Aesthetic medicine is a competitive industry. There’s always a new clinic behind you looking to poach your hard-won patients. Following these 8 tips is your best way to build a strong, resilient and profitable business.

1. Make customer service your first priority

If you’re committed to maximising your growth, great customer service is THE thing to get right. The best way to be a success in aesthetic medicine is to keep hold of your patients. But they’ll only stay loyal to a practice where they feel valued. And it’s easy to do. Just take care of the little things. Remember their name and other little details they’ve shared with you, ask them about their day – in short, let them know you appreciate them.

2. Develop a strong brand

What defines your practice? How do you want to position yourself? Are you a high-end practice with a great reputation for a particular treatment? A cutting-edge practice that’s ahead of the curve when it comes to innovations in aesthetic medicine? Or a high-volume, great value practice? You can’t be, and shouldn’t try to be, all things to all people. Really think about how you want to be perceived and where you can truly excel – and put it front and centre in all your marketing messages.

3. Display your credentials 

Trust is important in any industry, but even more so in aesthetic medicine, where people are putting their looks – and potentially lives – in your hands. Don’t underestimate the importance of reassurance. Your patients should never have cause to doubt your credentials.

Frame all relevant certificates and put them on walls where your patients will see them. If you need to, get good quality copies made so you can display them in every treatment room.

4. Keep learning – and let your patients know

Commit to ongoing professional development. You practice can always be better. And make sure to communicate any new knowledge, skills and experience you’ve gained with your patients. They’ll want to know that you’re passionate about aesthetic medicine. Mailshots sent out by email, press clippings in folders in the reception area, photos on the walls – use any way you can to let your patients know you’re committed to advancing your expertise for their benefit.

5. Communicate with your team

Regular staff meetings can be incredibly constructive – both for sharing new ideas and airing any issues. So if you don’t already do this, find the time. Also, every member of your team should know the most important details about your practice – including the professional backgrounds of all practitioners, how many treatments they’ve performed to date, etc.

Create a crib sheet of the most important details prospective patients are likely to ask, and keep a copy by every phone. A phone call is likely to be your first point of contact with a new patient, so giving them reassuring answers to their questions will go a long way.

6. Make first impressions count

Obeying good phone etiquette will help leave prospective patients with a good first impression. A helpful, well-informed receptionist who answers the phone by the third ring with a friendly voice and warm personality can be the difference between a booking and none. This is where your crib sheet will come in handy. Your receptionist can go the extra mile and share important details about your credentials that may persuade a potential patient to choose you over your competitors.

7. How can you WOW?

What’s the difference between a good business and a super-successful business? The ‘WOW factor’. You want to be in a different league to your competitors so you’re the obvious choice. Always be thinking of ways you can stand out. Providing you’re taking care of all the other important things, it doesn’t really matter in which area you wow, just as long as you do! It could be your decor, letting your patients bring in their own music, free products to take home – anything to make you, and the experience you offer your patients, different from the rest.

8. Run a tight ship – and keep an eye on the numbers

Efficiency is important, so as well as revenue you need to keep a close eye on your expenses. Unnecessary spending can cancel out your hard work attracting and retaining patients. Better knowledge will help you make better decisions. So measure all the key metrics of your business as regularly as you can:

• Total revenues
• Revenue streams broken down by treatments
• Number of new patients
• Average number of patients per day
• Most popular treatment
• Most profitable treatment
• Percentage of revenues to overhead costs
• Average spend per patient
• Return of investment (ROI) for any promotional campaign
• Patient waiting times
• Average cost to attract/retain each patient

Getting to grips with this data will help you determine where best to spend your time, money and resources. It’ll also give you useful targets for improvement that you can share with your team.

Cosmetic Courses have offered accredited training courses in aesthetic medicine since 2002. For more information on any of our courses, please contact the team on 01844 318317 or email [email protected]. We also have an Online Academy where you can learn from the comfort of your own home.

Find out more information and frequently asked questions on Business and Marketing in our Aesthetics Knowledge Hub.

This month the JCCP (Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners) released their 10 point plan for regulation within aesthetics. This plan details the steps we can make as an industry to ensure safety and regulation.

“Our ultimate aim is to create a safer environment for members of the public undergoing non-surgical treatments with mandated qualifications, premises criteria, insurance and many other steps relating to the sector and industry.” -JCCP Statement, March 2021

At Cosmetic Courses we support the JCCP in striving for a safer future within aesthetics, encouraging regulation and producing confident and qualified injectors.

JCCP 10-Point Plan:

1 Statutory Regulation

Seek and advise on statutory regulation for the non-surgical aesthetics and hair restoration sector.

2 Mandatory Education and Training Standards 

Government and education/training regulators in the UK to mandate specific qualifications, education and training requirements for specific modalities.

3 Clear, Transparent Information

Aesthetic service providers to clearly display simple, informative guides on all services provided including risks, benefits, costs, qualifications and insurance to members of the public.

4 Definition of Medical and Cosmetic Treatments

Work with Government agencies to clearly define in law what constitutes a ‘medical’, a ‘medically-related’ treatment and what is ‘cosmetic’ only.

5 Safe and Ethical Prescribing 

Implement robust standards and regulation for safe, ethical and professional prescribing within non-surgical aesthetics.

6 More Regulated Advertising and Social Media

Tighter controls and penalties on exaggerated, inaccurate and misleading advertising and social media posts in relation to aesthetic treatments, hair restoration and training.

7 National Complications Reporting

Introduce enhanced and co-ordinated processes for the reporting and analysis of adverse incidents at a national level.

8 Adequate Insurance Cover

Legislate all cosmetic non-surgical aesthetics and hair restoration surgical practitioners to hold robust and adequate indemnity insurance covering each service provided.

9 Licensing of Premises, Treatments and Practitioners

Set nationally agreed standards for licensing and regulating premises, treatments procedures and individuals.

10 Raising Consumer Awareness

Raise public awareness of the risks and benefits associated with non-surgical treatments and hair restoration surgery.

You can read the full document released by the JCCP by clicking here.

With the end of lockdown looming and plans to reopen hopefully fast approaching it’s time to make sure your aesthetic practice is prepared and ready for a successful 2021!

With 20 years of aesthetic experience our team wanted to share with you some top tips to help you thrive in this challenging time.