Managing a clinic is like herding cats in heels.

While clients leave with their glow, owners have to do way more than deliver treatments. You’re a manager, marketer, secretary and therapist all in one.

You’re not alone. Many clinic owners are worrying about the same thing:

• Marketing campaigns that cost more than they bring in

• Sales team brings in a lot of new clients that never return. No matter how many follow-up campaigns you send, there’s just radio silence

• Other businesses keep trying to sell you the latest tech, and after a while, it feels like you’re using the tools just for the sake of using them

• Small things that make your team look bad. The salesperson forgets what services they recommended, or worse, what treatments the client already had at your clinic

All these problems can be solved with 1 thing - getting organized as a business. So in this guide, we’ll cover:

1. Common symptoms to look out for

2. Simple solutions to make things efficient

3. Key metrics every clinic owner should track to grow profit and avoid burnout

👀 Symptoms Checklist

1. Where is your client info stored?

   • Did you have to look through more than 1 platform - text messages, Instagram, email, paper files, check with that salesperson - to see what was recommended to them last time?

2. How do you schedule appointments with your clients?

   • What happens when they reschedule last minute?

   • Could you immediately find a time with an available esthetician and the equipment?

3. Is anyone following up with your clients after their treatments?

   • Who’s checking in with them on post-procedure care x days after getting it done?

   • How are you touching base with your clients in a few weeks to see if there are any remaining concerns?

4. Who’s due for a touch-up?

   • Who hasn’t visited in six months?

   • Do you rely on memory to manually filter through the list?

   • Do you send all promotions to all clients, with more people unsubscribing than converting?

5. When do you create promotional offers?

   • How much money do you spend and hope for the best?

   • What data are you collecting to make better decisions next time?

☑️ Tools You Can Use

Did you have trouble answering more than 3 questions above? Here are 2 ways:

1. Budget-friendly Option (<500 clients, <5 staff members)

• Spreadsheets for Tracking and Data Analysis

  • Ask your front desk to spend 3 minutes after each call and update the client's contacts, birthdays, service booked, and the cost

  • Ask the esthetician to spend 5 minutes after each treatment and input the services done, today’s date, at-home care follow-up date, and other concerns discussed during the appointment

  • For targeted marketing, you could easily group clients on this spreadsheet by the services and types of concerns they have, the frequency they visit and the $ amount spent, as well as any special occasions coming up

• Google Calendar for Shared Appointments

  • Sync schedules with your staff to avoid double bookings

  • Set up a separate Calendar for each of your equipment

  • Easily find times with available esthetician and equipment

2. Invest in a System that Pays for Itself (500+ clients, 5+ staff members)

• CRM tools (Customer Relationship Management)

  • Easily stores client info, sends automated follow-up reminders and care instructions, and tracks spending habits

  • Reports and visualizes client lifecycles, from their first visit to becoming a loyal one, what got discussed? How did their concerns change?

  • Find one that fits your organization's size and budget. Examples: Jane, Timely, Acuity Scheduling

• Marketing Automation Tools

  • Group clients by tags and send targeted promotions

  • Example: “Offer a $50 coupon to clients who haven’t visited in 3 months.”

📈 Important Numbers

1. Client Retention Rate
   (Number of returning clients this month ÷ total clients) × 100%

   Benchmark: The industry average is 35%–50%

2. Appointment Cancellation Rate

   (Number of cancelled appointments ÷ total appointments) × 100%

   Benchmark: If it’s over 20%, consider introducing a cancellation fee

3. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

   Average spend per visit × average visits per year × average years with the clinic

   Plan your marketing budget based on CLV

4. Marketing ROI (Return on Investment)

   (Revenue from converted clients – marketing costs) ÷ marketing costs × 100%

   Benchmark: The industry average is 200%–300%

5. Client Satisfaction

   (Number of clients who made a referral ÷ total clients) × 100%

   Ask about their satisfaction when doing post-procedure follow-ups

How to Use These Metrics

1. Don’t just focus on numbers: Low retention? It could be poor service, or maybe clients aren’t being reminded to rebook

2. Check your numbers monthly: Think of it as a “clinic health check.” Time to focus on fixing whatever falls below the benchmark

3. Compare with competitors: There are national associations (like ABA) that publish industry reports—take a peek for insights

HOW RELEVANT WAS TODAY'S NEWSLETTER?

• Highly applicable to my business ★★★★★

• Somewhat helpful for my current situation ★★★

• Irrelevant to where I’m at right now ★

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