance.
- Experience increased convenience as they can purchase them at the same time as they book their treatment appointments
- Be delighted by experiencing something new (How many of you have patients who come to you as an expert and ask, “What’s new?”), so pairing your new products with procedures is a solid strategy.
Did you know the amount spent on skincare is 3x more compared to services or procedures? Every procedure should have a product and additional procedures to augment. With this revenue strategy, retail should be 20% of your total revenue.
Example A: Clear & Brilliant ($500) + Retinal & Antioxidant ($200)
and post-op Hyrdrafacial, $250 = $950
90% increase in revenue
Example B: Micro Needling Treatment ($450) + Serum and Accelerator ($280) = post op Hyrdafacial ($250) = $980
118% increase in revenue
Example C: Full Facelift ($20,000) + Laser Resurfacing pre-op ($1,500) + Retinol and Antioxidant ($200) and post-op Vascular laser ($75) and Hydrafacial ($250) = $22,025
More than 10% Increase in revenue
When a provider builds skincare and or other treatment modalities into their treatment plan (pre-op and post-op care), they will experience these benefits:
- Volume. Comprehensive treatment packages increase sales
- Margins. Comprehensive treatment packages can lower the cost of goods sold and increase your profit margins
- Exposure. Comprehensive treatment packages offer new opportunities and exposure to additional services and treatments
How Much Revenue are you Leaving on the Table?
According to a recent survey by the New York Post, the average female consumer spends $313 per month on products for her face and men spend $244. The survey states that 82% of men now are using skincare. If even 20 patients spent that on your products you recommend versus buying over-the-counter products, that would be an extra $6260 per month of revenue generated by women and $4880 for men.
Let’s take a little deeper dive into patient expectations versus reality.
- 86% of patients expect physicians to recommend a pre-treatment skincare regimen yet only 14% of patients were recommended at home care.
- 91% of patients expect physicians to recommend a post-care skincare regimen, yet only 30% of patients were prescribed post-care products.
So, you can see the clear gaps in the industry and how comprehensive treatment plans can increase your revenue opportunities and create better results for your patients.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.John D. Rockefeller
What Should be Included in the Treatment Plan?
When developing your treatment plan, it is best to keep it simple and clear in terms of the procedures/services and products you recommend. Include a short description about what each procedure does, the cost, the downtime, products you recommend, a step-by-step plan on their regimen to follow as well as any personalized notes. I recommend having your treatment plan template branded to match the branding of your practice.
Hopefully all of you are using some form of a Cosmetic Interest Questionnaire (CIQ) that can help spark discussion around other areas of interest to them. Here are sample scripts for those who may be uncomfortable or unsure how to bring a treatment plan up during a consultation in both a medical spa and a plastic surgery practice:
Medical Spa: Hi Pam. My name is Terri and I’m a Nurse Practitioner. Thank you so much for coming in today. Our consultation will be around 30-45 minutes where my goal is to get to know you, focus on understanding your needs, and discuss all the viable treatment options, along with the best skin care regime that will help you achieve the best results.
Based on what I hear you saying, my recommendation for you is the following:
- Retinol and antioxidants
- BBL
- Hydrafacial with LED and Hydrating mask
- Post-op recovery care
Plastic Surgery: Hi Pam. My name is Dr. Smith. Thank you so much for coming in today. Our consultation will be around 30-45 minutes where my goal is to get to know you, focus on understanding your needs, and discuss all the viable surgical and non-surgical options, along with the best skin care regime that will help you achieve the best results.
Based on my assessment to get you the outcome you are looking for, I am going to recommend the following:
- Pre-op hydrafacial to clean your skin and pores to prep for surgery
- Laser skin resurfacing to help with overall pigmentation and texture
- Facelift
- Post-op recovery kit
- Vbeam
The Sales Training Course within APX Platform goes into much greater detail about the value of incorporating long-term treatment plans which increase the lifetime value of your clients, help clients to achieve better results, increase revenue, and improve patient retention.
