The Power of Persistence: Growing a MedSpa with Social Media, Networking & Passion with Dr. Jacinta Anyaoku - Ep 7

The Power of Persistence: Growing a MedSpa with Social Media, Networking & Passion with Dr. Jacinta Anyaoku | Aesthetic AF Podcast [Ep 7]

In this episode of the Aesthetic AF Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Jacinta Anyaoku, board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine physician, and the founder of Hibiscus Aesthetics & Wellness in Katy, Texas.

Dr. Jacinta opens up about her transition from traditional primary care to building a thriving direct primary care practice and medspa—while raising two toddlers and navigating the chaos of motherhood.

She shares what led her to step away from the hospital system, how she trained herself in aesthetics, and the reality of building a dual-focused practice offering both direct primary care and aesthetic services.

We talk about:
💉 Her step-by-step journey into the aesthetic space
📈 What’s worked (and what hasn’t) in growing her medspa
🤝 The power of in-person networking and social media
⚖️ How she balances wellness, aesthetics, and business ownership
💬 Plus: navigating price-shoppers, sales discomfort, and staying patient-focused

If you're a provider considering the leap into aesthetics or a medspa owner balancing multiple specialties, this episode is for you!

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Connect with Dr. Jacinta:
🌐 Website: https://www.hibiscus.health
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hibiscusaestheticsandwellness
📍 Hibiscus Aesthetics & Wellness | Katy, TX

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Join Our Community of MedSpa Owners: https://www.facebook.com/groups/salesandmarketingformedspas

Learn More About The Podcast or Apply to be a Guest: https://aestheticafpodcast.com/

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About The Hosts 🎙

Sam Varner –
A profit strategist with over 16 years of experience in financial services, public relations, and business coaching. She helps service-based business owners create sustainable, scalable, and highly profitable companies.

Tara Dotson Riley –
CEO of Tara Lynn Media (TLM), specializing in digital marketing, social media management, content creation, premium brand growth, and client acquisition strategies for medspa owners looking to establish authority and dominate their local market.

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Looking to attract high-value clients, increase revenue, and scale your medspa? The Aesthetic AF Podcast is your go-to resource for marketing, sales, and business growth strategies tailored for medspa owners and aesthetic professionals.

🎙 Hosted by Sam Varner (Profit Strategist) and Tara Dotson Riley (Marketing Expert), each episode delivers real-world insights and actionable strategies to help you build a thriving, profitable aesthetic business.

✔️ Stay ahead with the latest medspa...

Chapters

• 0:41 Dr. Jacinta's Journey to Med Spa Ownership
• 4:52 Challenges and Successes in Building a Med Spa
• 6:25 Networking and Social Media Strategies
• 12:24 Navigating the Weight Loss Industry
• 18:03 Exploring the Complexities of Weight Loss
• 18:31 The Intersection of Aesthetics and Primary Care
• 19:07 Balancing Business and Patient Care
• 21:24 Effective Marketing Strategies for Medical Practices
• 23:51 Analyzing and Improving Sales Processes
• 26:11 Overcoming Challenges in Discussing Pricing
• 30:24 Building Long-Term Patient Relationships
• 32:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Tara Dotson Riley: [00:00:00] welcome to the Aesthetic AF podcast. I'm Tara. I'm Sam. We're here today with Dr. Jacinta on Yoku, and do you wanna tell us a little bit about yourself and about your practice? 

Dr. Jacinta: Sure. Yeah. So I own a practice in Katy. I. Called Hibiscus Aesthetics and Wellness and Practice is a med spa. I am a board certified family medicine physician, also board certified in obesity medicine, so I do a lot of primary care wellness as well in the practice.

Dr. Jacinta: Been open since 2021 and have just been growing ever since. 

Sam Varner: Awesome. Perfect. I am excited to talk a little bit about kind of that transition from, well, maybe not completely away from, but that transition into the med spa world. Mm-hmm. From. From family practice, can you talk a little bit about what kind of got you here?

Dr. Jacinta: Right? Yeah, definitely. So I [00:01:00] was in just regular primary care practice employed with hospital systems. Did that for about seven and a half to eight years after graduating from residency. And for me it was really when I started having kids, I just started to realize that that lifestyle was just not. Ideal for me, just really not what I was looking for.

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. And was gradually starting to get burned out. And so I had my second son in 2020, January, 2020, so right at the beginning of Covid, I feel like a lot of people, that was their transition period, and for me it definitely was. So with that situation, my maternity leave ended. In March, right when everything was shutting down and there was just a lot of unknowns and working in healthcare.

Dr. Jacinta: I had a, a baby hadn't even gotten his vaccines yet, and I remember asking to have a, just a little additional time to, until we figured out what was going on and it was denied. And to me, you [00:02:00] know, after working there for years, being a top producing physician, that was just a big slap in the face and just kind of.

Dr. Jacinta: Told me that we're just a number, we're just a body, you know? Mm-hmm. And I knew that ultimately being an employed physician was just not what I wanted for my career. So I started exploring other options, other ways to practice, and I learned about direct primary care. Mm-hmm. So Direct Primary care is a model of medicine where the, um, the practice does not bill insurance.

Dr. Jacinta: So you, your patients pay a monthly membership fee. And then you have a much smaller patient panel. You don't have all the pressures of insurance and hospital systems. So as a physician, you're able to provide 

care 

Dr. Jacinta: the way you're trained to provide care, and you're able to spend time with your patients.

Dr. Jacinta: You're not feeling as burnt out, you're not rushed. You're not having to see 20 plus patients a day. So I decided that that was what I wanted [00:03:00] to do. And I made the decision to open that practice probably beginning of 2021 and put in my notice in around April of that year. And by August of 2021, I was open.

Dr. Jacinta: Wow. And so, wow. Yeah, when I first started Oh, and at point you decided it went quick. Yeah, I did it quick and I had two toddlers. I had a 2-year-old and like a two and a half year old and an, um, 18 month old. It was, yeah, it was a very rough time, but I was just very determined to do it and so, um, I started off just doing direct primary care.

Dr. Jacinta: I always knew though, that I wanted to have. An aesthetics component to the practice. So that was from the very beginning of the conception of the practice. That was part of it. But I just couldn't do that right away. 'cause I needed to train and just, you know. Get that side going. So I started off just doing primary care and spent a year taking courses, [00:04:00] training, learning how to do aesthetics, procedures, just learning the ins and outs of aesthetics.

Dr. Jacinta: And then a year later, so 2022 is when I started slowly adding in Botox, adding in fillers, peels, microneedling, things like that. Mm-hmm. And so from then until now, it's just been really growing the aesthetic side. And I love the aesthetic side. That's really what I'm more passionate about. And so at this point, it's definitely more of an aesthetics practice than a primary care practice.

Dr. Jacinta: Still have my primary care patients, and some of them are, have been with me from the very beginning of when I started practicing in Texas in 2014. They're still here. Wow. They've moved with me from, you know, location to location and they're here at this one. But, um, yeah, that's, that's been the story.

Dr. Jacinta: That's been the transition of routine primary care physician to med spa owner. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Wow. I have so many follow up questions because with a transition like that, have you noticed a [00:05:00] lot of, maybe back and forth with your patients, like maybe they come in for Botox and then they find out about the primary and they do that, or they come in for primary and then find out about 

mm-hmm.

The other? 

Tara Dotson Riley: Mm-hmm. How does that 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Work? 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah, so there is some of that. But I will say that the majority of the primary care patients, they, that was all they did. That's all they want. They're not really interested in Botox and things like that. A few of them have transitioned over, like, you know, a handful has, but it kind of has been a separation.

Dr. Jacinta: And the aesthetics patients that are coming in, um, a lot of them are doing weight loss. So that is something that has been a big crossover. But as far as primary care. Um, it actually kind of separated and um, and I think in the beginning I was getting a lot of advice like, oh yeah, you know, this is great.

Dr. Jacinta: Your primary patients, primary care patients will become your aesthetics patients. But it, I actually did not end up that way. I, I really had to work hard to get the aesthetics clientele. 

Tara Dotson Riley: That's very [00:06:00] interesting. 'cause I think. From the outside, you would expect Mm. Oh, that'll be an easy crossover. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. But 

Tara Dotson Riley: looking at what that audience is, is like maybe those patients weren't the right fit for the aesthetic side. Mm-hmm. And so kind of having to develop almost two different marketing strategies to get both funnels in. Yeah. 

Sam Varner: Um, yeah. Yeah, that, that is interesting. It's interesting to see. So when you.

Sam Varner: When you talk about the, like working to get those aesthetic patients. Mm-hmm. Let's talk about that a little bit. What did that look like for you? What have you, what have you found to be really successful? What have you found to, that you thought would be successful? That's actually been harder than, than anticipated?

Sam Varner: Mm-hmm. What does that kind of look like? 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Um, I would say the most successful things have been on the ground. Networking. Probably that's number one. So. Networking groups. You know, I did a lot of different things. I'm part of the chamber. I, you know, I've, I've just [00:07:00] done. You know, especially from the beginning I was going to meetings, weekly things, um, that I put a lot of effort into that, and it, it wasn't instant, but I would say probably after about two years it, it started to pay off.

Dr. Jacinta: And so now I'm, I'm starting to see the benefits of that, but definitely the on the ground networking. Moms groups. Mm-hmm. Katie, moms Network, all of those things. That has been great for getting my aesthetics, clientele. The other thing is social media. I think social media has been beneficial. It wasn't quite as beneficial for the primary care side.

Dr. Jacinta: You know, in the beginning when I was just doing primary care and I was doing social media, I just felt like it just, it, it just did not work. But, um, once I transitioned a little bit more into aesthetics, then social media definitely, I would say has been a way, not always consistently, but I. For the most part, it, it, it's fairly effective at getting those clients.

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. As far as maybe [00:08:00] what didn't work? Uh, I mean, I've tried. I, I feel like I've probably tried everything, you know? Mm-hmm. Ads I do. SEO you know, I pay my, my website company for that. So I've done a bunch of things and it, it's hard to say. It's hard to know for sure, like what works and what hasn't, but I think as far as being able to see tangible results, networking, social media.

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. Wow. I think that comment of. Networking starting at two years ago, and then just now starting to see it pay off is very important because what we are doing today does affect our business years down the line. Mm-hmm. And networking is about building those relationships. And especially you're a doctor, like people are coming to you for something very.

Tara Dotson Riley: Trusted and intimate and personal. So you have probably a little bit longer time that you have to build those relationships to get them from, okay, I saw you over coffee to yes, I wanna come and put my health in your hands, or [00:09:00] I want 

you to inject 

Tara Dotson Riley: my faith. Um, so, but networking is I think, a very powerful 

Sam Varner: tool for that.

Sam Varner: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We, I mean, we definitely both are the same mm-hmm. In our businesses in terms of focusing on that networking and that like. Creating relationship, right? Mm-hmm. Having conversations with people. Mm-hmm. And not necessarily anticipating that it's gonna transition into an immediate situation.

Yeah. 

Sam Varner: But, but it does over time. Right. But it is that consistency and the persistence. Right. Which is so hard when you're like, if somebody could just pay attention right now, that would cool. Right. Um. So kind of sticking to it as well. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. 

Sam Varner: Um, 

Tara Dotson Riley: especially when you're at that year and a half mark where you're like, okay, I've been showing up for a year and a half Yeah.

Tara Dotson Riley: And I haven't gotten an appointment and being like, okay, keep going. Yeah. And then it finally like, okay, yeah, here we go. No, 

Dr. Jacinta: I mean, I'll have people that come and, and they'll say things like, oh, you know, I saw you at. Such and such, and it's, it's something that happened [00:10:00] like a year or two ago, you know? But yeah, they wrote my name down or got my business card or something and they just saved it.

Dr. Jacinta: Or with social media, same thing. I mean, I do have some people that I'll post maybe a story or something and they'll send me a message. They're interested. They ask questions. That's it. Months later, they'll interact again. I mean, I've had a few now that it's been probably like a year of occasional back and forth, back and forth, and then they finally, yeah.

Dr. Jacinta: You know? Yeah. So, yeah, you just have, you have to be persistent. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. Well, and I think it's interesting that your top two were social media and networking, because I feel like a lot of people don't understand how closely those two work together. 

Mm-hmm. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Because they see you at an event and then they go to look you up.

Tara Dotson Riley: Mm-hmm. And oftentimes they're like, okay, I'll follow them on Instagram, or I'll follow them on LinkedIn or. That space was And then they're watching. Yeah. And they're waiting and they're like, [00:11:00] slowly, yes. You're every piece of content, every touch point, you're slowly turning them into, yeah. Ideally that patient.

Sam Varner: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and the other piece of it too is like really demonstrating your personality. Mm-hmm. Because I think we undersell sometimes how important it is to just create rapport. Mm-hmm. And it's hard if you just have somebody that just comes into the office and meets with you for a consultation.

Sam Varner: You can generate rapport easily, you know? Mm-hmm. With people face to face, that happens. Mm-hmm. But if they've already been following you for six months on social media, yeah. 

Mm-hmm. 

Sam Varner: They come in and it's, they know it's kited of like being a podcast host where you, you come in and people know more about you than you.

Sam Varner: They're very like new to you and you're, they know everything about you. They know about your kids, they know about your, what last week looked like on social media or whatever it is. Um, yeah. But those pieces are so important and I. I think so many med spa owners [00:12:00] sometimes think it's all about the facts and the details and the specifics.

Sam Varner: Mm-hmm. And even the results. And I think all of those things are super important, but it's about getting comfortable with the people that you're gonna be engaging with and understanding what it looks like to work with you. And social media is such a great venue to be doing that regularly, so I love that.

Sam Varner: Okay, so let's. Pivot and talk a little bit about some of the things that you see in the industry that are hard. I know when we talked a little bit about our, kind of our pre-chat mm-hmm. Um, we were talking a little bit about online. People in this space when it comes to some of the weight loss drugs and the difference between the online providers that are out there and somebody that you're going to in person.

Sam Varner: So let's talk about that a little bit. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Yeah. So yes, the weight loss, um, that has been, it's been up and down so. Um, [00:13:00] probably about almost two years ago now was when I started to really do it more in this practice. You know, I, I've been doing it the whole time I've been a physician, but really like put in effort and so I had a, you know, very big boom initially at that time.

Dr. Jacinta: And that was actually with doing ads, surprisingly. And that was the first time. And I would have to say probably the only time that ads have been successful for me, it was like a three month span and it just worked. Um, and so. But then, you know, things are changing. The industry was changing. Um, a lot of other companies started getting into the space and there just started to become a lot of competition.

Dr. Jacinta: And so after a while it, it did become harder to get those clients. And now I. What we tend to see is because there are so many telemedicine groups that have popped up doing it, it it has, I feel like it has taken away from brick and mortar practices who are basically trying to do the same thing, but we can't necessarily [00:14:00] compete, you know?

Dr. Jacinta: We going back to the ads, uh, Facebook meta, they, they have restrictions on what you can post. You have to sign up for something called legit scripts in order to actually even be able to really have your weight loss ads be out there if you don't. Do that, your ads are probably not even going to, they'll be shut down.

Dr. Jacinta: And that's something that it can cost thousands of dollars. It takes time. You know, it's a big investment for a practice. So for a small practice, it's probably not worth it to do that. And then people love convenience. They love to do things at home. Now I do a lot of telemedicine in my practice, so I do have, you know, my patients can see me virtually.

Dr. Jacinta: They can see me in person. So, but um. You know, you're, you're at home, you're watching tv, you're seeing commercials for RO and this and, you know, HIMSS and hers, and it's just easy. You just click, you sign up, you, you're getting your medication. [00:15:00] So I think that, um, figuring out how to balance and compete and, and make yourself stand out from these telemedicine companies is something that those of us who have a brick and mortar practice are gonna have to figure out.

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. Well, and it's very much become kind of like the Amazon of getting weight loss medicine, 

Dr. Jacinta: weight. Yeah. Yeah. 

Tara Dotson Riley: And it's as a brick and mortar, how do you compete with Amazon? Mm-hmm. Through their national companies with the ad spend too. Mm-hmm. Target all of the same areas. Yeah. Um, so it is a very challenging thing to navigate, but I think that education of.

Tara Dotson Riley: The value of having that provider mm-hmm. That you can go see or talk to even online. 

Mm-hmm. Um, 

Tara Dotson Riley: that truly cares about should you even be on this medicine. Mm-hmm. Are we tracking your health mm-hmm. And what's happening because of this medicine. Mm-hmm. So do you wanna talk a little bit about like maybe that process and the value.

Tara Dotson Riley: That's provided with a brick and mortar. 

Dr. Jacinta: [00:16:00] Sure. Yeah. So at least I can speak for my practice. Um, what I try to do is when patients first come in, it's, it's scheduled for 45 minutes. Sometimes I even might take a full hour to see them for their initial visit. And we are just talking about your history. You know, what got you here?

Dr. Jacinta: What has been, what have been your challenges over the years? Um, what have you tried? What have you not tried? And I really try to get to the root and of their, um, struggles with weight and try to figure out what's gonna motivate them. Because a lot of what we do as physicians, we we're coaches, we are motivational coaches.

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. That's a big piece of it. And I love that. So, yeah, I mean, and, and when you're seeing someone in person, you just. It's just easier to make that connection or, you know, we, we have more time, you know, telemedicine companies, I've worked for them. I, I, I do telemedicine on the side, so I, I actually know how it is and I've seen both worlds.

Dr. Jacinta: It's quick, it's just, it's a quick interaction. Sometimes it's not even in [00:17:00] person, it's just we're reading something and ordering stuff or sending text messages to a patient and that's it. So, um, in person, you know, we make that connection. I like to measure multiple things so it's not just the. Weights.

Dr. Jacinta: We're measuring waist circumference, we're looking at your body fat percentage, your muscle mass. So, you know, I have a scale in the office that can do those things. Um, and then we really talk about your nutrition. So I mean, of course, a telemedicine company can offer some of those things as well. But again, it's not the same as having someone who is very invested in your health and, you know, meet as a business owner.

Dr. Jacinta: I want my patients to succeed. I want them to be happy. I want them to refer their friends to me so I have an additional drive, an additional motivator to make sure that they're happy with their care and they have, you know, a good outcome. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. Well, and you're taking the time, I think, to ask those questions that maybe [00:18:00] a telemedicine provider wouldn't take the time to dig deeper into.

Tara Dotson Riley: Mm-hmm. Because there are so many different things. I mean, I'm not a doctor, but I know a little bit about the weight loss space and all of that, and on my own journey, and there's so many other factors that go into it. Yeah. That if you just call the telemedicine, okay, I need it. We go, I need this. Yeah.

Tara Dotson Riley: Like, okay, you meet the BMI, great, here you go. Mm-hmm. But it's like, well, have you checked your thyroid? Have you checked your gl? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. All of deeper dive. Yeah. Um, yeah. And so I feel like that's really where the value of. Aesthetics and primary care together. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Dotson Riley: That's where I'm seeing a lot of that, that crossover being super beneficial.

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Yeah. Because I do have additional background, additional understanding. Um, having that obesity board certification adds to it even more, you know, so. Mm-hmm. And the physiology, the genetics, and all of those are being pulled into my consults with my patients. [00:19:00]

Sam Varner: Wow. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I, and, and I think kind of you, when you.

Sam Varner: When you specify the, as a business owner, and I think that part's so important too, right? Mm-hmm. Is as a business owner, the results of the clients, obviously we want the client to be successful in their goals, right? Right. So whether it's an aesthetic procedure and they wanna achieve a certain goal, whether it's weight loss, doesn't matter, um, whether it's they're coming in for some other just medical questions, right?

Sam Varner: And trying to resolve some sort of health issue. Um, but. It's that looking at it as a business owner and remembering that the way our practice continues is a, being profitable, so we have enough money to run the business mm-hmm. And stay in business. And then also for creating those referral mm-hmm.

Sam Varner: Situations which are so critical to continuing to roll through and having new patients to be dealing with and helping with their, with their stuff. Yeah. Um, [00:20:00] it's. It's kind of that hand in hand of I like helping people. I'm in this to help people with their health journey and. I'm a business owner and those two things mm-hmm.

Sam Varner: Are sometimes said like with a little like caveat of people are, people are like, I, I also need to make money. And I'm like, you do need to make money. You are a business. It is critical. Yeah. Otherwise you won't be here. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So, um, I like that that was even the wording that you chose because I think so often we're reluctant to kind of.

Sam Varner: Lean into that piece of it. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah, and I think, um, you know, one thing that I try to do to set myself apart, even, you know, from other similar practices is yes, I am a business owner, but my main motivation is the patient. It's not financial gain, it's not profitability. Of course, yeah. The business needs to keep going, but the business will keep going.

Dr. Jacinta: The patients are happy and they keep coming back and they send their friends. [00:21:00] So the main motivator is happy clients, happy patients, you know, good results, good outcomes. 

Sam Varner: Yeah. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Sam Varner: Um, is there anything else that you're like, this is, you know, deeply affecting me right now, or these are things that are coming up that I see regularly?

Sam Varner: Is there anything else that jumps out at you? 

Dr. Jacinta: Um, well, you know, we talked about the marketing piece in the beginning and I said, you know, the networking social media has worked, but I still feel like I, you know, there's, I'm doing all these things, but there's not one thing that just is consistently bringing a steady flow of people in the door.

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. So, you know, my question is always for people like. And maybe this, there is no answer to this, but is there, you know, be it ads or SEO or all the different [00:22:00] techniques and things that are out there, um, you know, what have you guys seen with your clients that seems to be, um, or maybe a combo of things that's the most successful with just foot traffic, you know, if that's your goal.

Tara Dotson Riley: Yeah. I get this question a lot. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Um, really, I think it's important to look at all of the different things you're doing, like social media, SEO, ads, all that, instead of looking at them individually mm-hmm. Making sure you're looking at them as a full marketing strategy. Mm-hmm. Because it should be your marketing as a whole, that's bringing people in the door because your social media alone isn't gonna.

Tara Dotson Riley: Necessarily bring people in a door, your website alone isn't gonna do it because you have to use social media to drive it to the website. So I think it's making sure that all of those individual pieces are high quality enough and are working the way they should be so that they are working together.

Tara Dotson Riley: Mm-hmm. Um, and I think the main components of that are having a website that you can easily book an appointment or contact you [00:23:00] having social media that strongly represents your brand and what you're talking about and what. The kind of patients that you're wanting to come in the door, whether that's more of a focus on the aesthetic side or the primary care side.

Tara Dotson Riley: And I know you'd said the primary care didn't do as well on social media, which isn't surprising to me. Mm-hmm. Just because aesthetics is so much more visual. And then having that SEO and the local SEO component of making sure your Google business page is up to date. Mm-hmm. All of those, just all of those things working as well as they can work so that they're, nobody's falling behind.

Mm-hmm. Basically. Mm-hmm. Um, 

Tara Dotson Riley: and that's where I see the most success is whenever you have. Somebody that looks at the full picture. Mm-hmm. Or you're able to look at that full picture and know, okay, everything is. Doing what it should be doing. And if it's still not providing traffic, something is off. Yeah.

Tara Dotson Riley: One of those wheels are squeaking. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. 

Sam Varner: Yeah. And the other piece of that is on the sales side. So what we find too is we'll look at all those pieces, right, and are they first off like [00:24:00] really getting into your analytics with like a fine tooth comb? Mm-hmm. To determine where exactly are people coming from, like what is their, as much as we can find out their original.

Sam Varner: Connection piece, and then where did they go, and then where did they go? And sometimes that's kind of off the cuff conversations with patients when they're in your office too, like, how did you find us? Mm-hmm. Making sure we're asking those questions when somebody's answering the phone, when they come in.

Sam Varner: Really trying to get as much information as we can. We get good analytics from the social media side and from the web host to be able to see where people are coming from, but then kind of trying to figure out like, did your friend. Send you? Is that how you first found me or, and people forget, right? They often will say things like, I saw you on Google, and you're like, that's unhelpful.

Sam Varner: How did you even know to look me up on Google? Mm-hmm. 

Tara Dotson Riley: That later you realize, no, you actually met me at this networking event. Yeah, you Google. 

Sam Varner: Yeah, Google is secondary. But the other piece of it is like analyzing, okay, so if we're getting X amount of leads, X amount of [00:25:00] traffic is coming to. Where we're watching, so either coming to the website, booking online, or coming onto social media, then are we getting the conversions from that traffic?

Sam Varner: Mm-hmm. And are we working on the gap? Right? So sometimes we see clients where it's a lead problem, there's just not enough bodies, there's not enough eyeballs looking at stuff. To come. Mm-hmm. Sometimes it's, they're there, but they're not engaging. So there's a little tweaks to be made on the content that's going to create some more engagement and get them a little bit more skin in the game.

Sam Varner: They're gonna get more involved or they're there, they're engaging, but they're not booking, like they're not actually showing up. 

Mm-hmm. So 

Sam Varner: then it is how are they being talked to? Like what exactly is our sales process? Yeah. Of once I know who you are. How are we tracking that? How are we connecting, how are we doing the follow up?

Sam Varner: Like making sure that a piece of interest [00:26:00] over here gets followed up with as many times as you have to, and it, it is often, you know, a lot more than we anticipate having to do. So there's that backend piece too. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Yeah. And I think we struggle with that, just the whole, like being cushy, salesy, I mean, like it, um, it's just hard.

Dr. Jacinta: It's hard to do that. And, um, I mean, I don't know if you have any advice from that standpoint, just. Talking about money and pricing. I mean, I still hate it. I still cringe. Like I, I'll see someone for a consult per procedure and we, you know, we talk about it, the results, what it's gonna do, and then I save it for the very end, how much it's gonna cost.

Mm-hmm. 

Dr. Jacinta: And I'm just like, yeah. 

Sam Varner: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, there's definitely some things you can do. So some of the things that I tell clients, like right off the bat, I want you to. Get used to saying your pricing. [00:27:00] Mm-hmm. Over and over and over again. So like the, the dumb recommendation I make for clients all the time is every time you go to the bathroom, or even for you every time you wash your hands.

Sam Varner: So that's a lot of times in your day, I know it is. Um. Saying it. Mm-hmm. So you're in the bathroom by yourself and you choose like one of the procedures or choose your most stumbly block, whichever one that is, and say it in the mirror. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. 

Like, 

Sam Varner: okay, so you're here for the blah, blah, blah, peel, that's gonna be blah, blah, blah, price.

Sam Varner: Um, when would you like to book that? Mm-hmm. And you say it in the bathroom. Until it rules off your tongue, like your phone number. Yeah. So that then when the next client is in there, your next patient is sitting there and you're talking about it, you just do it and it starts to become just. An easy thing to say, 'cause you've said it 400 times this week.

Sam Varner: So it becomes easier and it takes, that takes that, ugh. 

Mm-hmm. 

Sam Varner: Feeling away a little bit. Mm-hmm. Um, that's first and foremost a trick that [00:28:00] works. And it's surprising if you, if you dedicate some time to doing it, you'll just kind of desensitize yourself to how it feels. Um, the other thing that you can do is just sit down and write out.

Sam Varner: Why do I believe this is the best solution for the client? Why do I know that this is the, this is gonna get them the result they want? What is the outcome? What does it look like? All of those things. And you can just get your brain into that philosophy of like, this is you offering the solution they're seeking.

Mm-hmm. 

Sam Varner: And they're of course, willing able, and very happy to pay you to provide a solution to the thing that they're trying to achieve. So if you write that out, even take like. Like one minute and write what are the top five reasons people come to me to deal with their whatever. Mm-hmm. Their wrinkles, their skincare, whatever.

Sam Varner: And I would do it in individual services you offer. Yeah. So that it starts to become just right. This isn't me trying to be salesy. This is me being an excellent [00:29:00] provider and giving them exactly what they want and I can help them. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. And. 

Sam Varner: Why it's worth it for a client. Like what does it do to them long term?

Sam Varner: Wow. If they lose the weight that they're aiming for, you know what those results do in, in so many facets of their life, right? Mm-hmm. So writing that down and reminding yourself of that makes it easier to say, okay, so we're gonna work together for six months or 12 months. Yeah. And this is what it's gonna look like, and this is the cost of that, and this is the outcome.

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's good advice. Definitely. 

Tara Dotson Riley: It's hard. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. I 

Tara Dotson Riley: struggle with. A lot of business, most business owners, unless almost everybody I talk to Yeah. Uhhuh, unless they're literally a sales coach, um, struggle with the pricing thing. And it's, I think it's also remembering that pricing isn't personal.

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. It's 

Tara Dotson Riley: not like, okay, I'm charging this much because you're, you. It's like, no, this is how much it costs. Mm-hmm. And if you [00:30:00] can afford it, great. I'd love to help you. And if not, I also understand. Yeah. Um, so I. 

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah, no, that's just generally the approach I take. Um, I mean, I think we do get a lot of price shoppers.

Dr. Jacinta: They're. Calling. Absolutely. Yeah. Botox, probably Botox and weight loss are the two things that mm-hmm. What's your price per, you know, what's your price per unit? And that's all we care about. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Well, that's an interesting topic too, to discuss because our price shoppers even who you want 

Dr. Jacinta: mm-hmm. Coming in.

Dr. Jacinta: Yeah. No, really. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Are they creating that long-term relationship? Probably not. They're just waiting for the next best deal. They might come in for this first time, which 

mm-hmm. 

Tara Dotson Riley: Depending on how it's priced, you're probably not making a ton off of either one. Mm-hmm. 

Dr. Jacinta: Mm-hmm. And so it's 

Tara Dotson Riley: just, yeah, 

Dr. Jacinta: yeah, 

Sam Varner: yeah.

Sam Varner: Sometimes that, that price war stuff. It's really worth analyzing. 

Mm-hmm. 

Sam Varner: Trying to stay outta the mud on that if you [00:31:00] can. Mm-hmm. Right. And having it be like, what can we offer over and above what can we offer in conjunction with mm-hmm. And creating a higher level value. And then it is coming up with strategizing on like, what are the ways we're gonna say that?

Sam Varner: So when somebody calls in and they are a price shopper. What is the verbal way we respond to that? What is our comeback? And it's not necessarily gonna be like, um, it's, I know it's not $4 a unit, but like, okay, we're not gonna say it's $4 a unit. We're actually gonna say the way that we work here is blah, blah, blah.

Sam Varner: This is the value. The approximate price might be this. 

Mm-hmm. So 

Sam Varner: the price becomes like the second or third. Piece of that as opposed to us responding with like what our rate is right now, or if we have any specials coming on. Mm. Um, and you just steer it and it, and it will get rid of some of those price shoppers.

Sam Varner: Right. So it does mean those people, if you're getting them to come in a little bit, you won't get them as often. Mm-hmm. [00:32:00] But what you'll get hopefully is the client that is like, I absolutely value X, Y, Z and I'm coming for that. Yeah. Yeah. Which long term creates just more. Um, long-term patience for you as well.

Sam Varner: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Well, well thank you so much for joining us today. That was really good. I think there's a lot of conversations, there's a lot of pieces here to take from this conversation. Um, and I know some of the other listeners are gonna have the same sort of. Thoughts, right? The same sort of challenges, the same sort of wins, and that constant striving towards how do we do this better?

Sam Varner: How do we create the patients that we want to create? How do we serve them so excellently that they are walking away talking about you in rooms that you haven't even been in, right? Creating those ambassadors out in the world. So thank you for bringing all of that up. I really appreciate it. Thank 

Dr. Jacinta: you.

Dr. Jacinta: Thanks for having [00:33:00] me. That's 

Sam Varner: so great. Yeah. Anytime. It's great 'cause you're local too, so we get to come and visit you. Yeah. In the shop too. That'll be fun. Um, 

Tara Dotson Riley: and we're gonna put Dr. Jacinta's, um, Instagram mm-hmm. And website and all that in the show notes as well. So be sure to check that out and give her a follow.