Shorr Solutions: The Podcast – Ep. 158 – How to Build a Skincare Program That Patients Actually Buy From

00:00:31:25 – 00:00:59:23

Paige Hamilton

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Shorr Solutions: The Podcast. My name is Paige Hamilton. I’m the marketing and advertising manager here at Shorr Solutions. And today we’ve got a great episode for you about skincare and why your patients might not be purchasing it from you and your practice. So today, joining me in this conversation, I have Cristian Devoz, who is one of our partners and a senior client success manager.

00:00:59:28 – 00:01:05:26

Cristian Devoz

Thank you. Paige, I’m excited to jump into this conversation with you. It’s going to be a great episode.

00:01:06:00 – 00:02:35:22

Paige Hamilton

Yes. So I do want to make a disclaimer that we’re not going to be talking about specific skincare products and the benefits of specific products themselves, but rather we’re going to come from the practice aspect of it, more of the management side, how you should be going about selling skincare in your practice, how to train your team. Because many aesthetic practices invest heavily in attracting patients. But skincare is one of those things that help you increase revenue, strengthen patient loyalty, and improve the treatment outcomes that the patients are coming to you to achieve. So patients are already buying skincare. Almost everyone uses skincare, and there’s some exceptions, sure, but almost all patients are already buying skincare. The question is whether they’re buying it from you because they know you sell it and you sell a good product, or whether they’re purchasing it from Amazon or Sephora or Target or whatever other retailer that they might be getting it from, or even another provider. If they’re coming to you, for one thing, and maybe they’re seeing someone else who also offers skincare, maybe that other provider is taking that patient from you. So if you have a skincare line in your practice, we’re going to talk about the importance of selling and how you should be doing it. So first of all, we want to focus on why you should sell skincare in your products in your practice.

00:02:35:24 – 00:03:31:23

Cristian Devoz

Why not? That’s my answer. Why not? Why not have that extra revenue? Why not have that extra product line that is going to allow you to make additional money, and it’s going to allow you to grow your practice. So that’s number one. Number two, if you’re not doing it, someone else is going to do it for you, and you’re going to lose those opportunities to retain those patients and also to allow them to get the best results. And we all know that if you want to have a great result, what you do at home after you get that procedure or that treatment matters a lot. The patient needs to follow a regimen. They need to make it a habit to use these skincare products so that they can maintain those results. And it’s going to allow them to get the best results possible. So making sure that you sell that to your patients is going to be very crucial, both for you financially and also for the patient to get the best results.

00:03:31:26 – 00:04:50:08

Paige Hamilton

Yeah. So let’s talk about some of those financial benefits, because we mentioned it in a lot of episodes that you should be selling skincare and kind of maybe we touch on it a little bit, but this episode is going to be going a little bit more in depth. So you have that reasoning and understanding. So one of the financial benefits is that it has a really good profit margin. So you can sell skincare and you have a really good return for your profit and your revenue coming in. And it also is just there. It’s not a service that has to be booked. It doesn’t have to be on your schedule. So it’s not necessarily taking up time from your providers. Besides the time of having the conversation and actually explaining the benefits, because your patients are going to be coming back from that too. So they’re going to, you know, maybe they don’t come to you every three months, but they need skincare every three months, every three months, that patients coming back to get your skincare, whether that’s actually physically coming to your practice to pick it up or if that’s online ordering. And it also ships to their house. That’s a great feature as well. And you just have a pretty little box with your logo all over it sitting at their front doorstep.

00:04:50:08 – 00:04:50:25

Cristian Devoz

Right.

00:04:50:28 – 00:05:15:24

Paige Hamilton

A lot of financial benefits to that. And I feel like I’m probably the perfect target audience to be having this conversation too, because right now I use skincare from Sephora, and I don’t use medical-grade skincare or skincare from a provider. So if someone were to come to me and to explain the benefits, I might be an easy switch.

00:05:15:25 – 00:06:55:28

Cristian Devoz

You might switch. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And you know what? Paige, it’s such a missed opportunity in so many practices, not only whether they are doing it or not, because many of them are doing that, doing the skincare. They’re selling skincare products, but they are not necessarily actively selling it. And that is a missed opportunity. Just having it there, being portrayed, you know, on some shelves, it’s not going to get you any more money. You have to get your team on board and make sure that everybody is selling it. And the way that you sell it without sounding salesy is going to have a lot to do with how you communicate with that patient during the consult, even on the phone, and making sure that they know that it is a holistic approach.

Right. You’re letting the patient know what we do here is important, but what you do at home to maintain those results really matters. It’s similar to when somebody goes to the gym, right? What’s the first thing the trainer tells you? Seventy or 80% of the work is actually at home when you eat, not when you’re training. Training is just stimulating your muscles to produce that hypertrophy, right? To start growing. But the actual strengthening process or rebuilding of those muscles happens when you’re getting enough nutrients through your food and then getting enough rest so that your body recovers.

The same thing with skincare. You can tell the patient, even use that same example. How do you maintain those results? You’ve got to have your skincare routine and make sure that you take a holistic approach so the patient knows it’s all part of the treatment. It’s not separate from getting that treatment with you.

00:06:56:00 – 00:08:56:01

Paige Hamilton

And I think it applies to—I want to make sure we’re kind of talking to all of our audiences here that might be listening. So no matter what practice type you have, you should be recommending skincare. I would say dermatologist especially, number one. That one’s kind of obvious. The whole practice deals with the skin. So you want to make sure that you have all of the different products.

But like Cristian was saying, pair it with a treatment as well. So if you’re in surgery and you’re doing plastic surgery on someone’s face and there’s going to be a scar, you want to be able to tell them, “Hey, this product will help minimize the appearance of the scar,” or even give them a skincare regimen beforehand so that their skin is in a healthy enough condition to heal properly after surgery.

So there are all of the different aspects, especially if you’re a med spa. Someone’s going to trust you to get all of their skincare from you. And most likely, too, I think one of the other reasons why you should sell it is because they’re going to want all of the products. I wouldn’t just come to my dermatologist for my sunscreen or just my face wash. I’m loading up. I’m going to get my sunscreen, my moisturizers, my serums—all of it. I’m just going to get all of it at the same place in the little bundle that I know is the step one, two, three, four that I’m going to follow, and my skin is going to look pretty afterwards.

So I think that’s another financial benefit. It adds credibility to you that you’re offering these products, that you’re going to get these really good treatment results.

So I think that pretty much encompasses the why you should be doing it. And Cristian touched on a really good point, which is how you should be doing it.

So let’s talk about how practices should be recommending skincare.

00:08:56:03 – 00:11:16:00

Cristian Devoz

Yeah, that’s such a great question, Paige. You know, the how is always what really matters when you’re selling. It’s not so much selling or why you should do it or what you should sell, but it’s how you do it.

And number one, you’re going to prescribe, don’t sell. So make sure that you prescribe it as part of the treatment that they’re getting. So if they’re getting a facial, if they’re getting Botox, filler, whatever it might be, you can always prescribe it as a way to get the best results beforehand. As Paige was saying, to prepare the skin, make it healthy before the treatment, and also post-treatment so that they continue to take care of it.

Now make sure that you recommend solutions to reach their goals. So you let them see, you know, this is what you want to achieve on your face or on your skin. This is how we’re going to do it. This is the product that we’re going to use. This is the regimen we’re going to follow. You’re going to use it twice a day. This is what you’re going to do during the day. This is what you’re going to do during the night.

And you explain very clearly how to use it, why they need to use it. And in that way, it doesn’t feel so much that you’re selling as much as you are educating the patient, letting them know, you know, this is something that is important to get the best results.

So make it a conversation. That’s very important. And do it in every single consult. Don’t make it feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. It has to be part of the conversation, and it has to feel like when you’re talking to your besties, right? You’re talking to your best friend and you start talking.

“Hey, by the way, I’m using this new product that I was recommended, and I love it. I’m seeing my skin glowing, it looks beautiful, and I feel like it’s so healthy now.”

Talk about it as a conversation, like a friend talks to another friend. That’s very, very important.

In a patient-doctor, patient-provider relationship, you have to have an actual close relationship with that person. Instead of seeing the patient as a number or as just somebody that you treat to get the money, you’ve got to see that person as a human being who has goals and aspirations, who has a family, who has basically everything that we all go through.

So if you’re able to connect with that patient to that level of trust, they’re going to follow your recommendations because they trust you, and they know that you only care for what’s best for them.

00:11:16:03 – 00:11:32:25

Paige Hamilton

I think this might be a good time—we can do a role play. So a bad example of what you kind of just said would be if I’m the provider and you’re the patient, and we’re in the middle of the consult, we’re going over things, and I just ask you, “Oh, Cristian, by the way, what skincare are you using?”

00:11:33:00 – 00:11:36:02

Cristian Devoz

Oh, man, I don’t use any skincare.

00:11:36:05 – 00:11:54:22

Paige Hamilton

Okay. Well, I just wanted to let you know that we offer X, Y, and Z skincare, and it’s going to be this much, and I think that it would work for you. It’s at the counter, it’s available, and we can get you checked out so that way you can actually start using some skincare.

And, you know, that would be a bad example. You’re kind of just…

00:11:54:23 – 00:11:57:06

Cristian Devoz

Yeah, I feel like you’re telling me.

00:11:57:11 – 00:12:04:13

Paige Hamilton

So a different example would be if he said, “Oh, I’m not using any skincare,” then I would want to turn around and…

00:12:04:13 – 00:12:41:09

Cristian Devoz

Yeah, let’s role play that again.

So, hey Paige, I’m not using any skincare.

Instead of asking me what skincare products I’m using at home, you could ask me, “Hey Cristian, can I ask you what you’re doing right now to take care of your skin at home?”

“I’m not really doing much. I mean, I’m doing sunscreen, but not every day. And I don’t have any type of skincare products per se.”

And then at that point you can transition and say, “Oh, well, that’s very interesting because, you know, to get the best results, and I usually recommend this as part of my holistic approach, you’ve got to use some skincare products to make sure that you prepare yourself.”

00:12:41:11 – 00:12:43:21

Paige Hamilton

Glassy, shiny skin.

00:12:43:24 – 00:12:44:20

Cristian Devoz

Right. Exactly.

00:12:44:20 – 00:14:01:13

Paige Hamilton

So you want the glassy skin that everyone wants to achieve. You need to make sure you have some moisturizer. And you need to make sure you’re using your sunscreen every day.

However you want to work that into the conversation, there’s definitely a better approach. Like Cristian was saying, make it a conversation. Talk about what their goals are. Present them with, “Hey, if this is what you eventually want to achieve in combination with this other procedure that we’re talking about or other treatments that we’re talking about, you also need to make sure you’re doing this as well.”

Otherwise, you might not be as happy with your results.

And then you also want to bring that up because if they’re not happy with the results because of something they’re lacking, they might not know, “Oh, I should have been doing this skincare routine.”

Then they’re going to think, “Well, my provider was just really bad.”

They might not be happy with their results because of something they were lacking, not something on your part, but they don’t know that. So then they might say, “No, my results were terrible. The facial did nothing. I see no change. I wouldn’t go to them at all.”

So then they’ve left a bad review, they’re not promoting you to their friends, and you’ve lost that patient.

00:14:01:15 – 00:15:40:14

Cristian Devoz

Well, that’s the worst-case scenario, Paige.

So no, but to be honest with you, I mean it’s only in the how you can get it right, and making sure the transition happens smoothly in the conversation.

But I wouldn’t necessarily say, “You can get it at the checkout.” You can say, “As part of your treatment, I would recommend or I would prescribe some skincare products that I have seen are the most effective for this specific procedure that you want to get or the specific result that you want to get. And we provide it right here.”

So if you would like to get it as part of your consult, you can get it at the checkout with the Director of First Impressions.

So making sure that you word it in such a way that it doesn’t feel like you’re selling, but it’s just part of the prescription of how to get those results.

And then, of course, you want to follow up.

So the next time they come to their next appointment:

“Hey, by the way, Paige, how are you doing with the skincare product that you got from us?”

“Oh, well, I have been using it. I have noticed improvements in my skin, and thank you very much because I have seen the results.”

So you want to make sure you follow up with that patient and ask them, because that also helps continue the conversation.

Because if they say, “Well, I did notice some redness,” or “I didn’t notice this or that,” then you can say, “Well, it seems like we might need to adjust your prescription. So I’m going to recommend this other skincare line or this other product.”

And then you can recommend that other product.

But definitely make sure that you approach it in a way that doesn’t feel pushy or like you’re trying to sell. Instead, it’s simply part of that prescription.

00:15:40:16 – 00:17:09:23

Paige Hamilton

I would also say following up with them at the front desk as well.

We like to recommend that you walk your patient to the front desk. They’re not just wandering your practice figuring things out on their own.

So if you are writing this as a prescription, one time with Nan I was working on a project for one of our other clients, and she suggested that we actually have a card that is branded for the practice. It was kind of like a prescription pad-style card, but a little more fun than a regular prescription pad.

It was for this exact situation where they could write down:

“Hey, this is the type of skincare. This is the product that I’m recommending.”

You send that with the patient, or you hand it to the front desk while you’re up there.

That way, the conversation that you had in the room isn’t over. Now you have someone else reapproaching the subject.

Maybe there were a lot of other things the patient was thinking about. Maybe you were talking about surgery, and now all they’re thinking about is, “Do I want to do the surgery? Is this something I’m going to book right now? This is a really big decision.”

So maybe something else is weighing on them, and they’re not thinking about the skincare conversation you had when they’re walking to the front desk.

Having that refresh and following up right there—and having the pretty little card with the prescription on it that says, “Hey, this is what we’re recommending”—serves as another reminder.

00:17:09:26 – 00:18:13:28

Cristian Devoz

And then of course, making sure that your team is actually trained so that they know that they need to bring that up as well during that checkout process.

“Oh, hey, I see that the doctor recommended or that the provider recommended that we get you these skincare products. That’s such a great product. I have used it myself, and I have seen great results,” or, “I have many patients who have been using it, and they love it.”

Just something like that is going to continue to encourage that patient or get them excited to use it.

And then, of course, train your team so that they are always trying to upsell in a way that feels natural, once again. Many times there is a lot of education involved. Some patients don’t know what one product does versus another.

So making sure that you train your team to understand how to explain the use of the skincare in a professional way, while also making sure that they are consistent with how and why you recommend products so that they sing from the same hymn book and can communicate the same things that you would say during a consult.

00:18:14:04 – 00:20:13:28

Paige Hamilton

And that’s a great point because that ties back into why patients are buying their skincare elsewhere.

Like you just said, if there’s a very big disconnect and your staff isn’t selling your skincare, patients aren’t buying your skincare. If it’s not being sold, it’s not being bought.

So as much as we don’t want to have that salesy conversation, you’re also selling. There has to be some sort of sales conversation, but in the natural way that we were talking about before. You don’t want to just say, “Hey, are you buying this today or not?”

But as Cristian said, have the team buy into it. Have the team try out the products.

I’m much more likely, if I’m hesitant about buying skincare from someone, to purchase it if someone comes up to me with beautiful skin and says, “Oh yeah, I use all of our products. I love them.”

Okay, well, if my skin can look like yours, that’s a really big selling factor as well.

So something else that you can do, apart from training your team and making sure that they’re educated on the products—which is very important—is allowing the team to benefit from the sales as well by figuring out some sort of compensation.

You know, “You sell this much, from this amount to this amount, you’re going to be compensated. You’re going to get this much of a commission.”

That motivates the staff to be able to sell things, and they’re going to want to promote it versus letting it gather dust on the shelf because they have no motivation to sell it.

I mean, that’s horrible to say because you want to trust your staff to still be doing those things. But a lot of times, if it’s just sitting there and they’re not educated about it, or there’s no motivation for them to sell it, they might not.

So it just depends on your staff. You should know what would motivate them and what would encourage them to sell the products as well.

00:20:14:00 – 00:20:47:27

Cristian Devoz

Show me the money. That’s how you get people motivated. Show them the money. They have to have a compensation model.

I will say that having a team bonus that is based on the total number of sales for skincare products—and you base it on a percentage—is a great approach.

And of course, if you want to learn more about how to put that together, we do have an episode where we talk about compensation structures and how to put them together. You can watch that. I don’t remember what number it was, Paige. You’re going to have to help me with that one, but it’s somewhere out there.

00:20:47:29 – 00:20:49:00

Paige Hamilton

I’ll put it on the screen somewhere.

00:20:49:06 – 00:22:52:28

Cristian Devoz

Okay, so you can watch that episode that’s on the screen where we talk about how to create that compensation model.

Making sure that you do it in a way that makes sense for your own business and your own finances is very important.

As a general rule of thumb, you should be selling your skincare at a markup of 100%. So if it costs you one dollar, you sell it for two dollars. That means you end up with a 50% margin because you recovered your original dollar and earned another dollar.

That’s very important to keep in mind so that you can consistently maintain that margin.

Then, of course, you can split that margin and allocate a portion of it toward staff incentives. Maybe it’s 10%, or whatever makes sense for your practice. That can motivate your team and encourage them to actively recommend skincare.

There are many ways to structure compensation. Sometimes we’ve seen practices use a flat-rate system where employees receive a set dollar amount for each product they sell.

The important thing is having a structure in place and making sure you compensate your team for their efforts so they feel motivated.

Just as importantly, train them properly and have a way to track their sales so you can show them how they’re performing, how close they are to meeting their goals, and celebrate when they achieve them.

Once they reach those goals, you can offer commissions, bonuses, or even additional incentives, like a team pizza, or whatever motivates your staff.

The point is to create something that gets everyone excited about reaching the next goal—not just through financial incentives, but by rewarding the team for their success in ways they’ll genuinely enjoy.

00:22:53:01 – 00:26:34:19

Paige Hamilton

Yeah. That’s great. I also want to touch on the marketing aspect as well.

So I think we’ve covered a lot as to why you should sell it, how you should sell it, how to get your team on board, and now, to finish it off, let’s talk about the marketing.

So it’s great for your marketing, especially if you have a private label skincare line where your patients see your branding and your logo on your products. They know it’s coming from you, they trust you, and they’re going to trust your products.

That keeps your branding and your products in front of them. They’re going to go home, wake up in the morning, and go through their skincare routine. As they’re opening the product, they’re see your label and remember, “Oh yeah, this is my doctor.”

Then, when they’re running out of that product, they may think, “I haven’t been there in a while. Maybe I need a follow-up. Maybe I should schedule another appointment.”

Just by having your products in their home, your name stays top of mind every day—sometimes twice a day—depending on their routine.

That’s a great way to keep your brand front of mind for your patients. And especially because people like to talk about the products they use with their friends.

Maybe they’re going on a girls’ trip and all of their skincare products are sitting on the bathroom counter. Their friend asks, “Oh, what are you using?”

Now they can say, “It’s this private label skincare that I get from my doctor.”

That conversation may encourage someone else to check out your products.

Now, that’s not to say generic skincare isn’t still a great option. You’re still accomplishing everything we’ve talked about—improving patient results, adding credibility to your recommendations, and helping patients maintain their outcomes.

But we do like private label skincare because it adds another elevated level to your practice.

The next thing I would say about your marketing is to make sure you’re actually promoting your products.

Skincare works really well in bundles and as an added value. So instead of simply advertising “10% off skincare” or “20% off skincare,” maybe say that with a specific treatment they’ll receive a complimentary skincare package.

That’s a great way to position one of your products as an added value instead of simply discounting it.

Then make sure you’re promoting those products everywhere.

Put them on your website.

Share them on your social media.

Include them in your email marketing.

And continue following up with patients.

If you know a patient purchased a product in January, estimate when they may be running low based on the size of the product and how often it should be used.

Then send them a personalized email or text saying:

“Hey, we noticed this is about the time you may be running out of your skincare. Would you like us to ship another one to you? Do you need a link to purchase it? Would you like to stop by the office?”

Simple reminders like that help encourage repeat purchases.

So make sure your marketing efforts are supporting your skincare sales just as much as your providers and staff are.

00:26:34:21 – 00:27:29:25

Cristian Devoz

I love that. Absolutely. You cannot sell what you don’t promote, and that’s basically it.

You’ve got to do your marketing, get the word out, get people talking about it—your team, yourself during the consult—and, of course, focus on how you present it, making sure that it’s always friendly and conversational.

Finally, make sure that you follow up with your patients.

“Hey, how is the skincare working for you?”

Continue that conversation. Ask them who they know that might also benefit from the products you’re recommending and encourage those referrals.

At the end of the day, once again, this is such a missed opportunity. Don’t be one of those practices that misses this opportunity. Get your skincare program selling, increase your revenue, and be successful with it.

I’m confident that if you implement the strategies we’ve discussed today, you’ll begin to see improvements in your skincare sales, and your team will benefit from it as well.

00:27:29:28 – 00:27:40:05

Paige Hamilton

Yeah. So with that, I think this is a great thought to end the episode. We hope you learned a lot.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Shorr Solutions: The Podcast.

00:27:40:07 – 00:27:58:21

Voiceover

Before you go, new episodes are released every two weeks, offering perspective on the decisions, systems, and leadership behind well-run practices.

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This is Shorr Solutions: The Podcast.