Creative pricing strategies for plastic surgeons help you charge prices worthy of your skills and expertise while attracting patients who understand you get what you pay for, and they care more about quality than saving money.
Money is a funny topic for cosmetic patients. It’s emotionally charged and hinges on beliefs and perceptions of price vs. value.
But here’s the thing, a cosmetic patient can feel one way but be swayed to feel a different way once they are presented with a new perspective.
For example, they would never consider paying a consult fee until they dig deeper into your before/after photos and patient reviews and learn more about you on your IG page. Now, they see the value in paying for your time.
We all do it. We balk at the price as a knew-jerk reaction until we have more to go on that changes our minds.
Your prospective patients have too much information and choices which makes it difficult for them to choose you.
So, here are creative pricing strategies to help your cosmetic patients make sense of the price and move forward.
STRATEGY #1: ENHANCE YOUR BRAND
Although you don’t have a powerful brand like Coca-Cola or Gucci, you have a unique brand that positions you in the marketplace.
Bump up your brand with an updated website that has a fresh look and feel. Show off all PR efforts with you in the news or “seen in” publications like this one shown in the airline magazines. It’s a “pay to play” strategy but a clever way to say you are the best plastic surgeon without YOU saying it.
You can also show off your skills and personality on social platforms through photos, posts, and videos. Get in the habit of producing more content than others by including a blog post you regularly write for and/or a consumer book.
STRATEGY #2: GROW YOUR CELEBRITY STATUS
Since you are probably not married to a Housewife on the Bravo Show, your next best bet is to have local celebrities in your community make you their go-to cosmetic expert.
It can be anyone with a following of trusted fans such as a radio host, socialite fundraiser, Instagram influencer, or someone who owns a popular business in your community.
Have such a good relationship with them that they are anxious to tell their audience about you and the great results they get.
STRATEGY #3: SHOW OFF SOCIAL PROOF
Since you offer intangible services, prospective patients can’t see how great you are. They can only go by your reputation, both online and off.
Use your patients to attract new patients.
Fill up your photo gallery of before/after photos showing off results of your happy patients. Show different demographics so prospective patients can see themselves in your photos.
Be sure to upload online reviews consistently by your happy patients to drown out the 1 or 2 unhappy patients.
Ask your post-op surgical patients to do video testimonials in your office telling others about their experience.
STRATEGY #4: SPECIALS FOR SPECIAL GROUPS
Anytime you can make prospective patients feel special, they will gravitate towards you. For example, offer special pricing for teachers in the summer, flight attendants, realtors, mommies in the community, army personnel, and so on.
STRATEGY #5: OFFER BUNDLED PACKAGES
To help your patients get optimal results and keep the decision-making easy, create specifically themed YOU packages.
Themes can be a certain demographic or based on season or holiday. Be creative. For example, Your Signature Breast Aug package includes all fees + pain pump + post-op garment + goody bag to include Beauty Bucks for lip filler, CoolSculpting, and Botox.
Now add up all the costs and offer the package for 10% less. Let’s say the entire package retails for $7500; however, you save $750 on this bundled package and get so much more value for your money.
Now, the patient can’t pull this apart and price-shop it with your competitors because it’s no longer an apples-to-apples comparison.
STRATEGY #6: PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENT LOYALTY PROGRAM
Rather than slash your prices to compete with the countless med spas, institute your loyalty program that eliminates discounting but encourages your patients to return, refer and review.
For example, The KISS Rewards Club gives the patient a KISS for every dollar they spend and they collect them for free Botox, fillers, and lasers.
They also get automatic KISSes when they refer a friend, leave a great review, and approve the use of their photos to be used in your marketing.
Use these creative pricing strategies to help your prospective patients consider more than just price when choosing a cosmetic provider.