Credentialing and Creating Your Unique Value Proposition

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, 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 aesthetic marketplace, credentialing is your time to shine. It is your opportunity to display your knowledge, education, 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:

• Explain the various services, procedures and products you offer
• Communicate how many years you have been in business, the various providers on your team and their level of experience in aesthetics
• Confidently be able to explain what makes your practice stand out and unique
• Educate patients on what they can expect when they come to your practice (patients buy experience not products, procedures or services)

Why Credentialing is Often Overlooked

Sometimes I hear from clients that they 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 most consistently when I am speaking at various aesthetic industry conferences 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 checklist and a sample script you can tailor to your individual 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:

• Who will be performing the consultations and treatments? Will it be an M.D., N.P., P.A., or R.N.?
• How many years of experience do they have?
• How many years in aesthetics?
• Has he/she received any special training? PDO, Threads, Lasers, Butt lift, etc.?
• What range of procedures does the provider perform or specialize in?
• Is he/she known as a trainer or educator?
• Is he/she recognized by any manufacturer for
  his/her volume
• 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:

• How many years has the practice been in business?
• How many providers do you have?
• What is the practice’s specialty/specialties?
• Is there anything different/special about the location or environment?
• 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.

Here are some credentialing thought starters:

• What is your specialty?
• Do you offer solutions that are proven successful? Or new? Are they hard to find in the area?
• Do you have a unique technology or process with a unique benefit?
• Do you have an in-depth understanding of a
  specific audience?
• Do you help specific groups of people like tourists, seasonal residents or students?
• Does your team hold minimum degrees, certifications, licenses or training?
• Does the practice focus on people with common challenges like acne, face balancing, natural lips, etc.?
• Does your team take on the toughest cases? Fastest services? What specifically sets you apart?
• Do you have visible experts in the industry? Known on social media?
• What is your unique business model? Do you offer memberships or mobile services?
• Do you offer virtual consultations?
• Do you have key partnerships, access to resources that most others don’t?
• Are you known for creating experiences or delivering a level of service that is unmatched?
• What is similar about your clients? (Moms, 3 generations of family members, traveling nurses, diplomats, teachers, etc.?)
• Are you a custom boutique solution? Do you have multiple locations?
• Do you have affiliates or overseas locations?
• Do you have a signature solution or product? Do you only use organic products?
• Did your practice experience tremendous growth in a short amount of time?
• How quickly are patients experiencing results? Faster or better than normal?
• Is there any unique location quality? Historic?
  First in town? Newest in town? Longest open? A recent model?
• Has anyone been seen in articles? Written papers? Become published in a book?
• How many continuous running years have you received an achievement award?
• What is the total number of patients seen at
  your practice?
• How fast is care available for concerns?
• What is your practice personality?
• How many real testimonials do you have? Where? (Yelp, Google, etc.)
• What payment solutions or financing do you offer?
  

Sample UVP Script

Here is a sample script for a plastic surgery/medical spa practice to communicate your UVP. Feel free to personalize it to your practice:

“ABC Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics is a comprehensive center that offers a wide variety of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic services. Dr. Smith is a world-renowned plastic surgeon, having performed over 1,000 facelifts annually with his
unique approach, which has been published in over 100 publications.

We have 2 clinical providers; a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician Assistant, that combined, have more than 30 years experience in the aesthetics field.

Our center is unique in that we focus on understanding your needs and work together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that will give you the best results.”

My team and I are always here to help if you have any questions. Our comprehensive sales training course within APX Platform takes a deep dive into credentialing and creating a UVP.

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Terri Ross is a world-renowned, practice management expert, thought leader and international speaker in the medical aesthetic industry. After 10 years of running a highly successful practice management firm, Terri disrupted the aesthetic industry by introducing APX Platform, a cutting-edge, business intelligence and on-demand growth and training solution to increase efficiency and profitability. Terri is an official partner and trainer with the American Medical Spa Association (AMSPA), and lectures all over the world for top aesthetic societies. She is a regular contributor to major aesthetic publications and hosts her own informative podcast, “In Touch with Terri: Trade Secrets for Medical Aesthetics.”