Prospective patients are buyers who want to know the answer to the question: “What’s in it for me?” How do your products or services solve or improve my situation? What specific benefits do you deliver or offer? Why should I choose your practice or provider over another? What differentiates you from the competition?
They want emotional reassurance that they are making the right decision to choose you. They typically have some hesitation that something could go wrong, or questions about how good you are, or how much experience you have performing the procedure they want.
Creating a clear, consistent message around your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and explaining your credentials can take the guesswork out of promoting your practice and get your entire team on the same page and delivering the same message – further enhancing your brand.
The Importance of Credentialing
In a competitive and commoditized marketplace, credentialing is your time to shine. It is your opportunity to display your knowledge, education, and expertise and why patients should trust you and choose you.
Ideally, this should be apparent on your website. The message should be consistent for your staff answering the phones. They should be able to:
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Explain the various services and products you offer
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Communicate how many years you have been in business; the various providers on your team and their level of experience in aesthetics
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Confidently be able to explain what makes your practice stand out and unique
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What they can expect when they come to your practice (patients buy experience not products or services)
Why Credentialing is Often Overlooked
Sometimes my clients feel awkward credentialing because in some respects, they feel like they are bragging or they don’t want to talk about themselves. Or, they feel like they are too busy to make time for that conversation.
One of the challenges I hear the most consistently when I am conducting sales trainings is, “Terri, we want to do this, but we don’t know what to say. We need a script to follow so we can have a consistent message.”
That’s why I created a step-by-step formula for you to create your own unique value proposition and an exact credentialing script you can tailor to your practice.
The Two P's of Credentialing
There are two aspects of credentialing – credentialing your provider and your practice.
Your team should be able to answer the following questions when communicating information to prospective patients about your provider:
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Who will be performing the consultations and treatments? Will it be an MD, NP, PA, or RN?
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How many years of experience do they have?
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How many years in aesthetics?
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Has he/she received any special training? PDO, Threads, Lasers, Butt lift, etc.?
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What range of procedures does the provider perform or specialize in?
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Is he/she known as a trainer or educator?
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Is he/she recognized by any manufacturer for his/her volume
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Has he/she been published or is he/she a speaker on this procedure?
Your team should be able to answer the following questions when communicating information to prospective patients about your practice:
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How many years has the practice been in business?
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How many providers do you have?
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What is the practice’s specialty/specialties?
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Is there anything different/special about the location or environment?
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Is the practice recognized by any manufacturer for its volume (Diamond, Platinum Plus, etc.)?
By knowing the credentials behind your providers and practice, you are forming the basis for your unique value proposition.
