Jul. 15, 2024
Posted By Mike Meyer, Monday, October 28,
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By Alex R. Thiersch, JD, CEO of the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa)
Laser treatments are a staple of the medical aesthetic industry. According to the American Medical Spa Association's (AmSpa's) Medical Spa State of the Industry Report, laser hair removal is offered by 59% of medical spas, and it is the second-most common procedure for a first-time patient, so it actively brings patients into practices. Additionally, the report found that 29% of medical spas offer full-field ablative laser skin resurfacing. What's more, 8% of medical spas that don't offer laser hair removal and 5% of medical spas that don't offer laser skin resurfacing are considering adding them.
In order to perform any of these laser treatments, however, the proper equipment must be acquired. And that can be more expensive and complicated than one might imagine.
In recent years, a number of new companies have begun offering laser equipment designed for use by medical aesthetic practices, which has resulted in unprecedented competition. This equipment can be very expensive, costing as much as $250,000, so the stakes in the market are very high.
The representatives who sell this laser equipment typically are compensated, at least partially, on commission, and the commissions they can make are substantial. As is typically the result of commission-based compensation plans, the reps are very motivated to close the deal. Potential clients often forget this fact when they are shopping for a new machine, but savvy consumers always will remember that the sales reps, even at the most reputable companies, make most of their money when they actually sell a machine. Because of this, some reps can be very aggressive.
Although there are many reputable laser companies with very knowledgeable, considerate reps, some other companies employ laser sales reps who act in an unscrupulous manner because of the potential for lucrative commissions. This is the primary reason why you should work with reputable companies with established track records.
Unscrupulous reps often pressure potential customers to make a decision immediately, before they have a chance to truly evaluate their options. These reps will tell customers that they are on a tight timeframe or that they have limited-time discounts that expire soon. However, prospective clients should take a step back and evaluate their options. These are major investments and should be treated with a great deal of care. Good sales reps from trustworthy companies will understand the gravity of the decision and provide customers with the time, information and references they need to make an informed decision.
Prospective customers also should keep in mind that the only time they have leverage in this situation is before the contract is signed&#;when you can still walk away. This is the time in the process when they must do everything they can to negotiate the deal in their best interest. Therefore, when a representative offers a prospective customer a contract to purchase a laser, that customer must fully understand that contract, because this likely will be the only time that contract can be negotiated.
Taking the time to read and understand the contracts offered by the salesperson is the best way for laser customers to protect themselves. If provisions you don't understand are in the contract, ask the sales representative to thoroughly explain them to you. A good rep will always make sure you understand the contract. But it is always a good idea to get an independent explanation. If your lawyer is familiar with negotiating laser contracts, you should consult him or her; if not, you should consider hiring an attorney with knowledge in this area. Laser contracts can be much more complex than contracts for other types of medical aesthetic equipment&#;they may include convoluted provisions on warranties, maintenance, technical support or authorized use, so enlisting the aid of someone who has experience with them can be tremendously helpful.
The amount of marketing support the manufacturer is offering is an aspect of a laser contract that should be carefully considered. Some laser companies offer excellent support; others say they will but offer nothing in writing to guarantee it. The inclusion of a well-developed marketing assistance program often will increase the price of the laser, but it can add substantial value to the deal. The customer must make sure that the contract he or she signs includes language that guarantees sufficient manufacturer support. With a purchase of this size, it is crucial to the customer to have as much support as possible.
It also is important to ask the representative to provide references from people who own the laser model you are considering purchasing. These should not be clients who just bought the laser and are still in the "honeymoon" period&#;these should be experienced users who know the highs and lows of owning the laser long term. Or, better yet, ask a group of medical aesthetics professionals you know to ensure you get an honest answer. For example, AmSpa offers a private Facebook group to its members, which acts as a forum for these and any other professional questions that come up in the course of your medical aesthetics business. A prospective buyer should ask about how the laser performs, its service record, its return-on-investment, manufacturer support and any additional relevant information. Good reps will have a large number of references from people they have dealt with throughout the years; if they don't, that should be seen as a red flag.
Some provisions that prospective customers need to carefully consider are often found in laser contracts. It can take hours to review and analyze all elements of contracts, but there are three provisions that I often focus on when representing clients in laser purchases.
Recertification fees. The most controversial provision deals with recertification fees. It dictates that the manufacturer must inspect a used laser device to "certify" that it is in working order and operating to the manufacturer's standards before it can be resold on the open market. The fee that the manufacturer charges for this service can be quite high&#;$50,000 or more&#;and it must be paid before the machine can be supported at a new customer site, which not only cuts into the resale value, but also makes it difficult to resell on the open market. However, some manufacturers provide a warranty and clinical training as part of the recertification fee, which may actually enhance the machine's resale value.
There are valid reasons for having this fee in place&#;ideally, it helps ensure safety for both patient and provider&#;but it still is a very significant cost that should be understood before the laser is purchased. This is one reason why it's very important to make sure that the laser you're purchasing can be supported by your market. If, after a few months, you decide that the equipment is not ideal, you might be stuck with an extremely expensive piece of equipment you don't use and can't easily sell&#; since the secondary market for lasers can be extremely volatile and tends to favor buyers.
Prospective laser buyers should know that they can, in some instances, negotiate recertification fees, and some laser manufacturers are sometimes even willing to waive them altogether, typically when a practice is introducing laser treatments in markets where they have not yet proven to be successful. In fact, some manufacturers will even offer to repurchase the machine after a period of time if customers can show that their market is not responding to the product offerings. However, these are all things that must be negotiated into the contract before the sale is finalized. If the contract is signed and these elements aren't included, you are out of luck.
Resale restriction. A resale restriction dictates that the customer cannot resell a laser without the manufacturer's approval, or that the laser must be sold back to the manufacturer at a discounted price. As with recertification fees, there are valid reasons for these provisions; however, they can limit a practice's options when it purchases new technology. Horror stories abound of medical spas with functional laser technology that they don't use anymore because newer models were released. I've seen practices that have more than $1 million worth of technology sitting in a room gathering dust because they simply can't do anything with them due to contractual restrictions and a weak secondary market.
However, as is the case with recertification fees, a resale restriction can be negotiated. Again, it is extremely important that the customer recognizes these provisions prior to signing the contract in order to maintain leverage. Reputable laser companies stand behind their products and typically have no issues working with new clients to make sure they are satisfied. If nothing else, a good sales rep should explain this provision so that the customer understands why it is there and how it is designed to help the customer.
Service clauses and warranties. Although they are commonly found in medical spas and aesthetic practices, let's not forget that these machines actually fire lasers. This technology was science fiction in the relatively recent past. These are very sophisticated, sensitive pieces of machinery, and no matter how reputable the manufacturer, the machine will need to be serviced at some point. Good companies ensure that the customer endures little downtime and expense in these situations, but it's up to the customer to make sure that everything that needs to be covered is covered for a reasonable amount of time, and that service is guaranteed to occur in a timely manner. After all, every day that the machine is offline is a day it is not generating revenue.
Prospective customers need to learn about exactly what happens if the machine breaks, what is covered&#;and what is not&#;under the warranty, and what the included customer support entails. Moreover, they must get as much as possible in writing so that they are guaranteed to have efficient, cost-effective service.
For a medical aesthetic practice, offering laser treatments can be extremely lucrative, but buying a laser is much more complicated than simply going down to the neighborhood laser store and picking one out. If you know of a lawyer who has experience negotiating laser contracts, it is in your best interest to hire him or her to help negotiate this transaction.
When you Buy A Aesthetic Laser from China supplier, you&#;re starting a relationship with the Chinese Laser manufacturers. It&#;s worthing to make sure the manufacturer will do their best to support you.
Here is a suggested list of 13 questions worth asking to ensure that you&#;re making the best decision for your practice and for your reference:
The term &#;Q-switch&#; refers to the type of pulse created by the laser. Unlike common laser pointers that create a continuous laser beam, Q-switched lasers create laser beam pulses that last mere billionths of a second. Because the energy from the laser is emitted in such a brief period of time, the energy is concentrated into very powerful pulses.
The powerful, ultra-short pulses have two key benefits. Firstly, these pulses are powerful enough to shatter tiny fragments of ink or pigmentation, stimulate collagen production, or kill fungus. Not all aesthetic lasers have sufficient power for these applications, which is why Q-switched lasers are prized for their efficacy.
Second, because the energy is in the skin for mere nanoseconds, the surrounding tissue is not harmed. Only the ink is heated up and shattered, while the surrounding tissue stays unaffected. The briefness of the pulse is what allows these lasers to remove tattoos (or excess melanin, or kill fungus) without unwanted side effects.
This is obviously the most important question when you decide to consider a laser purchase. Different practices have different goals &#; it&#;s important to find the right laser tattoo removal machine for your specific needs:
Considering performing laser tattoo removal every day and think about what features for functionality, reliability, safety, and efficacy are critical to you.
Since laser tattoo removal became widely available and more popular, some front runners in the field have emerged. These leading skin specialty and laser practices often have been performing laser tattoo removal for over ten years and have witnessed trends in the industry rise and fall. These leading practitioners often have:
Look to see which systems these practices are choosing to replace their older equipment and research new technology &#; they&#;ve seen it all and choose equipment from established manufacturers that makes sense for their high-volume needs.
For laser tattoo removal &#; just like many other aesthetic procedures &#; good marketing is key to profits. Effective marketing brings patients in the door and helps you achieve a return on your laser investment. with a cost-effective solution that yields higher returns than devices that achieve comparable results using more expensive technology.
Because of the importance of marketing, many laser companies offer some level of marketing support to those buying a laser. Some companies claim that their included marketing support would be valued at tens of thousands of dollars or more.
It&#;s important to look at what they&#;re really giving you &#; not just what they say it&#;s worth.
Realistically, most companies provide some printed marketing materials (brochures, posters, etc), a directory listing, and a printed marketing guide&#; no real services, It is very important to provide technical support.
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It takes extensive knowledge of lasers, access to highly specialized parts, and precise technical ability to service a Q-switched laser &#; not all companies have the funds or expertise to have a dedicated service department.
Companies without internal service departments, rely on external freelance laser technicians to provide service for the systems they sell. These freelancers typically don&#;t specialize in servicing one type of laser technology or brand and often have limited access to parts &#; sometimes compromising the quality of service they provide. Ask your laser manufacturer who provides the service for the systems and make sure that you&#;re comfortable with the answer they give you.
The chief designer of PrettyLasers&#;s research and development of the former senior design expert of the Laser Medical Research Office of the Beijing Institute of Optoelectronic Technology. PrettyLasers offer the most professional technical service for you.
q-switch lasers for tattoo removal are highly complex machines that require periodic maintenance to perform optimally.
Unlike a computer which you can take to a wide variety of mechanics for service, your laser machine can only be serviced by experienced laser technicians with the right parts and tools &#; which makes you dependent on the responsiveness and expertise of your laser manufacturer&#;s technical service department.
Most veterans of the laser industry have at least one horror story of working with an irresponsible laser company that leaves them high and dry in face of a technical service need. We&#;ve heard of some companies having two-week waiting periods for service support of critical issues &#; meaning the practice was faced with rescheduling two weeks&#; worth of patients. For any practice, extended downtime can be hugely damaging to both revenue and reputation.
Ask your laser manufacturer what&#;s the longest any client has had to wait for an emergency service visit and what the average system downtime is per year. Ask them to tell you about an instance where the service department went above and beyond to keep things running smoothly for a practice.
Most importantly, speak to existing clients (not paid luminaries) &#; they&#;re the ones that will have the best insight into the quality of the support from the service department.
Most advanced Q-Switch ND: YAG Laser tattoo removal machines come with a standard one-year limited warranty on the equipment with a separate pulse count warranty on the flashlamp. However, top-quality laser tattoo removal machines are designed to last 5 to 10 years or even more with regular maintenance &#; that&#;s where extended warranties come into play.
Many practices buy extended warranties/service contracts to have peace of mind about their investment and have regularly scheduled preventative maintenance visits. While what&#;s covered by a prolonged warranty is fairly consistent between laser companies, the prices are not. Some companies reasonable price their extended service contracts based on the costs associated with providing the service, but some laser manufacturers charge triple the price because they look to profit from their service department and have a recurring revenue stream from their clients.
How do they get away with charging triple for their service contracts?
Some major manufacturers refuse to provide service unless you&#;re under an extended warranty &#; forcing you to buy a warranty if you ever want service on your laser again.
Don&#;t worry &#; not all laser companies are looking to gouge their customers. Just make sure that you ask about the prices for extended warranties, if preventative maintenance visits are included in the cost, and if service is available to out-of-contract customers.
Even if you have skilled experience with performing laser treatments, adding on a new treatment procedure means adding on a whole new set of patient questions, side effects to manage, protocols to learn, operation method and precautions, and so on.
Here are a few things to look for in training as follows:
Your professional training is your opportunity to get off to a good start with laser tattoo removal &#; make sure the laser company equips you with the right knowledge. And to know how to skilled operate Q-Switch ND: YAG Laser Machines.
Also, ask the laser manufacturer what will be provided when additional training is needed.
Most practices have some level of employee turnover, and even laser clinics that have a single owner-operator tend to hire more staff after establishing themselves. Training from the laser manufacturer is important to making sure practitioners feel comfortable and confident with the procedures they perform.
Laser tattoo removal accompanies a large type of options and capabilities at a large variety of worth points. Some new practices or those trying to check the waters for optical maser tattoo removal want to begin with an associate entry-level tattoo removal system, some practices want to begin out with the foremost subtle optical maser obtainable, and plenty of purchase somewhere mediate.
If your application starts out with an associate degree entry-level or mid-level system (as several practitioners do), you&#;ll like to eventually upgrade once you have designed a base of tattoo removal patients and have the monthly revenue to hide the price of a lot of advanced optical device.
The advantages of upgrading may include:
Unfortunately, many aesthetic laser manufacturers do not take in the used machine. If you think you may wish to trade up or add on an additional system (such as a laser for treating resistant inks), ask the laser manufacturer what upgrade options will be available for you in the future.
PrettyLasers are a manufacturing and trading combo for aesthetic laser machines in Beijing China, with more than 15 years of the full experience. PrettyLasers always do their best to keep prices as reasonable as possible without sacrificing quality, and PrettyLasers are constantly investigating new methods of quality improvement and upgrading technology.PrettyLasers have long-term cooperative suppliers who can give us the best price. PrettyLasers recommend Q-Switch ND: YAG Laser machine which is inquired by British, Middle East, Mexico, Central American, South American and so on customers. We believe it can bring you great profits.
we provide professional OEM/ODM services. PrettyLasers has an integrated professional system for product research and development, manufacture, certificate identification, and market promotion. Therefore, PrettyLasers has the confidence and capability to provide innovative and practical solutions conforming to customers&#; needs in high efficiency with quick responses.
Unlike the other issues on this list, this one is more qualitative. Different laser suppliers have different reputations and values, and it&#;s important to choose one that will respect what matters to you.
Some companies focus more on flashy advertising, some focus more on advanced technology. Some laser sales personnel have more professional laser knowledge, some function more as trusted consultants.
If you&#;re looking at two quality lasers from two different reputable manufacturers, consider choosing the one that you&#;d rather have an ongoing client relationship with and which does its best to support to serve your practice. After all, their expertise and support could be very helpful in making your first year with laser tattoo removal a successful one.
The following service steps for overseas customers shall be followed if any troubles with your equipment.
1. Information Collection
Information of videos & pictures and Name of Sales Manager shall be provided if your machine is still in warranty. As for the machines that are out of warranty, the machine failure information, as well as video evidence, shall be provided for at least.
2. Communication and Judgement
You can communicate with our engineers about malfunction detection in a variety of ways (Online video is preferred.) Once the fault is diagnosed and confirmed, our professional engineers will help to repair it. You can also send back fault parts to PrettyLasers and order new components if necessary.
3. Parts installation
If you receive the new or well-repaired device parts, the service engineer from PrettyLasers will guide you to install and send you installation instructions.
4. Maintenance finished
The service engineer will collect the faulty information and report it to the technical department timely. Meanwhile, the replaced expensive parts and components with analytical values shall be recalled for tracking information.
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