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Ricky Shockley
Hey there, I'm your host, Ricky Shockley. Welcome to the MedSpa Success Strategies podcast where MedSpa and aesthetics practice owners come to discover strategies and tactics that help them better market and manage their practices so they can grow, improve profits and have more financial freedom. I'm excited today to be joined by Danielle White. Danielle is the owner of Deluxe Aesthetics, a highly accomplished nurse practitioner, mother of two and a national trainer in aesthetic medicine. Her exceptional skills have earned her recognition as a national account trainer and consultant for leading brands such as Galderma and Allergan. She also received accolades as a real self most loved injector and ranked among the 100 best aesthetic injectors. Passionate about skin beauty, anti aging and the art of enhancing beauty, Danielle strongly believes in preserving youth and promoting inner and outer well being. She is well regarded for her honesty and commitment to a natural approach to aesthetic medicine. Danielle, we're really excited to have you on. Thanks so much for joining us on the podcast today.
Danielle White
I am so happy to be here. Thank you for the invite.
Ricky Shockley
So we were just chatting a little bit and I wanted to make sure we started recording because we were already getting into the weeds a little bit, which I'm excited about. So. So can we start just by telling our listeners how you got into the business? What prompted you to open your practice?
Danielle White
Yeah, so I got into the business, God, nine years ago. I actually, my background's emergency medicine and I was in school to become a nurse practitioner and I just had this interest in plastics cause I was very open to being a consumer and there was really no space for us. So upon my inquiries I found the injectable space. So I really didn't even know about that. Like, I mean I knew about it but I didn't know there was a space for us there. So I entered through a national chain and very quickly ended up finding mentorship with a another company that happened to be national but much smaller. And I was given a lot of autonomy, like it was just kind of my niche. I worked very closely with my mentor and just developed skills and so much to where he had me open two of his med spas and one of them in a completely different state. We were the first location which was Florida and I just learned so much and I got curious. You know, I was watching all the do's and don'ts. Long story short, my relationship with that company, we had just two paths diverge and I worked as a consultant for another med spa and quite frankly my husband was like when are we going to stop doing this for other people. And I was like never. I was terrified. But with his push and actually an old BDM salesperson from an esthetic company really pushed me and it was four years ago and I jumped and opened my own place.
Ricky Shockley
Very cool. Okay, so I know, so I know our conversation got started by you kind of going from a small thing, opening your own space to now being a seven figure med spa and doing that without debt, which I think is such an awesome part of your story. Something that I'm passionate about. I talk a lot to practice owners and on these podcast episodes about the concept of not over leveraging debt and digging yourself into a hole with financials that you can't manage. So I guess first of all, when you started the business and you decided on your initial service list and your space, what were just some of the early parts of your thought process when you were opening and the decisions that you made there starting the business?
Danielle White
I wanted something that was manageable. I didn't want to open my doors owing people. So I was looking for. This was even before people. You know, the salon suites are huge now. They. They weren't. And that's basically I was looking for a room or something. I initially was not looking to buy a building or anything like that, just rent a small space with one to three rooms that I could run independently by myself. I didn't want devices. I wanted only injectables. The reason I didn't want devices was very much why I didn't want to buy a building right away. And yeah, so I just wanted to basically keep going with my bread and butter, which was injectables. I didn't even want skincare. I wanted no employees at all. So yeah, yeah.
Ricky Shockley
And I think the, the key component to that, which was kind of inherent to your thought process, which I'm. The same way is you were calculating risk. You're like, hey, I'm going to start my own thing and do my own thing. I don't want a giant space, a bunch of people starting off a bunch of machines that I don't know that I can afford. Me, let me start this off. Let's make sure that we're actually making money. Like we're in business in part to make money and to make a profit. That's what having a business is all about. So if we can't make money, we're going to be shooting ourselves in the foot year after year after year. So part of that was just risk management. It sounds like you had that kind of inherently built into your Mindset.
Danielle White
Well, I did because, like I said, I worked a small bit as a consultant, basically going into med spas, trying to save them. And that was the biggest thing. I mean, the glitz that. The glam. And then, you know, my previous employer was half Sarah Schickman, who wrote, you know, the Aesthetic Confidential book. So I had so much mentorship from her and so many lessons that we learned. Real time or med spa confidential. Sorry, but we had. I had so much real time business lessons with her, and I took all that and I appreciate her to this day. And so she doesn't think I was listening. I was listening. And that I just. I knew the wrongs right off the bat. And don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong about the wrongs. To each their own. But I wanted to be humble and I wanted to start. I was very scared to do this. Others were pushing me. So funny enough, I was the last person to believe in myself. So I just had this real. I almost. When people come to me and they ask me about opening, I definitely give them the warning that, like, I'm a unicorn story. Like, I had these business mentorships. I helped open two med spas with no risk, you know, and got to see their rights and wrongs and then went in, in a different aspect and helping save med spas that had. Did all the wrong. So it was just. I just had perspective. That was.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that is. That is a very unique place to be because most people that are in your position at opening, they've. They don't really have familiarity with the business side at all, and they're just figuring things out from scratch. You had seen a lot of things. You saw the things that you liked and you saw the things that you didn't like. If you had to boil that down, this might be a hard question, but to like. And maybe part of that was the. The debt and the risk management. What were a couple things that really stood out to you through those experiences of opening other med spas with other people and consulting that you saw, hey, these are the things that I want to take with me that are really important to success, and these are the things I really need to avoid. Were there a couple of things that really stood out?
Danielle White
Yes, the things that I wanted to keep were the patient experience, the customer service aspect, the always being available with boundaries to your patients, creating savings where you could. I feel like I'm going to end up referencing Sarah a lot in this, but one thing she used to tell me is zero is zero. Of zero. So trying to create sales and promos that I could afford and then pass down and share with my patients. Things I didn't want to take on again were massive builds at build outs, just unnecessary. I needed just a clean, safe space. Taking on devices before I even had, you know, a population that I would know needed those devices or an interest. Those were probably the big two things were an unnecessary build out and the unnecessary devices.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah. And I hear those all the time as the common themes. So that's, that's awesome. When it came to picking your space and I know you just had the small space here to start. How did you decide on that? I know some people are like, they really want something that's like facing the main road so that people see it when they drive by. Some people don't care because they just want it something that's affordable so they'll be tucked, tucked away in the corner of town. Did you have any specific things that stood out when you were making that decision?
Danielle White
Parking and accessibility. I actually didn't care anything about those things you just mentioned because again, in my experience, I had been in some locations where parking was awful. I mean, we would have patients outside unable to park and would just leave. They would just leave and there goes, they didn't even know show. They showed up but they couldn't park. And the frustration of patients also being, or us being in locations where patients couldn't find us. So I wanted something right off the highway because again, I'm in South Florida, so I needed something very easily accessible that anyone from any part of, you know, the surrounding areas could get to me. And then I wanted there to be such an immense amount of parking that literally, that's not even a conversation when my patients are coming to see me.
Ricky Shockley
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Danielle White
Yes. And it's, it's also part of, remember I wanted to protect that patient experience. Like yeah, the patient experience starts before they even get there. So I can even dive into, you know what before you even come see me, how I begin, you know that journey for them.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, let's jump there because I totally agree. Yeah, the patient experience doesn't start when they're in the office with you. It starts when you answer the phone or a text message or booking the appointment. So yeah, I'd love to hear some of that.
Danielle White
So and again just I wanted to take away any frustration. So I'm a consumer too, so I just honed in on things that irritated me. So one, the the website is very user friendly and you can immediately you know how to book. And then also there is a box that chat now so you could reach out to someone. Our phone is easily accessible. Our address is easily accessible. Our Instagram is very interactive. I have link trees tagged to that. So whether it be again to contact us by via phone, I wanted a phone system that my patients could not only call us but Text us, because a lot of people don't want to be on the phone anymore. So you can text and have a conversation. When you book, you're immediately sent pre and post treatment instructions for the service that you booked. I also have my office manager, patient coordinator, Caitlin. She, if you even come to the website, she is getting a lead or notification and she sends you. Not an AI, she is a real person. She sends you a text like, hey, was everything okay on the website? Did you need additional help learning about services or booking? Because I just, I don't like when people just don't go the extra mile. So, yeah, all my pricing, all that stuff's on the website. But if for whatever reason that's intimidating to you or not comfortable, I want a real person to be able to reach out and assist you. And then also my EMR does notifications for your appointment to come up. But then Caitlin, again, a real person will send you a text message for your 24 hour appointment reminder. And then other challenges, how to get into my building. Those are confronted initially. So these text messages and emails are sent out with very, very detailed instruct on what to do when you arrive, how to find my actual space. I just thought of every barrier, every frustration and nipped it in the butt.
Ricky Shockley
Great thought exercise for people to go through. Like, honestly, that's awesome. And like you said, now you're, now you're building on the patient experience. And we just talked about the three factors that people use when they're making buying decisions. One of those is factors of know, like, and trust. You're building on those through patient experience before the appointment has even been held, which I think is awesome. That's very, very interesting.
Danielle White
Okay, you're like fact checking me. I like this. I'm feeling like, oh, wow. I was like that whole time.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, this is cool. I love doing these interviews because we always, I just know that people listening to this, there's just so many things that people are learning and being able to apply to their businesses. All right, that's, that's great. In terms of how you attracted your first patients once you opened your doors, how did you get the first few people? Well, actually, let me, let me go back one step here because I wanted to talk about what you just mentioned with a real person communicating with your prospects and how important that is. People do business with people. I think nowadays everyone's so obsessed with automating and AI ing everything in their businesses, but at the end of the day, people do business with people. And that personal touch that you have where it's actually a real person answering the text messages. We have that conversation with clients all the time is they want their marketing to be completely hands off and automated. They just want somebody to show up at their door with the appointment ready and booked, which I understand, but you're missing the opportunity to build on excellence in patient care and an excellent experience prior to that visit by having a real person to interact. So I 100% back that recommendation too. So shifting gears to that, how did you attract those first few clients once you opened your doors? What was your plan out of the gate from a marketing standpoint?
Danielle White
I did not invest any dollars into marketing until after I was open. I think a year and a half after I was open. And by marketing I mean I hired a social media team. So technically I have no dollars in direct ads marketing and I never ever have. So back to my statement of being a unicorn. I opened my practice years after I had been working as an injector. My last position was as a consultant. So I didn't have a non compete. So my patients were my patients. My books were full before.
Ricky Shockley
Awesome. Yeah.
Danielle White
So that's phenomenal. That's kind of like a. Sometimes sharing that part is like, oh, well, she had it easy. And it's like, well, did I have it easier or did I just.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, you, you built your business years in advance of actually opening your business.
Danielle White
Yes. Yes.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah. And, and that's the thing with like, we talk about discounting strategies and marketing strategies. It's only a tool that you need when you need it. If you're in a position where you've have, you're, you're providing an excellent experience, you have patience. There are businesses in our town that I know, we've reached out to that they just quite frankly don't need marketing help because they're as busy as they could possibly want to be. They don't need to discount services. They've got excellent reviews and reputation and yeah, that's, that's a great place to be. I'd much rather be in that place than, than relying on marketing to save my business for sure. So yeah, that's, that's great. So you had the ability to kind of build a patient database and you had a list of people that were already working with you prior to opening your doors. So obviously when you started though, that wasn't, that wasn't the thing that got you to where you are now necessarily. So was it referrals and word of mouth and just tying that all back to patient experience that Kind of led to the growth from. From that initial seed that was planted with your clients when you started.
Danielle White
Yes, I. And honestly that is probably my most proud part of this is probably 80% of my business if not more is word of mouth. I mean I'm injecting families like whole families and friends and best friends and so yeah it was really word of mouth but it I. That was all built upon too just that protecting the patient experience and like if my things go wrong all the time or not wrong but maybe you know, an ideal outcome, you miss it by a little bit. I never meet my patients with defense and all of my patients get a two week follow up not in house. But Caitlin reaches out to them before it was all me. Caitlin's only been on the team for a year. So I did all this by myself. She is the greatest gift. But so that's what I felt think is where I am today is just continuously protecting that patient experience. If my patients want to speak to me, they get me. So the accessibility and again just not nickel and diming my patients, I didn't cultivate that culture from them them and I don't give that back. You know, it's neither one of us do that. So just creating a safe space for them to if something wasn't what they wanted let giving them the space to voice that and then also my PO like so when the patient leaves just these little things, I provide for them time and time again. What I am told even today is no one else did that. No one does that. Even down to my assessment. I physically put my hands on my patient, you know, like I touch them. Even if you've been with me for five years, I'm still reassessing your forehead for your Botox appointment. So I think that that is what has set me apart. On top of my skill, you know, which I've honed in on and really mastered. I'm still learning. So I shouldn't say mastered. I'm just. I'm good.
Ricky Shockley
I think both can be true. Yeah. And. And I know again people listening to this, especially if you're a regular listener of the podcast, you've heard this idea of patient experience being so important coming up over and over again. And I think a lot of people listening to this probably have this idea that they've checked that box. Yeah, I do a good job. I get. My reviews are pretty good. I've checked the box of patient experience. But it's the incremental difference in patient experience and skill like you just mentioned, Danielle, those Are the things that help set you apart and make people feel really comfortable and confident and keep them coming back in months for years. So you're looking for that way to create a differential result or a differential experience. This may be just 5, 10, 15% better than the other people that do what you do in the area. And the skill part is really important to that. And if you've got a larger practice with maybe multiple injectors, that's something you need to pay attention to. Because at the end of the day, people are paying for the experience, but they're paying for the outcome and the skill of the person performing the service. That's one of the reasons that we love like the injectables is because when people are shopping alternative solutions and they're maybe looking for other med spas, for example, or they're tempted by a discount from another provider, those services are very sticky because people are trusting you to stick a needle in their face and they're trusting you with the outcome of their appearance. Most savvy consumers aren't going to risk the, the way that their face looks when they're comfortable with what you've done for them to go save 60 bucks. But for something like, you know, a coolsculpting session or laser hair removal, where people really do see those things as apples to apples comparison, you just have less stickiness. So that's another reason that I love the injectables filler, those services a lot better. I think they do create stickiness inherently. Could you talk a little bit more about skill development and what you prioritize in terms of developing your skill, how you maybe got from initially where you were when you jumped into the space to where you are now, what tools or resources you use to develop your skill.
Danielle White
So when I started, like I said, I worked for a really large commercial chain med spa, but honestly, they specialize more in like laser hair removal than injectables and coolsculpt and body contouring. But then my next job was with my mentor. And he, regardless of who he is personally, he was a phenomenal injector and a phenomenal educator. And I got to work very closely with him and then also three other advanced practitioner injectors. And so we were a little crew. All of our training was in house, though, like just a remarkable situation of us, him developing us and then us developing each other because everybody has a strong point and a weak point. And so we would pair up based on that. Our staff treatment days, we were, you know, they was with intention. So if someone was struggling with tear trough filler and a co worker wanted tear trough filler, that's who was getting, you know, that patient was getting injected by the patient or the injector that needed to learn. And then we were all in a group setting. It wasn't just this quick and dirty thing off in one rooms. No, it was an open room where we all traveled from bed to bed and actually then just doing some larger conferences. But some one on one stuff. I also just cultivated great friendships with really good trainers too. So I might have been able to hone in on some free training from like Lamour Weinberg. Just because we're girlfriends. I went and one of my most valuable things was with Dr. Chris Surik going to his anatomy course. That was phenomenal. I also have had a lot of opportunity because I trained for Allergan. So I've had a lot of experience and time with Dr. Codofano, Dr. Swift, even some of our international KOLs. So I have really kind of just stumbled upon continuous learning. And I say stumble upon because it hasn't required a lot of effort from me because I've just been in the places where learning was the priority and I absolutely cashed in on that.
Ricky Shockley
Part of your day today you were absorbing it day in, day out the entire time you were a professional.
Danielle White
Yep, 100%. And then of course, yes, you know, like I said, going to, seeking out Dr. Chris Zurich's course and you know, AES I think can be very valuable. It's in, you know, a national conference. But I like to have intention. I don't like to go to Fluff, so. So I'm pretty picky about where I go.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that makes, that makes sense. Do you? So I've talked to people and everybody's got a different process for the first appointment. So somebody comes in, they go to the website, they just want a Botox appointment. Will you rubber stamp that? Or is the first appointment with the new prospects always in part a consult?
Danielle White
Always in part a consult. I even trained to this. So I protect again that patient experience by not crunching my appointment time. So my Botox new or old is 30 minutes. My filler new or old is an hour. So. And then I do have a separate consult, a patient. But yes, yes, they usually don't schedule that. So no matter what you come into my room for and no matter if I've seen you before after we get settled, my question is, what are your hopes and dreams today? So I literally keep it open ended. I don't even really look at my schedule outside of knowing what patients coming in and maybe reviewing some things. But if it's a new patient, old patient, it's open ended. I want them to let me in. And if they do so, then I run with it. If they were to say, oh, just here for my usual Botox, then I stay there because I'm a female too, and most of my patients are female and I don't want to. Or even if they're male. I'm a human, I guess, is what I should say. I don't want to create an insecurity for them that they actually hadn't talked about or noticed. So I, yes, the consultation is there, but I stay within the guardrails that the patient creates for me.
Ricky Shockley
That is very tactful. And I think that, that you're so flattering. I like that. I like that nuance a lot. And I think one of the things that becomes a challenge when you start to scale and bring in like other injectors and other practitioners is sometimes you've got like this, this skill set that you just kind of know the right thing to say at the right time, when to push and like you just said, when to pull back. Any thought behind, like standardizing that to make sure that it. I don't know what your future plans look like. Do you have any other injectors or just you right now? Right?
Danielle White
It's just me right now.
Ricky Shockley
And so your books get full.
Danielle White
Yes. And the tide are turning. I want someone.
Ricky Shockley
But yeah, so, so if you were to go get help, any thought behind making sure that you duplicate Danielle and your best practices and, and to ensure that the person that you bring on is doing the things that you do the way that you do them. Is that, is that as simple as like developing, you know, some standard operating procedures?
Danielle White
No, I think it's, it's how I was trained. So I shadowed my mentor for two whole weeks before I touched appointment. Maybe there was a Botox appointment here and there, but I shadowed for two whole weeks. And I remember he told me, he said, I don't care if you say the same things all day, every day. If it works, it works like if you connect with a person and you see that you're connecting with a lot of people with the same things, you do it every day. So back in the day, I think I've come up with my own. But back in the day, I was like, I was a parrot around him and I just absorbed all these little terms and phrases when I saw that they. Oh, like, wow, you know, that that created a moment of education that really resonated with the patient. So I would probably have a lot of shadowing just for multiple reasons, and the biggest one being I'm. My core value is protecting the patient experience. And without them shadowing me and seeing that over and over, they're not going to know exactly how I do that.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. And I like that idea of not worrying about repeating the same things because it might feel like you're repeating yourself because you're maybe having the same type of conversation all day or you have that same intro like you mentioned, what are your hopes and dreams? But the next patient didn't just have that experience an hour ago, you did. So it's unique to them. So. Well, like you said, when you find something that's working in terms of like a tone or tenor of conversation, I think it makes sense to stick to that.
Danielle White
Think of all of our phrases, like if it's not broke, don't fix it. We use that all the time for generations.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, yeah, true. This episode is brought to you by Med Spa Magic Marketing, my agency. We help Med spas and aesthetics practices grow with more effective marketing strategies. And I know that's a vague phrase, right? That's a vague claim. So I have an offer for you. I offer this to any new prospects if you're interested in exploring any of them. Another marketing option, a new agency, or just getting into Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads for the first time. I'd love to show you why we're different, what we're doing for clients. And we can do that via a one and a half hour planning session where I'll outline a specific marketing plan and I'll give you all of the blueprints that we would implement if we were to do business together. Now you can take that, use that on your own, hire someone else to help you execute it, or work with us. We really don't hold anything back on that strategy call. And I think you'll have a lot of confidence in how you manage your marketing investment moving forward, understanding some of the nuances that can help you implement more effective marketing strategies for your business. So if you want to do that, you can go to medspamagicmarketing.com and I like to that that to me, with the consult of not pushing when someone doesn't express an insecurity, I think that's where you can start to feel very salesy to a client, is when they come in and you're just using it as an Excuse to tell them, oh well, you didn't know that this is wrong and that's wrong and that's wrong. And then you present them with like seven other options to quadruple their bill. And I think that's where things start to feel a little bit icky and you start to lose that patient satisfaction. So that was a really good insight there. So any, what is the line between a consult making people aware of the solutions that you offer versus when to pull back? Is it based on what the patient tells you is a concern or what they're hoping to accomplish? Is it really relying on them via the open ended conversation to introduce the, the conversation to other services?
Danielle White
I think it's kind of sometimes non verbals. Some people are very direct, which is great and makes it really easy for me. So I will do I. So I always ask them like, what are their hopes and dreams and but regardless of what they say, so if they direct me to their lower face or you know, nasal labial folds or somewhere that it's just like, that's not our starting point. I, so when, as soon as I hear that, I take note of their priorities because I want them to know that I heard them. But then I, and I even will repeat what they said to me was their priority. But then I hand them a mirror and I walk them through like, I'm like, okay, well let's start from the top and work our way down and let's do some education so you understand why you're even experiencing that. And when I'm walking from the head, you know, from the forehead down, I make sure to give real compliments because we all deserve them and they're there. So I'll let them know, I'll point out like, well, your temples look fantastic. I actually wouldn't put any of our investment in there. Your lateral cheeks are gorgeous. But you'll see here the anterior medial cheek, you know, and I just explain it in a way that's not overwhelming for them. It's impactful, they're understanding, they're learning. And then when I'm done, I'll say, okay, so do you want us to, you know, and so this is where it gets a little wordy even to explain it because if the patient wants their nasolabial folds and this is their first appointment, I'm not doing that. So I will simply say, you know, something along the lines of, do you want me to throw everything in the bag or would you like to focus on your cheeks? Which is going to be the, you know, the Entry to us, you know, and creating improvement to your nasolabial folds. Usually they want me to throw it all in the bag. They're curious. So I will give them worst case scenario, which of course, the more you're buying, the more you're getting. I'm a huge advocate for Ali. I absolutely love direct to consumer coupons. So I'll give them worst case scenario, letting them know we can bring that down with my in house savings, some Ali coupons. And then if I give them this number and it is astronomical, I actually call it out. I'm like, so this is a heavy number. This is talking about everything. We can walk back from here and I'll guide you. And then lastly, where I make it really safe is I'm not going anywhere, nor is the product. So if we do some of this or none of this today, it's completely fine.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah. Awesome. In terms of client retention, is it really just a matter of nailing that patient experience from. From the time people are booking the appointment to coming into the office? Are there things that you do to help with retention to avoid, you know, attrition? Just people kind of dropping off and maybe forgetting to schedule follow ups or just getting out of the rhythm of coming back for their maintenance. Anything else that you do post visit to help with retention?
Danielle White
I think that two week follow up is huge. I think people don't do that. And a lot of the patients we see, just medicine in general is kind of like we've cultivated people pleasers. So whether you're seeing your primary or me, they don't like, they want to make you happy, which is so such an interesting phenomenon. So I have Caitlin reach out to them just to basically let them know it's okay. Is everything perfect? You know, we, we want to know. And I think that people don't do that. They rely on the patient to contact them, which is fine. But I think you're missing something by doing that.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, absolutely. Jake Laban, on an earlier episode, gave you the advice of rebooking. So when you do the two week appointment, is that kind of nailed down in the office? Like I'm assuming when they're there, as they're wrapping up that appointment that, that is scheduled right then and there, it's done.
Danielle White
It's not scheduled. It's Caitlin literally just, just. So if today is whatever date it is two weeks from today, she's doing those follow ups. So we're checking in on filler patients, just seeing how they're healing. If someone needs some hand holding or if they need me to put eyes on them. She will bring them, she will book, she will book them. The Botox is 100% for us to see how your results came in and then that's giving us a two week window because my follow ups on neurotoxin need to be between week two and four. So she's immediately scheduling them. Getting in with me can be a little challenging, so we will often double book those appointments. But it's no sweat off the patient's back like. And also it really, what I've learned is that it lets them know that they matter to me because they know how busy my schedule is and they know if they need to see me or something's less than perfect a browse higher than whatever it is, they need a little bit more in their frontalis, whatever. They know that I'm going to create time for this and get them in and protect their investment too. That's the other thing I really, you know, my follow up, if it's half unit, if it's two, I don't nickel and dime these people. Like you listen to everything I have. You have 60 to 70 units of Botox in your face. Like if you need a half unit, I'm going to take care of that. So that's always the biggest thing. And they don't come in expecting that they'll be like, what do I owe you today? And I'm like, nothing, it's fine.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that little touch that now you've just, you've just gone from maybe a 9 to a 10 in terms of patient satisfaction with that one little touch. So stacking up these wins and these incremental improvements to patient experience are just so critical. Is there any issue ever with people not showing up for their follow ups or kind of just brushing it off and if so, how do you deal with that? Or not responding to the follow ups or people they want to protect their own investment. So they're pretty diligent about they're, they're.
Danielle White
Pretty diligent and again, I think I've just taught them, I've honestly taught them that it's okay, they need to come in if they see something that's wrong. I can't fix it if I don't know about it. It's very rare if someone didn't respond and then they did. And I just kind of, it's case by case. Sometimes I have patients that are traveling internationally and I just have a real conversation with them. Like if it's week four and two days, I'm still seeing you. You know what I mean? Like I, it's a case by case situation, but I would say in a broad assessment, I know it's not abused at all.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah. Switching the conversation a little bit to the next thing here is the Google reviews. So you're the second practice I've talked to in a role. You've got perfect five star rating on Google and you know, the longer you're in business, inevitably you're going to get one. So how do you deal with someone who is maybe unreasonable or unhappy despite best efforts? Do those situations pop up and how do you generally tackle those to make sure that you're avoiding that bad Google review? If an experience pops up that's less than ideal for a patient or you just have someone that's maybe being unreasonable or a little bit.
Danielle White
Yeah. Unhinged again. I haven't had too many, but I did have one last week. It wasn't awful but I, I felt bad about it. But long story short, it was, I was a little bit behind because my whole, my whole day was all neurotoxins. So there's zero room for error when it's back to back to back to back. And I had a new patient and she came back, she didn't communicate. My doors are open so you can get someone's attention. And again, Caitlin's communicating real time with these people. But long story short, she ended up, I didn't even see her. Caitlyn, she text Caitlyn like no one addressed me this, that and another, I'll be leaving. And you know, we're just so kind. Like we, you know, Caitlin called her, she checked in with me, we apologized, you know, profusely but understood if, you know, that just didn't work for her. So I think just the endless kindness. Still willing to be able to see her trying to accommodate and rectify the situation. But she made the appointment. She just had a really tight window to get her signed. So there was really no room for error, which I think is kind of bad if you're going to an appointment of any kind. So I technically lost her. I can't imagine how she'd give a one star review if she did. Because we just did everything to rectify and then ultimately we leaned on her choice that, you know, she was going to go elsewhere. And I just don't take that stuff personally. I do everything I can. I never have had an issue with like an unsatisfied patient because if they are, I approach that before it gets anywhere with the two week follow UPS or like I said, the filler. I'm gonna make you wait a month, but I'll bring you back in and then I educate, educate, educate. Yeah.
Ricky Shockley
You're never getting to the point where you're, like you said at the beginning of the interview, combative or defensive.
Danielle White
Yeah.
Ricky Shockley
And I think, I think so many people that's maybe an instinct is to be at times combative or defensive, especially when you feel like you didn't do anything wrong, but at the end of the day realizing that you're. It's not in your best, best interest to interact with clients that way if you can avoid it.
Danielle White
Yeah. 100.
Ricky Shockley
So maybe that goes to the next question here is having somebody that's on your team for you. This is Caitlin, it sounds like.
Danielle White
Yeah.
Ricky Shockley
The importance, the importance of that role and the person that's interacting with clients. Like, you also have to make sure that they are following that formula and that they're not being combative, defensive, nasty, or rude to clients. Any advice for the Caitlin role? People that is really, really, really important. And even from a marketing standpoint, the clients that we have the most success interacting with prospects and leads, they've got someone like that on their team that's really diligent about follow up and acting as an advocate for the client, constantly in touch with the prospects. What is, what is her role in terms of client experience and what do you look for that you think is really important in terms of that person.
Danielle White
Sitting in that seat, someone who is outwardly happy. Like, I'm not kidding, that stuff is palpable. So she is outwardly happy. And then I also had to just do simple training on her. With her, you approach everything solution oriented. So I don't care how tedious or if we want to use the term annoying, something is. Your role is to assist. So you should be looking at everything that comes in as what is the solution here? Where do I create the solution? So that's pretty much how she goes into everything. And then her interaction, she's the first interaction they get. So whether it be through texting, if she's calling. So we also try to get the patients to do their, you know, medical history before they come in. And again, that's not. We have templates, but it's not AI so it's her reaching out, you know, talking to the patient by name, giving them the appointment they're coming in for, the time, the date. And here's making everything easy and even going as far as to say, if you need me to give you a Call. I will. So the short answer is just look for someone who is outwardly happy, like to where they pick up the phone and you can send. They love their job or they just love life. And I think everything else is teachable.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. They're interacting with your patients. You kind of have to have that demeanor. It's kind of a non negotiable. Okay, so going back to like you mentioned, your schedule is getting really packed now. You have to fit people in. What are your wait times? Like, like if somebody, a new patient is scheduling, how do you, how do you deal with new patients on the schedule? What is the, how far out are they able to book right now? What does that look like?
Danielle White
Well, right now, because we're in May for the first time this year, you could actually probably grab a neurotoxin appointment this week. Yeah, I would say typically, yep. In the swing of things, neurotoxin 1 to 2 weeks, filler could be 2 to 4, could be a little bit longer.
Ricky Shockley
So. So two questions related to that. One is with pricing, if you're in a position where you're kind of as busy as you can be, one of the advantages you have is you don't have to get into pricing battles. You have clients that are coming to you because they know like and trust you. They want the level of service that your business provides and they're willing to pay, you know, a standard or maybe even above standard rate for those services. How do you make decisions based on pricing right now? What is, what is your pricing? Without getting into the details, is it pretty on par with local competition? Are you able to have a little bit of an elevated pricing? Do you still offer promos or discounts?
Danielle White
All location dependent. So I'm in South Florida, so my pricing, I think nationally is right in the middle, I would say where I'm at because I'm competing with counterfeit, I'm competing with all kinds of stuff, then my pricing I guess could possibly be seen as high. But that doesn't affect me. I create savings where I can. I constantly am. Like I said, I'm using any direct consumer coupon I can find from Allergan. I have really honed in on that. Like if you've ever scrolled Instagram, you'll see those fifty dollar Botox coupons come up or there's 75 if you hit get offer, you can then copy that link. And I will, I put that in my link tree. So when my patients come in, I send them to my link tree. To collect that coupon. I've also kind of figured out the algorithm with Flash. Like I don't have them put any coupons in their wallet until we've done the Flash. I only carry Allergan and Galderma. So if Galderma on the rare instance has a direct to consumer coupon, I'm utilizing that. And then my neurotoxin is tiered so the more you buy, the more discounted is. And then I do Christmas specials, I do promos, I'll do, I always, my promo is always structured to buy more. It's never, it's, I shouldn't say never. I will do a lip filler special but out which is just lip filler but with, outside, outside of that. If it's a neurotoxin special, it's based on so many units purchased. And then if it's a filler special then it's based on how many syringes are purchased. But it's never like $50 off one syringe or things like that.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, well, I think that's the advantage you have when you, when you've built up a lot of it's supply and demand. You've built up a lot of demand for your services. You have a lot of people that are happy with what you're providing and you don't have to fight the battle of a pricing war because you, you're able to win on reputation. Now that's not true for every practice. You have to understand where you stand in the competitive market. But you can afford to charge a little bit of a premium when you've got a wait list. It takes a few weeks to get in with you most times of the year. Your patients are all leaving five star reviews. The want to come to you want an excellent experience and they're not going to necessarily look for the person down the road that's offering a dollar or two. Yes. Less per unit. So in, in terms of growth and next steps, I, I, I've got one client that we work with, that we've worked with for 12 years and they're as happy as they could be with where they are. They've got an office, the two team members, the, the owner of the business is able to run marathons and take time off from work and they have no interest in expanding beyond that. They're just really happy with where they are. Some people have really big ambitions for future look like for you. And what are the next steps in terms of growth and business planning?
Danielle White
I want another injector at least if not more. But I want one location because I think that's the best way. I mean, I'm going to dilute my patient experience a little bit. Right. Because I won't be seeing everyone. But I think that's the best way to protect it is to keep everything in house. And then sometimes less is more. I do recognize and understand that I need to be able to have my business open when I'm not there. And that's not the case right now. Now. So, yeah, something maybe, maybe a modest build out, maybe a building and then just kind of almost like these beauty collectives. Like, I would like to bring. I like a. Because right now that's kind of what I have, but it's not under my umbrella. So I brought into my Solace suites, I brought in a permanent makeup artist because I think lip blushing is a beautiful thing for a lot. It actually satisfies a lot of patients when they keep wanting more filler. Then I have two estheticians that work on either side of me. And then we have. I even had a lash artist at one point right next to me. So it was like this full beauty experience, but we were all our own businesses. But I genuinely, I vetted them, like specifically the one esthetician, I asked her to open her business for me. And then the permanent makeup artist, I had her change locations for me because she is that good. So I vet these people and I want them involved in my patient care, at least for opportunity.
Ricky Shockley
All right. I guess, I guess to wrap up, to bring it back to the financial situation, one of the things you mentioned was, you know, May generally a little bit of a slower month, especially in South Florida. A lot of people are snowbirds in Fort Lauderdale area too, coming in and out of town. And I seen the weather. It's getting up in like the upper 90s, I think, in South Florida right now, recently. So you got people. I think going back, one of the advantages of not being over leveraged in debt is you don't necessarily have to worry that May is a little bit slower than February was, for example. Any. Any last thoughts on just the. The idea of avoiding machines, managing the business with, with cash, and putting yourself in a situation where you don't have to stress about some of those things because you're, you're operating based on the demand your business has and not what you wish it was?
Danielle White
Yeah, I mean, for me, it's really. Well, one, I don't think you need to carry 17 filler lines. I don't think you need a lot of devices again, those estheticians, I mean, I offer devices is through them, they have the clear and brilliant, they have virtue. So they carry on that debt. I don't think that you need to, I mean, I don't like to order filler every other week. So I do kind of order for the quarter, but I'm not buying filler just because my rep called me. Like, if I don't need it, I don't need it. I would say, yeah. And staying playing, staying as liquid as you can, keeping your money where it needs to be, which is right in the bank, and then getting a good account accountant and financial advisor and figuring out where you need to put that money at the end of the year. And these build outs, even if you want to buy a building that's a great investment right now, but you don't need marble countertops. You don't like. It's just, it's crazy to me. You just need, you need a clean, minimally, like, aesthetic place and put all that other money into the patient experience. That's what they care about. They're only in there to Instagram on your flower wall for a second. Like, like. And that's not what they're telling their friends about. They're telling their friends about, you know, Danielle does a two week follow up, right. You know, there's no pressure, you know, there, you know, she goes to find all the coupons she can for you. They're not talking about, well, she's in a sola Sola salon. No, they don't.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that's 100% true. That is a very good way to think about it. Yeah. Nobody's going back and leaving a review about your marble countertops. I think sometimes too when people are doing those build outs, you're spending so much money that you start adding things incrementally because it feels like a small, well, what's an extra $10,000 here and there? And it's, and it's that mindset that I think puts you in a position where you're setting yourself up for stress and just a potential failure. And I don't think that's a good place to be. So when it comes to just managing financials and being smart with the way that you run the business. You mentioned like a bookkeeper, financial advisor. Any advice on kind of like who you lean on or what you would recommend to other practice owners on how to make sure, especially people that have maybe the medical background, but they just really don't have the business background to make sure that you're managing your financial situation well and that you're planning business planning appropriately.
Danielle White
A good. So cultivate community in your field. I have endless amounts of aesthetic injectors that are business owners. Definitely get yourself an accountant. You can absolutely do your in house book count bookkeeping, but I would have your accountant do your bookkeeping too. And then if there's a discrepancy or something, they, their whole job is to keep your money in your pocket and keep you inside the law, the right sides of the law. And then a financial advisor that would help you privately as well as with your business. Because again, like for me there's, there's a big number at the end of the year. What do I want to give that to Uncle Sam? So you know, I need someone who's going to be creative and crafty because if I'm not going to buy a device, where is that going? And then, you know, this someone. Eileen, I just wanted to tap in on this because this is the. So again, I don't spend any money in marketing, but the best money I spent was my social media managers. I forgot to mention them when you said, you know, what's the difference between when you opened and now? And so I only have 4,000 followers on Instagram. I don't have a lot, but I have real interaction. It is daily that I'm in clinic, that my patients are coming in and giving me because I always ask where people came from, how'd you find me? And it is TikTok, Google and Instagram as well as word of mouth. But I'm getting that so much more than I was before. So I know this was an earlier discussion, but find a quality social media marketing team to really handle that for you. And I promise you that, at least for me, that's been an uptick on how I've acquired new patients and quite frankly, effortlessly, they come in for four hours a month. Month. I film content with them. Literally. They do everything else. But going back to the financials. Yeah, lean on, lean on those before you. Lean on before you meaning those that have been open longer than you, that you've cultivated a friendship with, get their feedback, their advice and then people that you hire, accountants and financial advisors.
Ricky Shockley
Yeah, that's a cool idea with the social media too is having somebody, a company that's local, that can come out and shoot content four hours a month and have stuff loaded throughout the month. It's going to be high quality and, and it's behind the scenes. One of the reasons that we always recommend is don't just hire a run of the mill agency to run your social medias because you're still going to have to provide the content. Otherwise they're just going to be posting article links and stock photos and just stuff that doesn't move the needle. In terms of engagement, I was looking at your Instagram and I saw like you've got like 40, 50 likes on posts. Like you actually have real engagement. So you're having a company that people actually come in and help you create real behind the scenes content for the month. I really like that strategy. So if you're going to invest in social media and you're not going to do it internally, I definitely think that's the best option and the best route.
Danielle White
To go and to find a company that like I work with plastics media, they, they do all of this. So I don't even have to write my captions. I may proofread them and stuff like that, but I don't have to write my captions at all. They are highly educated in this field. So it's, that is priceless to me. I'm a mom of two toddlers, so I need zero, I need to be spending zero time on the social media.
Ricky Shockley
So yeah. There's another important lesson though is, is instead of tackling everything, there are certain things to delegate. Right. There are certain things that you know that somebody's going to do a top notch job and hand those things off as a critical component of your business. You just mentioned the financial management, accounting, your social media. You want to do what you do best and be able to spend your time on those things and running your business. That's great. Daniel, thank you so much. Thanks for sharing your story. I really appreciate it. Thanks for coming on the podcast.
Danielle White
I was so happy to be here. Thank you so much, Ricky. It was really fun.
Ricky Shockley
Yep. Hopefully we'll do it again sometime. Thanks, Danielle.
Danielle White
Bye.
Ricky Shockley
Thanks everyone for tuning in. This podcast is a production of medspa Magic Marketing. If your med spa or aesthetic practice is in need of digital marketing services, help with advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Google lead generation and booking more appointments, please visit Medspamagicmarketing.com.
Med Spa Success Strategies: Detailed Summary of Episode “Avoiding Debt, Enhancing Patient Experience, Retention & More - Interview w/ Danielle White”
Release Date: June 3, 2024
Hosts and Guests:
Ricky Shockley opens the episode by introducing Danielle White, a seasoned nurse practitioner and owner of Deluxe Aesthetics. With a background in emergency medicine, Danielle has transitioned into the aesthetics industry, earning accolades such as “Real Self Most Loved Injector” and being ranked among the 100 best aesthetic injectors. Her expertise extends to her roles as a national trainer and consultant for leading brands like Galderma and Allergan. Danielle emphasizes her commitment to natural aesthetic enhancements and maintaining both inner and outer well-being.
[01:09] Danielle White:
Danielle shares her entry into the med spa business nine years ago. Initially trained in emergency medicine, her interest pivoted towards aesthetics due to a lack of spaces for consumers like herself. Starting with a national chain, she quickly found mentorship with a smaller company, gaining autonomy and experience by opening multiple med spas, including one in Florida.
[02:44] Ricky Shockley:
Ricky commends Danielle for building a seven-figure med spa without incurring debt, highlighting her strategic risk management.
Early Business Foundations
[03:18] Danielle White:
Danielle emphasizes starting with a manageable setup to avoid debt. She opted to rent a small space with one to three rooms, focusing solely on injectables rather than investing in costly devices or extensive build-outs. This lean approach allowed her to control expenses and ensure profitability from the onset.
[06:37] Danielle White:
To ensure success, Danielle prioritized patient experience, excellent customer service, and sustainable sales strategies. She avoided unnecessary expenses like extravagant build-outs and premature acquisition of devices, ensuring her business remained financially stable.
[07:45] Danielle White:
When selecting a location, Danielle prioritized parking and accessibility over visibility from main roads. Based in South Florida, she ensured her med spa was easily reachable from the highway with ample parking, eliminating patient frustration related to finding or parking at the location.
Pre-Appointment Engagement
[10:17] Danielle White:
Danielle outlines her comprehensive approach to patient experience starting before the appointment. Her website is user-friendly, offering easy booking and a “Chat Now” feature for immediate assistance. She ensures personalized communication through Caitlin, her patient coordinator, who follows up with patients via text to address any concerns or assist with booking.
[12:56] Ricky Shockley:
Ricky highlights the importance of pre-appointment interactions in building know, like, and trust, reinforcing Danielle’s strategy of seamless and personalized patient engagement.
Implementation Techniques
[19:36] Danielle White:
Danielle discusses her commitment to continuous skill development through mentorship, in-house training with her mentor and peers, and advanced courses. She attributes her excellence in patient care to this ongoing education and hands-on learning environment.
[22:19] Danielle White:
For consultations, Danielle maintains an open-ended approach, focusing on patients’ hopes and dreams. She tailors her services based on individual needs, ensuring patients feel heard and respected without feeling pressured into unnecessary procedures.
Two-Week Follow-Ups
[30:13] Danielle White:
A cornerstone of Danielle’s retention strategy is the two-week follow-up for patients. Caitlin, her patient coordinator, reaches out to ensure satisfaction and address any post-treatment concerns. This proactive approach reinforces patient trust and encourages ongoing engagement.
[32:27] Danielle White:
Danielle highlights that such follow-ups make patients feel valued and cared for, fostering loyalty and reducing attrition.
Handling Google Reviews
[33:51] Danielle White:
Danielle shares her approach to maintaining a perfect five-star Google rating. She addresses any negative feedback with kindness and professionalism, aiming to rectify issues without becoming defensive. By prioritizing patient satisfaction, she minimizes the occurrence of negative reviews.
[35:31] Danielle White:
Even in challenging situations, Danielle remains non-confrontational, demonstrating that maintaining a positive demeanor is crucial for preserving her online reputation.
Caitlin’s Impact
[36:29] Danielle White:
Danielle underscores the importance of Caitlin, her patient coordinator, who embodies positivity and solution-oriented attitudes. Caitlin handles all patient interactions, ensuring consistent and cheerful communication, which is vital for excellent patient experience.
[37:46] Danielle White:
Selecting team members with the right demeanor and instilling a solution-focused mindset ensures that patient interactions are always handled with care and professionalism.
[39:00] Danielle White:
Danielle explains her balanced approach to pricing. While her rates may be perceived as high in South Florida, they are competitive nationally. She leverages direct consumer coupons from brands like Allergan to offer savings without compromising her standard rates. Her promotional strategies encourage bulk purchases, ensuring clients receive value while maintaining profitability.
[40:33] Ricky Shockley:
Ricky notes that when a practice has high demand and strong reputation, it can afford to maintain stable pricing without engaging in discount wars, as patients prioritize quality and trust over lower costs.
[41:38] Danielle White:
Looking ahead, Danielle intends to hire additional injectors while maintaining a single location to preserve the quality of patient experience. She envisions expanding her team with skilled professionals in complementary areas, such as permanent makeup and esthetics, ensuring all additions align with her standards and values.
[43:45] Danielle White:
Danielle advises against overextending financially by avoiding unnecessary purchases like multiple filler lines or expensive devices. She emphasizes maintaining liquidity, minimizing debt, and investing in areas that directly enhance patient experience. Additionally, she advocates for hiring experienced accountants and financial advisors to manage finances effectively and plan strategically for the future.
[45:09] Danielle White:
Investing in a dedicated social media marketing team has been instrumental for Danielle, allowing her to focus on patient care while experts handle her online presence. This delegation ensures high-quality, consistent content that drives patient acquisition without consuming her personal time.
Danielle White’s success with Deluxe Aesthetics stems from her strategic approach to risk management, dedication to exceptional patient experience, and prudent financial practices. By prioritizing what truly matters—patient satisfaction and continuous professional development—she has built a thriving med spa without the burden of debt. Her insights offer invaluable lessons for med spa and aesthetics practice owners aiming to grow sustainably and maintain high standards of care.
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes:
About the Podcast: The Med Spa Success Strategies Podcast, hosted by Ricky Shockley, is dedicated to empowering med spa and aesthetics practice owners with strategies and tactics to effectively market and manage their businesses, enabling growth, scalability, and financial freedom.