Module Six: The Consultation

Module Six: The Consultation

Importance of the Consultation

  • The consultation is crucial in transforming your clinic and enhancing patient success rates.

  • Benefits include:

    • Decreasing complaint rates.

    • Avoiding accusations of being sales-focused.

    • Establishing strong connections with patients that lead to memorable outcomes.

  • The essence of being a great clinician lies in understanding patients' challenges and providing tailored solutions.

Nature of the Consultation

  • Described as a collaboration between two experts:

    • Expert Clinician: Understands technical aspects of procedures and patient health.

    • Patient: Expert on their own circumstances and the problems they face.

  • Importance of collaboration over hierarchy; both parties should work together to address the external problem.

12-Step Consultation Process Overview

  1. Build trust.

  2. Understand the patient’s problem from their perspective.

  3. Understand the problem from your clinician perspective.

  4. Generate a complete solution.

  5. Develop smaller solutions leading to the complete solution.

  6. Discuss potential side effects and risks.

  7. Commit to a procedure or give the patient time to think.

  • Good consultations establish strong connections with patients, building trust and understanding.

Building Trust with Patients

  • Trust is broken into three pillars:

    1. Competence

    • Vital for patients to believe in your ability to deliver results.

    • Strategies to demonstrate competence:

      • Strong marketing presence promoting expertise.

      • Use of educational content during consultations.

      • Active problem-solving to contextualize solutions for patients.

    • Competence is rooted in the ability to explain concepts clearly and provide actionable solutions.

    1. Integrity

    • Patients often assume clinicians prioritize financial gain; counter this with transparent recommendations focused on patient needs.

    • Importance of saying ‘no’ to unnecessary treatments that don’t address the patient’s real concerns.

    • Continuous reference to shared goals during consultation aids in conveying integrity.

    1. Emotional Safety

    • Creating an environment where patients feel they can express vulnerabilities.

    • Use personal anecdotes to relate to patients and show understanding (e.g., the "fart factor" story).

    • Empathy and approachability are key to building emotional safety during consultations.

Structuring the Consultation

  • Clearly lay out how the consultation will be structured, especially for new patients.

  • Simple introduction stating intentions, goals, and mutual respect helps create a positive atmosphere.

  • Opening Statement Example:

    • Aim to help patients feel great post-procedure.

    • Express desire to understand their perspectives.

  • Importance of making patients feel they are not just another transaction but a prioritized individual in their journey to transformation.

Understanding the Patient’s Story

  • Essential to unpack the patient's narrative to create an ideal treatment plan.

  • Key questions to ask:

    • What brought you here?

    • What are the factors affecting your confidence?

  • Importance of genuine curiosity to get to deeper motivations behind treatment desires (e.g., wanting to look younger may connect to aspirations for relationships or careers).

  • Patients may not initially articulate their needs, but exploration reveals deeper desires tied to self-image.

Relationship with Aesthetic Appearance

  • Recognize how patients attribute meaning to their appearance and the emotions that follow.

  • The emotional implications of perceived flaws should be assessed (e.g., “I look old” or “I look sad”).

  • Patients often describe their problems both verbally and through non-verbal cues, offering insights into their true insecurities.

  • Establish the motivations for seeking aesthetic treatments by exploring situational awareness and experiences where their look affects them.

Conducting a Facial Assessment

  • Transition to assessing facial aesthetics after understanding the patient's story and relationship with their appearance.

  • Permission-seeking for assessment is crucial:

    • Always ask if the patient is comfortable moving forward with a full assessment.

    • Set the tone that the assessment is constructive and aimed at improving their desired outcomes.

  • Start with positive affirmations to ensure emotional safety (e.g., “There is nothing wrong with your face”).

The ARCOS Framework for Facial Evaluation

  • Framework components include:

    • Defining points

    • Defining lines

    • Planes of the face

  • Strategy to dissect the face systematically, focusing on each quadrant:

    • Analyze by assessing features as over-defined, under-defined, or neutral in relation to the patient’s goals.

    • Connect facial features with patient emotional descriptions to validate findings and ease communication.

Generating Treatment Solutions

  • After thoroughly evaluating the situation, collaboratively generate treatment options:

    • Present a menu of potential solutions, encouraging patient engagement and decision-making.

  • Discussing costs and treatment options should prioritize transparency:

    • Offer multiple options based on affordability but always connect choices to emotional outcomes.

    • Allow patients to be free in making decisions about their treatments.

Communicating Costs Effectively

  • Discuss pricing in a straightforward, confident manner to avoid compromising patient perception of value.

  • Present various treatment tiers:

    • Educational consultation where patients can learn and reflect.

    • Minimal meaningful treatment for basic changes that will affect confidence.

    • 80% option focusing on the best possible outcomes within budget constraints.

    • Dream option, presenting the ultimate treatment plan irrespective of cost constraints.

Finalizing Decisions and Consent

  • Allow ample time for patients to consider options without rushing them, minimizing potential discomfort.

  • Clarity on potential risks and complications is critical:

    • Discuss both benefits and downsides of treatment clearly, reinforcing the patient’s autonomy in decision-making.

  • Aim for patients to own their choices by framing questions around their comfort with moving forward after discussing risks.

Conclusion of Consultation Process

  • The goal is to ensure patients feel understood and comprehensively informed about their aesthetic journey.

  • Successful consultations foster relationships that lead to patient loyalty and repeat visits.

  • Highlight improvements in satisfaction and average appointment value as reflections of positive changes within the clinic.

  • Promote patient empowerment through knowledge and trust to facilitate transformations.

  • Suggest a recommended duration of 45 minutes to 1 hour per consultation, adapting the timing based on patient familiarity and needs.