The Five Deadly Sins of Medical Marketing

By Dana Fox and Joan Fodor

Adapted from an article published in Plastic Surgery Products Magazine

A physician I've been consulting with threw up her hands one day and said, I thought all I had to become was a great physician. No one told me I'd have to be a salesman too!

This lament can be heard throughout the world of aesthetic medicine. Why, doctors ask, must they think in terms of "marketing" their services? Why indeed. The truth is that the consumer of cosmetic surgery often feels they are stepping into a minefield; stepping into the unknown. Your ability to attract people to your practice, to give them a feeling of comfort and to convince them that you're the right choice is more about marketing than it is about science. It is more about psychology than it is about technique.

The most successful practices have mastered not just their ability to reshape and refine. They have mastered the art of the sale. If this makes you wince just a bit, you're not alone. But the reality of this very competitive marketplace is undeniable.

The Five Deadly Sins of Medical Marketing was inspired by six years in the trenches working with numerous medical specialties helping them market and grow their practices. Most welcomed the help with open arms. A few approached marketing their businesses as a necessary evil. All agreed, at the end of the day, that there are indisputable marketing laws as surely as there are laws of good science.

Whatever your level of acceptance of this new world , I offer these laws to help you'rethink how you approach your profession. If you're not getting all the patients you want if patients are choosing other surgeons over you if you think there may just be something to all this marketing talk, read on.

sin #1: treating marketing like it's just like science

After working with over 300 aesthetic medical practices, I have determined that there are some predictable traits shared by both the men and women in this field. You are, of course, scientists above all else. You make decisions based on facts and figures and you tend to be logic-driven. In your work, emotions take a back seat.

These demographics are in direct conflict with that of your patients. They are seeking improvement mostly for emotional reasons, regardless of how they live the rest of their lives. They look to you to erase the years, to perfect the nose, to sculpt the hips. They put the source of their self-concept in your hands: their looks.

Although these descriptions are somewhat generalized, we do know that literally billions of dollars are spent every year targeted to your market: people who want to change or improve the way they look. In the world of aesthetic cosmetics, we find that physicians often want to approach this very emotional marketplace in a science-only manner. They want to emphasize degrees, technology and data.

There is a great marketing success story from the sixties that makes my point exactly. Polaroid introduced its revolutionary camera with commercials that stressed its technical features only. With ho-hum sales, Polaroid decided to change advertising agencies and went to Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York. Doyle Dane changed the marketing strategy entirely and concentrated on the fun, the immediacy of the camera that produced pictures in sixty seconds by showing family reunions, baby's first step etc. We saw people enjoying the photos right on the spot. We saw the results ...not the process. Sales, as we all know, went through the roof.

In your field, it is even more important to reach people on a gut level. Of course, they care most about your ability, but prospects make their decision based on intangibles and feelings. The very fact that they look for you in the yellow pages or respond to a newspaper ad for one of your seminars should tell you something critical. People believe that doctors are more or less equal. They all went to medical school. They all graduated. And they all have patients. So, the real question is, now that the number of doctors on the cosmetic surgery playing field is at an all-time high, how can you create a marketing approach and process that sets you apart; how can you communicate the necessary emotions to a perspective patient?

First you have to attract them to you, which, pardon me, is a science unto itself. Then, once you've attracted a prospect to your office for a consultation, make sure that they feel trust and belief in you AND your staff. It matters that they can visualize themselves more desirable, better looking, and happier after you've performed the procedure. And it matters that they believe you like them and care about their outcome. Making the decision to allow someone to cut into your body for appearance concerns is truly an emotional decision, which has little to do with facts, figures or scientific rationale. Yes doctor, like it or not, you are a salesman.

sin #2: brochures with too many words, too many facts and little visual impact

Research tells us that it's difficult indeed to get anyone s attention. An estimated 67% of the public do not read. it's not that they can't they quite simply don't want to. People will read what appears clean and uncomplicated. They respond to white space, a simple message and a visual that draws the eye.

Again, it's important not to think only as a scientist when it comes to communicating to your prospects. Even though you're required to read volumes of fine print, understand that your prospects are not. They want just enough information to help them make their decisions. Think in terms of providing that information in layers . Direct mail pieces, ads etc. should give the big picture. Office handout materials can provide more. And for those who need full details; who want that depth of knowledge, be sure to have that available too.

A simple rule to keep in mind is when you list 35 academic degrees and 35 procedures on any given piece of paper, there is little room for emotional sell. Marketing 101 can be translated into a very simple formula of sell the sizzle, not the steak . don't overwhelm; don't create materials that are unapproachable. Write it as you think it'should be written and then cut that in half. Say just enough to cause action. And then stop. And then make that piece of paper so attractive, it's irresistible if even for a quick glance. If you are in the business of making people look beautiful, make sure everything that represents you looks beautiful too.

sin #3: expecting immediate pay back from a minimal effort

With the growing interest in cosmetic surgery, there are lots of marketing companies like mine that specialize in the field of medicine. Many of them have shifted their focus to elective procedures, and most of them are quite good.

If you decide to look to an expert to build your marketing plan, here s one of the most important things to know. What produces the greatest probability for success is how you structure your working relationship with whatever marketing company you choose. The key is to develop a strategic partnership with your marketing consultant. Be open to new input and ideas, even if they never occurred to you. Make sure you have specific goals about what you want to accomplish from your marketing campaign. For example, do you want community recognition and to increase your awareness, or do you want the phone to ring for a specific procedure? Clearly communicate your goals to your marketing company. Have a plan in place to measure the results and decide how much you are willing to spend on expanding your business. Most client relationships break down for the same reason that many personal relationships break down: lack of quality communication. A good marketing company should ask the right questions to help you get the right results.

But, if you think you will only invest in marketing for a very short time, or if you plan to advertise sporadically, think again. you're wasting your money if you don't have a consistent plan. Put the money into some other aspect of your practice instead. Marketing is something you'll do for the life of your business; it's part of the successful elective practice of today. Marketing is no longer an option for most elective practices; it is a necessity to survive.

Whether you are new to private practice, expanding the scope of your specialty, or a seasoned professional of 20 years, you still need a strategy. Your strategy might involve communication with your existing patient base about new and exciting procedures and services you offer, perhaps combined with a seminar schedule. Or, it could be a sophisticated radio and newspaper campaign, guiding people to your website. It is not so much the amount of money spent on any of these mediums, but rather the audience perception and frequency.

Talking about advertising spend a little money up front for something fabulous and then plan to get it in front of your desired audience at least six times in print, if newspaper is your choice, or three times on the air, if you've selected radio. Then assess the effectiveness of the marketing direction you've chosen. Doing less will not provide the answers you need to plan for the future.

In some cases, a mature practice of 15 or 20 years can get by with an entirely different approach. Simply tapping into the existing database and letting past patients know the broadened scope of your practice can work miracles. However, it'still takes something beautiful and well designed to make the right statement about you; to establish credibility and solicit a positive result.

So get great marketing advice, know your goals, develop a plan and invest in your future.

sin #4: insufficiently arming your front line

I can't tell you how many times we have seen practices spend a fortune on their office interior, practice brochure, radio and newspaper advertising and then pay somebody $8.00 an hour to act as the front line. It just doesn t make any sense. Today s medical receptionist must have sales and public relations abilities. They need to be able to think on their feet, sound mature and credible, warm and inviting to make an immediate and thoroughly positive first impression.

Once the prospect is in your office, another stage is being set which is to reinforce the decision-making process the patient is going through before he or she schedules the procedure. Statistically, we pretty much know that when a patient walks through your door, they have already made the decision to have surgery. They have a general idea about how much it's going to cost, and they know when they would like to schedule it. What they don't know yet is, who is going to be the doctor.

When it comes to the people in your office who help patients make the right decision (which is to select you as their doctor) you need a staff with excellent people skills, those who are highly motivated, well groomed and with some sales background.

Treating your people well is a prerequisite for getting outstanding performance. Remember, gaining compliance but not commitment can be the slow and consistent death of the elective practice. The only way to get commitment is to validate your staff on a frequent basis. Give them the time and information they need. Communicate regularly about your goals and expectations. Catch them doing things right more often than wrong, and give them training so they can continually improve their skills.

There's been a lot of lip service about empowerment in recent years. Though it may seem trendy, it truly is a key to building self-esteem in the workplace. Employees with good self-esteem produce far better results than those who are made to feel powerless. And most importantly, people who feel good about themselves tend to make others feel good too!

sin #5: losing them at the point of decision

Finally, after the marketing plan is in place, the staff is motivated and highly trained, we now must deal with the patient face-to-face. Why do they sometimes leave and not schedule? You know they want the procedure; where has it broken down?

We could say it's the law of averages and that would certainly be true. In part. We all know no one is going to schedule every consultation. But why is it that some doctors schedule almost one out of two patients they see, and others look at their book at the end of the day and wonder what happened?

When we assess practices, we so often find the patient that didn't schedule wasn t handled well when it came time to talk money. I am thinking about two examples of money talks that produce poor results. The first is when doctors themselves talk money to patients instead of a patient coordinator having that conversation. Research shows us again and again that people expect doctors to be doctors. Let someone else ask for the check.

As a female prospect, after I trust you as a surgeon, what sells me is when I m sold on your ability and your personality. I now need to talk to that nice woman I bonded with before you came in to the room, to get the real story. I want to ask her if she had you do her surgery, and I want to have her assurance that you are a really nice doctor, before I whip out my checkbook. And, if you have an outstanding patient coordinator, she will find out the patient's life story, her children's names, that she is menopausal and planning on leaving her husband after the surgery. None of which you know, nor is it necessary to know. A woman wants to be reassured by another woman she trusts. In the case of a male patient, studies indicate that it is less important who tells him what it will cost than it is for a woman. If I sound sexist I apologize, but my livelihood as a Medical Marketing and Practice Growth Consultant depends on my ability to help my clients close more surgery dates. Knowing how men and women think, how they communicate and what moves them is the essence of my business.

The second example of losing a sale comes from not offering patients options about how they may pay for their surgery, such as financing or credit cards, etc. or not asking them the simple question: when would you like to have your surgery scheduled Mrs. Jones? . In sales training, we call this an assumptive close. We assume the patient is going to schedule, because this is the best place for him or her to have surgery. Your patient coordinator transfers her belief in you to the patient and thus, the surgery is scheduled. This happens when you have a great working relationship with your staff and you empower them to do their job.

Many physicians question the ethics of marketing medicine, so in order to help you work through this, let s look at someone who was considered the greatest scientist of our time, Albert Einstein. He may also have been one of the best scientific marketers of our time. He certainly had a unique talent for re-inventing himself, had a great sense of humor, and an ability to draw attention to himself. Einstein didn't do everything right. In fact, his philosophy on making mistakes was that at least he knew hundreds of ways his theories didn't work. But he had a plan and he followed it. You can build a business through strategic planning and marketing that is for sure. Eliminating the deadliest marketing sins is your first order of business. Determining a way to stand out in the marketing place is the second.

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Authors:

Dana Fox, Vice President-Marketing of Mentor Solutions, Inc., has gained an international reputation as an accomplished speaker in the areas of practice expansion, customer service training and profit center development. Dana has worked with more than 500 medical and dental practices in the United States, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Working with both nationally and internationally recognized surgeons and physicians of varied specialties has given Dana and her management team a unique insight into what is required in moving a practice forward in today's competitive market.

Joan Fodor has worked as a marketing/business strategist for 19 years, and a facilitator and trainer for Fortune 500 Companies. As an expert in the field of reaching the boomers. Joan has worked as a writer and account executive for advertising agencies in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and directed annual marketing communication strategies for a major global marketing company with $750 million in annual sales.

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• The Five Deadly Sins of Medical Marketing
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