Why You Should Never Discount Your Cosmetic Medicine Services

I have to admit... I‘ve worked at places that do this. The marketing team says offer a service, at a huge discount, and get a cash boost and new customers through the door, re engage some patients too who haven’t attended for a while. Other clinics will offer Groupon discounts or Instagram specials. But really, what does discounting do for your patients and your clinic reputation?

This approach doesn’t foster loyalty and we know that our current patients are the ones who we should be focussing on keeping, not necessarily always be fishing for more. This disloyalty is because if a patient can’t buy more than one deal, they will more than likely go elsewhere.

The perceptions to the patient are most worrying. Should they be concerned about inexperienced clinicians doing the procedures if they’re cut price? We all know that you get what you pay for so a discounted service may be giving the signal that your staff are lesser skilled or experienced than one they can get at a more highly priced clinic. It may also signal that you are using inferior or counterfeit products.

What if low prices indicate lack of proper patient evaluation and management? We should be approaching each patient with treatments and procedures that are designed for them, their skin, their medical and lifestyle history, their anatomy, and their specific needs (also not forgetting their budget, financial consent is a must!).

When patients buy a service through a discount site or as a special offer (even if the procedure is not right for them) they expect the service. Even if it is clear that services are dependant on assessment, the promise of the service has already been made. Now you are damned if you do (think lip filler on a sun-damaged, fat depleted face) and damned if you don’t (think the now-unhappy patient who will complain about you, your staff, your clinic ethics all around town because they're 60-year-old face looks worse or you've declined to treat).

A clinic offering treatments at a too-good-to-be-true price, means it probably is. Neurotoxins might be diluted too much, fillers could be mixed, products may be purchased illegally, and less than adequate treatments and bad results can ensue.

Everyone loves a good deal, myself included. BUT above that, I value quality and safety and protecting the reputation of my business.

As always, if you have any questions, reach out to us HERE.