3 Weird Marketing Tips That Work In Plastic Surgery

So before I opened Darling, I sold nearly $1 million worth of Brazilian butt lifts in about 3 months time.

How did it all go down?

I worked as a contract salesperson for a plastic surgeon in Miami. It provided me an opportunity to really test out my sales & marketing abilities, and to make decent money without climbing the corporate ladder. Ultimately, my goal was to work a job that would teach me skills I could later use an entrepreneur.

Since I was a contractor, 85% of my salary was based on commission! I had to learn how to do my own marketing, copyrighting, and social media to boost sales.

Here are a few marketing tricks I learned that made me the top salesperson in just a few months, and with no medical background…

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Tip #1 – Using Real Before/After Photos

Using photos of beautiful women is effective. Everyone does it. Dentists, chiropractors, nail salons, and even fast food restaurants.

However, it’s more effective to use real before and after photos in plastic surgery marketing. When your prospect sees something that they feel is “achievable,” it’s much more effective. Remember, these patients have had a long life of insecurity and disappointment. They’re really looking for a permanent solution. They don’t really need to be sold to because they’ve already been sold. Surgery is dangerous, and cosmetic surgery can be considered unnecessarily risky. Clearly, they want you to cut them open, and fix their life. So your job is to reassure them that:

1) they won’t die on the table, (social proof via reviews)

2) the doctor knows his stuff and they won’t end up botched and deformed, (authority ie. “double board certified)

3) You aren’t just in it for the money (relevancy via frequent communication)

Tip #2 – Using Imagery of a handsome/attractive doctor

I have no clue why this appeals to patients, but it does. The idea of an attractive, masculine man feeling all over the patient’s body is sometimes what closes the sale. Many of these (mostly) women have felt like an ugly duckling their whole lives. Many are also middle-aged, single moms looking for a change. Remember, the whole objective here is to improve the patient’s quality of life.

Tip #3 – Using Authoritative Positioning

Even though you’re running ads and have a team actively fighting for leads, the average patient isn’t thinking about that. Plastic surgeons are like the president of a Greek fraternity. They get to choose who’s accepted and who’s not. They decide who gets to upgrade their social status. And they “don’t work with everyone.” Girls have to meet certain requirements to get in, and they’re elated when they do. It’s the perfect marketing setup because these girls are self-motivated.

But it’s perfectly ethical because these girls know what they’re signing up for and are shameless about it. When they apply to work with you, they’re really asking you permission for the sale. Don’t ever make deals or talk about the price like it’s a determining factor.

No girl wants to feel like she’s getting a discount procedure.

She’s on your turf and it’s your job to create the mood. Make her feel what she might feel when she wakes up a new woman. She probably has a million irrational questions and objections that you can respond to in your marketing. The idea is to use her own mind against (well really for) her in this case.

Seduce her with her own thoughts. It’s the ultimate conversion strategy.