1. TOP 10
MARKETING MISTAKES
BY REFRACTIVE SURGEONS
1. Surgeon-centric vs. Patient-centric 7. Reliance on advertising to build the
Most medical practices are designed for the business
convenience of the doctor rather than the There has been an over reliance on advertising to
customer. In refractive surgery, a major symptom build call volume, followed by very little investment
of this problem has been the attempt to on what needs to happen once the telephone
differentiate based on technology (important to the rings. The lack of internal systems and protocols
surgeon) rather than on the benefits of the has prevented many surgeons from building their
procedure (important to the customer). business organically.
2. Poor leadership 8. Believing that price promotion can
Many surgeons who suffer from staffing problems increase overall demand
place the blame on bad employees. In reality, this The only correlation between price and demand for
is often a function of poor leadership. LASIK on a national basis has been an inverse
one. As prices declined, so did total procedures.
3. Failure to properly handle incoming As prices rose, so did total procedures. Many
phone inquiries surgeons confuse price with affordability, which is
The telephone is the single most important tool to much more important to consumers than actual
convert interest into active consideration among price and is best handled with a well-administered
refractive candidates. Most surgeons fail to invest No-interest Financing program.
in proper telephone systems, skills, and training for
staff. 9. Blaming environmental factors for
declines in business performance
4. Inadequate care and feeding of staff When LASIK volumes fell in 2001-2003, many
Staff members often convey (non-verbally) to the surgeons blamed the economy, terrorism and other
patient how they are treated by the surgeon. In factors beyond their control. During the same time
order to achieve a world-class refractive staff, period, breast augmentation – with a similar price
surgeons need to do much better in compensation, point to LASIK – continued to grow in both surgeon
training and development. fees and total procedures performed in the U.S.
5. Promotion which is too cluttered, too 10. Focusing on the outcome rather than
broad, and too expensive the overall experience for the patient
Advertising to reach refractive surgery candidates, In refractive surgery, quality should be defined by
which totals $100 million annually among the customer rather than the provider. The
surgeons, continues to be in violation of traditional surgeon’s definition of “quality” focuses on the
as well as leading-edge advertising concepts. It outcome; the customer’s definition is much wider
tends to “cheapen” the category rather than and encompasses all aspects of the process
reinforce the value provided by surgeons. beginning with the advertising and ending with how
Broadcast advertising is expensive and “interrupts” the provider said “thank you” following the
consumers, who now have the ability to tune-out procedure.
mass marketing (e.g, TIVO, Sirius Radio).
And one more “bonus” mistake…
11. Believing that other local providers are
6. Lack of follow-up protocols for leads the competition
and alumni Surgeons focused on what “the other guy is doing”
Surgeons are willing to spend millions on tend to view refractive surgery as a zero-sum
advertising but then fail to invest in tools and game and seek to maximize their own market
techniques to cultivate leads over time and help share. In reality, penetration of refractive surgery
early prospects move forward in their decision is so low (<10%) that surgeons should recognize
process. Same holds true for leveraging that the real competition includes kitchen remodels
previously treated LASIK patients into generating and vacations. All efforts should be focused on
new business (other patients and/or additional working collaboratively to maximize market size by
procedures for presbyopia). leading more and more consumers to actively
consider having refractive surgery.
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